The WIR: Zuckerberg Lays Out AI Master Plan, UK Video Ad Spend Tops £8 Billion, and Banijay Mulls ITV Takeover Bid

In this week’s Week in Review: Zuckerberg believes in an all-AI future for advertising, Banijay considers bidding for ITV, and video ad spend tops £8 billion in the UK.

The Week in Tech

US Buyers Are Reallocating Search and Social Video Budgets into CTV, says IAB Data

US CTV ad spend growth rebounded in 2024 after a relatively slow 2023, according to IAB’s 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, driven by the end of the actors’ strike, a surge in live sports streaming and increased buying via self-serve tools. IAB’s report, developed in partnership with Advertiser Perceptions and Guideline, found that CTV ad spend grew 16 percent year-on-year in 2024, a significant jump from 2023’s nine percent growth.

Thirty-six percent of advertisers who are planning to spend more on CTV this year say they will reallocate budgets from social media to do so — the same proportion who say they will reallocate budgets from linear TV, according to IAB’s data. Thirty-two percent plan to reallocate budgets from paid search — a surprising finding, given the massive difference between the two media channels, but one which perhaps demonstrates the value buyers are placing on CTV. Read more on VideoWeek.

Comcast Advertising Announces International Expansion

Comcast Advertising, the advertising arm of the US media and telco company, has announced its international expansion, in order to “align with the evolving needs of global clients and streamline media buying for advertisers across its portfolio of premium inventory.” The expansion includes the launch of a new Media Solutions team that will sell solutions previously offered by AudienceXpress, which will now operate under the Comcast Advertising brand. Comcast-owned ad tech business FreeWheel will also continue to offer its monetisation technology for premium video publishers internationally, while Thomas Bremond, former SVP & CRO, International for FreeWheel, will take on a new role of Managing Director, Comcast Advertising, International.

“This evolution of our brands signifies our mission to continually strengthen the advertising ecosystem and simplify our clients’ experience,” said Bremond. “In particular, these moves will empower greater collaboration across Comcast, including Comcast Advertising, NBCUniversal, and Sky, which will unlock easy access to powerful solutions using some of the most premium content in the world, at scale.”

Yahoo Interested in Buying Chrome

Yahoo is interested in buying Chrome if Google is forced to divest the browser, according to Brian Provost, SVP & GM, Search at Yahoo. Testifying during Google’s search antitrust trial last week, Provost said Chrome would have a sale price in the tens of billions, and Yahoo’s ownership by asset management firm Apollo Global would allow it to pursue the acquisition. The exec called Chrome “arguably the most important strategic player on the web,” and estimated that ownership could boost Yahoo’s search market share to double digits.

Channel Factory Receives Private Equity Investment From Truelink Capital

Channel Factory, a brand suitability and contextual targeting business, has received investment from private equity firm Truelink Capital. Financial terms were undisclosed, but the ad tech company said the partnership would help it expand into new markets and invest in its AI-driven technology. Meanwhile Truelink Capital said it would explore M&A opportunities to grow Channel Factory in international markets. “We see exceptional opportunities to support the business and its leadership as it further develops its core technology to support other social media platforms, ultimately positioning itself to be a one-stop provider for contextual targeting, brand suitability and media optimisation,” said Luke Myers, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Truelink Capital.

Judge to Hear DOJ Remedies for Google’s Ad Tech Monopoly

A US judge has set a hearing on 2nd May to discuss remedies in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case against Google’s ad tech monopoly. Last month, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema found Google liable for “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in the ad server and sell-side platform (SSP) markets. The DOJ is expected to pursue remedies that could include forcing Google to divest or spin off parts of its ad tech business, including potentially its ad server and SSP.

