In this week’s Week in Review: ITV makes layoffs in entertainment division, Sky creates a new role to head up advertising, and WPP signs another major AI deal.
Top Stories
ITV Plans to Cut 200 Jobs in Wake of Studios Slowdown
ITV is planning to cut 200 jobs, CEO Carolyn McCall told staff in an email this morning, as the UK broadcaster continues to feel the effects of a TV advertising downturn and a slowdown at its studio division. The redundancies – a combination of compulsory and voluntary – form part of a wider cost-savings programme, aimed at saving £50 million per year.
The job cuts are expected to focus on ITV’s media and entertainment unit, home of its streaming and broadcasting operations. The company is also looking to automate commercial and technology functions, potentially replacing back-office roles. But the broadcaster is seeking to protect its content output, reportedly sparing ITV Studios, news, daytime TV and soap operas from cuts.
The news comes weeks after the commercial broadcaster’s Q1 results, which saw its external revenues slide due to a slowdown at its production arm ITV Studios. ITV said production was hit by the Hollywood strikes, but expects the studios business to return to growth next year.
UK Passes Key Bills to Regulate Tech and Protect Broadcasters
The UK Parliament has quickly passed two key pieces of legislation, the Media Bill and the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Bill which seek to rein in big tech companies, offer stronger protections for tech companies, and bring streaming services under Ofcom regulation.
The two bills were passed in a ‘wash up’ period following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a July 4th general election. The Media Bill, which was backed by all of the UK’s major broadcasters, will require that public service broadcasters are given prominence on smart TVs and connected devices. It will also place new obligations on streaming services like Netflix, levelling the playing field between the UK’s broadcasters and the streaming giants.
The Digital Markets Bill meanwhile will designate some of the biggest tech companies as having ‘strategic market status’. These companies will be regulated by a new unit within the Competition and Markets Authority, the Digital Markets Unit. The DMU will, among other things, be able to fine these big tech companies up to ten percent of their annual turnover if they’re found to be abusing their market positions. It will also be able to require tech companies to pay publishers in order to be allowed to host any of their content.
WPP Agrees AI Deal with Anthropic
WPP has agreed a deal which will see AI business Anthropic integrate its ‘Claude’ AI model family into WPP’s marketing OS WPP Open, including its tools Opus, Sonnet and Haiku. WPP says Claude Opus, Sonnet and Haiku can understand and interpret complex briefs and produce high-quality content, as well as process a range of formats including photos, charts, graphs and technical diagrams. WPP staff will be able to use them for tasks from ideation and content generation to copywriting and design.
The partnership comes as part of WPP’s pledge to invest £200 million in AI, data, and technology annually. Claude 3 joins other models within WPP Open including OpenAI’S GPT-4 and DALL-E 3, Google’s Gemini family and Imagen 2, and Stability AI’s SDXL 1.0.
The Week in Tech
Barb Joins MRC for Collaboration on Measurement Standards
Barb, the UK TV measurement body, has joined the Media Rating Council (MRC), the US auditor of audience measurement services. Barb will take a seat on the MRC board of directors, and will work with the organisation in evolving measurement standards for the media and advertising industry. “There’s something in the genes of our two organisations that makes this a very easy step for Barb to take,” said Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at Barb. “We’re both committed to best practice, the advocacy of a shared language across the industry and transparency on data-collection and compilation techniques.”
TikTok Tests 60 Minute Uploads as Long-Form Push Continues
Ultra short-form video app TikTok this week confirmed that it’s testing letting some users upload videos up to one hour long. TikTok told TechCrunch that it has no immediate plans to make the feature widely available, but it seems the platform is taking these tests seriously. TikTok was also seen testing 30 minute uploads earlier this year. And the company says that extended upload times would allow users to create more varied types of content, and that some creators are already effectively trying to create long-form content by posting multiple videos covering one story or topic. Read more on VideoWeek.
EX.CO Launches Unified Video Tool for Publisher Sales Houses
EX.CO, an online video platform, today launched a new video solution specifically geared towards publisher sales houses which manage multiple websites, aimed at making it easier to optimise and manage video inventory across a range of sites. The tech company has signed up publisher collective 1XL, whose sites include City A.M, Newsquest, and The Irish News, as launch partner. Read more on VideoWeek.
