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Data and AI leader Magda Wood shares a preview of her session at the upcoming PPA Festival, where she will be launching a new AI framework for publishers, and discussing “Who owns the future of publishing: LLM licensing framework” with Tom West, chief exec of PLS. 

We keep repeating the same bleak picture: Publishers expect search traffic to fall by up to 40% over the next three years; AI bots now account for one visit for every 31 human visits to publisher sites (up 60% in a single year); and click-through rates from AI applications are minimal and are not translating into a meaningful source of audiences. 

Yet a percentage of publishers surveyed as part of our new PPA research reported no meaningful audience impact at all. What are they doing differently? Are licensing deals a way forward to reduce the impact?

These are the questions at the heart of our research project, Strategic Choices for AI Licensing, that I developed for the PPA and will be sharing at the PPA Festival on 6 May. Some of the key findings that Tom and I will explore include:

Disruption is not uniform

B2C publishers are the most significantly impacted, with 67% reporting major audience disruption, compared with 27% of B2B and hybrid organisations. Lifestyle publishers facing intense competition are particularly exposed. By contrast, niche publishers with strong direct audience relationships through subscriptions, events and proprietary data, are proving more resilient. Quality content and deep relationships with audiences remain difficult to substitute.

Not every deal is a good deal

Across 63 tracked licensing agreements, the average multi-year deal is worth less than 2.15% of annual revenue. Most are RAG deals – agreements that grant retrieval-augmented generation rights, allowing AI systems to access and surface publisher content in responses. These arrangements come with their own risks: click-through rates from chatbots have fallen, even for publishers with deals in place. Entering an agreement without the right protections and commercial terms could risk long-term damage to a publisher’s business model.

The market is moving fast

The good news is that conditions are starting to shift. Regulatory pressure is increasing, following a backlash that saw the Government step back from its preferred option to make AI scraping easier. At the same time, content marketplaces from Microsoft and Amazon are emerging, while infrastructure tools such as Cloudflare’s AI Crawl Control now offer more meaningful technical protection. Collective licensing frameworks are also developing solutions tailored to publishers that lack the scale to negotiate alone.

What next?

At the PPA Festival, we will launch a full diagnostic framework, the deal considerations that separate a good outcome from a damaging one, and the strategic pathways available to publishers of different sizes and business models. 

It will allow you to assess your audience impact; set priorities based on what you stand to lose; and, if you enter a deal – bilateral or collective – ensure it is structured around the right conditions, not just the fastest offer on the table.

The window to act strategically is narrowing. It is worth continuing the conversation.

To see the full PPA Festival 2026 agenda click here.

Any questions surrounding the PPA’s work with Government on the impact of AI, contact Eilidh.Wilson@ppa.co.uk

Booth succeeds Bill Butler, who is retiring after a 35-year career with the company.

Butler’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening the company’s market position, expanding its digital footprint, and guiding its events portfolio through a period of significant transformation.

Booth brings extensive experience in transforming specialist media and events businesses to meet the evolving needs of their markets. He joins from emap, where he led a significant shift in the business model following its acquisition by Metropolis Group. Driving growth in events, subscriptions and digital revenues, while improving profitability and long-term sustainability.

With P&L responsibility for a substantial share of group profit and leadership of multi-brand, multi-disciplinary teams, Booth has also championed product innovation, including the application of AI, LLM-driven search and personalisation, and the development of new digital products and apps. Previously, at Aspermont, Booth held international leadership responsibility across multiple brands and markets, where he focused on digital growth, cultural transformation and strategic product development.

Nick Service, Chair of the Hemming Group, said, “Bill has been a driving force in Hemming Group’s success for more than three decades, and we are deeply grateful for his dedication and leadership. We are delighted to welcome Robin, whose experience and energy make him ideally suited to build on Bill’s work and guide the company in its next chapter.”

“Robin will contribute a fresh strategic vision to support the organisation’s continued expansion and innovation. As CEO, he will lead the coming phase of development across Hemming Group’s publishing and events brands.”

