The WIR: WPP says Clients Aren't Cutting Spending Yet, UK TV Ad Investment Returns to Growth, and Meta and Apple Face DMA Fines

In this week’s Week in Review: WPP reports its Q1 results, TV ad investment grew in 2024, and Meta and Apple face DMA fines.

The Week in Tech

Google Ends Plans to Introduce New Cookie Choice Mechanism

Following five years of industry upheaval since Google first announced its intention to kill off third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser, we’re now back to square one. A blog post released by the company this week states that Google is no longer planning on introducing a global prompt for third-party cookies, meaning that for the foreseeable future, third-party cookies will operate on Chrome exactly as they currently do.

“We’ve made the decision to maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome, and will not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies,” said Anthony Chavez, Google’s VP of Privacy Sandbox “Users can continue to choose the best option for themselves in Chrome’s Privacy and Security Settings.” Read more on VideoWeek.

Google Operates Illegal Ad Tech Monopolies in Latest US Ruling

Google is facing the potential breakup of its ad tech business after a US judge ruled that the company illegally operates two monopolies in online advertising, by dominating the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets. The ruling sets the stage for a follow-up hearing to determine remedies to restore competition in both markets, which could include selling off parts of its business. The tech giant is currently in court for a separate antitrust trial over its illegal search monopoly, in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) is pressing for Google to divest the Chrome browser.

Meta Launches TikTok Rival ‘Edits’

Meta on Tuesday announced the launch of Edits, a phone-based video creation app that allows users to capture up to 10 minutes of video, edit it using AI effects, and share to Instagram and Facebook. The social media giant said it partnered closely with creators to ensure the product met “the needs of short-form video creation.” The announcement comes as rival short-form video app TikTok – and its sister editing app CapCut – face an uncertain future in the US.

YouTube Posts Double-Digit Ad Sales in Q1

Google posted 8.5 percent YoY growth in ad revenues during Q1 2025, with YouTube reporting a 10.3 percent rise in ad sales. Asked about the impact of macroeconomic factors on sales for the current quarter, Philipp Schindler, Google’s Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer, said “it’s too early to really comment on that.” Also this week, YouTube confirmed to Adweek it is testing a video carousel feature for search results that appear in Google’s AI Overviews, whereby relevant videos will surface for queries such as “best noise cancelling headphones”.

Meta Rolls Out Ads on Threads

Meta has announced the global availability of ads on Threads, after three months of testing advertising on the microblogging app. The company said Threads will be switched on by default for all new ad campaigns that use either Meta’s Advantage+ or Manual Placements, but advertisers using the latter will have the option to opt out of Threads placements. The ads, which appear in the Threads feed, will initially be delivered in select markets before rolling out to more markets over time.

Roku and Adobe Partner for Planning and Activating CTV Audiences

Roku, a US-based smart TV and streaming company, has partnered with Adobe to integrate the Roku Data Cloud and Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (CDP) Collaboration. The partnership will allow advertisers to plan audience-based campaigns based on insights from Roku’s CTV audiences; build custom audiences within the CDP and activate them across Roku’s ad product suite; and measure campaign attribution within the Collaboration dashboard. “This integration will unlock the opportunity for traditional performance marketers – like search and social buyers – to plan, activate, and measure campaigns on Roku,” said Miles Fisher, Senior Director of Strategic Advertising Partnerships at Roku.

Verve and Audigent Team Up for ID-Less Targeting

Ad tech company Verve has announced a collaboration with Experian-owned data platform Audigent, to use both companies’ probabilistic targeting technology for targeting in ID-less environments. Brands can now use Audigent’s curation solutions to reach Verve’s global audience of 2.5 billion users, according to the partners, enabling privacy-safe, curated probabilistic targeting across CTV, in-app and audio advertising channels. “As signal loss within the digital ecosystem continues, it is becoming increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach a growing portion of audiences, particularly on the mobile devices and connected televisions where they’re spending most of their media time,” said Morgan Jetto, SVP & GM of Marketplace at Verve. “At Verve, we’re committed to connecting brands with consumers. Audigent shares this vision of a privacy-first advertising landscape where brands can still engage people in relevant ways, and together we’re building a better media ecosystem for everyone.”

