As we enter the new year, we’re excited about the key innovation trends we see in our partnerships with newspapers across the country. It’s clear that the interest from newspapers in empowering advertising ecommerce has never been stronger. As technology continues to evolve, it drives revenue, improves the user experience, and increases the bottom line.
Here are seven industry trends to watch in 2026:
1. Newspapers Diving Further into E-commerce Advertising
Not only is the number of markets with AdPortals increasing, but also the number of portals and services utilized by each newspaper is also increasing, as partners to leverage gains to more areas of the business.
2. Associations Adopt the Statewide Public Notice Marketplace
When iPublish Media Solutions launched a Statewide Public Notice Marketplace for the California News Publishers Association, it filled a significant gap left by another vendor’s sudden exit. That was just the beginning. In 2026, more newspaper associations are launching a network with us, offering a superior, statewide search experience and modernized notice intake for smaller newspapers – all while generating recurring association revenue. This scalable model helps protect newspapers’ public notice franchise from disintermediation.
3. The Revolution in Affidavit Processing
Improvements to automated affidavit processing eliminated one of the newspaper industry’s most time-consuming bottlenecks: The need for an in-house notary, with the back-and-forth required. iPublish’s newspapers service that provides digitally notarized affidavits to customers instantly, reduced from days to minutes. This trend allows newspapers to continue to redirect staff resources from admin work to content creation and revenue-generating relationships.
4. AI-boosted Obits Go Mainstream
The launch of ObitWriter®, Legacy’s ground-breaking AI-powered obituary writing assistant, addressed one of the most emotionally challenging moments families face: Writing a tribute during grief. The tool asks a few simple questions, offers multiple tone options—traditional, religious, celebratory, poetic—and generates a thoughtful first draft in seconds that families can easily edit and refine. What was cutting edge technology months ago, will go mainstream this year as thousands of families create more detailed obituaries that tell the complete story of their loved one—a story they want to preserve.
5. Ultimate Obits Create Premium Memorial Experiences
Ultimate Obits means more than just writing, but rather, a more meaningful memorial experience. Families continue to customize their memorial experience with turn-key tribute videos from Tukios, memorial plaques, custom bookmarks, enhanced online questbooks and tribute pages, targeted Facebook advertising, and even memorial trees planted in honor of a loved one in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.
6. Managed Services Support
The new managed services rolled out by Legacy.com and iPublish Media Solutions, expanded their relationship with McClatchy Media Company from providing obituaries, classifieds, and public notices portals, to also providing call center services. In 2026 more newspapers are taking advantage of the team of 40 newspaper call-center veterans who are now Legacy agents, to handle sales, support, and advertising desk services for newspapers with an audience that tops 100 million people monthly.
7. Marketplace Design Modernized
Newspapers are redesigning front-facing portals for digital-first users. Out are homepages with dated decorative elements, hidden pricing information, and unclear workflows. In are modern designs with packages upfront, icon-driven navigation, clean graphics, short workflows, and fewer decision points.
Leading the charge is The Houston Chronicle’s redesigned marketplace, which told readers to “Sell your stuff online,” and “ Post it. Today,” along with North of Boston Media Group’s obituary portal transformation.
The Bottom Line
2025 proved that self-service advertising automation isn’t just about efficiency—but enabling newspapers to compete effectively in the digital age. 2026 is the year the industry proves its digital chops—while maintaining their trusted brand, local connections, and commitment to the community.
“Every newspaper deserves a trustworthy partner that will lift their brand and serve their communities,” says Andrew Zimmon, iPublish founder and CEO. “When you need a complex problem solved by industry leaders, whatever it is, we’re ready.”
We’re grateful to our newspaper partners for their trust and collaboration. Here’s to an even stronger 2026.
