It’s another morning that we are waking up to the cost of unchecked hatred spreading across the world. Unfortunately, we could start every weekly newsletter with a similar note. We feel the pain of the members of our community for whom the holidays should be a time of peace, and find that peace shattered.
We will do more than be here for you: we will do what we can to be part of the solutions that help stop this madness.
We speak of human connection and trust not just as a strategy for publishers, but for society. The following was written earlier in the weekend. In one sense, the show must go on, and so we’ll go through the motions. Hopefully, in the process, it helps you look to the future.
Last week, I talked about the hunt for keynote speakers. Thank you to those who provided some recommendations - a few I’ll definitely be following up with. I doubt we’ll try to book Batman or Troy Aikman, but thanks for playing. Kevin Bacon will be at IAB ALM, so I don’t want to book him for Base.Camp as well. Plus… sorry, I’m not sure why Kevin Bacon is relevant.
Is it that “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” is an excellent metaphor for programmatic bid duplication?
Still, I think I’d rather have more discussion about the future of publishing in the shadow of AI than have a celebrity at the industry's most senior-level attended event. Do people really decide to attend events because celebrities are speaking? I’ll be at IAB ALM – it’s a must-attend in my book – but I’ll be busy talking about the collective action needed to save publishing.
So, sorry, no celebs at Base.Camp San Antonio, but definitely discussions about what comes next for publishers. But the other safari reference I’ll make is how it’s time for publishers to start to create some new natural defenses.
Too often, we have been picked off one at a time. We’ve survived in part because of our numbers, but I don’t think that will ensure our survival – not unless we band together. This isn’t all about AI. This past week, two major conversations emerged within the community. One was about RESELLER lines, and I’ll summarize it by saying that many - not all - players in the programmatic space rely on publishers to only think about short-term gains. We need to work with people who are thinking about our long-term interests.
The second conversation was about how publishers are measured and valued without our involvement, and then we’re expected to pay to learn what was said about us.
I don’t believe publishers are going to be relegated to being an exhibit in a zoo, but too many think of us as an infinite resource to continue to extract value from. Pubs are partially to blame for this, but unless we change, we’ll have to hope for endangered species status.
Start your week off strong with a few essential reads from us and our partners:
- Jayson Dubin, Batman of adtech, unveils unified platform built for the future of publishing
In his latest video conversation, Rob sits down with Jayson Dubin, CEO and Chairman of Playwire, for a technical dive into the future of monetization and ML-driven adops, on the heels of the announcement of their new Revenue Amplification Management Platform (RAMP).
- Why digital publishers should invest in revenue diversification
When Rome built its empire, it also built a weakness. Most of its wheat came from the Nile, and when the river failed one year, famine spread across the empire’s cities. One bad flood, and the whole system cracked. Business isn’t so different. When your growth depends on a single “river” of revenue, you’re one dry season away from hunger. Diversify, and you build resilience. (By Ziv Mishan, VP Revenue, Kueez)
- Reinventing the revenue river: a conversation with Kueez’ Ziv Mishan
From AI-driven zero-click search, to ongoing CPM compression, publishers are navigating a landscape where long-trusted traffic and revenue sources no longer behave the way they once did. The old approach - depend on SEO, optimize for scale, and rely on a handful of major platforms - has become dangerously outdated. In our latest Q&A, Rob joins with Ziv Mishan, VP Revenue at Kueez, to unpack that challenge.
- What will an ad ops department look like in the future?From Lauren Farber,
Revenue Enablement Lead, Wall Street Journal: “In November at Beeler.Tech’s Base.Camp in Lisbon, I had the opportunity to lead a session titled ‘What Will an Ad Ops Department Look Like in the Future?’—a question that produced equal parts curiosity, nervous laughter, and ‘is this recorded because I want to hear what everyone else says?’ energy.”
Here’s the latest news, and yes, it’s all true:
- NEW 2026 EVENT: AI Publisher Response, May 6, 2026 (NYC)
AI Publisher Response is a working session built for publisher teams who want a clear, practical path through the noise of AI. This event brings publishers together to focus on the questions that actually matter to you: what should be automated, what must stay human, how your org should evolve, and how you protect your content and revenue in a market moving faster than your resources.
Let’s talk about 2026, folks, because we’ve got a lot planned:
- Base.Camp San Antonio: March 1-4, 2026
- Navigator NYC: May 5, 2026
- AI Publisher Response: May 6, 2026
- Navigator London: June 9, 2026
- Base.Camp La Jolla: October 4-7, 2026
- Base.Camp Madrid: November 8-11, 2026
Now is the time to raise your hand if you’re interested in attending any of these events. The earlier you raise your hand, the more we can work with you (and your budget) to help you be in the rooms you need to be in.
A full list of all 2026 events we’re involved in, all in one nice little package:
- Base.Camp San Antonio - March 1-4, 2026
- Advertising Economic Forum NYC - March 18-19, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Spring - April 15 & 16, 2026
- Navigator NYC - May 5, 2026
- AI Publisher Response Event - May 6, 2026
- Navigator London - June 9, 2026
- Base.Camp La Jolla - October 4-7, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Fall - October 21 & 22, 2026
- Base.Camp Madrid - November 8-11, 2026
Work at a media company or app developers on monetization? Earn $55 to share you views!
We are working with NewtonX and Ipsos to collect the opinions of people who work in Ad Ops, Rev Management, Executive Leadership, Product/Tech at media organizations. If you qualify to take the survey, you can shape the future of monetization technology for publishers and monetize your own expertise with a little extra cash ($55 USD) for the holidays. So copy and paste the link in your browser, take the survey, get your $55 gift card.
https://surveys.newtonxcommunity.com/referrals/e/a3c53500-3f41-4d96-9cb7-4ef22287c86a
TD Foundation 20th Annual Holiday Cocktails Gala
January 22, 6:00 pm ET
New York Athletic Club
Celebrate our 2025 successes and discuss how the TD Foundation has been helping the children and families of wounded warriors and fallen heroes at the 20th Annual TD Foundation Holiday Cocktail Event!
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