The Week That Was - 13 Nov 2026

The James Murdoch-owned Vox Media will become the exclusive advertising seller for the podcasts, video, newsletters and live events of The Bulwark, the US liberal political news brand. The seven-year-old brand is on track to exceed $30mn revenue this year, with an even split across advertising and subscriptions. It has some 167k paid subs across Substack (147k), YouTube (15k) and Apple (5k), in addition to over 1 million free Substack newsletter subscribers and nearly 2 million free YouTube subscribers. (Axios) Seems like the kind of collaborative deal (with no ownership implications) that could become the future for creator businesses that want to stay independent. Background
OpenAI is testing an analytics dashboard that tracks how often businesses are mentioned in ChatGPT‘s answers and how many clicks those appearances send to their websites. The tool is expected to sit within a wider business hub that has yet to launch. (Media Leader)
The New York Times is set to acquire cinephile platform Letterboxd. The price under consideration is $330mn, equivalent to more than 20x Letterboxd’s $15mn EBITDA. It is said to have an audience of 30mn. A NYT bundle follow-on to The Athletic? The New York Times was the only news brand to grow its traffic year on year among the top 10 of the 50 biggest English-language news sites in the world in October. The newspaper grew its online traffic by 11% compared with last year, reaching 684.7mn visits. It also posted the strongest month-on-month growth among the top 10, up 13%. (Press Gazette)
In the UK, the AOP’s Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index showed total revenue at the 13 groups tracked fell 1.5% year-on-year in Q2 to £155mn, although almost half of the companies reported revenue growth. Subscriptions were up 2.5% to £58mn, while display advertising was 4.5% higher at £54mn. (Press Gazette)
IHeartMedia, in the US, is reportedly exploring the sale of part or all of its podcast business. iHeartMedia’s share price had dropped 65% in the past week but regained 16% after the Bloomberg sale report. A first acquisition prospect for fast-growing UK podcaster Goalhanger and its US investor Chernin Group? Background
Informa TechTarget has faced a challenging 2026, with financial performance reflecting shifts in the tech marketing landscape. Revenue for the second quarter dropped 3.2% to $116mn, contributing to a 4% share price fall. The NASDAQ company, majority owned by Informa, has reduced its year-end EBITDA forecast to $80-85mn, attributed to AI-fuelled declines in marketing budgets. But TechTarget increased revenue by 2.1% in Q1. (A Media Operator) Background
“After more than 30 years, the prominent independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has ceased its operations inside the country. Its closure is a stark reminder of the sustained pressure facing independent journalism in Russia. For decades, Novaya Gazeta and its journalists have reported on corruption, repression and human rights abuses, often at great personal risk. The Russian authorities continue to use repressive legislation to crack down on media freedom.“ (Media Freedom Coalition)
“Newsletters continue to be an ideal starting point for new publications. Some will remain personal newsletters; others will expand to become more like regular publications. That’s the path Bari Weiss us taking with The Free Press, a new media company the former New York Times columnist is building off her popular newsletter, Common Sense. I believe we’ll see a shift from creator this and that to the wonders of a group of like-minded individuals gathering together to build a brand. Yes, a big part of the future always looks a helluva lot like the past.” Brian Morrissey)