The WIR: MFE Launches ProSieben Takeover Bid, Video Growth Helps Stabilise UK Publisher Revenues, and TF1 Introduces Co-Viewing Measurement

In this week’s Week in Review: MFE launches long-awaited takeover bid for ProSiebenSat.1, video growth helps stabilise UK publisher revenues, and TF1 introduces co-viewing measurement.

The Week in Tech

iSpot Launches Outcomes Measurement with Paramount

iSpot, a TV measurement firm, has launched an outcomes measurement product called ‘Outcomes at Scale’, which tracks online activity or store visits resulting from TV and streaming campaigns. Paramount Global has integrated the product into its ad sales and audience offering, as the media company seeks to ease its reliance on ratings from measurement rival Nielsen. “The ability to deliver automated outcomes seamlessly across platforms is incredibly transformative,” says Travis Scoles, EVP Advanced Advertising at Paramount. “While traditional metrics like GRPs remain important, they often serve as proxies for impact. Delivering proof of performance at scale is the roadmap for the future of the industry.”

Facebook Agrees to Stop Targeting Ads at UK Woman Following Lawsuit

Facebook has agreed to stop targeting ads at a UK woman who sued Meta in 2022. Tanya O’Carroll told the BBC the “unnerving” speed at which Facebook determined she was pregnant in 2017, “before I’d even told people in my private life.” The Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data watchdog, argued that “organisations must respect people’s choices about how their data is used. This means giving users a clear way to opt out of their data being used in this way.” O’Carroll added that the decision opens a “gateway” for other individuals seeking to withdraw from being served targeted Facebook ads based on their personal data.

US Judge Dismisses Part of Lawsuit Over Google Ad Auctions

A US judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit against Google that accused the tech giant of misleading investors about its digital advertising practices and user privacy protections, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The lawsuit accused Google of committing securities fraud through public statements that characterised its auction-based system for selling ads as highly competitive, but US District Judge Rita Lin said the errors do not constitute fraud. However, the plaintiffs have been allowed to move ahead with their claim that CEO Sundar Pichai submitted false statements to Congress in 2020.

DAIVID Brings Creative Testing to Kinetiq’s TV Measurement

DAIVID, a creative effectiveness platform, has partnered with Kinetiq, a TV measurement firm, to bring its creative testing solutions to Kinetiq’s media network. The partnership enables advertisers to see where their ads are seen and how they drive engagement and action, according to the companies, by combining DAIVID’s tools for measuring attention, emotional response, brand recall and consumer intent, with Kinetiq’s TV ad tracking and audience insights. “For years, advertisers have had to rely on fragmented data to assess ad effectiveness,” said Kinetiq CEO Kevin Kohn. “This partnership changes that. By integrating creative quality with real-time ad tracking, we provide a complete view of TV advertising performance – helping brands maximise their media spend and optimise creative impact like never before.”

TikTok Ads Chief Steps Down Ahead of US Deal

TikTok ads chief Blake Chandlee is stepping down, according to Bloomberg, in the latest move intended to reach a sale in the US. At least eight other executives have stepped aside ahead of the 5th April deadline enforced by Donald Trump, who delayed the ban on TikTok on the condition of a sale. Tech giant Oracle is reportedly lining up to take a minority stake in TikTok’s US operation, though the plan is being met with resistance by Republican lawmakers.

DoubleVerify Updates Keyword Blocklist Solutions

DoubleVerify is updating its keyword blocklist solutions, the media verification company announced on Tuesday, after gathering views from publishers and advertisers on the limitations of blocklists. The company will now enable advertisers to apply keyword blocklists exclusively to URLs that have not been classified into one of DV’s content categories, and will use AI to “identify stale keywords” in order to prevent overblocking. “These updates reflect DV’s ongoing commitment to supporting the evolving needs of the news community,” said Jack Marshall, Head of News at DoubleVerify. “DV will keep listening, refining, and improving to ensure that advertisers and publishers can thrive together.”

eMarketer Forecasts Ad Growth at X “Driven by Fear”

X is expected to report its first year of ad revenue growth since Elon Musk’s takeover, according to Reuters, with brands returning to the social media platform in the wake of Musk’s alliance with Donald Trump. The company’s US ad revenue is expected to grow 17.5 percent to $1.31 billion in 2025, according to eMarketer data, though the forecast noted that some of that spend is “driven by fear” of Musk’s influence in the White House. “Many advertisers may view spending on X as a cost of doing business in order to mitigate potential legal or financial repercussions,” said Jasmine Enberg, Principal Analyst at Emarketer.

India to Scrap Tax on Digital Ads From Foreign Companies

India will scrap a tax on digital ads provided by foreign companies, Reuters reported on Tuesday, in efforts to smooth US trade concerns. Removing the six percent levy on online ads aims to ease costs for US tech giants such as Google, Meta and Amazon, in response to Donald Trump’s threats to impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners. “It remains to be seen whether this step, coupled with ongoing diplomatic efforts, will lead to any softening of the US stance,” said Amit Maheshwari, Tax Partner at AKM Global.

