I’m just back from CES, where I ran into people who asked if I was still focused on publishers. When I reaffirmed my commitment, you could see in their eyes a touch of “how cute” or “he’s screwed” or “the train is leaving the station, and Rob’s not going to be on it.” Agree if you like, but I’m holding my ground. In fact, Beeler.Tech is going to double down on sharing our thoughts and those of our community members who have something to say.
We’ve long encouraged our members to express themselves, but at a Base.Camp session people let us know they can’t stick their neck out and say the things they want to say. Plus, they felt like people don’t understand the number of things publisher operations/revenue-minded people are talking about.
With that, we announce The Stack.
The Stack is a paid subscription that gives publishers, ad tech partners, and industry players intelligence. This includes real conversations from our ad ops and publisher community, anonymous publisher op-eds, expert industry analysis, and the actionable context you need to stay looped in. It comes in two parts:
Above the Fold: A recap of the conversations happening within our community. Anonymized, summarized, but not completely sanitized, you’ll learn just how much is going on in the world of publisher operations and ad tech. (sample available without subscription)
Below the Fold: Goes beyond the headlines. Op-eds from our team. Anonymous publisher editorials you won’t see anywhere else. We have a lot in this pipeline. (sample available without subscription)
We are excited about this new chapter for Beeler.Tech, but also what The Stack will allow us to do and say. We’re going to get loud. Join us.
Hot off the presses, we’ve got two juicy reads for you this week:
- Brand safety theater: We have a keyword blocklists problem, people Brands have a right to buy whatever impressions they want based on whatever criteria they deem important. Full stop. Publishers have the right to publish whatever content they think will attract an audience and have it monetized by advertising from advertisers that want to be seen by that audience. Full stop. What is lost is that, when evaluating impressions is done poorly, it can punish publishers who have invested time, money, and effort into creating content. Subscriber-exclusive editorial by Rob Beeler.
- Testing the real impact of client-side, server-side, and parallel bidding with Olli Järvilehto For years, publishers have been caught between competing narratives about client-side, server-side and parallel header bidding, with each touted as the definitive way to increase yield, performance, or privacy. In reality, it’s a bit more complex. As third-party cookies decline, browser restrictions increase, and page performance becomes ever more closely tied to revenue outcomes, publishers are under pressure to make decisions that balance monetization, user experience, and operational stability. And often without clear, comparable data to hand.
Want to get caught up on everything we’ve published? Start here.
Here’s the latest news, and yes, it’s all true:
- AI Publisher Response Live (January 23, 1:00 pm ET, Virtual) A standing podcast, call, meeting - whatever you want to call it. Bottom line, we need to talk as a community about the AI Publisher Response. Sometimes this will be a guest, sometimes a community member, sometimes just Rob. But this conversation needs to be a priority. Join us every other Friday to discuss the big and small topics, not commiseration, but real discussion about AI and how it impacts the Publisher landscape and what publishers are doing, and planning to do, about it. You can register here.
- The day 2 agenda for the Advertising Economic Forum is now liveAdvertising Economic Forum returns to NYC, March 18 & 19, 2026, and the agenda for day 2 is now live. Day 2 is a full-stack look at adtech economics: where capital is flowing, how attention is priced, what public markets are rewarding, and how M&A decisions get made. Expect sharp perspective from Rishad Tobaccowala, a return from Joe Marchese, and a CEO playbook conversation with Criteo’s Michael Komasinski, plus money-flow and working-capital sessions that connect the dots. We’ll close with the Charging Bull Award and a cocktail mixer designed for real conversations.
- Early bird now open: Digital Day Camp is back for 2 days this April Digital Day Camp returns to Toronto Spring 2026 as two distinct one-day events, each built for two different audiences, with two different outcomes. Day 1 (Digital Day Camp Leadership) brings senior decision-makers together to align on what needs to change next in Canadian digital media; Day 2 (DDC Next) turns that direction into practical, in-the-weeds problem-solving for the next generation of leaders.
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
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!
Hélène Parker’s Reach and Frequency
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Want some free money? Work at a media company or app developers on monetization? Check this out!
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
Join the Community!
Thousands of professionals, of all ages, worldwide turn to Beeler.Tech as their meeting place for all things publisher revenue operations. Join the Beeler.Tech Community here! Your teams and colleagues are welcome, too.
Join the Women’s Space
Our Women’s Space continues to grow, and we’re developing a Code of Conduct for all Beeler.Tech events: something every attendee will agree to, and something we hope the wider industry adopts. The goal is simple: raise the bar on respect and professionalism for everyone.
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