SODP Dispatch - 07 November 2025

Ezoic Open Video Review for 2025

By Kamalpreet Singh

Video monetization remains one of publishing's most complex technical challenges, with publishers losing potential revenue to suboptimal ad delivery and viewer experience issues. Ezoic Open Video is a comprehensive video player solution designed specifically for publishers seeking to maximize both advertising revenue and user engagement.

The platform combines advanced ad insertion capabilities with sophisticated analytics, offering server-side ad insertion (SSAI) that prevents ad blocking while maintaining seamless playback. Built on open-source Video.js framework, it provides flexibility for customization while ensuring compatibility across devices and browsers.

With features including dynamic ad pod optimization, real-time bidding integration, and detailed viewer analytics, Ezoic positions itself as an enterprise-grade solution for publishers prioritizing video revenue optimization—though implementation complexity and custom pricing may challenge smaller operations evaluating their video strategy.

🎯 PubTech 2025: Smarter Workflows, Safer Platforms, Stronger Connections

17-19 November 2025 | 4 PM & 5 PM CET | 10 AM & 11 AM ET | Online Event

AI is moving from experimentation to becoming embedded in news operations. Meanwhile, misinformation, deepfakes, and unsafe ad placements have pushed brand safety to boardroom priority, while zero-click environments make it harder to control content discovery. Over three days, industry leaders and technologists will gather for targeted sessions and practical workshops. Topics include Next-Gen PubTech trends for 2026 with IBM's Anabelle Nicoud, automation blueprint workshops, brand safety in synthetic content, privacy and digital identity strategies, zero-click world optimization, and designing future publishing stacks with Stanford's Eric Ulken. The event features 10+ panelists and expects 300+ digital publishing professionals from around the world.

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💂 PubTech Dinner London 2025

Monday, November 17, 2025 | 6:30 PM GMT | Cornus Restaurant, London

We're bringing together senior publishing leaders for an intimate dinner on product, design, and AI innovation. Mel McVeigh, who led transformation at Condé Nast and now advises global media organizations, will share how publishers can unite product and design teams to build scalable transformation roadmaps. This is a high-trust, off-the-record conversation—no pitches, no slides, just honest discussion about what's working and what's not. The format is simple: dinner, drinks, and the kind of strategic conversations that don't happen in public forums.

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🍽️ SODP California Dinner Event 2025

Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 6 PM | Rustic Canyon Restaurant, Santa Monica

Join senior media publishing leaders and executives for an in-depth conversation on audience monetization and growth playbooks. Share your biggest challenge, participate in facilitated group conversations with executive-level professionals, and obtain strategic insights not publicly available. The dinner is high-trust, collaborative, and off-the-record, focused on sharing what's working and what's not across markets. Invite includes dinner, drinks, and post-evening discussions. Seats are limited.

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💼 Editor in Chief — Man of Many (Sydney)

Man of Many, one of Australia's largest lifestyle publishers, is seeking an Editor in Chief to lead creative direction and expand into premium video, podcasts, and new formats. The role involves working directly with co-founders to shape the next chapter of the publication. Requires 10+ years proven digital media leadership with sharp editorial instinct. Based in Sydney, Australia.

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By Vahe Arabian

🔍 Trust requires identity, not just content quality

This year has been difficult for many publishers. The open web is changing. Low-quality AI content, misleading ads, and unstable referral traffic have made it harder to maintain trust. Search is also shifting. More content is being answered or summarized before a user reaches the source. As a result, publishers are seeing less predictable visibility and weaker audience signals.

At the same time, individual creators have continued to build strong audience relationships. This is not because their content is necessarily better, but because the identity behind it is clear. People trust what they can trace back to a person. For publishers, the question is not how to copy creators. The question is how to make brand identity and accountability more visible in their own work.

This leads to how content is made and distributed. The old model treated content as something created for one page or one format. That is no longer enough. Articles, insights, and research need to exist as structured pieces of knowledge that can be adapted into different formats without recreating everything from scratch. This is not just about efficiency. It is about being able to meet audiences across many surfaces while keeping clarity and consistency.

