The playbook for news media advertising transformation
AI & traffic shifts
Premium deal strategy
The value of audiences
Diversification & new formats
Something new, unique, and different in the news media advertising space
Like our entire industry, news media advertising is in the midst of an enormous transformation. Traffic is falling, display is eroding, AI is changing how ads get bought and sold, and the fastest-growing categories (events, branded content, video) look nothing like the old inventory business. Helping you navigate that transformation is what the INMA Media Advertising Summit is built for.
At its heart is a two-day conference (December 9–10), the first major global event built specifically for the people who conceive, create, build, and sell news media advertising. It puts publisher sales, strategy, product, data, and creative leaders in the same room as brand and agency buyers and the partners and analysts most invested in your success.
The conference is preceded by a two-day study tour (December 7–8) that takes you inside some of New York’s most innovative media companies to see transformation from the inside.
The goal is practical. You will leave with frameworks and playbooks you can use to reassert the value of news, modernise the sales engine, build stronger relationships with buyers, and set your course for the future.
- Venue: WNYC’s The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street, downtown New York City.
- Co-moderators: Gabriel Dorosz (INMA Advertising Initiative Lead) and Kerstin Hasse (INMA Young Audiences Initiative Lead), bringing a thread across the advertising ecosystem, diversification, creators, young audiences, video, and brand partnerships.
- First study tour stops: CNN and Hearst, with more to come.
Confirmed speakers
A first group of leaders from across publishing, the buy-side, and partners. Many more to come.
Tracy Adams
PhD, Sr. Director, Research & Insights
Advertising Research Foundation
United States
Sara Badler
Chief Advertising Officer, North America
The Guardian
United States
Danielle Betras
Head of Revenue
Wirecutter (New York Times)
United States
Kristen Butler
Managing Director of Revenue Optimization and Sales Enablement
Globe and Mail
Canada
Gabriel Dorosz
Advertising Initiative Lead
INMA
United States
Michelle Edelbaum
SVP, Food & Wine + Events
People Inc.
United States
Gareth Glaser
Co-Founder
Gamera
United States
Klas Granström
Editor in Chief & Publisher
Expressen
Sweden
Guy Griggs
Senior Vice President, Ad Sales & Client Partnerships
CNN
United States
Jonah Goodhart
Co-Founder & CEO
Mobian
United States
Marc Guldimann
Founder & CEO
Adelaide
United States
Kerstin Hasse
Young Audiences Initiative Lead
INMA
Switzerland
Scott Havens
Chief Growth Officer & Head of Consumer
Dow Jones
United States
Penny Hicks
Managing Director, Client Partnerships
Globe and Mail
Canada
Bente Klemetsdal
Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer
Aller Media Nordics
Norway
Farra Kober
IVP, StoryWorks
BBC Studios
United States
Craig Kostelic
Industry Advisor (former Chief Business Officer, Global Advertising Revenue, Condé Nast)
United States
Christina Kurteva
Senior Director, Pricing & Revenue Optimization
Thomson Reuters
United States
Jesper Laursen
CEO
Native Advertising Institute
Denmark
Rio Longacre
Partner
Credera (Omnicom)
United States
Jack Marshall
Head of News
DoubleVerify
United States
Scott Messer
Principal & Founder
Messer Media
United States
Mimmo Palmieri
Founder
MIMMS
United Kingdom
Rachel Oppenheim
Chief Commercial Officer
Semafor
United States
Vanessa Otero
CEO and Founder
Ad Fontes Media
United States
Hayley Romer
Managing Director, US Advertising Sales
Bloomberg Media
United States
Chris Shedd
SVP of Partnerships, The Americas
The Economist
United States
Shailley Singh
EVP & COO,
IAB Tech Lab
United States
Riva Syrop
President
Apartment Therapy Media
United States
Christy Tanner
President & CEO
New York Public Radio
United States
Craig Tuck
Chief Revenue Officer
The Ozone Project
United States
Jessica Webber
Managing Director, Events, Community and Partnerships
Human Ventures
United States
Lauren Wetzel
Global President, Data and Technology Solutions
WPP
United States
Earl Wilkinson
CEO
INMA
United States
Agenda
Day 1: The media and advertising ecosystem
Brands, agencies, partners and analysts will cover how the ecosystem is evolving and how publishers should evolve with it. We’ll dive into changing consumer behaviour, AI and agentic buying, the creator economy, and candid views on what the buy-side wants now, from quality to bold ideas, new formats and innovative partnerships.
Click here for more information on this moduleDay 2: The publisher transformation playbook
You’ll hear directly from publisher practitioners on the new revenue engines (video, audio, creators, branded content, events), the audience, data, and quality beneath them, the team and structural changes it all requires, and you’ll get the first-hand CRO and CCO views that tie it all together.
Click here for more information on this moduleKey themes
AI & traffic: How AI and traffic evolution reshape strategy, products, creative, workflow, targeting, and performance
Deal strategy: How premium publishers frame value, differentiation, packaging, and pricing
The advertising value of audiences: Packaging and selling publisher audiences, the value of super users, and holistic revenue in an era of declining scale
Diversification & innovation: New formats, new channels, new revenue lines (events, branded content, audio, creators)
Data strategy: Audience, measurement, attribution, and attention
The buyer’s perspective: What brands and agencies want next from news media partnerships
Video inventory: Formats, innovation, packaging, effectiveness
Who should attend
News media professionals across advertising sales, strategy, insights, creative, measurement, ad ops, partnerships, and affiliate commerce, along with the brand and agency buyers, partners, providers, and vendors who work with high-quality news inventory.
New York Advertising Study Tour
A uniquely curated two-day New York Advertising Study Tour (Monday and Tuesday, December 7–8) takes attendees inside leading publisher, advertising, and technology organisations to see transformation first-hand. Each day features 3–4 stops of 90 minutes, with transit and a lunch host, framed around learning: strategy, execution, go-to-market, product roadmap, and team structure through an advertising lens. We expect 30+ senior executives attend, mostly publisher commercial leaders plus buy-side and partner guests. Click here for more.
Curator
A note from Gabriel Dorosz
Dear Colleague,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to INMA Media Advertising Summit, taking place in December 2026 in New York — the world’s most dynamic stage for creativity, brands, and bold advertising ideas.
Like our entire industry, news media advertising is in the midst of an enormous transformation. Traffic is shifting, AI is rewriting how ads get bought and sold, attention is fragmenting, and the categories growing fastest look nothing like the old inventory business. The INMA Media Advertising Summit exists to help you navigate that change with clarity and confidence.
Over the week, we’ll break down what it takes to make modern news media advertising work: deal strategy, diversification and innovation, the advertising value of audiences, data and measurement, creators, video, the buyer’s perspective, and AI. Our goal is a well-rounded, practical, and inspirational programme that respects the complexity of today’s ecosystem and gives you something you can take home and use.
Beyond the main stage, the New York study tour will bring you inside leading publishers, studios, platforms, and agencies to see how the next generation of advertising is being built, and to meet the teams doing the work.
News media remains a trusted, premium force in a marketplace that needs credibility more than ever. I look forward to welcoming you to New York and to shaping the next chapter of news media advertising together.
Gabriel Dorosz
Advertising Initiative Lead
International News Media Association (INMA)
Supporters
Join the INMA community at the Media Advertising Summit by connecting with people face-to-face and providing solutions to our attendees.
Click here to see sponsoring options (PDF).