In this week’s Week in Review: Europe’s top court tells Meta to minimise data use in targeted advertising, TF1 positions its streaming service as a full-funnel marketing platform, and Immediate launches a new-look first-party data offering.
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Top EU Court Orders Meta to Limit Data Usage in Targeted Advertising
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that Meta must restrict the use of personal data it has access to when it comes to targeting ads, backing a case filed by privacy activist Max Schrems.
Schrems claimed that Meta, and specifically Facebook, had unlawfully used data which the tech giant had collected about him to target ads. The CJEU found in Schrems’ favour, ruling that the principle of data minimisation specified in Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), “precludes all of the personal data obtained by a controller, such as the operator of an online social network platform, from the data subject or third parties and collected either on or outside that platform, from being aggregated, analysed and processed for the purposes of targeted advertising without restriction as to time and without distinction as to type of data”.
Meta says all users consent to use of their data for targeted advertising, as in the EU users can choose to pay for the service in order to avoid personally targeted ads. But the CJEU ruling finds that even when consent is given, the principle of data minimisation still applies – consent doesn’t give tech companies carte blanche to use any and all data they have access to for ad targeting.
TF1+ Announces New Data Partnerships and Ad Formats
TF1 plans to make its TF1+ streaming service a “full-funnel marketing platform”, the French broadcaster announced as it laid out its advertising roadmap this morning. TF1 will roll out new products in Q1 2025, including new premium display, playable and shoppable ad formats, as well as personalised content engines.
The roadmap also includes new data integrations, including Graph:ID, developed in association with Snowflake. Due to launch in January 2025, Graph:ID aims to become a single access point for information about users of TF1+, TF1 Info and TF1 PUB. It will be enhanced with data from 20 retail and data partners, including Infinity Advertising, Unlimitail and Cdiscount.
The commercial broadcaster also announced it has accessibility through 98 percent of DSPs, and from 2025 will offer full programmatic access across all formats, via partners including FreeWheel and Magnite.
“We launched TF1+ in January with high editorial and tech ambitions, and the launch has been a real success,” said TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer. “The rollout of the platform is ongoing, driven by our third-party content aggregation strategy and our expansion of distribution across the French-speaking world. Our ambition now is to make TF1+ the no.1 digital marketing platform. What we bring is massive reach across TV screens, data at scale, and now a full suite of integrated ad solutions and innovative technology.”
Immediate Launches New First-Party Data Offering ‘Prism’
UK publishing group Immediate, which owns the Radio Times, Good Food, Olive, and Top Gear magazine among other titles, this week announced ‘Prism’, a new first-party data offering.
Immediate says that Prism, which will cover all of the publisher’s ad inventory, will apply Immediate’s first-party data to planning, research, insight, segmentation, and measurement capabilities. Features on the platform will include new audience and contextual capabilities including data matching, modelling, and contextual targeting, as well as ROI measurement and campaign optimisation.
“Prism represents a major milestone in Immediate’s data capabilities,” said Matthew Rance, head of commercial data and analytics at Immediate. “With continuing uncertainty around the fundamentals of digital advertising, first party data is of critical importance to advertisers. Prism allows us to not just respond to client briefs, providing access and insight into some of the largest and most unique audiences in the market with measurable results.”
The Week in Tech
Oracle is Officially Out of the Ad Business
Oracle closed its ad tech arm this week, marking the tech giant’s official exit from the ad business. The company quietly announced it would wind down Oracle Advertising back in June, with revenues from the segment falling to around $300 million for its most recent financial year. The unit was built via a series of major acquisitions over 10 years, including BlueKai, Moat and Grapeshot. The closure will see Oracle’s advertising clients dispersed to rival companies.
Pinterest Adds AI Tools for Performance Campaigns
Pinterest has introduced new AI and automation features for performance campaigns, the social sharing site announced at its annual Pinterest Presents summit for advertisers. The Pinterest Performance+ suite includes creative tools to enhance product images using GenAI; bidding capabilities to optimise for the highest value for ROAS; and machine learning-driven branded shopping recommendations, serving shoppers promotions and sales based on what they’ve searched and pinned. The company said the suite decreases campaign creation time, with 50 percent less inputs required, and improves cost per acquisition (CPA) for Conversion and Catalog sales campaigns by more than 10 percent.
