The WIR: AppLovin Overtakes The Trade Desk, WBD Posts Streaming Gains but Linear Declines, and Video Investment Fuels The Independent's US Growth

In this week’s Week in Review: AppLovin’s market cap overtakes The Trade Desk’s, WBD posts its Q3 results, and The Independent becomes the largest UK publisher in the US.

The Week in Tech

Google to Curate Ad Manager Inventory

Google is introducing curation capabilities across Google Ad Manager inventory, in order to help agencies identify and purchase publisher inventory and audiences. In a blog post on Monday, the company said it will offer forecasting and packaging capabilities across all participating DSPs in one central location, enabling agencies to negotiate directly with publishers to create a single deal ID that works across all their buying platforms. IAS, Audigent, Liveramp, Lotame, Multilocal, Permutive, PrimeAudience and Scope3 are all supported at launch.

“Brand suitability and contextual relevance are top priorities for programmatic buyers who are looking to avoid wasting ad spend on poor quality inventory such as MFA or ad clutter,” said Srishti Gupta, Chief Product Officer, IAS. “IAS Curation gives programmatic buyers on Google Ad Manager a way to elevate their supply strategy and efficiently maximise returns on their media investments through AI-driven optimisation.”

Canada Orders TikTok Office Shutdown

Canada has ordered TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved, the government said on Wednesday, under laws enabling the government to assess potential risks to national security from foreign investments. “The government is taking action to address the specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd’s operations in Canada through the establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc,” Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement. He added that the government would not be blocking access to the app or stopping users from creating content.

Origin Launches Audience Segmentation Survey

ISBA has launched the Origin Media Landscape Study to serve as an audience segmentation tool for the cross-media measurement initiative. Conducted by Differentology, the study of 80,000 individuals in the UK will cover demographics, media behaviours, media subscriptions (including SVOD ad tiers), product preferences, supermarket preferences, banking, retail loyalty card usage and price comparison site usage. ISBA members using Origin will have full access to the data via a cross-tabbing analytics tool designed by DataTile. “As Origin continues to democratise media data, the release of the Media Landscape Study is an important step in equipping advertisers and their agencies with the tools they need, and we’re delighted with the work our partners from Differentology and DataTile have done in bringing this to life,” said Sorcha Garduce, Insight Director at Origin.

MRC Approves Nielsen Live Streaming Data Integration

The Media Rating Council (MRC) has approved the integration of first-party live streaming data into Nielsen’s accredited National Television service, the audience measurement firm announced last week. The MRC also renewed accreditations for Nielsen’s National Panel measurement. Nielsen’s MRC accreditation was reinstated last year after being suspended in 2021.

DoubleVerify Unveils Attention Product for Publishers

DoubleVerify, a measurement and verification firm, has launched an attention product for publishers. DV Attention for Publishers offers ‘Granular Campaign and Inventory Metrics’ for open web and in-app inventory, and ‘Performance-Driven Optimisation’ designed to boost campaign performance beyond traditional metrics such as viewability and click-through rates. “With attention growing in popularity, publishers need actionable insights into inventory performance to maintain their competitive edge,” said Steven Woolway, EVP Business Development at DV. “DV’s attention offering equips our publisher clients with the data they need to understand how attention impacts campaign outcomes, leading to stronger partnerships with brands based on privacy-friendly metrics.”

CMA Invites Comments on Outbrain’s Acquisition of Teads

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has started gathering information on Outbrain’s acquisition of Teads. The CMA said it has “not yet launched” its formal investigation into the merger, but is inviting comments on the ad tech tie-up until 20th November. The information will be used to consider whether the deal will negatively impact market competition.

Media Quality Remains Barrier to Programmatic Adoption, Finds IAB Europe

The use of programmatic channels for media investment is falling among advertisers but growing for agencies, according to IAB Europe’s latest ‘Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising’ report. The report identified the key drivers for programmatic adoption, with 38 percent of advertisers citing the ability to discover audiences, and 33 percent of agencies claiming cost efficiencies. On the flip side, media quality was identified as the main barrier to programmatic adoption for both advertisers and agencies, noting concerns around MFA, fraud, brand safety, viewability and transparency. Read more on VideoWeek.

