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# AI answers cost Tom's Guide half its readers and Future its staff
- URL: https://www.promptthemarket.com/future-plc-cuts-jobs-as-tom-s-guide-uk-loses-38-of-its-audience/
- Published: 2026-10-06T19:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-06T19:29:59.000Z
- Description: TechRadar's UK audience is down 25 per cent and Tom's Guide 38 per cent this year, and 55 per cent since July 2024; Future runs Australian editions of both on the 'best of' affiliate model local tech publishers also depend on.
- Author: Editor News
- Tags: Media, UK, Future plc, #author-xaviery-malinao

By **Xaviery Malinao** · 2026-10-06

TLDR

Future plc made a second round of editorial redundancies in 2026, closing Android Central entirely, after UK audiences at TechRadar fell 25% and Tom's Guide fell 38% in the first eight months of the year. AI Overviews (the summary answers Google generates at the top of search results) now appear on 80% of branded search queries, up from 26% a year ago, and a US court dismissed Penske and Chegg's challenge to the practice on 1 October.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Tom's Guide UK lost 55% of its audience between July 2024 and August 2026, per Press Gazette data.

02Future plc's adjusted diluted earnings per share fell 22% to 46.4p in the half-year ended 31 March 2026.

03AI Overviews now appear on 80% of branded search queries, up from 26% a year ago, per Search Engine Land.

04A US federal judge dismissed Penske and Chegg's AI Overviews lawsuit on 1 October.

05Future's market value sits at roughly £263 million, based on 88.7 million shares trading at 296p.

## The second cut

Future plc made its second round of editorial redundancies in 2026 by closing Android Central and laying off all six of its editorial staff. CEO Kevin Li Ying attributed the pressure to weak search performance in the company's pre-close trading update on 30 September, as the board simultaneously paused a share buyback programme after completing £24 million of a planned £30 million.[\[3\]](https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/FUTR/pre-close-trading-update-3bzf4ypdiwb1k3l.html?ref=promptthemarket.com)

Company-compiled consensus puts full-year 2026 revenue at £707 million.[\[3\]](https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/FUTR/pre-close-trading-update-3bzf4ypdiwb1k3l.html?ref=promptthemarket.com) The half-year results filed in May carried the sharper numbers: revenue fell 8% to £349.1 million in the six months to 31 March 2026, down from £378.4 million a year earlier, while adjusted diluted earnings per share dropped 22% to 46.4 pence from 59.7 pence.[\[2\]](https://www.investegate.co.uk/index.php/announcement/rns/future--futr/2026-half-year-results/9567545?ref=promptthemarket.com)

## How far the audiences have fallen

Press Gazette data covering January to August 2026 shows TechRadar's UK monthly audience fell from 3.4 million to 2.5 million, a drop of 25%. Tom's Guide UK went from 2.2 million to 1.4 million, a fall of 38%. Measured against the July 2024 baseline that preceded Google's AI Overview rollout, TechRadar is down 35% and Tom's Guide is down 55%.[\[1\]](https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/fresh-redundancies-at-future-as-tech-brands-hurt-by-ai-overviews/?ref=promptthemarket.com)

Future's issued share capital stood at 88,702,206 ordinary shares at 296p on 30 September 2026, implying a market capitalisation of roughly £263 million.[\[4\]](https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/FUTR/total-voting-rights-id4r8rgtq35ivpz.html?ref=promptthemarket.com) Press Gazette puts that at about a tenth of the company's peak value.

## Why the audience fell

AI Overviews (the summary answers Google generates at the top of search results pages, which absorb the query without sending the user to a publisher site) now appear on 80% of branded search queries, up from 26% a year ago, according to Search Engine Land data published on 1 October 2026.[\[6\]](https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-jump-branded-queries-september-492962?ref=promptthemarket.com) For a publisher whose commercial model rests on users clicking through to read a "best laptop under $1,000" roundup and then buying via an affiliate link, an Overview that answers that question on the results page removes the reason to click.

