Business news relevant to anyone earning money from published work: advertising market forecasts and spending shifts, platform and streaming results, copyright litigation and licensing settlements, and regulation touching data or distribution. Each item states the likely effect on rates, reach or contract terms over the coming quarters.
VC poured billions into creator tools, roll-ups and holding companies; what survived tells creators which business models actually carry investors' return requirements.
Michael Hayes · July 14, 2026
Journalism job cuts have run in the thousands annually for years — but the aggregate count hides a sector re-sorting rather than simply shrinking, and the honest read changes the strategy.
Michael Hayes · June 21, 2026
A decade of streaming price increases and re-aggregation ended with consumers paying cable-era totals for reassembled bundles — a controlled experiment in what bundles are worth.
Michael Hayes · May 29, 2026
Programmatic display pays by the impression and trends toward zero; sponsorships pay for association and hold their price — the niche publisher's ad mix should know the difference.
Michael Hayes · May 6, 2026
The New York Times bought a product-review site for $30 million and made affiliate commerce a mainstream publisher revenue line — the mechanics are learnable, the margins are not automatic.
Michael Hayes · April 14, 2026