Bill Butler commented, “My time with the company has given me the opportunity to work with all areas of the business. As Group Managing Director, it has been both challenging and rewarding to guide the organisation through a period of substantial transformation. Our priority has been to build the foundations for sustainable future growth, underpinned by investment in people, technology and data. Working alongside such committed colleagues and partners has been a genuine privilege.”

Robin Booth said, “I’m delighted to be joining Hemming Group at such an important moment in its history. The business has an extraordinary heritage and a strong reputation for delivering trusted information, events and connections to specialist industries, and I’m excited by the opportunity to help lead it through the next phase of its development.

Our markets are evolving rapidly, and this is a moment of real change for media and events businesses. Our focus will be on responding to – and anticipating – the changing needs of our customers and audiences, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional information, exceptional experiences, exceptional direct channels to market, and exceptional customer value and service.

Hemming has thrived for more than 130 years by staying close to the industries it serves and continually adapting to meet their needs. I’m looking forward to working with the senior leadership team, the board and colleagues across the business to build on that legacy and ensure a bright and successful future for the next 130 years and beyond.”

Booth will start the new position on 6 July 2026.

Whitmar Publications

Whitmar Publications is a leading specialist publisher in the commercial and packaging printing markets. Through its magazines, websites and popular events, the company is renowned for its high quality and industry focused content.

67 Bricks

67 Bricks is a technology transformation and product development consultancy specialising in building digital products that generate real results for information publishers. They’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including The Economist Intelligence Unit, InfoPro Digital and Informa to build everything from AI podcast generators to full-service data platforms.

Inspired Search & Selection

Inspired Search & Selection are a specialist publishing recruitment agency with a division dedicated to supporting professional publishers across b2b and b2c magazines. They are set up to support at all levels and all job functions across permanent, contract, temporary and executive search.

Marfeel

Marfeel empowers over 5,000 publishers (Advance Local, Globo, Grupo Prisa, McClatchy, among others) by providing insights into their audience, enabling them to enhance engagement and maximize monetization metrics. Its robust and extensible technology adapts to every publisher’s business needs and audience to deliver seamless reader experiences that drive better results.

PartnerWise

With over 25 years across sport, media and content; including senior operator-side roles, James Cape started his career at Haymarket Media. He partners with leadership teams across publishing who are building senior leadership capacity ahead of growth. He provides services in executive search, interim and talent intelligence. He operates globally, with a keen focus on UK, US, and Mainland Europe.

Gould International

Gould Publication Papers specialises in the supply of graphical printing papers to the magazine publishing, retail and mail order sectors as well the provision of associated management services, while Premier is the leading merchanting group in the UK supported by 14 warehouse locations across the country.

Red Kite

Red Kite provides growth consultancy services to publishers including advertising revenue growth, sales structure and new platforms and process implementation, value proposition and creation of new revenue streams including lead generation.

You can view all PPA Publisher members here and associate members here.

Participants are encouraged to use their metre for things like growing plants for pollinators, harvesting homegrown veg, adding water to welcome wildlife, or starting a compost heap to boost your soil.

This year, the campaign welcomes its first commercial partner in sustainability focused mobile network, Ecotalk and its Chief Ecologist, Chris Packham, who will be tending to his own metre garden for a social video series throughout the campaign.   

Make a Metre Matter has also partnered with the 30×30 UK initiative, a landmark global initiative with the goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030, in order to halt biodiversity loss and tackle climate change.

Kevin Smith, Content Director of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine said: “Make a Metre Matter is back and we couldn’t be more excited to see it grow. Last year showed us what’s possible when people come together around a simple but powerful idea. A metre might not sound like much, but multiply that by thousands of gardens, balconies and community plots across the UK and the impact is extraordinary. With Ecotalk on board this year, we’re taking that mission even further.”

Chris Packham, TV Personality and Ecotalk’s Chief Ecologist added: “If you have a metre, now is the time to make it matter. Don’t wait for others to fix the problems when you can do it yourself, and you can be as creative, dynamic or lazy as you like. You could just stop mowing a square metre of your otherwise tedious lawn, or you could plant wildflowers or vegetables, or put out a hedgehog box. There’s no limit to a metre. Sprinkle some of nature’s stardust and make your metre magical. And whatever you do, please share your metre with your friends, family, neighbours and all of us. Let’s make a lot of metres make a difference for wildlife and humans across the UK.”

Lucy Delicata, Ecotalk’s Brand & Marketing Manager said: “Ecotalk exists to put nature first; every penny of profit goes back into rewilding projects across the UK rather than shareholders’ pockets. Make a Metre Matter speaks directly to our mission to restore nature and is a powerful reminder that meaningful change can start small. This year we’re putting that into practice by restoring wildflower meadows across our land holdings, and we’re proud to be standing alongside BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and its readers in the shared mission to bring more nature back into the spaces around us.”

The campaign will also be coming to life at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC where BBC Newsround presenter De-Graft Mensah, along with gardening expert Lucy Chamberlain will be displaying their own metre gardens.

To join in BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine’s mission to make measurable change one metre at a time, find out more.

Hosted by gardener and author Amy Chapman and broadcaster and nature enthusiast Katrina Ridley, the first season of the Connect to Nature podcast is sponsored by Woodland Trust and explores how to look after ourselves and the planet.  

Across eight episodes, guests will discuss topics including discovering wild places, rewilding responsibly, challenging fast fashion, embracing technology, easing ecoanxiety, and how creativity and music can help people reconnect with the wild.  

Ben Youatt, Head of Podcasts, Immediate commented: “Connect to Nature is a space where curiosity, creativity, and environmental awareness meet. This series brings together inspiring voices who are reimagining how we interact with the natural world, and we’re thrilled to share these conversations with a new generation of naturelovers.”   

Podcast guests include wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin, ornithologist Dr MyaRose Craig, and wildlife TV presenter, author, activist and co-founder of a birdwatching collective, Nadeem Perera, alongside other passionate voices from across the environmental and creative communities.  

Amy Chapman added: “Nature feels more important than ever, but it can also feel overwhelming to know where to start. What I love about Connect to Nature is how practical and uplifting it is - it’s about small, meaningful steps that help people feel more grounded, hopeful and connected in their everyday lives.”  

Katrina Ridley said: “I’m so excited to launch Connect to Nature! We’ve had some incredible conversations in this series, talking about everything from exploring wild places to talking honestly about ecoanxiety. My hope is that listeners come away feeling empowered, informed and inspired to build their own relationship with the natural world, in whatever way feels right for them.”  

The Connect to Nature podcast is available to watch on the Connect to Nature YouTube channel and on major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify. The brand will also be sharing social content from the podcast and more on Instagram and TikTok under the handle ‘Connect2Naturepod’.  

Episode one is available now, with new episodes dropping every Monday.  

We’re all aware of the challenge. Literacy levels are falling, and reading for pleasure is in decline across all age groups. This has real implications for education, opportunity, and wellbeing. 

As publishers, this is where we can make a difference. Our sector plays a unique role in inspiring curiosity, shaping culture, and helping people engage with the world. The Year of Reading gives us a powerful platform to demonstrate that impact, collectively. 

How you can get involved

Amplify the campaign across the year 

Use the ‘Go All In’ campaign assets across your brands and channels: 

• Editorial content, features, and callouts 

• Social, newsletters, and websites 

• Events and community engagement 

Please follow the campaign brand guidance and let us know how you plan to support so we can showcase the sector’s collective impact. You can download assets here. 

Pledge your support 

We’re encouraging all members to support the campaign, either: 

• In kind – editorial space, media inventory, access to content, events 

• Financially – where appropriate 

There are already some great examples across the industry. PPA member DC Thomson (Beano) has pledged support and was part of the recent Scottish launch, including community activations and character-led engagement. Find out more here.

Explore deeper partnerships 

For those looking to play a bigger role, there are opportunities to become a strategic funding partner, with additional visibility and involvement. If you’d like to explore this, please contact: Theo Coyne, Partnerships Lead, National Literacy Trust (theo.coyne@literacytrust.org.uk). 

We hope you can get involved in whatever way works for your organisation and would love to hear your plans. 

You can read more about the campaign here.