TiVo Brings In-Car Media into the Cross-Screen Mix
TiVo, a tech company which runs an independent smart TV operating system alongside its own free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, this week announced the launch of TiVo One, a new cross-screen ad platform which will let advertisers buy inventory across the various endpoints which TiVo has access too. Somewhat uniquely, this will include ad inventory on in-car media platforms – a relatively new area for advertisers, but one which some analysts expect to grow in the coming years. Read more on VideoWeek.
Snap Ramps Up AI Investment
Snap is upping its AI investments in order to drive ad personalisation for brands, CEO Evan Spiegel told Bloomberg this week. The Snapchat parent company is estimated to be investing around $1.6 billion in AI and machine learning for the rest of 2024. The move follows Meta’s heavy investment in AI; the Facebook and Instagram owner is raising its 2024 capital expenditure to $35-40 billion in order to develop the technology.
Amazon Releases Ad Measurement Product for Publishers to Compare Alternative IDs
Amazon has unveiled a new ad measurement product to help publishers prepare for cookie deprecation, Ad Age reported on Monday. The Signal IQ tool measures the impact of alternative IDs on campaign performance within Amazon’s marketplace. This allows publishers to directly compare different IDs, such as LiveRamp’s RampID, The Trade Desk’s UID 2.0, and Yahoo’s ConnectID.
PubMatic to Offer Adsquare Location Data
Supply-side platform PubMatic has announced a data collaboration with Adsquare, a geolocation platform. PubMatic’s publisher partners will be able to package location data into their sales, while buyers will have access to demographics, interests, and purchase intent data sets. “Together, we are giving publishers and advertisers a reliable, scalable, cookie-free way to increase addressability across the open internet and, in turn, to maximise the positive impact that advertising has,” said Tom Laband, CEO and Co-Founder at Adsquare.
TikTok Plans Further Layoffs
TikTok is planning a large number of layoffs, according to The Information, with cuts expected across its operations, content, and marketing departments. Anonymous employees said TikTok is scrapping its global user operations team, though precise numbers are undisclosed. The news follows a round of redundancies in January, when the social video company laid off over 60 staff, predominantly in the sales and advertising division.
X to Carry PGA Tour Video Content
X (formerly Twitter) has struck a deal with PGA Tour to bring golf highlights to the social media platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes weeks after X renewed its content partnership with the NFL, which dates back to 2013. The partnerships continue the embattled company’s push into video, with plans to launch a TV app.
Golf fans — you’re getting MORE of the TOUR — on the best place for sports!! @X is teaming up with @PGATOUR to bring real-time highlights and more videos from every TOUR event.
Let’s do this!! pic.twitter.com/sJIQDrTqWC— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) May 22, 2024
The Week in TV
Max Goes Live in Europe
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has launched its streaming service, Max, in 20 European countries. The launch comes ahead of the Paris Olympics, which will be streamed live on Max. The European countries where Max is now live are Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
UK CTV Spend to Double by 2028
UK advertisers are expected to almost double their investment in CTV over the next four years, according to IAB UK. The IAB Compass report forecasts CTV spend to reach £2.94 billion by 2028, driven by the rise of ad-supported viewing on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix and YouTube. The research, conducted with MTM, projects the AVOD market to reach 15 percent compound annual growth rate by 2028.
Sky Seeks Ad Growth with New Chief Advertising Officer Role
Sky has hired Priya Dogra, previously president and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery in EMEA, in the newly created role of chief advertising and new revenues officer. Dogra, who will report directly to Sky’s chief business officer Nick Herm, will be tasked with growing Sky’s ad sales, working with Sky Media’s MD Brett Aumuller. She will also look to grow new ad revenues for Sky outside of subscriptions, in areas such as gaming and data.
MFE Ad Revenues Show Signs of Recovery in Spanish TV Market
Pan-European holding company MediaForEurope (MFE) saw its revenues climb 8.2 percent YoY during Q1 2024, with ad revenues up by 6.3 percent. The results signalled particularly strong signs of recovery in Spain, where ad revenues rose by 8 percent, following a difficult year for the Spanish ad market. Meanwhile in Italy, ad revenues increased by 5.7 percent YoY.
