The Sun doubles video's share of digital revenue to 18% by betting on original programming

"As Google's AI Overviews threaten to chip away at publishers' search traffic, The Sun is betting big on something harder to displace: original long-form video. Over the past nine months, video's share of the publisher's digital revenue has nearly doubled, climbing from 9 percent in January to 18 percent today, as advertisers shift spend into premium formats, according to the publisher. A decent chunk of that surge comes straight from its Originals slate - The Sun's bid to turn long-form digital video formats into signature franchises that keep viewers watching for longer, and later scale globally."

"So far, 15 shows have launched since January, while seven new shows will launch over the next eight weeks. Approximately 50 people now work on Originals content, with headcount set to rise, according to The Sun's director of video Jon Lloyd. In total, the shows have generated more than 113 million views across platforms, including YouTube, in the last eight months, he said."

"Of the 18 percent video growth, 5 percent is Originals content, according to Owen Griffiths, commercial revenue director at The Sun. While The Sun's parent News Corp doesn't break out title-specific ad revenues, total revenue for The Sun in 2024 was £296.3 million ($404 million)."We've started to attract new clients that have never used us in a digital capacity before [for Originals integrated sponsorships], like M&S and Card Factory," said Griffiths. "It's a significant amount of growth from a standing start and points to where we're going in future," he said."

Video's share of The Sun's digital revenue nearly doubled from 9 percent to 18 percent over nine months as advertisers move toward premium formats. Originals long-form video formats accounted for a meaningful portion of that surge and aim to become signature franchises that boost engagement and scale globally. Fifteen shows launched since January with seven more planned, supported by roughly 50 staff and rising headcount. Originals have generated over 113 million views across platforms in eight months, with Originals contributing about 5 percentage points of the 18 percent video growth and attracting new integrated-sponsorship clients.

Read at Digiday