In this week’s Week in Review: Axel Springer is in talks about breaking up its business, TF1 signs new media deals for TF1+, and Omnicom launches a new AI tool.
Top Stories
Axel Springer Mulls Breaking Up its Media Business
European media giant Axel Springer is in talks with private equity group KKR about breaking up its business, the Financial Times reported this week. The deal would reportedly separate Axel Springer’s primary media brands including Politico, Business Insider, Bild and Die Welt, from its digital classifieds operation.
Axel Springer’s CEO Mathias Döpfner and Friede Springer, widow of the company’s founder, would then get greater control of the news media assets. KKR and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which own the majority of Axel Springer, would take over the classified ads unit.
According to the FT, separating out the more profitable classified business would give KKR an easier way to exit its investment, while also opening up new opportunities for Döpfner to pursue media acquisitions, something he’s been keen to do as he looks for more US media holdings.
TF1 Adds Major French Media Brands to its Streaming Platform
French broadcaster TF1 this week announced that it has signed deals with three major French media brands – L’Équipe, Le Figaro, and Deezer – which will add their video and audio content to its recently reworked streaming offering, TF1+. With the new deal, TF1 is positioning TF1+ as “France’s first free-to-view aggregation platform”. TF1 suggested it is open to further aggregation, and will look to bring on more media partners to add content to the platform.
TF1 has been pitching its streaming offering as a leading streaming player for the francophone world, recently launching in Belgium and Luxembourg. The content deals will add a good amount of French-language content to the platform, including L’Équipe’s sports channels, Le Figaro’s news channels, and Deezer’s live music recordings and content.
“These first aggregation tie-ups mark a step change in our digital acceleration strategy,” said Rodolphe Belmer, TF1’s CEO and chairman. “Aggregating content from trusted providers with extensive audience reach will make our platform even more attractive and expand the range of programmes available to our users 24/7.”
Omnicom Launches New AI Content Offering ArtBotAI
Agency holding group Omnicom this week announced the launch of ArtBotAI, which it describes as a next-generation intelligent content platform that leverages generative AI and large language models. Omnicom says ArtBotAI will efficiently optimise creative content at scale, without sacrificing quality, cutting out a lot of manual labour which would otherwise be required for large-scale personalisation.
“Elegance at scale—that was the original idea behind ArtBotAI,” said Paolo Yuvienco, Omnicom’s chief technology officer. “Brands are demanding more customised content at scale, but their content studios and one-off tools slow down, get more expensive, and lose out on quality and performance when they try to do more with them […] ArtBotAI replaces a messy ecosystem with something simple, beautiful and powerful to serve our client’s content needs.”
ArtBotAI is available at launch across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.
The Week in Tech
Origin to Go Live “This Summer” Says New ISBA President Pete Markey
Origin, the cross-media measurement initiative led by ISBA, will go live this summer with 35 members of the UK advertising trade body on board. The announcement was made by the new ISBA President, Pete Markey, CMO of Boots, in his inaugral speech at the ISBA President’s Lunch. ISBA launched Origin in 2019 with the aim of delivering on advertisers’ ‘North Star’ for cross-media measurement. Trials began last summer, with EE, L’Oréal, PepsiCo, P&G and Unilever participating in initial tests of the tool. Now the product is preparing to go live, with Boots among the 35 advertisers signed up at launch. Read more on VideoWeek.
ID5 Pushes into CTV
Identity business ID5 is making a big push into CTV, pitching streaming services and device makers, Marketing Brew reported this week, following a $20 million funding round earlier this year. CEO Mathieu Roche said ID5 has been in talks with Samsung, LG, Roku, and DirecTV, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount.
EA Looks for Ad Tech Talent
Gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) is hiring for multiple ad tech positions, Digiday reported this week, signalling an increased focus on advertising revenues. EA executives described advertising as a “meaningful driver of growth” on an earnings call earlier this year, according to Digiday.
Xandr Accused of GDPR Non-Compliance
Privacy activist noyb this week filed a GDPR complaint against Xandr, now owned by Microsoft Advertising, claiming that the ad tech business has failed to comply with requests to give individuals access to, and control over, their data. A URL on Xandr’s own website shows that it didn’t comply with any data access requests in 2022 – but Xandr says it was unable to fulfil these requests because its own privacy settings mean it can’t identify what data is associated with an individual.