The Week in TV

ProSieben to Sell Verivox to Moltiply Group

ProSiebenSat.1 is selling Verivox, its price comparison website, to Italian holding company Moltiply Group, for €231 million. The move paved the way for MFE’s takeover bid for the German business on Wednesday (see top stories), after the Berlusconi-owned media group called on ProSieben to divest its non-TV assets. “The intention is to accelerate ProSiebenSat.1’s transformation to an entertainment-focused company,” ProSieben said in a statement.

Lantern Invites Interested Parties to Develop Measurement Product

Lantern, a UK measurement initiative between Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Thinkbox, has issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting suggestions about the project’s development and direction. The initiative, which aims to create a fully automated multi-outcome measurement product for TV advertising, said the RFI will help identify companies that could play a role, with a full Request for Proposal (RFP) due later in 2025. “We’ve begun an exciting journey into the heart of what makes the advertising world go round,” said Wayne Butler, Head of Media Effectiveness at Sky Media. “TV companies have greater data expertise than ever before, but we don’t have all the answers. We warmly welcome insights and knowledge from anyone whose ingenuity or vision could help us shape the future of advertising – further showcasing TV’s impact and effectiveness.”

Paramount+ Launches Ad Tier in DACH

Paramount+ is launching its ad-supported and premium tiers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, joining the standard tier in the region. The basic (with ads) tier will cost €5.99 per month in Germany and Austria, and 7.90 Swiss francs in Switzerland. Marco Nobili, EVP and General Manager of Paramount+ International, said “non-standard” plans now account for almost half of sign-ups in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and the UK. “I am confident we will see continued momentum as we expand our multi-tier options in Germany, Switzerland and Austria,” he added.

LG Adds NBCU FAST Channels and Plans Shoppable Integrations

LG has added a host of NBCUniversal content to its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform in the US, including NBC News NOW, TODAY All Day, Dateline 24/7, and SNL Vault. The partners are also planning to launch shopping integrations, enabling viewers to explore and purchase products using their remotes, NBCU Checkout and LG’s ‘webOS pay’ feature.

Apple TV+ Reportedly Loses $1 billion Per Year

Apple TV+ loses $1 billion per year, according to The Information, in a period when rival streaming services are starting to turn a profit. The report suggests Apple has spent over $5 billion on content, but has a relatively small user base of 45 million viewers. But the company also makes almost $100 billion in annual profits from its iPhone and iOS business, making the profitability of its streaming division less of a concern.

The Week for Publishers

Good Food Targets Video Expansion Following Strong 2024

Good Food, the food-focused publication owned by Immediate Media previously known as BBC Good Food, had its best ever year commercially in 2024 according to Press Gazette, and will continue to lean on video as it targets future growth. The company announced earlier this year it is investing in expanding its test kitchen facilities, which it will use to shoot more video content. And the publisher plans to create more personality-led videos (as opposed to ‘hands and pans’ style videos) to help deepen its relationship with its audiences.

Ziff Davis Buys TheSkimm

Magazine publisher Ziff Davis has bought TheSkimm, a woman-focused newsletter brand, Axios reported this week. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Skimm currently has over 5 million subscribers to its various newsletters, according to Axios, with around 75 staff. It will be added to Ziff Davis’ Everyday Health Group, but will maintain its identity, and co-founders Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin will stay on to lead the brand.

Video Ad Revenues Fuel National World Revenue Growth

UK local news business National World reported nine percent revenue growth in 2024, with chairman David Montgomery attributing the growth to strong video ad revenues, alongside acquisitions. Video revenues for the company grew 12 percent across the year, with more than three quarters of articles on National World websites having some sort of video content embedded. The group also launched a TV channel ‘Shots!’ towards the end of 2023, which the company says helped boost video quality.

Digital Box Reports 2024 Growth and Expects Continued Ad Market Recovery This Year

Digital Box, the digital publishing group which owns Entertainment Daily, The Daily Mash, The Tab, and TV Guide among other brands, reported over 30 percent revenue growth in 2024 in its full year financial results this week. While some of that growth was the result of the company’s acquisitions, CEO James Carter said the group saw “steady” organic growth as well. And Carter said the group expects a “steady and measured” market recovery in 2025.

Dotdash Meredith CEO Remains Bullish on Future of Media

The idea that media cannot work in the modern era is “totally wrong”, according to Neil Vogel, chief executive of US publishing giant Dotdash Meredith. Speaking at a Press Gazette event in New York, Vogel said that the key to publisher success is having great brands and great audiences, and argued that it’s important that individual publications maintain their unique identities within larger media groups. He also spoke about Dotdash Meredith’s social strategy, saying that the company’s publisher brands make the types of content which each individual platform (and their specific audience) wants, rather than making the content they themselves want to make and then distributing it across platforms.

