Digiday Daily

January 22, 2026

We’re calling it: 2026 will be the year AI remakes publishers’ websites — and reader experiences.

Publishers like Forbes, Newsweek, Time and The Washington Post are already adding AI tools and features to their websites, but this year those AI-driven onsite experiments will only accelerate.

TOP STORY

Generative AI

Bold Call: AI will rewrite publishers’ websites in 2026

This year, publishers will use AI to transform static sites into dynamic, personalized and reader-driven experiences.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

During Q5, CPMs decrease while cost-per-action reaches pre-Black Friday levels, according to internal data from Meta. Partner insights from Meta.
In a resource-constrained environment, some view AI as the solution to inefficiencies while others worry that AI risks accelerating waste. Partner insights from Blockboard.
Discounts are like empty calories — revenue without positive contribution. A unified incentives marketing strategy aligns internal teams around a shared strategy to build customer lifetime value and increase profits. Partner Insights from Talon.One.

MARKETING

The Creator Economy

Dick’s invests in in-house influencers as brands seek control

Dick’s beefs up its in-house influencer program, joining brands moving to own creator relationships.

Brands in Culture

The Australian Open wants to be ‘the Super Bowl’ for experiential beauty marketing

“Tennis is in vogue at the moment,” said Roddy Campbell, director of partnerships and international business at Tennis Australia

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM QUANTCAST

AI serves as a partner, not a replacement, for Virgin Money

Rather than placing blind trust in AI, trust should be earned through transparency, performance and control. Virgin Money and mFuse found success with autonomous AI, demonstrating its ability to reshape how marketers work, think and grow via earned trust.

Modern Retail

Albertsons is putting digital screens for ads in more than a third of its stores

The retail giant has seen enough success in its digital screen network to begin a rollout in 800 of its 2,200-plus stores in 2026.

PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM THE WEATHER COMPANY

How brands are maximizing the impact of weather targeting

By aligning with specific weather-influenced mindsets, marketers have the unique opportunity to customize their strategies to match weather-specific neurostates, boosting the effectiveness of every impression and delivering an overall ROI lift of 10% or more.

MEDIA & PLATFORMS

Member exclusive

Media Briefing: The anatomy of the publishers' SEO dilemma

As AI upends search, publishers face a choice in 2026: chase Google, feed AI, or figure out how to balance both.