Cedara and Virtual Minds Team Up for Carbon Reduction in Programmatic
Virtual Minds, Prosieben’s ad tech business, has teamed up with Cedara, a carbon intelligence platform, to help reduce carbon emissions from its programmatic advertising. Cedara will provide Virtual Minds with a transparent carbon footprint of its business activities, including carbon emissions across the programmatic supply chain. “The continuous and sustainable further development of digital and programmatic advertising is part of Virtual Minds’ brand essence – whether in terms of media, technology, efficiency or now also ecology,” said Sandra Assadi, Director Corporate Development at Virtual Minds. “As always, we pursue the most holistic approach possible, and the partnership with Cedara and its equally holistic concept of end-to-end emissions measurement and optimisation is an excellent contribution to this.”
Madhive Taps Samba TV for ACR-Based Targeting
Madhive, a CTV ad tech firm, has signed Samba TV as its preferred partner for automatic content recognition-based (ACR) audience targeting. Madhive said the partnership will allow its broadcaster, advertiser and agency clients to target audiences based on TV viewing behaviour and ad exposure. “Samba TV is at the forefront of TV viewership data intelligence and this expanded partnership is already helping clients streamline activation and optimise marketing dollars against both top and bottom-of-funnel outcomes,” said Luc Dumont, SVP Business Development at Madhive.
Zefr Expands Misinformation Reporting on YouTube
Zefr, a brand suitability business, has expanded its Brand Safety and Suitability Verification solution on YouTube, to include reporting for Zefr’s misinformation category. The tool uses AI to identify and measure content that it determines to be misinformation using industry-standard definitions. “Brands need assurance that their campaigns are not inadvertently appearing next to misinformation,” said Rich Raddon, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Zefr. “Our misinformation measurement reporting capability empowers brands with additional confidence that their ads are placed in safe and suitable environments, further solidifying our longstanding commitment to transparency and brand safety.”
Meta Rolls its Facebook Creator Monetisation Models into a Single Program
Meta has announced Facebook Content Monetization in beta, a new monetisation program for creators on Facebook. The social giant said the program merges its three existing creator monetisation programs (In-stream ads, Ads on Reels, and the Performance bonus) into a single program that simplifies the process of paying creators for Reels, longer videos, photos and text posts, and is built on the existing performance-based payout model. The company noted that since 2017, it has paid more than four million content creators over $2 billion in total.
Gracenote and Amagi Partner on FAST Channel Metadata
Gracenote, Nielsen’s content data unit, has reached an agreement with Amagi, a broadcast and streaming solutions provider, that will allow content partners to select Gracenote products through Amagi’s channel creation solution. The partnership aims to ensure that FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) publisher content metadata is normalised and enriched at the earliest stages of the FAST channel creation process, then passed to Gracenote’s global distribution network. “FAST represents the next chapter of streaming and content metadata is the key driver of engagement fueling the evolution,” said Tim Cutting, Chief Revenue Officer at Gracenote. “Our collaboration with Amagi holistically helps content publishers accelerate FAST go-to-market so they can capitalise on the opportunity and drive monetisation now.”
Vibe Leans on Direct Supply for Q3 Revenue Growth
Vibe, a streaming TV ad platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has posted 326 percent YoY revenue growth for Q3 2024. The business is also leaning on direct supply, with over 60 percent of impressions bought through direct integrations with publishers. The ad tech firm added that more than 1,000 streaming TV campaigns run simultaneously through Vibe.
X is Worth 80 Percent Less Than When X Bought it, Says Fidelity
X is worth almost 80 percent less than when Elon Musk bought the social media company two years ago, according to estimates from Fidelity. The investment firm, which holds a stake in X, said its shares were now worth $4.2 million. This represents a 24 percent decline from its July disclosure, and a 79 percent drop from its initial $19.66 million estimate back in October 2022.