LoopMe Integrates Cedara for Carbon Reduction

LoopMe, an outcomes-based ad tech business, has partnered with carbon tracking company Cedara, to measure emissions for campaigns and Private Marketplaces (PMPs). By integrating Cedara’s platform, LoopMe helps its clients understand, address and reduce their advertising carbon footprint by removing high carbon-emitting inventory from their media plans. “LoopMe is proud to be a carbon-neutral ad partner and this Cedara integration represents our next phase in helping clients achieve their sustainability goals,” said LoopMe CEO Stephen Upstone. “Not only will we provide a clearer understanding of campaign carbon emissions, but we’ll help brands and agencies take action to reduce their footprint. By working with us, businesses will cut their waste and become greener, without compromising campaign effectiveness.”

Magnite Integrates SSP Tools into SpringeServe Ad Server

Magnite, a sell-side platform (SSP), has bolstered its SpringServe ad server with programmatic capabilities from the Magnite Streaming SSP. Initial clients for the revamped CTV platform include Disney Advertising, LG Ad Solutions, Paramount, Roku, Samsung, and Warner Bros. Discovery. “By unifying the programmatic layer as a complementary step in the buying process, not only does it give buyers greater transparency, predictability, and control over their ad placements, but it lays the foundation for more effective monetisation and yield management for media owners,” said Sean Buckley, President, Revenue at Magnite.

BrightLine Adds AI to Optimise Placements in Interactive CTV Ads

BrightLine, a CTV ad tech firm, has unveiled DynamicAI, an AI learning engine designed to optimise the performance of interactive CTV ads in real time. The solution uses AI to dynamically optimise product combinations within interactive ads, according to Brightline, starting with its retail carousel format, which allows viewers to browse featured products on the carousel using their remote control. The company said the DynamicAI engine continuously re-sequences product combinations, keeping the best-performing items prominent throughout the campaign.

Online Ad Revenues Reached Three-Year High in 2024

Internet advertising revenues increased 14.9 percent YoY in 2024, according to the ‘IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2024’, with online ad revenues hitting $258.6 billion – the highest annual total since 2021. The research, conducted by PwC, found that digital video continued to be the fastest-growing format, now accounting for nearly one-quarter of total ad revenue. But shifts in digital media are expected to have major implications for online advertising in the next couple of years, as AI-driven advertising and creator-led content reshape the industry. “Next year we expect the industry to look quite different as media companies adopt new business models and lean heavily on AI, not only survive but thrive,” said Jack Koch, Senior Vice President, Research & Insights at IAB.

Ofcom Introduces Online Safety Measures to Protect Children From “Manosphere”

One month on from the Online Safety Act coming into force in the UK (and from Adolescence landing on Netflix), Ofcom has introduced new child safety measures designed to prevent children from encountering harmful content. Starting in July, companies that provide online services, such as social media, gaming websites and search companies, must implement a range of safeguards as part of duties mandated by the new legislation. Read more on VideoWeek.

The Week in TV

RTL Chief Plans Second Attempt at M6 Merger with TF1

Thomas Rabe, the chief executive officer of European broadcaster RTL (as well as its parent company Bertelsmann) wants to have a second attempt at merging RTL-owned French broadcaster M6 with rival TV group TF1. The two broadcasters agreed a merger back in 2021, in a deal which would have brought together France’s two largest privately-owned TV stations. The deal was abandoned the next year, however, essentially scuppered by France’s competition authority. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Rabe said that an apparent change in the European Union’s thinking towards regulation and competition opens up the possibility that such a merger could now be approved. In Rabe’s eyes, the logic behind the merger still holds: “it would create a true French TV and streaming champion, able to compete with the US platforms,” he told the FT. Read more on VideoWeek.

Viaplay Posts Organic Growth in Ad Sales and Subscriptions Amid Mixed Q1 Results

Nordic TV group Viaplay released its Q1 financial results this week, posting year-on-year organic growth in both advertising and subscription revenues. Viaplay’s streaming subscription revenues saw organic growth of 0.7 percent, linear channel subscriptions were up by 1.8 percent, and advertising grew 0.7 percent. On the advertising front, Viaplay said that digital and radio ad revenues outweighed structural declines in linear TV advertising. However total net sales in Q1 fell to SEK 4.37 billion from SEK 4.76 billion last year, due to a sharp fall in sublicensing revenues. Read more on VideoWeek.

Netflix Revenues Up 13 Percent Amid Ad Tech Rollout

Netflix revenues climbed 13 percent YoY during Q1 2025, according to the streaming giant’s latest results, beating forecasts for its subscription and ad sales. For the first time, the company did not disclose quarterly subscriber numbers, as the business shifts its focus to revenues, profits and advertising, having launched its in-house ad tech suite at the start of April. “We believe our ad tech platform is foundational to our long-term ads strategy,” the company said. “Over time, it will enable us to offer better measurement, enhanced targeting, innovative ad formats and expanded programmatic capabilities.”

