Observed Signal · Mar 10, 2026 · Business Update · Source: Adweek · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Time's Event Strategy Drives Revenue Surge to 50%
Legacy news brand Time has rapidly transformed into an events-driven business, with events and their digital extensions projected to account for roughly 50% of total revenue in 2025, up from 28% in 2023, according to Chief Strategy Officer Dan Macsai. Within advertising specifically, events represent nearly 80% of ad revenue. Time scaled from 11 events in 2022 to more than 40 events in 2025, and advertising revenue grew 23% year-over-year in 2025 after consecutive prior gains. The publisher treats events as a customer-acquisition channel — 91% of 2025 event partners also invest across other Time platforms — and builds integrated sponsorships with repeat partners such as Toyota, Booking.com, Cognizant, Pinterest, Rolex and Target. Time is also expanding event franchises including Time Sports, a Time 100 AI Leadership Forum, and a B2B Executives of the Year platform.
Significant publisher business-model shift toward events and experiential sponsorships affects publisher monetization strategies and advertiser partnership models across the media industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Time projects events and related digital footprints will represent about 50% of its total revenue in 2025, up from 28% in 2023 (per Chief Strategy Officer Dan Macsai).
- Within Time's advertising business, events account for nearly 80% of ad revenue.
- Time expanded events from 11 in 2022 to more than 40 in 2025; advertising revenue grew 23% year-over-year in 2025.
- Ninety-one percent of Time’s 2025 event partners also invested across other Time platforms (digital, social, branded content).
- Time announced new/expanded franchises including Time Sports, a Time 100 AI Leadership Forum, and an Executives of the Year B2B editorial/events platform; Target was named inaugural Design Partner for multiple 2026 franchises.
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Publishers Shift Revenue Toward Events and Ads in 2026
Digiday+ Research surveyed 56 publishing professionals and interviewed executives from Condé Nast, Dow Jones, Forbes and The Guardian to assess how publishers’ revenue mixes are changing in 2026. Publishers report direct-sold ads, branded content and programmatic as top revenue sources, while events have grown (overtaking subscriptions) and video, newsletters and podcasts are emerging channels. Subscriptions’ weighted importance has declined for the third year, though digital-only ARPU has risen via bundling and price increases. Affiliate commerce has weakened—largely blamed on AI-driven, zero-click search—prompting publishers to explore AI for audience cohorts, ad targeting and automated media planning. Individual publishers provided forward-looking guidance: Forbes forecasts high single-digit overall growth and strong growth in events and newsletters; Dow Jones/WSJ highlighted video and LinkedIn partnerships; Condé Nast and The Guardian cited commerce, subscriptions and reader revenue as priorities.
Condé Nast Events Revenue Rose 40% in 2025
Condé Nast grew revenue from its events business by 40% in 2025 and is projecting a further 22% increase in 2026, according to Chief Revenue Officer Elizabeth Herbst-Brady. The publisher — parent to brands including Vogue, GQ and The New Yorker — is leaning into cultural tentpole events to diversify revenue and offset pressure on traditional advertising. Herbst-Brady said events serve as both distinctive experiences and content platforms that can be repurposed across the company's channels. The article notes overall revenue is up year-over-year but does not disclose wider financial specifics. (Published 2026-05-20.)
US suspends Microsoft, Adobe from green card labor program
The Trump administration has suspended Microsoft, Adobe, and six other major tech firms—Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro—from the U.S. Permanent Labor Certification program, which facilitates green cards for skilled foreign workers. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling cited active federal investigations and alleged fraud, noting that no new or pending applications from these companies will be accepted. Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of replacing laid-off workers with H-1B visa holders. Microsoft defended its practices, stating that most U.S. employees are American and that 80% of its H-1B petitions were for existing employees. The announcement was made during a White House summit on H-1B fraud, and the administration also plans to investigate nine universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, over student visa program abuse.
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