The January 2026 Bellwether report from Jounce Media makes one thing clear: the era of forced choices in enterprise monetization is over. For years, publishers had to decide between fully in-house or fully managed models. Now, as technology and operational expertise have evolved, so has the market. Hybrid monetization has matured into a durable, flexible third option that allows publishers to balance control, scale, and performance without compromise.
A key signal from the report is how enterprise publishers are increasingly pairing their own infrastructure with major sales houses. As Chris Kane notes,
“The largest sales houses have proven themselves to be masters of monetization.”
This is the hybrid model in action: publishers are not abandoning control, but strategically partnering with organizations that bring deep monetization expertise, proven execution, and scale that is nearly impossible to replicate internally.
Jounce calls out several Bellwether publishers running hybrid stacks through Freestar Flex, where a publisher’s own GAM environment and direct demand sit alongside Freestar-run auctions, yield expertise, additional demand access, unified analytics, and best-in-class tech. These are sophisticated teams choosing hybrid on purpose, not because other models failed, but because this approach lets them keep control where it matters and lean on proven monetization expertise where it counts.
But a hybrid model is only as good as its execution. What separates a functional hybrid setup from a high-performing one comes down to disciplined bidder strategy: informed client-versus server-side decisions, intelligent floor management, and just as importantly, restraint—knowing when not to add complexity simply because it’s available. This combination of intentional partnership and thoughtful execution is what makes a hybrid model truly durable at the enterprise level.
Through Flex and Freestar Intelligence, these decisions are managed continuously across our publisher portfolios, with Freestar operating as both infrastructure and a strategic advisor, not a replacement.
The result? Enterprise publishers finally have real options. They get performance gains without sacrificing control, and their teams reclaim time by offloading day-to-day monetization complexity to focus on journalism, audience growth, and long-term innovation.
Monetization is no longer a one-size-fits-all decision. Hybrid gives publishers the ability to choose where to retain control, where to partner, and how to scale, all on their own terms.