TF1 PUB Builds Out its Retail Data with Cdiscount Partnership
French broadcaster TF1 this week announced it is building out its store of retail data available via its sales house TF1 PUB, via a new deal with Cdiscount Advertising to enrich its data offering. Cdiscount Advertising is the management body for Cdiscount, one of the largest e-commerce companies in France, with almost 8 million active customers. Using Cdiscount’s shopping data, advertisers will be able to target campaigns across segmented TV on TF1, as well as its new streaming service, TF1+. That data includes customer purchasing behaviour across a range of categories, including DIY, childcare, gaming, furniture and travel. Read more on VideoWeek.
Paramount and Shopsense Partner on Programmatic Product Placement Via Magnite
Paramount and its retail media partner Shopsense AI have made their ad placements available programmatically, with Magnite announced as the SSP. Shopsense integrates shoppable moments into Paramount content, directing viewers to browse featured products on their phones. These product placements were previously only available through direct deals, but the Magnite integration opens up these placements to programmatic buyers.
Channel 4 Viewing on YouTube Trebles During Q1
Channel 4 has seen its content gain traction on YouTube during Q1 2024, reporting a threefold YoY increase in UK viewing of its full episodes. Increasing the amount of content Channel 4 places on YouTube is part of the broadcaster’s “Fast Forward” strategy, alongside aims to double its social views by 2030. “Today’s announcement marks further progress on our Fast Forward strategy and keeps us on track for a planned doubling of social views,” said Matt Risley, Managing Director at 4Studio. “Our growth on social is translating both into commercial success – with major rights distributors now entrusting us to represent social ad sales for their content – and for viewers it means even more ways to watch.”
ITV Teams Up with SAS for ITVX Ad Server
ITV announced it is using an API-driven ad server from SAS, an analytics and AI software company, to deliver personalised ads on ITVX. The ad server, SAS 360 Match, provides targeted ad delivery in on-demand and live environments, according to the companies. “SAS has been working with ITV for more than 10 years and it’s been great to see the collaboration develop to the point where our customer intelligence software now helps deliver personalised ads to the 40 million registered users of its content hub, ITVX,” said Roderick Crawford, SVP for SAS Northern Europe.
Sony and Apollo Look into Paramount’s Books in Bidding War
Sony and Apollo Global are backing away from their $26 billion cash bid for Paramount, according to the New York Times, but are reportedly exploring different approaches to acquiring the media giant’s assets. Sources said that Sony and Apollo have signed nondisclosure agreements allowing them to look at Paramount’s books in order to formulate a plan. The pair are going up against rival bidder Skydance Media, after Paramount let an exclusive negotiation window with Skydance lapse at the start of May.
beIN Selects Synamedia for Country-Level Advertising
Qatari media group beIN has partnered with Synamedia, a video tech firm, enabling the broadcaster to create targeted ad inventory at a country level. Rather than delivering the same ads to 24 different MENA countries, beIN will use the Synamedia Iris addressable advertising platform to target local audiences. The service is initially available in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq and Lebanon, with plans to extend the capabilities to beIN’s streaming services in 2025.
The Week for Publishers
Q Magazine Shuts Down Months After Revival
Music publication Q has shut down less than six months after it was revived by media holding company Empire Media Group, though the owner didn’t give a public explanation for the closure. Q originally closed down in 2020, as the magazine struggled in the pandemic and owner Bauer Media was unable to find a buyer. Empire Media Group however did agree a licensing deal, and began spinning up Q again last August. Q employed six full-time journalists at the time of closing, according to Press Gazette.
Ozone Launches Multi-Market Offering ‘Premium World’
Publisher alliance Ozone this week formally launched Premium World, a new offering which it says will enable advertisers to plan and buy campaigns on its publishers’ sites across multiple markets. Ozone was born out of the UK but has expanded internationally, and now represents publishers in markets including Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. “By mirroring the single access point to scaled audiences deployed by the major tech platforms, Premium World aims to make it significantly easier for advertisers and agencies to deploy more incremental advertising investment into premium publisher environments across markets,” said Ozone CRO Craig Tuck.
Vivek Ramaswamy Buys Activist Stake in BuzzFeed
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has bought a 7.7 percent stake in ailing digital publisher BuzzFeed, stating in an SEC filing that he intends to take an activist role to shift the company’s strategy. Ramaswamy hasn’t yet offered any further detail around the strategic changes he would like to see made. BuzzFeed has already undergone a significant strategic shift in recent years, shutting down its serious news arm BuzzFeed News and focusing more on AI-based products.
