Future plc (LSE: FUTR, “Future”, “the Group”), the global platform for specialist media, today highlights its progress for the half year ended 31 March 2026, showcasing the continued focus to drive new growth.
The Group’s performance in HY26 underscores a pivot toward high-yield direct advertising, reinforcing the resilience of the platform model in a shifting digital landscape.
Highlights
B2C
Future’s B2C strategy is delivering tangible results by focusing on quality over volume.
- The strategy is delivering a +8% YoY growth in high-yield direct ads, which is now double the size of programmatic advertising.
- While a dip in sessions impacted programmatic revenue, the deliberate focus on premium direct partnerships has provided a significant cushion.
- The Group continues to refine its monetisation funnel, with just 16% of total revenue now directly correlated to website sessions.
- Magazines demonstrated continued resilience; subscription revenue remained stable over the half.
B2B
The B2B division is showing a positive exit rate heading into the second half of the year, driven by structural improvements and a unified go-to-market approach.
- The Group saw strong performance across Tech, Food & Beverage, and Infrastructure.
- Future B2B successfully launched a fully unified data platform, enabling sophisticated behavioral targeting and a suite of new product launches.
- A new cross-sell strategy – combining brand packages across Smartbrief, Actual Tech, and IT Pro – is driving efficiency.
Go.Compare & Renewal
- Go.Compare: Navigated a challenging macro-environment.
- While Car revenue was down 5% overall, Q2 stabilized to flat performance.
- Renewal: Launched in February, this key strategic solution aims to improve retention and lower acquisition costs.
- Future is committed to further product development to enrich the app experience throughout H2.
Outlook
The Group enters the second half of the year with a strong Q3 pipeline, providing the Board with confidence in delivering on expectations for Full Year 2026.
- Ongoing resilience of the underlying business as we evolve our monetisation wheel to access faster-growing markets in social and video.
- Momentum from our innovation roadmap across brand transformation, eCommerce, and commercial products with Helix and Future Optic contributing directly to the P&L.
- A channel-agnostic approach to be wherever audiences are, creating more scale and reach for our trusted brands using our brand transformation playbook.
- Benefit of the recent acquisition of SheerLuxe as we leverage the rising importance of trust and expertise in an AI-driven world.
- Confidence in our ability to return the Group to organic growth.
Kevin Li Ying, Future’s Chief Executive, said:
“I am encouraged by the strategic progress we have made in the half-year despite the challenging backdrop, which impacted trading in programmatic advertising and eCommerce.
“In the age of AI, our trusted, human-originated and specialist content is more important than ever. We are making meaningful progress leveraging our market-leading AI-visibility as a new source of revenue through products such as Future Optic, which offers tailored generative AI optimisation services to leading brands across verticals, and Signal, which is our multi-channel shopping solution in ecommerce, specifically disrupting the emerging AI user journey. We are also harnessing Go.Compare’s strengths, technology and innovation to further enhance its market position.
“We are focused on continuing to progress our brand and content strategy to become brand destinations to drive renewed organic growth, ensuring we amplify our significant audience reach and diversify into faster growing segments. With our innovative and growth mindset we create new monetisable products and deploy them across our brands, whilst continuing to optimise legacy revenue streams.
“We remain financially disciplined. Where brands and assets don’t deliver the platform effect, the Board will look to unlock value from them.
“There is much more to come and we are confident that our strategy will return Future to sustainable growth.”
Presentation
A recording of the webcast and a full transcript will be made available on the Future plc Investor Relations results page shortly after the event concludes.