Negotiations Break Down Between DAZN and Ligue 1

Negotiations between DAZN and Ligue 1 broke down last week, according to the FT, with the streaming company blaming the French football league for failing to attract subscribers to its subscription product. The UK-based business settled the debt it owed the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) last month, but still owes the LFP €140 million for the current season. French senator Laurent Lafon told the FT that the LFP was on a “cliff edge”, with smaller clubs at risk of going bust due to falling broadcast revenues, which have plummeted over the last few years due to a lack of competitive bidders. “There are going to be few alternatives for a broadcast deal after DAZN,” said Lafon.

Italy Drives Ad Growth at MFE

MFE’s ad revenues gained 4.7 percent YoY in 2024, according to the pan-European holding company’s full-year report, led by 6.8 percent growth in Italy. The media group said the results came “against a continuing backdrop of great instability and despite the staging of major international sporting events which the Group did not have rights to either in Italy or Spain.” MFE added that it “must continue to grow if it is to continue to hold off and challenge the leading global players”, having launched a takeover offer for German media company ProSiebenSat.1 last month, in efforts “to reinforce its position” as ProSieben’s largest shareholder.

88 Percent of Amazon Prime Video Subscribers Have Stayed on Ad Tier

Digital i data suggests that 88 percent of Amazon Prime Video subscribers are on the ad-supported tier, one year after the streaming service introduced ads by default, with the option to pay more for an ad-free plan. By way of contrast, 35 percent of Disney+ subscribers are on the ad tier, 26 percent for Netflix, and 22 percent for Max. The report also noted the rise of long-form viewing on YouTube, with 30+ minute content now accounting for 68 percent of YouTube viewing, up from 53 percent in 2022.

Max Introduces ‘Extra Member Add-On’ to Crack Down on Password Sharing

Warner Bros. Discovery has introduced a paid-sharing model for its Max streaming service in efforts to crack down on password sharing. Max has launched an Extra Member Add-On feature, whereby users can add someone from outside their household to their subscription plan for $7.99 per month. The announcement follows similar moves by Netflix that have reportedly yielded positive results for the streaming rival.

Peacock Grows Revenues and Narrows Losses Amid Comcast Declines

NBCU’s Peacock posted 16 percent YoY revenue growth in Q1 2025, and narrowed its losses to $215 million, down from $639 million in the same quarter last year. The streaming service also added 5 million subscribers during the quarter, bringing its total to 41 million paid subscribers. The results were a bright spot in a patchy quarter for parent company Comcast, whose share price fell 4 percent following the results.

FCC Seeks DEI Cessation From Paramount for Merger Approval

Paramount Global has entered discussions with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to explore steps the company would need to take to secure approval for its merger with Skydance Media. According to the WSJ, the FCC is seeking a commitment from Paramount to abstain from diversity initiatives, as part of an ongoing crackdown on DEI from the Trump administration. Meanwhile Bill Owens, executive producer for CBS News’ flagship show 60 Minutes, has resigned after Trump sued CBS for allegedly favouring Kamala Harris in an interview last year. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has warned that the complaint could factor into his agency’s review of the Paramount merger.

Bert Habets Secures Another Three Years as ProSieben CEO

ProSiebenSat.1 has extended its contract with CEO Bert Habets for another three years, the German media group announced last week. Habets took the position in 2022, and will remain Group CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board until October 2028. “In recent years, we have reached important milestones in transforming ProSiebenSat.1 into a digital entertainment company,” he said. “I therefore look forward to continuing to work on our strategic goals and further growing and strengthening our Entertainment footprint in DACH together with my highly committed team.”

TF1 PUB Offers 18-Day Ad Campaign on New T18 Channel

CMI France is launching a new free channel, T18, with TF1 PUB selling ads for the channel, which will specialise in documentaries, debates and entertainment. TF1 PUB is offering an event campaign, “Le 18 Gagnant”, for the first 18 days on air. The offer includes five dedicated screens per day accompanied by an event jingle, showcasing up to nine partner brands.

