Perplexity’s Comet Plus: New Revenue for Publishers

Perplexity AI has introduced Comet Plus, a subscription service designed to provide users with premium content from trusted publishers while establishing a new revenue-sharing model in the AI era. This initiative aims to address long-standing concerns from media organizations about the unauthorized use of copyrighted material by AI platforms.

What is Comet Plus?

Comet Plus is a subscription service from Perplexity AI, launched on August 25, 2025, that grants users access to premium content from a group of trusted publishers and journalists.[1] It is available as a $5 per month standalone subscription, with existing Pro and Max subscribers receiving it as part of their memberships.[1]

How Comet Plus Works

Comet Plus fundamentally redefines how publishers are compensated for their content in an AI-driven online environment. Perplexity's model directly links revenue to content engagement across three distinct categories: human visits, search citations, and agent actions.[1][2]

• Human Visits: Direct traffic to a publisher’s website generated through Perplexity.[1][2]

• Search Citations: When a publisher's content is cited within an AI-generated answer on Perplexity's platform.[1][2]

• Agent Actions: When AI assistants or agents perform tasks using content from participating publisher sites, such as completing research or making purchases.[1][2]

This system provides an 80/20 revenue split, where 80% of Comet Plus subscription fees are distributed to participating publishers, and Perplexity retains 20% to cover its compute and operational expenses.[1][2] To support early partners, Perplexity has also established a $42.5 million fund, which is expected to grow as the Comet Plus user base expands.[2] This model is designed for an internet where the boundaries between reading, searching, and task-completion are becoming blurred, recognizing that value creation extends beyond mere "eyeballs."[2]

What is agent traffic?

Agent traffic refers to the usage of content by AI assistants or agents that perform tasks on behalf of a user, such as scanning calendars for relevant articles or completing research and purchases on publisher sites.[1]

Responding to Publisher Concerns

The introduction of Comet Plus comes amidst growing legal pressures and lawsuits from major media organizations globally. Publishers including Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal), The New York Times, Forbes, Condé Nast, and Japanese publishers like Nikkei and Asahi Shimbun have initiated legal action, alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted content by AI platforms.[2] Perplexity's Head of Publisher Partnerships, Jessica Chan, has described Comet Plus as a corrective to these "archaic incentives," emphasizing the company's dedication to building and funding "sustainable, thriving news ecosystems for the AI age."[2] This initiative aims to establish a transparent payment channel, potentially mitigating legal disputes and rebuilding trust between content creators and AI companies.[2]

Elevating Quality Journalism Through Partnerships

The partnership with Gannett, announced on July 30, 2025, is a significant step in realizing this vision.[3] This content licensing agreement integrates premium journalism from USA TODAY and its network of over 200 local publications into Perplexity's AI-powered search experiences.[3] Gannett's content is now accessible in Perplexity answers, including on the Comet AI browser, which is available to Perplexity Max subscribers.[3]

Beyond content integration, Gannett employees also gain access to Perplexity's Sonar API and Enterprise Pro.[3] The Sonar API provides accurate and trustworthy answers for operational processes, while Enterprise Pro offers a powerful tool for all employees.[3] This collaboration allows publishers to focus on producing in-depth, credible journalism for their communities, shifting away from content optimized solely for search algorithms.[3] By compensating for various forms of engagement, Comet Plus incentivizes high-quality content, ensuring it is recognized and appropriately surfaced in AI-generated answers.[1][3] This creates new pathways for quality content to reach wider audiences and offers publishers new revenue streams in the AI era.[3]

Why This Matters

For readers and organizations, Perplexity's Comet Plus represents an evolving model for content consumption and creation in the AI landscape. It prioritizes direct compensation for publishers, incentivizing quality journalism through a revenue-sharing mechanism tied to how content is actually used by both humans and AI agents. This development could lead to a more reliable information ecosystem by rewarding accurate and relevant content, offering a potential pathway out of the current "clickbait" driven digital media economics.