There has also been a shift in how publishers think about AI. The early stage was about small automations and experiments. That phase has passed. The focus now is on designing systems that make decisions, support judgment, and work inside real editorial and product constraints. The goal is not speed. The goal is to strengthen clarity, accuracy, and trust.

This connects directly to first-party data. Collecting registrations or email addresses on their own does not build a relationship. Publishers need products, experiences, and value exchanges that give audiences a reason to stay. When this is done well, it supports sustainability even as external platforms continue to change.

These questions are not solved alone. They require conversation and comparison across different publishers, teams, and regions. This is why PubTech is taking a hybrid approach this year. The online sessions give space for shared learning. The in-person dinner creates room for open discussion and planning. People are asking for both. Online for context. In-person for action.

The aim is not to recreate a conference. It is to create a working environment. A place to understand what is changing, see what others are trying, and decide what comes next.

WAN-IFRA launches News Creator Exchange for Gen Z integration | WAN-IFRA

Pierre Caulliez, 23-year-old founder of Gen Z media strategy studio Yoof, heads WAN-IFRA's new News Creator Exchange aimed at bridging the gap between traditional newsrooms and content creators. Caulliez, who built 120,000 followers at age 13 and later launched ForTeeNews during COVID, argues news outlets must "evolve with Gen Z, not just attract them." The exchange focuses on bringing content creators and newsrooms to collaborate rather than transactional partnerships. Caulliez emphasizes two elements: bringing young people into editorial discussions and adopting audience trends rather than just following them.

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Journalists souring on social media platforms over 11 years | Nieman Lab

Analysis of 11 years of Nieman Lab predictions reveals journalists' enthusiasm for social media has waned dramatically while faith in audiences remains strong. Early predictions from 2012-2017 embraced platforms like YouTube and Twitter as essential tools. By 2023, following Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition, predictions shifted to "jumping ship" from social platforms entirely. Despite growing disdain stemming partly from harassment and abuse on these platforms, journalists' perceptions of audiences remain consistently positive. Researchers found the journalistic community continues to believe in the value and promise of digital audiences even as they abandon the platforms connecting them.

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IAC misses revenue estimates as AI Overviews cut search traffic | Reuters

IAC missed quarterly revenue expectations as its search unit revenue fell 41%, citing Google algorithm changes and AI Overviews impact. Google's AI Overviews display answers directly on search results pages, reducing traffic to traditional organic listings and resulting in fewer ad impressions and lower programmatic advertising revenue at IAC's People unit. Overall revenue declined 8% to $589.8 million versus estimates of $601.6 million. However, People unit reported 9% digital revenue increase driven by performance marketing and licensing, including a new AI licensing deal with Microsoft allowing Copilot to use its content. Shares fell 9% in after-hours trading.

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Google AI Mode rolls out agentic booking capabilities | Search Engine Journal

Google's AI Mode is launching agentic booking for restaurant reservations, event tickets, and wellness appointments to eligible U.S. Search Labs users. The feature performs multi-site searches and returns real-time availability with curated options. Restaurant reservations are available to all eligible Labs users, while event tickets and wellness appointments require Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriptions. Users can query with natural language like "find me a dinner reservation for 3 people this Friday after 6pm." AI Mode links directly to provider booking pages to finalize transactions.

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IAB Tech Lab receives User Context Protocol for agentic advertising | IAB Tech Lab

LiveRamp donated the User Context Protocol (UCP) to IAB Tech Lab, establishing an open standard for how intelligent agents exchange identity, contextual, and reinforcement signals in advertising. UCP leverages embeddings—compact vector representations—enabling sub-100ms response times for real-time bidding. The protocol addresses challenges as marketers, publishers, and consumers deploy autonomous AI agents processing billions of signals per second. IAB Tech Lab will apply existing standards including Data Transparency Standard, TCF, and Global Privacy Protocol to ensure privacy-compliant data sharing.

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