Mumbai: DoubleVerify, a software platform for verifying media quality and optimizing ad performance, has released new research highlighting growing confidence in news advertising. Surveying 1,970 marketers globally, DV found that 60% of respondents reported advertising in news environments outperforms campaign baselines.
The research underscores the potential of news as a high-performing, cost-effective media channel and aligns with previous DV studies showing that consumers actively value brands that support news content by advertising alongside it.
News inventory outperforms other environments
Sixty percent of marketer respondents said advertising in news environments performs better than campaign baselines, while 27% reported performance on par with baselines. Only 11% felt news inventory performed below average compared with other media.
News environments are widely considered suitable for advertising
Just 1% of marketers said all types of news content are unsuitable for advertising. Perspectives on suitability varied slightly depending on adjacency with different content types.
- 95% said “soft” news topics like sports and entertainment are suitable.
- 93% said the same for news homepages.
- Slightly lower percentages viewed current events (88%) and breaking news (84%) as suitable for advertising.
These findings highlight the need for a nuanced approach, enabling advertisers to capitalize on the opportunity while maintaining brand suitability.
Most marketers invest in news — or plan to
Fifty-three percent of marketers currently invest in news content, with an additional 28% intending to do so. Those already investing allocate significant budget portions, averaging 28%.
DV data also shows growing engagement, with impression volume for DV advertisers increasing 58% across major news publishers’ sites in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period last year.
Certain sectors, including automotive and healthcare & pharmaceuticals, are more likely to advertise alongside news than others.
Agencies are more sensitive to controversial topics than brands
Agency respondents were 20% more likely to cite controversial topics as a barrier to investing in news, and 16% more likely to express concern over negative news compared with brand respondents.
Concern about “negative” news remains the biggest barrier for investment
For marketers not currently investing in news, the main barrier was concern about appearing alongside negative news content. Even active investors cited negative or controversial content as the primary factor limiting additional budget allocation.
To address these concerns, DV introduced three news-related suitability categories — Sensitive Breaking News, Current Events, and Opinion & Editorial — applying advanced AI-classification models to provide advertisers with granular control, enabling confident investment in news while maintaining suitability standards.
DoubleVerify’s News Accelerator™ continues to encourage advertiser investment in news content and journalism, providing research and insights that help brands unlock the full potential of advertising in news environments.
