Taboola Unveils DeeperDive, a Gen AI Answer Engine Built for the Open Web, Connecting Readers with Unique Publisher Content, Empowering Publishers to Defy Abuse by Gen AI Search

Rhea-AI Summary

Taboola (TBLA) has launched DeeperDive, a groundbreaking Generative AI answer engine designed specifically for publisher websites. The technology allows readers to ask questions and receive AI-powered answers sourced directly from publishers' content, with Gannett | USA TODAY Network and The Independent as initial partners. DeeperDive leverages Taboola's network of 600M daily active users across 9,000 publisher partners to provide contextual, real-time answers while keeping readers engaged on publishers' sites. The platform aims to combat the threat of AI search engines that scrape content without compensation by creating new monetization opportunities through high-intent advertising. The system provides smarter answers for readers, increases publisher engagement, and unlocks new revenue streams by enabling publishers to capture search-like advertising revenue within their own environments.

Positive

• Creates new monetization opportunities for publishers through high-intent advertising revenue
• Leverages massive network of 600M daily active users across 9,000 publisher partners
• Partners with major publishers like Gannett/USA TODAY Network and The Independent
• Helps publishers compete against AI search engines that scrape content without compensation
• Potential to increase user engagement and time spent on publisher sites

Negative

• Success depends on widespread publisher adoption and user acceptance
• Implementation and integration costs for publishers not disclosed
• Potential competition from other AI-powered publishing solutions
• Revenue impact and monetization timeline unclear

Insights

AI and Digital Media Technology Analyst

Taboola's DeeperDive creates a strategic defense against AI search engines by bringing conversational AI directly to publisher sites, potentially unlocking new revenue streams.

Taboola has launched DeeperDive, a generative AI answer engine designed to be embedded directly on publisher websites, with Gannett | USA TODAY Network and The Independent as initial deployment partners. This strategic move addresses a growing threat to publishers: the rise of AI-powered search engines that scrape content without compensation or attribution.

DeeperDive effectively brings AI search functionality directly onto publisher platforms, allowing them to compete rather than be replaced. The system leverages the publisher's own content, enabling readers to ask questions and receive AI-generated answers sourced exclusively from that publisher's journalism. This creates a closed ecosystem where user engagement and subsequent monetization remain within the publisher's domain.

The technology is built on Taboola's extensive data network covering 600 million daily active users across 9,000 publisher partners, giving it real-time insight into content engagement patterns. This "pulse of the internet" allows for more contextually relevant answers compared to static training data used by standalone AI engines.

For publishers, DeeperDive promises to increase engagement metrics by keeping users on-site longer through AI-guided content discovery. More importantly, it creates monetization opportunities through high-intent contextual advertising directly within AI-generated results. CEO Adam Singolda described this as "the shift from 50 cents per click to $500 per conversion, right on the publisher's site."

This product represents Taboola's strategic positioning in the emerging battleground between traditional publishers and AI search engines. By enabling publishers to harness AI while maintaining control of their content and audience relationships, Taboola is establishing itself as a defender of the open web ecosystem while simultaneously creating a new revenue channel for itself.

Powered by Taboola’s “Pulse of the Internet,” Gannett | USA TODAY Network First to Deploy Technology in the U.S., The Independent First to Deploy in U.K.

NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taboola today announced DeeperDive, an industry-first Gen AI answer engine designed to live directly on publisher websites and leverage their own content. DeeperDive connects readers with trusted sources to explore topics they care about, directly within publisher sites. Some of the largest publishers in the world have joined Taboola as design partners for DeeperDive, including Gannett I USA TODAY Network, and The Independent.

Today’s publishers face growing threats from Generative AI-powered search engines that scrape their content without permission, reduce their traffic, and offer no compensation in return. DeeperDive offers a new path forward—giving publishers a way to compete, not be replaced.

DeeperDive brings the power of Gen AI search engines—now a familiar experience to millions of users—directly onto publisher websites, tapping into years of proprietary, real-time, high-quality content created by journalists and editors across the open web. Readers can ask questions about topics they’re interested in, and have AI provide answers instantly, sourced from trusted journalists such as the best travel desk or top sports reporters.

DeeperDive not only prompts questions that may be of interest, it delivers a direct response, much like popular Gen AI engines, but it goes a step further. This technology surfaces additional context and stories from the same publisher site, offering users a richer, more valuable view — not just a single, oversimplified answer.

Publishers can use DeeperDive to deliver a cutting-edge, Gen AI-powered user experience that today’s audiences expect. By meeting users with intuitive, conversational interfaces and instant, relevant answers, publishers can stay competitive in a rapidly shifting digital landscape and reinforce their brand as a trusted, forward-thinking destination.

DeeperDive is built to provide:

• Smarter, more diverse answers for readers: Readers receive rich, multifaceted answers, based on Taboola’s advanced AI and real-time insights from over 600 million daily active users across a global network of 9,000 publisher partners. Unlike traditional Gen AI engines that rely on static training data, Taboola understands what people are actively reading and engaging with — across topics, geographies, and moments. This unique “pulse of the internet” allows DeeperDive to surface timely, contextual answers and even suggest questions based on current trends. The result is a richer, more human search experience rooted in what truly matters to real people — right now, on the site they trust.
  
• Increased readership and engagement for publishers: Every reader question is met with a clear, intuitive answer, along with links to relevant and timely articles from across the publisher’s site. This keeps users engaged longer and encourages deeper content exploration. For the first time, publishers can engage their audience with real-time, AI-powered content tailored to the user, whether it's about travel plans, a favorite sports team, or important financial decisions, meaningfully increasing time on site and reader loyalty.
  