Utiq Launches ID Solution in Austria

Utiq, a European identity solution created by Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefónica, has entered the Austrian market, the company announced on Thursday. The identity provider is collaborating with Austrian telco A1, bringing Utiq’s Authentic Consent Service to A1’s user base. Utiq said the partnership will facilitate more relevant digital marketing experiences between brands, publishers, and individuals, giving consumers control and choice over their consent, while offering advertisers the ability to target deterministically and accurately at scale.

French Families Sue TikTok Over Deaths of Two Teenagers

TikTok is being sued by seven French families who accuse the short-form video company of exposing their children to harmful content, two of whom took their own lives at 15. The lawsuit claims that TikTok’s algorithm exposed the teenagers to videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. The families are taking joint legal action in the Créteil judicial court, according to Reuters.

Trade Desk Posts Q3 Revenue Jump

The Trade Desk, a demand-side platform (DSP), reported a 27 percent jump in Q3 revenues, and projected Q4 revenues above Wall Street expectations. Shares in the company fell 8 percent following the results, but the stock has surged 84 percent so far this year. “I believe we will look back on 2024 as an inflection point in terms of how advertisers value the premium open internet driven by CTV and digital audio as a compelling alternative to walled gardens,” said The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green.

The Week in TV

ITV Sees Ad Revenues Stall Amid Advertiser Uncertainty Over UK Budget

UK public service broadcaster ITV released a Q3 trading update this week, reporting that total external revenues for the first nine months of the year sat at £2.32 billion, down eight percent year-on-year. For Q3 specifically, total external revenues were down by nearly 20 percent, as phasing of deliveries and knock-on effects from last year’s Hollywood strikes impacted the broadcaster’s production arm ITV Studios. Total ad revenues for Q3 were flat in Q3 (up by 0.5 percent year-on-year). However the broadcaster cautioned that revenues in Q4 are likely to be down compared with last year, citing unfavourable comparables and advertiser caution relating to the UK budget. Read more on VideoWeek.

Sky Owes Media Partners “Hundreds of Millions” in Underreported Ad Revenues

Sky Media, the UK broadcaster’s ad sales arm, is to reimburse media partners hundreds of millions of pounds, after accidentally underpaying companies such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount for revenues dating back to 2017. The company has launched an internal inquiry and lost key staff over the matter, according to the Telegraph. “When we became aware of an issue in relation to payments to partners, we acted decisively, conducted a thorough review process, proactively notified all partners, and are in the process of fully reimbursing them,” said a Sky Media spokesman. “We have made the necessary internal changes to prevent this reoccurring.”

BBC Chair Argues Against 10-Year Charter Renewal System

BBC Chair Samir Shah has called for reform of the BBC’s charter renewal system, arguing that the process of renewing the charter every 10 years should be scrapped. The charter is drawn up by the government, setting out the terms and purposes of the BBC’s existence, resulting in “almost perpetual government review”, according to Shah. “Don’t you think it’s really odd that of all the organisations created by a royal charter, and there are over 1,000 of them, we’re the only ones that have got a time limit on it?” he told BBC News.

Paramount Sued for Sharing Users’ Viewing History with Meta and TikTok

Paramount Global is facing a class action lawsuit in California over allegedly sharing users’ personally identifiable information, including viewing history, with Meta and TikTok, in order to serve targeted ads. The lawsuit is seeking at least $5 million in damages on behalf of users across the US. It accuses Paramount of “knowingly and intentionally” sharing users’ viewing activity without their consent.

M6 Expands Audience Segments with E-Commerce Data Partnerships

M6 Publicité, the French broadcaster’s sales house, has partnered with e-commerce companies Le Bon Coin and Veepee, using their customer data for advertisers to target audiences on the M6+ streaming service. M6 said advertisers now have access to 500 audience segments that can be activated on M6+ or segmented TV, joining data from Unlimitail, Valiuz and Infinity Advertising. “Thanks to these strategic partnerships and the expertise of our teams, we are proud to be able to offer our clients high-performance solutions that meet the requirements of a constantly evolving market,” said Hortense Thomine-Desmazures, Managing Director of M6 Publicité.

WBD Streaming Gains Fail to Offset TV Losses

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is losing money from its linear TV business as revenues transition to its streaming operations, according to the US media giant. The company posted a 4 percent YoY decline in Q3 revenues, with ad revenues down 7 percent during the quarter. But the DTC business, which includes the Max and Discovery+ streaming services, gained 8 percent YoY, with ad revenues up 49 percent. Nevertheless, WBD CEO David Zaslav called linear TV “a core vehicle” for the company. “The significant profits it generates helps fund building the investments that will carry Warner Bros. Discovery into the future,” he said.