The Week for Publishers

Bloomberg’s Video Viewership Surges

Finance and business publication Bloomberg saw a 38 percent rise in video consumption across its streaming, digital, and linear platforms in March, Adweek reported this week. The jump in engagement coincided with global economic turmoil triggered by US president Donald Trump’s new tariffs, with readers seemingly turning to video to help understand unfolding events. Bloomberg is averaging 60 million viewers per month in 2025 so far, according to Adweek’s reporting, double last year’s average.

Ziff Davis Sues OpenAI

Digital publishing group Ziff Davis this week became the latest publisher to file a copyright lawsuit against AI giant OpenAI, alleging that OpenAI misused its intellectual property to help train its ChatGPT AI chatbot. “OpenAI seeks to move fast and break things on the assumption that the federal courts will not be able to effectively redress content owners’ sometimes existential concerns before it is too late,” Ziff Davis’s complaint says, according to Reuters. OpenAI maintains its models are trained on publicly available data and grounded in fair use laws.

The Guardian Touts Carbon Literate Sales Team

UK newspaper the Guardian this week claimed to be the first media owner in the world whose entire sales team is certified ‘carbon literate’, with accreditation from the Carbon Literacy Project. Carbon Literacy, according to the Guardian, means all staff on the ads team understand the carbon costs and impact of everyday activities and are able to help reduce emissions at an individual, community, and organisational level. Staff completed a course designed by the Guardian’s own sustainability team.

NYT Sues Madwell Over Unpaid Bills

The New York Times is suing ad agency Madwell over more than $37,000 in unpaid fees for advertising services, Adweek reported this week. Madwell has been in the headlines in recent weeks over reports that staff weren’t being paid amid wider financial turbulence, and claims of a toxic working culture.

Research Finds Gaps in Publishers’ AI Blockers

New research from Miso.AI, a company which creates custom AI search engines for websites, has highlighted significant gaps in publishers’ ability to block web crawlers which scrape their content to train AI tools. The research, reported by Press Gazette, looked at over 2,700 publishers which have Robots.txt ‘disallow’ commands set against AI scrapers. The publishers collectively were found to be targeting 1,300 unique bots, but the average per publisher was just 15, meaning a large number of AI bots weren’t being targeted by the average publisher. And even when a particular AI tool was targeted, the blockers weren’t always effective. For example around 15-20 percent of publishers which were actively blocking Perplexity’s bot still had content from their articles appear in the Perplexity chatbot.

Reach Announces Near-Term Science-Based Targets

UK news publisher Reach this week announced it has set near-term science-based targets for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, which have been validated by SBTi Services. The company has committed to halving absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2039, using 2022 as a base year. It has also committed to reducing absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 58.8 percent by 2034, again using 2022 as a base year. “We’re very glad to mark this important milestone with our first validated science-based targets,” said Darren Fisher, Reach’s chief financial officer. “Thanks to the hard work and meticulous reporting from our teams over the past few years, we are now able to set a clear path to net zero.”

PA Media Plans to Cut Eight Percent of UK Editorial Staff

News agency PA Media is planning to cut eight percent of its editorial staff in the UK, Press Gazette reported this week. Seventy-four jobs on the content team are at risk, with an aim to cut 25 jobs. A spokesperson for PA Media attributed the cuts to changes in the news media industry, making it necessary to adapt operations to fit customer needs.

The Week for Brands & Agencies

IPG Beats Expectations Despite Revenue Drop

Agency holding company Interpublic Group reported its Q1 earnings on Thursday, revealing an 8.5 percent year-on-year drop in net revenues. This fall represented a 3.6 percent organic decline, with strategic dispositions and negative foreign currency effects accounting for the rest of the drop. But a decline had been expected, in part due to account losses, and the company’s underlying performance beat market expectations, leading to a four percent rise in its share price. “As we previously indicated, account activity over the prior twelve-month period will weigh on this year, though that impact was lessened in the quarter by sound underlying performance, with notable growth at IPG Mediabrands, Deutsch and Golin, as well as growth at Acxiom,” said IPG’s CEO Philippe Krakowsky.

OMG Consolidates Influencer Activity Under ‘Creo’ Brand

US agency group Omnicom’s media arm OMG has consolidated its global influencer businesses under the ‘Creo’ brand, the company announced this week. OMG says that with this move, it’s putting Creo’s “influencers as a media channel” playbook at the core of its global influencer offering for clients, while also extending Creo’s data partnerships to a wider range of clients. “With influencers playing an outsized role in how consumers discover, experience and ultimately choose a brand, we’re bringing together the deep capabilities that we have built in this space – across all of our regions – under a single brand and approach to ensure that every client, in every market can access the same industry-leading talent, tools and technology to build influencer partnerships that unlock brand growth,” said OMG CEO Florian Adamski.