Mail+ Passes 250 Thousand Digital Subscribers

The Daily Mail’s paid digital subscription product Mail+ has passed 250 thousand subscribers one year after launching, the newspaper announced this week. Mail+ launched as a means for the Mail to diversify its revenues, giving paid subscribers access to exclusive content. Over 20,000 of these subscribers are based in the US, where Mail+ launched just last month, while 11,000 are based in Australia.

The Week for Brands & Agencies

Magna Cuts 2025 Ad Forecasts, Citing Tariffs and Bird Flu

IPG-owned media intelligence business Magna has cut its 2025 US ad revenues forecast from its previous estimate of 4.9 percent to 4.3 percent, with US trade tariffs and the impact of bird flu causing business uncertainty. Magna says ‘traditional’ media channels are more vulnerable to uncertainty, as advertisers move spend into media which delivers measurable short-term gains. Total revenues across traditional media owners are expected to drop one percent excluding cyclical factors, with an expected 5.9 percent fall in linear TV ad revenues specifically, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Jellyfish Launches AI-Powered Media In-Housing Platform

Digital marketing business Jellyfish, owned by The Brandtech Group, this week unveiled a new AI-driven in-housing media platform which it describes as a comprehensive, end-to-end solution covering media research, evaluation, content strategy, and activation. Jellyfish says the solution decreases time to launch campaigns, boosts performance, and reduces infrastructure costs for in-housing. “For brands eager to take control of their media, Jellyfish’s new media in-housing platform automates marketing analytics, freeing teams to focus on strategy, not data entry,” said Jeff Matisoff, partner at Jellyfish. “Moreover, it also integrates an advanced MMM tool, which quickly and precisely determines the marketing contribution to KPIs to make macro budgetary decisions.”

Omnicom Releases New AI-Powered Creator Briefing Tool

Holding group Omnicom has launched a new AI-powered tool designed to help connect micro-influencers with big brands, Adweek reported this week. The tool, which is integrated into Omnicom’s agency-wide ‘operating system’ Omni, uses Google’s Gemini to help influencers query against briefs written by big brands. Kevin Blazaitis, president of Omnicom’s influencer marketing arm Creo, told Adweek the goal is to foster more relevance in micro-influencer campaigns.

Sorrell Warns that Tariff Uncertainty is Hurting Ad Sector

S4 Capital’s founder and executive chairman Sir Martin Sorrell this week warned that business uncertainty over US-imposed tariffs (and retaliatory tariffs in other markets) is contributing to uncertainty among clients, thus reducing ad spend, echoing a forecast released by advisory and consulting firm Madison & Wall last week. Sorrell’s comments came as S4 announced its full-year results for 2024, showing a 16.1 percent fall in revenues year-on-year, and a 13.1 percent decrease on a like-for-like basis.

Omnicom Leads COMvergence New Media Business Rankings for 2024

Omnicom’s media arm OMG has topped COMvergence’s new business rankings for media agencies in 2024, winning and retaining around $7.66 billion worth of media billings across the year. Publicis Media took second place, with just under $6.5 billion worth of billings. Omnicom’s PHD ranked first among individual agency brands, with $3.8 billion worth of wins and retentions, while WPP’s Mindshare came second with just over $2 billion.

Tinder Picks OMD for EMEA Media Duties

Dating app Tinder has chosen Omnicom-owned media agency OMD as its lead media planning and buying partner in EMEA, Campaign reported this week. Campaign reports that this appointment won’t affect Tinder’s contract with independent agency Cream, which currently buys media for Tinder in the UK.

WPP Looks to Sell In-Flight Media Service Spafax

British agency group WPP is looking to sell Spafax, an in-flight media service used by a number of major airlines including British Airways, Emirates, and JetBlue, for around £50 million-£75 million according to Sky News. WPP bought Spafax back in 2000, but has now taken on JEGI CLARITY to oversee its sale, according to Sky.

Hires of the Week

John Nardone Becomes JWP Connatix CEO

JWP Connatix, a video tech and monetisation business, has appointed John Nardone as CEO. Nardone previously served as President of Mediaocean, the omnichannel advertising company that recently acquired ad tech business Innovid. The appointment follows the firm’s recent merger between JW Player and Connatix.

Samba TV Names Zac Pinkham SVP International

Samba TV, a TV measurement firm, has named Zac Pinkham as SVP of International, overseeing the company’s EMEA and APAC business. His appointment follows Samba TV’s acquisition of contextual targeting company Semasio, where Pinkham served as General Manager.

Precise TV Makes Jerry Buhlmann Non-Executive Chairman

Precise TV, a contextual advertising busines, has appointed Jerry Buhlmann as non-executive chairman. Buhlmann was previously Chief Executive of Dentsu Aegis Network and Aegis Group, and also serves as part-time chairman of Croud, Dept and Hybrid.