The Independent Plans Further US Expansion
UK-based newspaper The Independent is planning to further expand its US operations, as it seeks to grow out its revenues overseas. The newspaper hired a US specific editor earlier in the year, and now has a US head of news and US deputy news editor as well, to help expand its US-specific coverage. The Independent says its US audience in March reached 28.4 million, up 20 percent year-on-year and eight percent month-on-month.
Reddit Names Best Media Owner to Work With in IPA Survey
Social sharing platform BuzzFeed was named the best media owner to work with in an IPA survey of buyers, with 86 percent of respondents saying they had a good overall experience of working with Reddit. Pinterest and Mobsta ranked next highest, at 85 percent each.
Condé Nast Reports Video Success with Met Gala
Condé Nast is pushing heavily into video content, announcing at its NewFronts presentation plans to increase its live and short-form video output. And the publisher this week reported strong viewing figures for video content from its recent Met Gala livestream, which got 74 million views across its own and third-party platforms. And Met Gala related content released after the event picked up 2.1 billion views in the following week. On YouTube specifically, 44 percent of live streams views took place on a connected TV set, according to Condé Nast.
The Week For Brands & Agencies
Havas Expands ‘Omni-Commerce’ Capabilities with Liquid Acquisition
Havas this week announced the acquisition of Middle Eastern ‘omni-commerce’ company Liquid, for an undisclosed fee, which it says will expand its ecommerce and retail media capabilities. Liquid, which helps brands connect with retail touchpoints, counts Pepsi, Nestle, and P&G among its clients. Liquid will be rebranded to Liquid Havas, and folded into the Havas Market unit.
Goodway Group Launches Retail Media Accelerator
Agency group Goodway Group has launched a new retail media accelerator called G-Comm, Digiday reported this week, in order to grow its retail media offering further. Goodway Group already works both with retailers looking to build retail media products, and brands wanting to buy across those products. G-Comm will combine specialist strategy and data science teams with client teams, in order to facilitate retail media executions.
Publicis France Launches AI-Based Greenwashing Self-Assesment Tool
Publicis France has launched a new AI-powered tool which it says advertisers can use to self-assess whether their advertising might constitute greenwashing. Tool is based on guidelines from French regulator the ARPP, and is designed to prevent greenwashing and save time and money for brands inadvertently investing in greenwashing materials.
Climate Anxiety is Much Higher in Ad Industry than General Population, finds IPA
Research from the IPA released this week found that climate anxiety is much more prevalent among people working in the ad industry than it is among the general population. Fifty-three percent of advertising professionals surveyed said they feel anxious about climate change, while 37 percent feel demoralised, compared to 37 percent and 14 percent respectively for the general public. Meanwhile 18 percent of the general population feel the ad industry has a negative impact on climate, compared with 48 percent of industry professionals.
Highdive Eyes Up Media Expansion After Svoboda Capital Investment
Independent creative agency Highdive has received “significant” investment from Svoboda Investment, AdAge reported this week, and plans to use the money to expand into new business areas. These include media planning, production, PR, and AI. The agency is also considering national and international expansion.
Hires of the Week
Dentsu UK&I Hires Meta’s Jenny Bullis
Dentsu has hired Jenny Bullis as CEO of its UK&I Media Practice. Bullis has been in media and marketing for over 25 years, most recently serving as Meta’s VP for Marketing Science in EMEA.
Adlook Promotes Kuba Kossut to CEO
Adlook, a demand-side platform, has promoted Kuba Kossut to CEO. Kossut joined Adlook earlier this year as Global Vice President of Market Entry Strategy. He previously served as CEO at EssenceMediacom Poland.
This Week on VideoWeek
TikTok Tests 60 Minute Uploads as Long-Form Push Continues
Short-Form Video is “Taking Over” from Live Shopping in the US
TiVo is Bringing In-Car Media into the Cross-Screen Mix
TF1 PUB Builds Out its Retail Data with Cdiscount Partnership
EX.CO Launches Unified Video Tool for Publisher Sales Houses
How Shopsense AI is Aiming to Take Shoppable TV Beyond the QR Code
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