• Unlocking high-intent ad revenue opportunities and owning the future with AI agents across high intent categories: DeeperDive has the potential to create a new monetization channel for publishers starting by inserting contextually relevant, high-intent ads directly into the AI-powered results page. Publishers can capture search-like advertising revenue within their own environments — turning user inquiries into meaningful commercial opportunities, all while maintaining a seamless reader experience.
  
  

“Taboola’s DeeperDive is an exciting win for our audience and the publishing industry at large. We’re thrilled to be the first to roll out this technology in the U.S. within USA TODAY. Taboola is a longtime partner that has shown an unwavering commitment to helping us accelerate audience development and unlocking growth. With DeeperDive, we see an opportunity to give our readers an innovative new way to explore our trusted content on our properties. DeeperDive combines the high-caliber reporting that the USA TODAY Network is known for with the AI technology and expertise that only Taboola can deliver,” said Michael Reed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gannett | USA TODAY Network.

“Taboola continues to be a key partner for our growth,” said Christian Broughton, CEO at The Independent and Independent Media. “The Independent is innovating and investing in AI across our business, and recently launched Bulletin, a new service dedicated to serving busy readers who want truly independent, trustworthy news. We are delighted to be design partners on DeeperDive, which we will be using across The Independent and Bulletin. It has the potential to amplify the agenda-setting journalism we produce, build deeper engagement, and allow us to build even deeper relationships with our audience."

“Today marks a major step forward for the open web,” said Adam Singolda, CEO and Founder of Taboola. “With DeeperDive, we’re giving publishers the power to join the Gen AI revolution on their own terms, creating richer, more trusted experiences for users and unlocking search-like monetization opportunities that were previously out of reach. Over time, this means enabling publishers to own high-intent moments with AI agents across categories like travel, finance, sports, and commerce where users make meaningful decisions on platforms they already trust. It’s the shift from 50 cents per click to $500 per conversion, right on the publisher’s site. This is a big day not just for Taboola, but for the entire industry. I believe it will change how billions of people discover and decide online.”

“The open web thrives when innovation and fairness go hand in hand. It’s simply not sustainable for Gen AI engines to rely on publisher content while sending little traffic and compensating only a select few. That’s not innovation, it’s exploitation. Today is a moment for unity and clarity: publishers deserve real value in return for their work. It’s time to build a future where AI helps drive the open web, not drain it, by generating meaningful traffic, sharing value, and respecting the creators who make the internet worth exploring,” continued Singolda.

About Taboola
Taboola empowers businesses to grow through performance advertising technology that goes beyond search and social and delivers measurable outcomes at scale. Taboola works with thousands of businesses who advertise directly on Realize, Taboola’s powerful ad platform, reaching approximately 600M daily active users across some of the best publishers in the world. Publishers like NBC News, Yahoo, and OEMs such as Samsung, Xiaomi and others use Taboola’s technology to grow audience and revenue, enabling Realize to offer unique data, specialized algorithms, and unmatched scale.

ABOUT GANNETT
Gannett Co., Inc. is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a sustainable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. Through our trusted brands, including the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations, including our network of local properties, in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom, we provide essential journalism, local content, and digital experiences to audiences and businesses. We deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ, supports small and medium-sized businesses with innovative digital marketing products and solutions.

ABOUT USA TODAY
Since its introduction in 1982, USA TODAY has been a cornerstone of the national media landscape under its recognizable and respected brand. It also serves as the foundation for our newsroom network which allows for content sharing capabilities across our local and national markets. Through USA TODAY, we deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Across our digital platforms we reach an audience of approximately 73 million unique visitors each month (based on December 2024 Comscore Media Metrix®).

ABOUT USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the leading news media publisher in the U.S. in terms of circulation and has the largest digital audience in the News and Information category, excluding news aggregators, based on the December 2024 Comscore Media Metrix® Desktop + Mobile. Our Domestic Gannett Media segment is comprised of USA TODAY, daily and weekly content brands in approximately 220 local U.S. markets across 43 states and our community events business, USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S., we engage approximately 140 million monthly unique visitors, on average, through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit gannett.com. 

Disclaimer – Forward-Looking Statements
Taboola (the “Company”) may, in this communication, make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analysis or other information which are based on forecasts or future or results. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future prospects, product development and business strategies. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means for identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. You should understand that a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements, including the risks set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 under Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Contact

Dave Struzzi
dave.s@taboola.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c43d04d0-761d-4fec-90c2-6f3748fb1712

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1fce7ff1-e3ea-403b-b5b3-4d4a184d1377

FAQ

What is Taboola's DeeperDive and how does it work?

DeeperDive is a Gen AI answer engine that lives on publisher websites, allowing readers to ask questions and receive AI-powered answers sourced from the publisher's own content, while providing additional context and related articles.

Which publishers are the first to implement Taboola's DeeperDive?

Gannett | USA TODAY Network is the first to deploy DeeperDive in the U.S., while The Independent is the first to implement it in the U.K.

How does DeeperDive benefit publishers?

DeeperDive helps publishers monetize through high-intent advertising, increases reader engagement, and provides protection against AI search engines that scrape content without compensation.

What is the reach of Taboola's network powering DeeperDive?

DeeperDive is powered by Taboola's network of over 600 million daily active users across 9,000 publisher partners globally.

How does DeeperDive generate revenue for publishers?

DeeperDive creates revenue through contextually relevant, high-intent ads inserted into AI-powered results pages, allowing publishers to capture search-like advertising revenue within their own environments.