Paramount+ Brings Ad Tier to UK&I

Paramount+ is launching an ad-supported tier in the UK and Ireland on 20th November, Paramount announced this week. The basic (with ads) tier will be priced at £4.99 per month in the UK and €5.99 in Ireland. The streaming service is also adding a premium plan in both markets (£10.99/€11.99), while the price of the standard plan will be raised to £7.99/€8.99.

Tubi and Political Ads Drive Fox Revenues

Fox revenues gained 11.13 percent YoY during fiscal Q1 2025, the US broadcaster reported on Monday. Advertising revenues, which constitute 37.29 percent of total revenues, increased 10.75 percent YoY, primarily due to higher political ad revenues at the FOX Television Stations. Fox also cited strong performance at Tubi, the company’s AVOD service, as a revenue driver.

Netflix Offices Raided in Paris and Amsterdam Over Potential Tax Fraud

Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam were raided by financial authorities on Tuesday, according to the FT, as part of a long-running investigation into potential tax and labour violations. The investigation opened in November 2022 over “aggravated tax fraud laundering and infractions of labour law”, according to people familiar with the situation. “We are co-operating with the authorities in France, where Netflix is a significant contributor to the local economy — and we comply with the tax laws and regulations in all the countries in which we operate,” said a Netflix spokesman.

Over Half European Viewers Visit Linear TV as First TV Destination

More than 50 percent of Europeans still choose linear TV as their first port of call for connected TV viewing, according to the latest ‘TV Key Facts’ report from RTL AdAlliance, with 53 percent first visiting linear when turning on their TV. The 31st edition of the report emphasises the relatively high consumption of TV in Europe, where daily viewing time averaged 3 hours 13 minutes in 2023. By way of contrast, daily TV viewing time in the US is around 2 hours 30 minutes. Read more on VideoWeek.

The Week for Publishers

The New York Times’s Lifestyle Investments are Helping it Circumvent News Blocking

While conditions in the ad market for news publishers have been tough over the past year, the New York Times is one of the few that has found consistent growth in digital ad revenues. Prior to its Q3 earnings, released yesterday, the Times had recorded year-on-year growth in digital ad revenues in four of the five most recent quarters, hitting 7.8 percent growth in Q2. This trend continued into Q3, as digital ad revenues were up 8.8 percent year-on-year. Since digital ads now make up the bulk of overall ad income, total ad revenues during the quarter were up 1.1 percent, despite a 12.6 percent fall in print ad revenues.

The Times said that increased open marketplace revenues were helped along by its investment in ad products from its lifestyle brands, which are less vulnerable to brand safety filtering. Read more on VideoWeek.

UK Plans to Rework Media Merger Laws for Digital Age

The UK’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy this week outlined plans to modernise the UK’s media mergers regime, updating it for the digital age. The changes would widen the scope of the regime beyond television, radio, and print newspapers to also cover digital news publications and news magazines. This would mean that mergers and acquisitions involving online-only news sources in the UK – such as HuffPost or The Independent – or print publications’ online outlets would be subject to review by the culture secretary whenever certain conditions (relation go turnover or share of supply) are met. Read more on VideoWeek.

FT Executive says Publishers Don’t Have Option to Block Google’s AI Crawlers

Matt Rogerson, director of global public policy and platform strategy at the Financial Times, says that publishers don’t have a genuine choice when it comes to blocking Google’s crawlers which harvest data to power its AI tools. In a letter to Baroness Stowell, chair of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Rogerson said that while publishers can block crawlers which specifically feed data into Google’s Gemini model, crawlers which power Google’s AI-based search summaries are the same ones which are used for search more broadly. Therefore a publisher would have to withdraw from Google search entirely if they wanted to stop their content from appearing in AI-generated summaries.

Mail Metro Media Launched Two New Data Products

Mail Metro Media this week announced two new data targeting products, Signal and Signal Roadblock, which use the sales house’s proprietary ID solution to target ads based on interactions with similar brands and categories. Signal curates data into segments based on audience interactions with similar brands and aligning categories, while Roadblock uses the same data to generate full-page takeovers based on individual users’ data.

