# People Inc. core sessions fall 26% in Q3, citing AI search and AI Overviews

Published: 2026-11-06T21:47:07.738Z · Source: People Incorporated (https://ir.people-incorporated.com/static-files/4a7cd671-caaf-4f4a-b64b-95a69cc95e61)
Modified: 2026-11-07T05:41:31.000Z
Second source: Motley Fool (Q3 2026 earnings call transcript) (https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/11/03/people-inc-ppli-q3-2026-earnings-call-transcript/)
Source date: 2026-11-02
Flags: catch-up (Nov 2) — figures from People Incorporated's Q3 2026 results; company PDF not retrievable by the desk, cross-checked against call transcript
Entities: google, ai-overviews

> **Correction, 2026-11-07:** The reusable social copy described Google as 21% of traffic. People Inc.’s Q2 presentation reports Google Search as 21% of Core Sessions, not all traffic. The social field now preserves that scope; the live social posts require a visible correction reply.

People Inc., the owner of PEOPLE, Allrecipes and Investopedia, reported 1.61 billion Core Sessions in the third quarter of 2026, down 26% from 2.17 billion a year earlier, in results released November 2 (per PPC Land's reading of the company's metrics grid; the quarterly declines were 17% in Q1 and 22% in Q2). The company said the drop came "primarily" from "AI-oriented search and content discovery experiences"; its earnings presentation lists a 22% decline in Google Search and 82% AI Overviews penetration without defining either measure.

On the November 3 call, CFO Tim Quinn said AI Overviews now appear on over 90% of the Google searches the company tracks, and CEO Neil Vogel said it has lost nearly 70% of its Google search traffic over the last few years. Digital advertising fell 8% to $161.9 million, while digital revenue rose 2% to $288.5 million on a 49% jump in licensing and other revenue to $52.7 million, per PPC Land's reading of the results. The company is cutting 195 jobs, 6% of its workforce.

Why it matters: A publisher with 40-plus brands now reports, in an earnings release, a session decline that accelerates each quarter alongside a licensing line that grows 49%, which is the clearest dated record yet of AI search shifting a publisher's income from ads to deals.

## What this answers

**How much traffic has People Inc. lost to Google AI Overviews?**

People Inc. said its Core Sessions, visits to its 19 most important owned sites, fell 26% year over year to 1.61 billion in the third quarter of 2026, which it attributed primarily to AI-oriented search and content discovery experiences. CEO Neil Vogel told analysts the company has lost nearly 70% of its Google search traffic over the last few years.

**How often do AI Overviews appear on the searches People Inc. tracks?**

The company's earnings presentation put AI Overviews penetration at 82%; on the November 3 call, CFO Tim Quinn said AI Overviews are now found on over 90% of the Google searches it tracks.


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