Megan Jackson

The new name brings the company’s publishing, conferences, and events portfolio together under one shared identity. Alongside its two longstanding titles, Playbook Media produces events including The British Book Awards, The Stage Debut Awards, FutureBook and the Future of Theatre Conference. The rebrand reflects the company’s evolution into a more unified business following the acquisition of The Bookseller in 2020 and a series of senior appointments across the organisation.

The PPA is pleased to observe that the Government has accepted our recommendation on implementation timelines. The new regime will be introduced with a 12-month implementation period, following engagement earlier this year between PPA representatives and ministers. This additional time will be critical in supporting publishers to make the necessary operational and compliance adjustments. However, there are areas of concern.

This session, from the 2025 PPA Independent Publisher Conference provided practical insights on the evolving role of search, from SEO to AI-driven recommendation engines, and beyond Google to the other channels shaping audience acquisition.