The Week for Brands & Agencies

UK Ad Spend to Surpass £10 Billion Over Festive Season with TV Left Out in the Cold

UK ad spend is expected to exceed £10 billion over the festive season this year, according to the latest forecast from the Advertising Association (AA) and WARC. The research anticipates ad spend to reach £10.5 billion during Q4, known as the Golden Quarter for consumer spending, representing a 7.8 percent increase on Q4 2023. In terms of high-growth channels, online display (+15.8 percent), search (+8.8 percent), and out-of-home (+8.1 percent) are expected to see the biggest boosts compared to the same period last year. But ad spend on TV is set to fall by 4.3 percent YoY, continuing linear TV’s steady decline during a quarter associated with high levels of viewing. Read more on VideoWeek.

Stagwell Posts Eight Percent Organic Growth in Q3

Advertising group Stagwell posted its Q3 financial results this week, reporting eight percent year-on-year growth in organic net revenues, alongside 15 percent growth in total revenues. CEO and chairman Mark Penn said a large part of the growth came from its digital transformation business, as clients look to integrate AI solutions into their consumer engagement. “New business momentum, robust performance from digital transformation, and the culmination of a political season that broke fundraising records, gives us confidence that our vision is resonating with customers, and sets the stage for a strong close to H2,” said Penn.

Kenvue Leans into Social Media in Marketing Push

Consumer health company Kenvue, which owns brands including Neutrogena, Listerine, Band-Aid, and Tylenol, says it is investing heavily in advertising as it looks to revive flagging sales. And social media will be a big focus of this investment. “For 2024 we are on track to invest approximately 20 percent more than we did last year through advertising, health care professional engagement, in-store prominence and direct consumer engagement with an increasing focus on social media marketing,” said CEO and director Thibaut Mongon.

Yum! Brands Touts Benefits of AI-Powered Marketing

Yum! Brands, the fast food group which operated KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell among others, says its investments in AI-powered marketing are paying off. Speaking on an earnings call Chris Turner, the company’s CFO, said the company launched a number of AI-powered marketing pushes in Q3, and that these generated significant increases in consumer engagement, leading to increased purchases and a reduction in consumer churn. “This innovation has the potential to greatly improve our marketing return on investment and allow us to extract the unique benefits of our proprietary global data hub, and we expect it to be broadly and easily scalable across brands,” he said.

S4 Capital Issues Profit Warning as Sales Fall

S4 Capital issued a profit warning this week and lowered its full year outlook after a tough Q3, in which net revenues were down by 12.6 percent on a like-for-like basis. “Trading in the third quarter reflected the continued impact of trends we saw in the first half, namely challenging global macroeconomic conditions and high interest rates, as well as some underperformance when compared to our addressable markets,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, executive director of S4 Capital.

Dentsu Partners with Salesforce on AI-Powered Retail Media Offering

Japanese agency group Dentsu this week announced the launch of ‘Smarter Media’, a collaboration with Salesforce which it says will enable faster monetisation of retail media by creating AI-powered personalised buying experiences. Smarter Media uses several Salesforce products: Media Cloud, Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud Engagement, to assess a brand’s current retail media maturity and builds a roadmap to address gaps in media, tech, and skills.

All In Census Returns Next March

The All In Census, an industry survey on the state of inclusion in the advertising industry, will take place on March 12th next year, the trade group has announced. Data from the survey is used to inform the All In action plan, an initiative supported by industry trade groups to promote a more inclusive and welcoming industry.

Hires of the Week

PHD UK Names Paul Knight as CEO

PHD UK, an Omnicom agency, has named Paul Knight as CEO. He replaces Ali Reed who spent three years in the role. Knight has spent six years as CEO at OmniGOV, MG OMD’s bespoke agency for the UK Government.

T&Pm Hires Channel 4’s Victoria Appleby as UK CEO

T&Pm, a WPP agency, has appointed Victoria Appleby as UK CEO. Starting January 2025, Appleby will drive T&Pm’s growth in the UK, according to T&Pm. She joins from Channel 4, where she served as Head of Sales, following agency stints at EssenceMediacom and Wavemaker.

Vudoo Appoints Sarah Lawson Johnston as MD Europe

Vudoo, an advertising commerce company, has hired Sarah Lawson Johnston as Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. The appointment is set to boost Vudoo’s global expansion, one year after the company launched its commerce tech product into the international market. Lawson Johnston has 30 years experience in ad tech, most recently serving as CRO at targeting specialist Covatic.