Newsweek vs WELT

Podcast: The Hardest KPI in Political Advertising

An AdExchanger Talks podcast episode features Mark Jablonowski, CEO of DSPolitical, discussing the unique challenges of measuring political advertising where the primary KPI is an election outcome decided by secret ballot. DSPolitical, which positions itself as a “meta DSP,” combines offline voter data, privacy-compliant audience modeling, multi-bidder activation and unified reporting. Jablonowski notes that Connected TV is a growing channel for political spend but is often bought with a broadcast mindset rather than using CTV’s targeting and measurement capabilities. He also highlights political advertisers’ advanced CRM and voter-file practices and expresses greater concern about organically spreading disinformation than AI deepfakes.

• Mark Jablonowski is the CEO of DSPolitical.
• DSPolitical describes itself as a “meta DSP” and onboards offline voter data to build privacy-compliant audience segments.
• DSPolitical activates audiences through multiple bidders and consolidates results into a single reporting layer.

Newsweek About page reveals leadership and editorial restructuring

Changes include Shazia Haq moving from Senior Editorial Operations Manager to Director of Audience, Brian Lim and Connie Sideras swapping roles, new News Directors Samantha Beech and Jason Lemon, and several editorial title and role changes.

Newsweek Traffic Falls 75%; Revenue Nears $100M

Newsweek experienced a nearly 75% decline in readership year-over-year, but CEO Dev Pragad says the company is on pace to surpass $100 million in revenue for the first time in its 93-year history. Publishing revenue is expected to decline 20–25% this year, but newly built businesses—internally called Nexus (B2B: rankings and events) and Adprime (a healthcare-focused DSP acquired in June 2025)—have grown quickly enough to offset that drop. Adprime is projected to more than triple revenue from $14.8M to north of $40M and could account for roughly 40% of company revenue. Newsweek forecasts at least 10% revenue growth in 2026 (up from ~3% in 2025), is expanding non-programmatic video and events revenue, and maintains a free newsletter audience just under 2 million. The company remains cautious about future search-distribution risks from Google’s AI-generated results.

• Newsweek’s site traffic declined nearly 75% in a single year.
• Newsweek is on pace to surpass $100 million in annual revenue for the first time.
• Publishing division revenue is expected to decline 20%–25% this year, per CEO Dev Pragad.

Welt to launch Instagram-native livestream for Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elections

German publisher Axel Springer's Welt brand is launching Instagram-native live broadcasts for the state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Hosted by Marlene Barduhn, the format uses Instagram's live infrastructure, with Barduhn moving through the Welt newsroom, including the newsroom CvD, domestic politics desk, and TV studio analysis wall. Two editions are scheduled: one at 6 PM for initial projections and another at 8 PM with current counting status and political analysis. Reporters from Berlin (CDU headquarters) and Schwerin (SPD election party) will be integrated via personal Instagram accounts, and data analyst Marian Grunden will provide real-time analysis. The community is engaged through live questions and a dedicated Q&A block with political editor Maximilian Heimerzheim. Moritz Seyffarth emphasized that this proves journalistic competence can be translated into Instagram's mechanics, ensuring the content is native to the platform, not a repurposing of TV content.

• Welt plans two Instagram-native live election broadcasts on Sunday at 6 PM and 8 PM.
• The format uses Instagram's native live infrastructure, with host Marlene Barduhn moving through the Welt newsroom.
• Reporters in Berlin and Schwerin will be integrated via personal Instagram accounts, covering CDU and SPD election events.

Welt launches new talk show 'Unter Vier' in September

German news broadcaster Welt is launching a new political talk show titled 'Unter Vier' in September. Hosted by chief reporter Anna Schneider and journalist Sebastian Vorbach, the live format features two journalist guests discussing current political developments with the hosts. The show will air every Monday and Thursday at 16:15 throughout September, initially as a limited run. Welt frames the launch around a 'super-election month' in Germany, with state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well as the Berlin state election. The first edition will welcome Welt colleagues Dorothea Schupelius and Ulf Poschardt; later guests include journalists from Tagesspiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and RBB. Editor-in-chief Helge Fuhst said the format responds to viewers' need for journalistic analysis during an intense political phase. A continuation beyond September has not been ruled out.

• German news channel Welt will launch the political talk show 'Unter Vier' in September 2026, airing Mondays and Thursdays at 16:15.
• The show is hosted by Anna Schneider and Sebastian Vorbach and features two journalist guests discussing current politics.
• The first episode will include Welt colleagues Dorothea Schupelius and Ulf Poschardt as guests.

Axel Springer ends Welt am Sonntag regional print editions

Axel Springer plans to discontinue the printed regional supplements of its Sunday title Welt am Sonntag for Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, likely by the end of the year, and will dissolve the corresponding regional editorial teams. The move affects the former regional newsrooms in Hamburg and Düsseldorf. The report was published by Horizont on August 28, 2026 and authored by Roland Pimpl. The article frames the change as part of a longer-term consolidation of the group's regional editorial resources.

• Axel Springer plans to discontinue printed regional supplements of Welt am Sonntag for Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, likely by year-end.
• Axel Springer will dissolve the regional editorial teams associated with those supplements.
• The regional newsrooms affected were located in Hamburg and Düsseldorf.