A Digital Content Next (DCN) trial, covered by this publication, found that Overview presence correlates with roughly a 39.8% reduction in clicks to publisher sites.[\[7\]](https://www.promptthemarket.com/ai-overviews-cut-publisher-clicks-by-40-pay-rate-secret/)

The legal avenue closed on the same day Search Engine Land published those query-share figures. A US federal judge dismissed the AI Overviews lawsuit brought by Penske Media and Chegg on 1 October, removing the most prominent US legal challenge to the practice.[\[8\]](https://www.promptthemarket.com/google-wins-dismissal-of-penske-and-cheggs-ai-overviews-lawsuits/)

Li Ying said at the half-year results that Future is positioned as a beneficiary rather than a casualty. "In the age of AI, our trusted, human-originated and specialist content is more important than ever. We are making meaningful progress \[...\] 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."[\[5\]](https://futureplc.com/investor-news/future-announces-half-year-results/?ref=promptthemarket.com) Future Optic sells AI-optimisation services to brands at the same time as the company's own AI-driven traffic is falling, and that gap is where the medium-term strategy now sits.

## The Australian read

Future operates Australian editions of TechRadar and Tom's Guide, and the affiliate and product-review model those sites run is the same one that Australian specialist tech and lifestyle publishers use. The 39.8% click reduction documented in the DCN trial applies regardless of whether the publisher is British or Australian, given an Overview absorbs a "best of" query without distinguishing by geography.

Australia's federal AI inquiry is sitting this week, and the News Bargaining Incentive, the mechanism designed to push platform revenue back toward publishers, was finalised in August. Future's numbers offer a quantified case study: a named, listed company with audited revenue and independently measured audiences, showing exactly what happens to a specialist review publisher when AI Overviews take an 80% share of the branded query space it was built on.

Future's next scheduled financial update is the full-year results for FY2026, covering the period to 30 September 2026.

This article contains analysis and commentary on market conditions. It does not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always consult a qualified adviser before making financial decisions.

SOURCES & CITATIONS

1. [Fresh redundancies at Future as tech brands hurt by AI Overviews, Press Gazette](https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/fresh-redundancies-at-future-as-tech-brands-hurt-by-ai-overviews/?ref=promptthemarket.com)
2. [Future plc 2026 half-year results, Investegate](https://www.investegate.co.uk/index.php/announcement/rns/future--futr/2026-half-year-results/9567545?ref=promptthemarket.com)
3. [Future plc pre-close trading update, LSE RNS](https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/FUTR/pre-close-trading-update-3bzf4ypdiwb1k3l.html?ref=promptthemarket.com)
4. [Future plc total voting rights, LSE RNS](https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/FUTR/total-voting-rights-id4r8rgtq35ivpz.html?ref=promptthemarket.com)
5. [Future plc half-year results investor news, futureplc.com](https://futureplc.com/investor-news/future-announces-half-year-results/?ref=promptthemarket.com)
6. [Google AI Overviews jump on branded queries, September 2026, Search Engine Land](https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-jump-branded-queries-september-492962?ref=promptthemarket.com)
7. [AI Overviews cut publisher clicks by 40%, pay rate secret, Prompt the Market](https://www.promptthemarket.com/ai-overviews-cut-publisher-clicks-by-40-pay-rate-secret/)
8. [Google wins dismissal of Penske and Chegg's AI Overviews lawsuits, Prompt the Market](https://www.promptthemarket.com/google-wins-dismissal-of-penske-and-cheggs-ai-overviews-lawsuits/)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is an AI Overview and why does it reduce publisher traffic?

An AI Overview is a summary answer generated by Google at the top of search results, answering a query directly on the page. When it appears, users often do not need to click through to a publisher's article, reducing the traffic the publisher receives. Search Engine Land data from October 2026 shows Overviews now appear on 80% of branded queries, up from 26% a year ago.

How much has Future plc's market value fallen from its peak?

Based on 88,702,206 shares at 296p as at 30 September 2026, Future's market capitalisation is approximately £263 million. Press Gazette puts that at about a tenth of the company's peak value.

What happened to the legal challenge against AI Overviews?

A US federal judge dismissed the lawsuit brought by Penske Media and Chegg against Google's AI Overviews on 1 October 2026, removing the most prominent US legal challenge to the practice.

What does Future's audience decline mean for Australian publishers?

Future operates Australian editions of TechRadar and Tom's Guide using the same affiliate and product-review model as local Australian tech and lifestyle publishers. The click-reduction effect documented in the DCN trial applies to any publisher whose traffic depends on product-comparison and 'best of' queries, regardless of geography. Australia's federal AI inquiry is examining this type of structural traffic loss this week.

[Xaviery Malinao](https://www.promptthemarket.com/xaviery-malinao/)

Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.