Stagwell Pledges to Increase Ad Spending on News Content by 22% in 2025

Advertising holding company Stagwell announced today that it will grow its 2025 ad spending on news content by 22% on a year-over-year basis. The company did not disclose the actual total value of that investment, however, meaning the additional spend it's promising could be relatively small in absolute terms.

22% is a decent year-over-year increase, but the reality is it's likely from a low existing base. Stagwell did not disclose its total ad spending on news for 2024 either, making its actual dollar commitment to news impossible to gauge.

Stagwell’s EMEA CEO, James Townsend, also said the company grew its spending on news by 30% in 2024, so its 22% commitment for 2025 actually represents a deceleration in its spending growth compared with last year.

“At Stagwell, we believe supporting trusted journalism isn’t just good for society — it’s smart business,” Stagwell CEO Chairman and CEO, Mark Penn, said in a press release. “The data continues to back that up, which is why we’re doubling down on our commitment with a significant increase in news ad spend for 2025.”