Episode 172: Mark Stenberg on Vox, Ziff-Davis, and How Publishers are Taking Control of Distribution

Ari Paparo and guest co host Paul Knegten are joined by Mark Stenberg, Senior Media Reporter at Adweek, for a conversation about the current state of digital media and publishing. They discuss Vox Media’s reported plans around its podcast business, how publishers are adjusting to declining search and social traffic, and why newsletters, podcasts, and direct audience relationships are becoming more important. The episode also touches on OpenAI’s advertising plans, Ziff Davis acquisitions, AppLovin’s growth, and broader shifts happening across media and ad tech. Takeaways Podcasts are becoming more valuable media assets than traditional websites. Publishers are shifting away from dependence on search and social traffic. Peer to peer sharing and push notifications are growing distribution channels. AI platforms are changing how users discover products and content. Ziff Davis is betting that legacy media brands still hold strong value. Media companies are increasingly focused on owning direct audience relationships. OpenAI advertising products could become a meaningful channel for marketers. AppLovin continues to expand its influence across digital advertising. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest welcome 01:59 Marketecture Live heads to Chicago 05:30 Why digital media is in chaos 06:23 Vox Media podcast network sale discussions 08:53 The future of Vox Media’s remaining brands 10:27 How media business models evolved over time 11:51 Why podcasts are more defensible than websites 16:04 Verson’s media acquisition strategy 18:08 Ziff Davis buying digital media brands 22:23 Publishers leaning into push notifications and sharing 26:02 The rise of dark social and private sharing 29:58 OpenAI launches advertising products 32:52 AI generated podcasts and content experiments 37:01 AppLovin’s continued growth in ad tech 40:19 Taboola earnings and publisher strategy 46:31 Kochava FTC settlement discussion 48:45 The end of Ask Jeeves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices