• by Ray Schultz , March 12, 2023

UK digital revenue rose by 3% in Q4 2022 YoY to hit £176.9 million, according to the new Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte.

Subscriptions drew the strongest growth: 12.9% YoY. Display advertising grew by only 0.1% and video by 1.9% 

In contrast, sponsorship revenue plummeted by 24%. In addition, recruitment classifieds fell by 3.6% and other classifieds by 10.7%. Both were growth leaders in Q3 2022. 

By platform, desktop fell by 9.5% and mobile by 16.7%. Multiplatform revenues rose by 3.7% hit £121.6 million, versus £28.7 million for desktop-only and £26.6 million for mobile-only.

Multiplatform was helped by growth in video (33.3%), subscriptions (12.9%) and display advertising. 

Total digital revenues rose by 4.4% to £637.7 million when viewed on a 12-month rolling basis. 

Meanwhile, 75% of publishers are prioritizing cost reductions. But the same percentage is optimistic about the ad category, up from 50% in Q4 2021.  

“Many consumers remain committed to their subscriptions, despite tighter budgets as a result of higher cost of living,” states Dan Ison, lead partner for telecommunications, media and entertainment at Deloitte. 

Ison adds, “It is evident that the appetite for exclusive content remains intact, making it even more important for digital publishers to continue to prioritize consistent, high quality outputs to maintain consumer interest and drive growth.”