Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 as AI search choked the open web

July 15, 2026 Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 of 2026 as AI‑era, zero‑click search choked the flow of traffic to news and other open‑web sites, per U.S. and U.K. benchmarking data from Ozone, shared exclusively with Digiday. Ozone’s publisher network includes the Guardian, News UK, and Dow Jones’ Wall Street Journal. TOP STORY The Programmatic Publisher Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 as AI search choked the open web Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 of 2026 as AI‑era, zero‑click search choked the flow of traffic to news and other open‑web sites, per U.S. and U.K. benchmarking data from Ozone, shared exclusively with Digiday.  Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Want to know how top brands and agencies are actually winning with AI? Join us in NYC on September 24 for AI Marketing Strategies to connect with execs from VML, Prudential, WPP and many others. Prices rise Aug. 11. When AI operates in a unified system, business gains aren’t theoretical. After implementing a single operational layer — which didn’t involve a better creative tool or smarter bidder — one travel advertiser saw incremental bookings rise 34%. Partner insights from Clinch. Social influencers change what people think. But another kind of influencer — the leader of the friend group — is visible only in payment data and changes what people spend. That’s the audience worth competing for. Partner insights from PayPal Ads. MARKETING Marketing on Platforms Digital video ad spending is booming - trust in premium inventory isn't. Digital video ad spend continues to climb, but buyers say bigger budgets bring tougher questions about inventory quality, supply chain transparency. Marketing on Platforms Reddit questions if AI data deals could hurt its ad business Reddit’s ad business is built on the value of its community conversations. Now the company is debating whether selling those same conversations to AI companies could undermine that advantage. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CELTRA Live session: Building real-time campaigns in highly regulated industries Join this session on Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. ET for insights into fast-moving and highly regulated industries, like gaming, finance, healthcare and crypto, and why marketers need tech stacks that keep up. Brands in Culture Brands won this season of ‘Love Island USA’ Brands are eagrs to find their way into shows like Love Island USA and events that have become appointment viewing. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CANNES LIONS Brands like Apple that invest in creativity outperform competitors Brands that invest in creative marketing outperform the competition and grow. Apple, known for its creativity, consistently reports remarkable growth, like a 36% increase in monthly engagement on Apple TV. Advertisement DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Future of TV Briefing: The M&A match game (summer 2026 edition) This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the M&A deals that should be in the offing after an active first half of 2026. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ADJUST How mobile gaming companies are navigating measurement migrations Measurement platforms have always been foundational to app marketing and growth success. But as complexity has grown and signal loss persisted, the underlying infrastructure has taken on greater strategic importance. ICYMI Publishing in the Platform Era Publisher alliance Ozone makes a larger play for U.S. advertisers Publisher alliance Ozone is on a growth tear in the US and plans to expand its local headcount to 50 people next year. The Programmatic Publisher Why publisher ad alliance Ozone is playing the long-game on ‘underweight’ advertising on premium editorial Money is moving from these marketplaces into those that can provide an aggregate audience in quality environments. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy