Rob Beeler + Michael Edwards, VP of Sales and Accounts at adops.com
Publishers have had a rough run over the past 12 months and it’s not getting any easier. Display revenues are under pressure, platforms keep shifting the rules, and clickless search, such as AI Overviews (AIO), and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), are rewiring how people discover content. Traditional monetization strategies aren't pulling their weight any more.
Against that backdrop, Michael Edwards, VP of Sales and Accounts at adops.com, has been working with a wide range of publishers, helping them rework their businesses to stay resilient. To dig into what those models look like in practice, Rob sat down with Michael to find out how consolidation is really playing out for publishers as they head into 2026.
Rob: Why does consolidation feel so urgent for publishers right now?
Michael: The pressures are stacking up from several directions at once. Display revenue is softer, and discovery and demand are moving in ways individual publishers cannot fully control, whether that’s AI answers sitting above links, or social algorithms stifling referral traffic.
At the same time, the tech and skills needed to compete keep expanding. A single site trying to keep on top of identity, privacy, viewability, measurement, and yield is carrying a heavy operational burden. Consolidation, in its different forms, is about sharing that load so for instance a group of properties can tap into tools, people, and data, and negotiate from a stronger position.
Rob: One of the models you’re seeing is acquisition and network building. How does that work in practice?
Michael: One clear pattern is groups buying compatible properties to build out a network. For example, we work with a network of hyper-local publishers focused on community content. They have been acquiring similar sites, each with a slightly different angle on the same audience, then bringing them together under a single brand that feels coherent to readers and advertisers.
What adops.com brings to the table is structured scale. Instead of each property bolting on its own newsletter, video product, or direct-sold package, we help the group plug into shared tools and proven revenue streams. New acquisitions can contribute something valuable on day one, then we help integrate that into the wider strategy quickly and cleanly.
Rob: Okay, so how is that different from the joint effort and rebranding model?
Michael: Joint efforts are less about buying and more about combining. In one case, a large publisher brought together its own tech brand with two others in the same space. Rather than three overlapping propositions competing for the same budgets, they built a single platform that is easier for advertisers and internal teams to work with.
The operational lift there is significant. You might have thousands of line items that need to be re-trafficked and cleaned up. Our team leant on both automation and expertise to handle that work, then helped design an adops stack for the new joint entity instead of stitching legacy setups together.
Rob: You also talk about ‘divestiture and outsourcing’ as a model, plus ‘restructure and spin-off.’ How do those help publishers focus?
Michael: The divestiture and outsourcing model is about consolidating around what a publisher is best at. For some, that’s creating high-trust content for a specific audience. In those cases, running a full direct sales team or building out complex adtech in-house can distract from the core mission, so they work with specialist ad sales partners instead.
Meanwhile, the restructure and spin-off approach tends to show up with larger organizations that have grown through acquisition over many years. On paper, they are one company, but inside you often find clusters of sites that serve different audiences, with different commercial strategies and levels of maturity. Spinning out a group of properties into an independent network can create focus on both sides.
Our role across both models is to keep continuity. If properties are sold, functions are outsourced, or new entities are created, we already understand the ad stack, the tagging, and the reporting. We can move with the inventory, keep everything running, and design a right-sized model for each entity with the right mix of managed service, internal ownership, and technology.
Rob: For a publisher listening to this, it might still feel overwhelming. How should they decide which route is right for them?
Michael: The starting point is to be honest about what you are good at, and where you are stretched. Some publishers have strong brands and audiences but lack operational depth. Others are sophisticated on the tech side but fragmented on sales. Consolidation isn’t a goal in itself - it’s a way to align your structure with your strengths.
From there, it helps to ask a few simple questions. Do you need more scale? Are you carrying legacy businesses that no longer fit your strategy? Are you spending too much time running adtech rather than building products and relationships? The answers to these questions tend to point you towards one or two of these models, and that is where a partner like adops.com can pressure-test the options with you.
The publishers’ republic
Consolidation might sound like something that only happens in boardrooms, but on the ground, it’s about making sure teams have the focus and support they need to grow revenue without burning out. Whether that means joining a network, rebranding with similar companies, outsourcing complexity, or spinning out a new entity, the common thread is clarity about what you want to own and what you are happy to share.
If you’re a publisher wrestling with those questions, talk to your peers, review where your team spends its time, and consider whether your current structure really matches your ambitions. And if you want help mapping the options, the team at adops.com are always happy to talk.
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This is content created in paid partnership with adops.com. We only feature partners who we believe bring real value to the publisher community.