Indian Agency Trade Group Warns Against Pricing Coordination Following Antitrust Raids

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has warned its members against sharing sensitive pricing data or discussing pricing strategies with each other, amid an investigation into suspected illegal collusion on prices and discounts, MSN reported this week. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) raided the offices of a number of agencies last month including GroupM, Interpublic Group, Publicis, and Dentsu, as well as broadcaster trade group the IBDF and the AAAI itself.

Media Inflation Pinned at 4.1 Percent in 2025

Media inflation is projected to have sat at 4.0 percent last year, and is predicted to jump marginally higher to 4.1 percent this year, according to the WFA’s Outlook data. These numbers are consistent with long-term averages, according to the WFA, though there is significant variation across markets. Several European markets, for example, are expected to see significantly higher inflation this year, including the Netherlands (+7 percent), Germany (+6 percent), and France (+5 percent).

Mindshare and Azerion Research Uncovers ‘Media Mindsets’

New research commissioned by GroupM agency Mindshare and digital advertising business Azerion has highlighted the importance of different ‘media mindsets’ in determining how receptive audiences are to advertising. A media mindset is essentially the state of mind someone has when they come to consume media, such as ‘relax and de-stress’, ‘fill some time’, ‘learn something new’, or ‘explore a topic in-depth’. The research, carried out by Differentology, quantified how these mindsets impact the advertising experience. For example:

40 percent of people seeking to challenge their comfort zones when they go online will act on advertising, compared to only 20 percent of those browsing in a ‘filling time’ mindset.
People looking to ‘improve their mood’ or ‘find comfort’ are almost twice as likely to regard advertising as a positive experience than those who are looking to ‘relax and de-stress’ or ‘have some me-time’.

Havas Announces AI Partnership with Ostro

French agency group Havas this week announced a new strategic investment and partnership with Ostro, an AI-powered engagement platform for the life sciences industry. Ostro provides personalised healthcare journeys, according to Havas, and serves as an AI interface connecting life sciences companies with medical practitioners and patients. “Ostro represents a significant leap forward in intelligent brand engagement, making this strategic partnership a natural evolution of Havas’ Converged strategy and part of the Group’s expected €400 million investment in data, tech and AI over four years, as announced last year,” said Havas CEO and chairman Yannick Bolloré.

Hires of the Week

Google Announces Kate Alessi as UK MD

Google has promoted Kate Alessi, VP of Global Product Solutions for Google and YouTube, to UK Managing Director. She takes over from Debbie Weinstein, who became President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in December.

Steve McHenry Replaces Ruth Cartwright at Sky Media

Sky Media has announced Steve McHenry as its new Investment Director, following the departure of Ruth Cartwright last month. McHenry’s move follows a four-year stint at Yahoo, most recently serving as UK Country Manager.

Sinead Coogan Jobes to Lead Policy and Public Affairs at IAB UK

IAB UK has named Sinead Coogan Jobes as Head of Policy and Public Affairs. Coogan Jobes joins from News UK where she served as Policy & External Affairs Director. Her role will involve engaging with the government as the industry prepares for the introduction of LHF advertising regulation.

MiQ Appoints The Trade Desk’s Marion Hargett as US CRO

MiQ, a programmatic media business, has enlisted Marion Hargett as US Chief Revenue Officer. Hargett has more than 20 years’ experience in programmatic, advanced TV and digital media, most recently serving as Vice President of Business Development at The Trade Desk.

Havas Media Network Promotes Jon Waite to Global EVP, Planning

Havas has promoted Jon Waite to Global EVP, Head of Planning at Havas Media Network. Waite joined Havas from Dentsu in 2021, becoming Global Managing Director, Global Head of Media Planning & Activation in 2022.

Taboola Names Julia Burton Brown UK Country Manager

Taboola, a content recommendation and native ad business, has appointed Julia Burton Brown as UK Country Manager. Burton Brown has more than 10 years’ experience in native advertising, most recently serving as Managing Director at ReMake, a video versioning and content localisation company.

Niki Chana and David Sargant Join SBS

SBS, a programmatic curation business, has hired Niki Chana as Programmatic Strategy Director, and David Sargant as Director of Programmatic Operations. Chana is a founding Global Board Member of The Women in Programmatic Network (TWIPN), while Sargant has held roles at MediaCom and ITV Studios.