{
  "id": 6937364,
  "title": "Wiley’s (WLY) AI Bet Is Starting To Pay Off",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/wileys-wly-ai-bet-is-starting-to-pay-off",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-12T14:10:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/wiley-wly-ai-bet-starting-141033390.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Wiley's investment in AI appears to be yielding positive results, according to recent financial reports. Despite a 3% drop in revenue to $386 million and a 10% decline in adjusted earnings per share to $0.44, key areas within the company are showing growth. The research division, the backbone of Wiley's publishing engine, saw a 4% increase in revenue to $293 million, with research publishing itself rising 12% to $259 million. Submissions to the company increased by 31% year over year, and output grew by 8%, indicating a strong demand for publishing services. The company's retention rate for journal customers remained above 99% during the 2026 renewal season, suggesting that the core subscription base is stable even as the company pivots towards data and AI.\n\nWhile the AI business is still in its infancy, accounting for only $14 million in revenue for the quarter, the mix is shifting as management intended. A significant portion of this, $10.5 million, came from model training, with $3.5 million recurring and another $14 million already contracted for delivery over the next two quarters. Wiley's involvement in the US Department of Energy's Genesis Mission and its founding data partnership in Cusp AI's Global Materials Foundry are notable achievements that suggest its content library is evolving into infrastructure rather than just a repository of archives. Additionally, the launch of a spectral analysis API portfolio geared towards corporate and academic labs expands Wiley's reach into automated research pipelines.\n\nEmbracing strategic acquisitions, Wiley's acquisition of Emerald Publishing added $13 million in revenue and $5 million in adjusted EBITDA. Management claims this acquisition is progressing ahead of schedule. However, the learning segment, which includes academic and professional revenue, is facing challenges, with revenue down 20% to $93 million. Academic revenue fell 20% to $45 million, and professional revenue followed suit, both down 20% to $48 million. This decline is partly attributed to softer consumer demand in retail and weaker corporate demand for assessments. Despite the loss of a $29 million non-recurring AI licensing benefit from the previous year, the learning segment still experienced a nearly 10% decrease in revenue. The acquisition of Emerald Publishing, while strategically beneficial, has increased net debt to $1.2 billion, raising net debt to EBITDA to 2.7 times, up from 1.9 times a year earlier. This higher leverage, coupled with higher interest expense, contributed to a decrease in adjusted EPS and negative free cash flow for the quarter.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}