James Hewes' Predictions 2026

Also in our Predictions 2026 series, interviews with Vincent Peyrègne, Ludovic Martin and Christophe Albericci

Q. What’s the most comforting myth magazine publishers still hang on to going into 2026?

I think probably two things: (1) digital advertising will still save us; (2) I don’t need to invest in my tech stack.

On the digital advertising front, it’s clear that this is not a viable business model for any but the very largest media groups. For everyone else, you need to stop putting it at the centre of your strategy and pivot to a “many baskets, many eggs” strategy, one of which has, of course, to be paid content.

In terms of technology, I’m finding lots of publishers struggling to adapt their tech stack to the needs of this new strategic approach. From the legacy of large enterprise systems that just aren’t fit for purpose — think Microsoft and SAP — to CTOs reluctant to lose relationships with tried and trusted providers, to editorial and marketing teams that struggle to keep up with the needs of new systems, it’s clear that this is the biggest internal challenge most publishers are facing. AI is great, but it’s not a cure-all: getting the basics right in terms of using the best — and most interoperable — SaaS solutions is, if anything, more important.

Q. Independents seem to be thriving while parts of the mainstream struggle. Is that genuine momentum or just a louder niche — and what are indies doing that bigger publishers still don’t copy well enough?

Indies are definitely growing, but we should be clear that it’s from a low base and that, for many, profitability is still some way off. What they do well — and what mainstream publishers could learn from — is operate in a “lean and mean” way. Think less fancy offices, personal assistants and fresh flowers every day, and more working from coffee shops and ditching HR, finance, IT and all those back-office functions that made sense when we were a big industry, but make less sense for the SMEs that most of us have become.

Q. Is “premium” the best path for magazines in 2026 — or does it sometimes become a polite way of saying “smaller”?

Premium is absolutely the only future for printed magazines. Consumers value higher production values, more content and collectability — and the evidence suggests they’re prepared to pay for it. We’ve got to get over nervousness about price and the ego attached to big volume sales, and be comfortable selling “fewer, more expensive” products. Hey, it works for Ferrari!

Q. Where should magazine brands stop borrowing digital habits in 2026 — and what should they choose to be famous for instead?

It seems pretty clear that e-commerce is a pretty long road for a small drink of water. I don’t see too many publishers really knocking it out of the park in terms of directly selling products to consumers. There are some — Future is a notable example — that have made a great success of affiliate-based commerce businesses. But, a bit like getting audiences from social, do we really want to be reliant on the whims of third parties for a key revenue stream?

Publishers should remember that they are in the content business and — whatever that content may look like, and however it’s distributed — that’s what they will continue to be famous for.

Q. Beyond advertising and subscriptions, which two revenue streams will matter most by 2026 — and which “new” one do you think is most overhyped?

Assuming subscriptions includes paywalls — which I continue to think has to be at the core of every publisher’s strategy (after all, what else is left?) — then I think areas such as events, licensing and syndication will get some renewed focus this year. Firstly because they are all useful “baskets”, to borrow the analogy above, and secondly because there are still plenty of growth opportunities in both areas.

Q. With newsstands shrinking and discovery moving online, what’s the single most realistic move to keep magazines visible in 2026?

Publishers have got to re-invest in marketing their brands. In the long term, in addition to their content, publishers’ brands are the only asset that will matter. Preserving them means investing in them. Buy billboards, do TV or radio advertising, find opportunities for product placement — anything that keeps the brand visible, relevant and important.

Q. Magazines have a clear “reading on paper” advantage. Why isn’t that being used more confidently with advertisers — and what would make it a credible, buyer-friendly claim in 2026?

Simply, I think both some advertisers and, particularly, most agencies just don’t care. I would exclude premium/luxury advertisers from that: I think there is broad understanding that print is still extremely valuable for that sector. But for the majority, their attention is elsewhere and will remain that way. If, as widely expected, the major AI tools start taking advertising in 2026, then that position is only going to deteriorate (which might, incidentally, finally put some real pressure on both Meta and Alphabet’s ad businesses into the bargain).

It’s clear that the long-overdue implosion of the agency world has begun — intermediaries in a world of disintermediation — and, in the wake of this, publishers should focus on building deeper, broader relationships directly with their key advertisers. By working together, they can find new ways to partner on spreading key messages, including perhaps even in print!