The Week in TV
Amazon Prime Video Reveals UK Reach and Announces Plans to Increase Ad Loads
Amazon announced at its UK Upfronts presentation this week that Amazon Prime Video’s ad-supported tier reaches 19 million UK customers, equal to over a third of all UK adults. Now, having avoided a sharp drop in subscribers after introducing ads, the company is looking to bump up its ad load. Kelly Day, vice-president of Prime Video International, told the FT that its ad load will “ramp up a little bit more into 2025”. Read more on VideoWeek.
Paramount Drops Nielsen Measurement Over Cost
Paramount Global’s contract with ratings giant Nielsen expired without a renewal agreement on Tuesday. Paramount’s CBS will rely on alternative audience data from VideoAmp, according to Forbes. “Disengaging from Nielsen is not our first choice, and we remain hopeful for a resolution,” John Halley, President of Paramount Advertising, wrote to media agencies. “We are asking for your partnership as we navigate this situation. In certain instances, Nielsen’s fees already exceed the total advertising revenue of the network being measured. This has led us to conclude that the model, as proposed, is not workable, and that the cost structure requires re-engineering.”
TF1 PUB Extends Sirdata Audiences for Segmented TV
TF1 PUB, the French broadcaster’s sales house, has expanded its partnership with Sirdata, a cookieless targeting company, to provide audience segments to TV advertisers. TF1 said it now offers more than 500 data segments in segmented TV. “By extending our historic partnership with Sirdata, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening trusted collaborations while anticipating the challenges of the cookieless era,” said Aurore Ghanassia, Digital Marketing Data & Partnership Manager at TF1 PUB. “This initiative also makes it possible to offer precise and efficient targeting in segmented TV, thus giving advertisers the possibility of having unified targeting with streaming.”
Sky Sues WBD Over Violating Co-Production Deal
Sky is suing Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) over allegedly violating an agreement that gave it the right to co-produce shows alongside Max, WBD’s streaming service, including a new Harry Potter series expected to debut in 2026. The Comcast-owned company estimates the violation could cost Sky hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the FT. WBD is also in talks with rival streaming services about licensing its content once its exclusive deal with Sky ends in 2026.
The Week for Publishers
Wired Sees Six Percent Revenue Rise
Condé Nast-owned tech publication Wired has seen a six percent rise in global revenues since appointing Katie Drummond as its editor-in-chief last August, Adweek reported this week. Traffic has been strong since Drummond’s appointment, driven in part by its increased political coverage. And while publishing more political stories could have risked scaring some brands away, Wired hasn’t seen any commercial pushback against the editorial shift, Drummond told Adweek.
Mail Metro Media Announces New Ad Tools
Mail Metro Media, the sales house of the Daily Mail & General Trust, announced several new ad tools at the company’s Upfront presentation this week. Ryan Uhl, Mail Metro’s chief brand strategy officer, unveiled “Edge to Edge”, a new full-width mobile browser ad experience, as well as the integration of AI language processing to categorise three years of cross-title content. Mail Metro Media says this latter function allows trends and correlations within content to be analysed, providing hyper-relevant contextual signals at speed and scale.
Dovid Efune Leads Race to Buy The Telegraph
Dovid Efune, the owner of the New York Sun, has emerged as the leading contender to buy The Telegraph from RedBird IMI according to the Financial Times. Other contenders remain in the race according to the FT, including UK regional publisher National World and Paul Marshall, the co-owner of GB News who bought The Spectator from RedBird. However Efune is seen as most likely to come out on top, due to the comparative lack of antitrust concerns, and the backing Efune has received from major US investment funds.
Future Closes ‘Low to No Growth Assets’
UK publishing group Future Plc has announced in a trading update that it is shutting down several ‘low to no growth’ titles and events, as it seeks to deliver “sustainable organic growth”. 3D World, All About Space, Total 911 and iMore are all being shut down by Future, while Total Film’s print edition has also been cut by Future.
Gamurs Blames Staff Cuts on Google’s Helpful Content Update
Gamurs, a digital publisher covering gaming and entertainment, has laid off thirty staff, pinning the blame partly on Google’s ‘helpful content’ update, according to Press Gazette. Google said its helpful content update, which rolled out a year ago, was designed to prioritise original content and deprioritise pages which were solely written to game search algorithms. However Gamurs says its own content was punished by the algorithm, resulting in significant drops in traffic.
