Most traditional media companies are fighting declining advertising revenue. The New York Times is moving in the opposite direction.
Key Takeaways
- NYT ad revenue up 29% in 2025 — with no midterms, no World Cup, no one-off event to explain it
- Direct-sold advertising, not programmatic, is driving most of that growth — another differentiator from the market
- Podcast sponsorship is growing triple digits. Sports content is up 75–80%, driven by The Athletic. Traditional print is up 9%.
In this episode of Media Monitor, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright launch a new deep-dive series using Guideline's advertising intelligence data to go beneath the single line that says "advertising" in a 10-K and show what's actually happening inside one of the industry's strongest ad businesses.
29% Ad Revenue Growth. No Midterms. No World Cup. So How?
The narrative in media right now is that hard news doesn't sell. There are several reasons for the lack of interest in hard news: post-election fatigue, political and global headline weariness, shifting attention, and the continuous expansion of news sourcing from social media. Reading the room, the New York Times pivoted.
Their advertising revenue grew 29% in 2025 compared to 2024. That's not a number you explain away with a favorable news cycle or a one-time sporting event. Simply put — there wasn't one. No midterms, no major sporting events that could explain this increase or how the Times grew faster than nearly anyone else in the space. What was different was the type of advertising being sold.
A significant share of that growth was direct sold. Brands aren't finding Times readers through a programmatic exchange. They're going directly to The New York Times because they want to be in The New York Times. That distinction matters for pricing, for margin, and for what it signals about where the brand sits in the market — from their games to subscription options. The Times is ever evolving to maintain their lead, and it is showing.
Podcast Advertising Is a Real Revenue Line — With a Breakout Story Inside It
The Times generated roughly $16 million in podcast advertising in 2025, which is substantial, but the headline inside that number is where it gets interesting.
Their biggest growth was in sponsorship formats (host-read copy and similar placements), growing at triple digits compared to standard spot placements. This wasn't an accident. It happens when you spend years building audio talent that listeners actually follow. When an audience shows up every morning to hear a specific voice walk them through the news, the trust that builds between host and listener becomes a product that advertisers are willing to pay a significant premium to access. The Times invested in that relationship with the listener, and it is proving its worth.
Sports Content Is Up 75–80%. The Athletic Acquisition Is Paying Off.
When the Times acquired The Athletic in 2022, the bet was on engaged sports readers who would follow their team's coverage anywhere. The advertising data is now showing that acquisition is paying off big time.
Sports-related content generated approximately $33–34 million in ad revenue in 2025 — up roughly 75% year over year. That growth didn't ride a tailwind or have any unusually high-profile sporting events that typically bring high growth, like the Olympics or World Cup. It's a consistent investment strategy in a content category that attracts a specific kind of customer — one who is deeply engaged in sports, brand-responsive, and increasingly valuable to advertisers who want to reach them. It will be intriguing to watch where sports-related ad spend goes as the US increases its sports options, bringing even more choices from across the globe.
Print Advertising Grew 9% in 2025 — Impressive in the Digital Age
Print advertising generated $36 million. Across Guideline's broader dataset, print is declining across the globe, showing mid-single-digit drops across every market and geography being tracked. The Times is the exception.
In a world of digital, having print ad revenue increase highlights a customer that may not actually be going away like media initially thought. The explanation isn't complicated, but it is instructive — print still means something.
Format doesn't necessarily determine fate; audience quality and editorial identity do. Print attracts a specific kind of reader that should remain an important set to advertisers, because the money is still there. The Times has held that positioning rather than walking away from it, and the market is rewarding them for it.
What Readers Can Take From This
What is clear right now:
- Direct-sold advertising commands premium pricing and signals genuine brand preference — it's worth protecting
- Host-read podcast sponsorship is the fastest-growing format in the Times' audio business, and trust built over years is the underlying asset
- Sports content is undervalued as an ad environment at most publishers
- Print isn't dead everywhere — the audience matters
Written by Cassie Bryson-Evans.
Media Monitor is a weekly podcast breaking down what's happening in media and advertising — and what it actually means. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