Currys Connected Media Pens Deal with Titan OS
Currys Connected Media, electronics retailer Currys’ retail media offering, has agreed a deal with smart TV OS Titan OS which will enable targeting and measurement using Currys data. Advertisers will be able to target in-market audiences using the data, and run formats created by Currys on inventory handled by Titan OS.
AudienceXpress Partners with On Device for Brand-Lift Insights
AudienceXpress this week announced a partnership with measurement business On Device to offer brand-lift insights across all video inventory including CTV. AudienceXpress says advertisers will be able to track performance against key brand KPIs such as awareness, consideration, brand recall, and purchase extent, and then optimise campaigns using AudienceXpress’s own audience data.
Azerion Launches Generative AI Contextual Solution in Marketplace
Entertainment and media business Azerion this week launched new gen AI-based contextual intelligence technology within its Azerion Marketplace. Azerion says the solution uses generative AI to classify content from URLs into actionable segments, generating detailed descriptions and keyword lists for classifying content. Azerion says the solution helps fill a gap left by Oracle’s decision to wind down its own ad tech business, including contextual specialist Grapeshot.
The Week in TV
Paramount Remains Committed to Streaming as Skydance Agrees Merger Deal
Following a protracted takeover saga, Paramount has finally agreed a deal with production business Skydance Media which will see the two merge, creating what the two companies are calling ‘New Paramount’. The merged company, led by Skydance’s David Ellison as chairman and CEO and new president Jeff Shell, ex-CEO of NBCUniversal, plans to “enhance and reinvigorate marquee Paramount and CBS brands” according to the announcement. This includes commitment to Paramount’s streaming services Paramount+ and Pluto TV, whose futures had looked uncertain during various takeover discussions. Read more on VideoWeek.
CNN Cuts 100 Drops, and Refocuses on Video
Global news outlet CNN is cutting around 100 drops, equal to roughly three percent of its workforce, the company announced in an internal letter this week, while the broadcaster will look to revamp its digital products, with an increased focus on video. CEO Mark Thompson said in the letter that “video will be at the heart of our future and a re-imagined video experience on every platform — from pure digital to streaming, FAST channels and more — it is essential for CNN’s future”.
DAZN and WBD Bid for French Football Rights
Sports specialist streaming service DAZN and Warner Bros. Discovery have both made bids for packages of French football rights, which have so far struggled to sell, according to various reports this week. DAZN is looking for the majority of matches available each match day, while WBD is looking for rights to bolster its Max streaming service in France.
ITV Turns to Ebay for New Sustainability Effort
British broadcaster ITV this week announced it is launching a new marketplace on eBay, ITV Reloved, through which it will sell old props and items from some of its major shows. This will include recognisable items, such as Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories desk and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’s Read My Lips Stool, as well as everyday household items and clothing used on TV sets. ITV says this will help reduce waste from TV production (while also bringing in some new revenues).
BBC Set for Reform, Not Scrapping, of Licence Fee
The recent UK election has likely changed the course of the BBC’s future, with the outgoing Conservative government, increasingly hostile towards the licence fee, replaced by a Labour government more likely to keep it. Press Gazette reported this week that new culture secretary Lisa Nandy has previously vocally backed the licence fee – though she has suggested she would reform the broadcaster’s structure, so that it’s owned and directed by licence holders.
WBD Reaches $125 Million Settlement Over Merger Suit
Warner Bros. Discovery has settled a lawsuit with some of its shareholders, who sued the broadcaster over the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery which created it. WBD has agreed a $125 million payout for complainants who said the terms of the merger deal favoured large shareholders, representing poor value for smaller shareholders.
The Week for Publishers
Future Launches Creative Studio
UK-based specialist publisher Future this week announced the launch of Future Creative, a full-service branded content studio covering digital, print, social, audio, and experiential, which it says will combine the company’s strategic and creative expertise. “Future Creative reaffirms our commitment to quality storytelling for both our passionate audiences and our valued brand partners,” said Jon Steinberg, CEO of Future. “By tapping into our results-oriented creative expertise and editorial know-how, advertisers have the unmatched ability to develop brand content that resonates more deeply and authentically with passionate and highly engaged audiences.”
