Digital Gold Rush: How Local Publishers Are Leveraging Digital Trends For 2026

There’s always a big macro picture painted whenever one looks closely at the more-micro local-news level, and if this year’s Insights survey from Local Media Consortium is any indication, the big picture for 2026 is digital.

“The findings reveal that 72% of publishers saw digital revenue up or flat in 2025, and 85% expect similar growth in 2026,” says LMC’s annual Local Media Insights, which found video, email newsletters, and digital advertising revenue to be some of the top successes for publishers in 2025.

92% of those surveyed used advertising as part of their digital revenue streams in 2025, with 69% using newsletters, 65% using branded content, 55% using social media, and 53% using subscriptions. As for those with the highest growth rate, 27% said advertising and 15% said subscriptions.

(Source: Local Media Consortium)

Yet despite subscription’s place as a high growth-rate stream, the challenges were obvious to all. Overall, those citing digital subscription growth as a top challenge saw a 383% YoY increase.

“Subscription growth has plateaued, and AI-driven search is reshaping traffic patterns,” says Fran Wills, LMC’s CEO. “Publishers are responding with new, innovative cross-platform ad strategies and audience engagement programs to drive revenue in 2026.”

AI being used for operations also ranked third as a top trend on local media’s radar (for 46%), behind new models for advertising (60%) and audience engagement (56%).

“Publishers increasingly view AI as an operational enabler supporting sales, workflow optimization, and product development, while maintaining a clear commitment to human-driven journalism and content creation,” says the LMC.