Reuters and CNN Launch Paywalls
International news publishers Reuters and CNN both this week announced plans to launch metered paywalls on their websites, with CNN’s covering the US and Reuters’s set to be rolled out globally. CNN said that some content will remain outside of the paywall, and that those paying for a subscription will receive fewer ads across CNN content.
The Week for Brands & Agencies
Omnicom Acquires Digital Advisory LeapPoint
Omnicom this week announced that Omnicom Precision Marketing Group has acquired LeapPoint, a digital advisory firm, for an undisclosed fee. LeapPoint helps businesses optimise the performance of their marketing organisations through people, processes, and Adobe technology according to Omnicom. The agency group says the acquisition will aid its effort to offer “the industry’s most comprehensive end-to-end content solution”.
Everyone Wins in Unilever’s Global Media Review
All of the big six agency holding groups – WPP, Publicis, Omnicom, IPG, Dentsu, and Havas – were awarded a portion of Unilever’s media work following a global media review conducted by the consumer goods giant. WPP’s Mindshare took the largest slice of the pie, and will handle Unilever’s media in markets including North America, the UK and Ireland, China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), and South Asia.
Dentsu UK&I Launches Business Transformation Practice
Dentsu UK&I has launched its Business Transformation (BX) practice in the UK and Ireland, the agency group announced this week. Dentsu says the practice unites its “unique data and technology-driven creativity with management consulting rigour and human-centric design” to help grow organisations. Services provided by BX include market landscaping, strategy consulting, ‘social good’ consulting, and transformation consulting.
WFA Calls for Agency Cost Data
The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) says it is relaunching its ‘Agency Cost Index’ tool, designed to help advertisers understand the costs of using agency services globally. As part of the relaunch, the WFA has issued a voluntary call for data from its members, to more accurately reflect costs and realities of working with agencies in 2024.
Omnicom Agrees Creator Collaboration Deal with Snap
Omnicom’s influencer marketing agency Creo is partnering with Snapchat’s to develop brand campaigns with some of Snapchat’s top tier creators. Creo has partnered with Snap Star Collab Studio, a managed service production programme which facilitates tie-ups between advertisers and Snap’s own talent. Omnicom says the partnership will enable it to layer audience data from its ‘operating system’ Omni across all stages of creator campaigns run with Snap creators.
Dutch Ad Board says MSC Green Claims Don’t Meet Standards
The Dutch advertising board found that green claims made by cruise giant MSC in advertising materials fall short of standards, after investigating a greenwashing complaint filed against the operator. The advertising board found that MSC’s claims were based largely on its use of liquified natural gas in place of alternative fuels which emit more carbon dioxide, but that these relative benefits aren’t sufficient to support MSC’s claims around the environmental impact of its cruises.
Hires of the Week
Vimeo Appoints Charlie Ungashick as CMO
Vimeo, a video-hosting company, has named Charlie Ungashick as Chief Marketing Officer. Ungashick has been interim CMO since the start of the year, having previously worked at tech companies Workhuman and Applause. The move is said to help position Vimeo as a business video platform.
Dentsu Announces Dual UK Promotions
Dentsu has appointed Matthew Landeman as Chief Client Officer for Dentsu Media UK, and Mike McCoy as President of Carat UK. Lademan previously served as Chief Client Officer at Carat UK, while McCoy was Chief Growth Officer at Dentsu International.
Accenture Song Hires Google’s Kevin Mathers
Accenture Song, the multinational’s tech-driven creative group, has hired Kevin Mathers as Managing Director and Head of Go-to-Market for the UK, Ireland and Africa (UKIA). Mathers joins from Google, most recently serving as Managing Director, EMEA Strategy & Operations.
Multilocal Names Zach Rosen as Fractional General Manager
Multilocal, a programmatic advertising business, has appointed Zach Rosen as Fractional General Manager. The role will see Rosen lead the firm’s expansion into the US market. Prior to founding the consultancy Supernova, Rosen held roles at LiveRamp and Index Exchange.
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