AOP Finds Falling Video and Display Advertising Revenues for Publishers
The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte’s latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) published this week found that while publishers’ Q1 revenues were up by 0.7 percent year-on-year, video and display advertising revenues both fell. Online video revenues were down by 7.4 percent year-on-year, while digital advertising revenues were down by 13.1 percent. Subscription revenues provided a boost, growing by 4.2 percent, while sponsorship revenues were up by 10.9 percent.
Lord Saatchi Considers Telegraph Bid while Daily Mail Pulls Out
Lord Saatchi, one of the founders of ad group M&C Saatchi, is reportedly considering setting up a consortium to bid for The Telegraph, Bloomberg reported this week, as the newspaper is put back up for auction. Fellow newspaper The Daily Mail meanwhile has pulled out of the bid, citing new “overly restrictive” rules on foreign ownership which were set up to block RedBird IMI’s takeover of The Telegraph, according to the FT.
National World Buys Two Sports Brands
UK regional news publisher National World has acquired two new sports-based brands, Press Gazette reported this week. National World has bought Serious About Rugby League and Athletics Weekly, two acquisitions which are part of a wider strategy of investing in sports content outside of football.
Metro Sees Audience Growth, while Mail Online Falls
The Metro saw the fastest year-on-year growth of all major news brands in the UK in May, according to Press Gazette’s analysis of Ipsos iris data, up 17 percent year-on-year. Sky News, the BBC, and ITV all also saw growth, while The Guardian’s audience was flat year-on-year. Meanwhile the Mail Online saw a nine percent year-on-year drop, while The Telegraph was down by seven percent.
The Week for Brands & Agencies
Dentsu’ Carat Wins European Media Duties for Pernod Ricard
Dentsu-owned media agency Carat has been chosen by drinks maker Pernod Ricard as its media buying and planning partner for its Europe entities, following a review which also included GroupM, Havas, Omnicom, and MG. Pernod Ricard already works with Dentsu in Spain, where iProspect is its media agency.
Hershey Chooses Bespoke Publicis Team for US Media
US confectionary maker Hershey has chosen Publicis Media to handle its US media account, following a competitive review launched earlier this year. A bespoke unit within Publicis, called MiltonONE, will handle media for Hershey’s candy, mint and gum (CMG) products, as well as its salty and protein product lines.
Havas Onboards Samba TV Data in North America
Havas Media Network North America has announced an expansion of its relationship with ACR data business Samba TV, which will see Samba’s data used to power Havas’s own cross-platform metric, the Havas Meaningful Media Rating Point. Havas’ metric, available within its Converged planning tool, is designed to show reach of different media, but also engagement, in order to give a more nuanced view of media’s impact.
Mixed Progress on UK Advertising Representation
Two studies released this week show mixed progress on representation in UK advertising. ISBA’s Representation in Advertising study, run with Opinium, found a small improvement in representation, with 45 percent of survey respondents in March this year saying UK TV advertising does a good job of representing all groups in UK society, up from 42 percent in March 2020. But a separate report from Channel 4 found that the transgender community feels “unsupported” by brands, with on-screen portrayals often sensationalised, and many brands nervous of a potential backlash from working with transgender talent.
Bicycle London Launches a Creative Arm
Independent agency Bicycle London, which is primarily a media agency, has launched a creative studio, Campaign reported this week. The agency has launched several other specialist divisions recently, including an influencer arm which it announced earlier this year.
Hires of the Week
Lauren Wetzel Appointed as InfoSum CEO
InfoSum has appointed Lauren Wetzel as its new CEO, as current holder Brian Lesser steps down from the role. Wetzel was previously InfoSum’s chief operating officer, and has previously also held roles at AT&T, Xandr, and Deloitte.
Pete Markey Becomes New ISBA President
Pete Markey, Boots’s CMO, has become the new president of UK advertiser trade body ISBA. Markey takes over from Margaret Jobling, CMO of Natwest.
This Week on VideoWeek
Paramount Remains Committed to Streaming as Skydance Agrees Merger Deal
How Contextual Targeting Can Reduce Waste on YouTube
“If You Can’t Do Proper Media Planning, You Shouldn’t be Using AI”
The CTV Advertising Guide North America 2024 is Now Available to Download
European Broadcasters Must “Self-Cannibalise” to Survive
Origin to Go Live “This Summer” Says New ISBA President Pete Markey
What Drives Audience Engagement for Publishers During Election Season?
Ad of the Week
Considering What?, Paralympic Games, Channel 4