Azerion UK Adds Measurement Data From AudienceProject

Azerion UK, a digital advertising company, has announced a strategic partnership with AudienceProject, a cross-media measurement firm, to bolster its omnichannel measurement capabilities. The agreement brings independent audience measurement to CTV and online video (OLV) advertising, according to the partners, including campaigns on YouTube, Prime Video and Netflix. “Working with AudienceProject puts us in a prime position to tackle the recurring issue of fragmentation and fixes a pain point we frequently hear,” said Mark Taylor, Head of CTV at Azerion UK. “Azerion clients can now access independent, trusted audience data to understand who their CTV and OLV campaigns reach, thereby fuelling confident decision-making that better allocates media spend across platforms.”

Nexxen Launches AI Tools for Planning, Optimisation and Monetisation

Nexxen, a CTV-focused ad tech firm, has launched an AI suite called nexAI, which is designed to streamline campaign planning, activation, optimisation and monetisation. nexAI uses Nexxen’s data to monitor and optimise campaigns in real time, provide strategic recommendations to advertisers, and drive yield optimisation for publishers. “Our clients are continuing to lean into data and technology to navigate the fragmented media landscape, and nexAI meets this evolving need,” said Nexxen CPO Karim Rayes. “By integrating AI across our unified platform – and leveraging our existing data to inform these capabilities – we’re not just adding features; we’re fundamentally transforming the way campaigns are run and inventory is monetised.”

Meta Boosts AI Investment After Strong Q1

Meta revenues climbed 16 percent YoY during Q1 2025, the social media giant reported on Wednesday, sending its stock price up 5 percent. The company also increased its massive AI investment for 2025, from the previous forecast of $60-65 billion, up to $64-72 billion. “We’ve had a strong start to an important year, our community continues to grow and our business is performing very well,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We’re making good progress on AI glasses and Meta AI, which now has almost 1 billion monthly actives.”

Snap Sees Slowdown in Ad Demand

Shares in Snap fell 13 percent on Tuesday after the social media company declined to provide guidance, citing macroeconomic uncertainties that could weigh on advertiser demand. The Snapchat owner posted a solid first quarter, with revenues growing 14 percent YoY, but said it was seeing a slowdown in ad spending in the second quarter. “While our topline revenue has continued to grow, we have experienced headwinds to start the current quarter, and we believe it is prudent to continue to balance our level of investment with realised revenue growth,” the company said.

Samsung Ads Adds Interactive Vertical Video Format

Samsung Ads has unveiled a new interactive ad format called Creative Canvas, which includes vertical video and QR codes. Now available for advertisers in the US and Canada, the format enables advertisers to run social video content on CTV. The company also plans to add SMS, email, and Store Locator functionality in the future.

ChatGPT Adds Shopping Search Results

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT’s features for online shopping searches, according to Reuters, including product recommendations, images, reviews and direct purchase links. The update will be available in its GPT-4o model, and will be accessible to all ChatGPT users worldwide. OpenAI said it will not receive commissions from purchases made through the platform.

The Week in TV

Alex Mahon Steps Down as Channel 4 CEO

Channel 4 has announced the departure of CEO Alex Mahon, who will leave the UK broadcaster this summer. Jonathan Allan, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found. Mahon joined the UK broadcaster in 2017 as the channel’s first female CEO, after more than 20 years in the TV and production sector, including leadership roles at Fremantle, Shine Group and Foundry. As Channel 4 CEO, she oversaw strategies designed to navigate sizeable challenges for the broadcaster, and guided the PSB through two privatisation attempts and the pandemic. “I feel lucky beyond belief to have had the chance to lead Channel 4 for nearly eight years – through calm seas (very few) and stormy waters (more than our fair share),” said Mahon.

TF1+ Aims to Become “Premium Alternative to YouTube”

French broadcaster TF1 has released its Q1 2025 earnings, marking the first full year of operation for its TF1+ streaming service. The company posted growth in viewers and revenues for the revamped BVOD service, which was launched in January 2024. While the commercial broadcaster’s total ad revenues were flat compared with the same quarter in 2024, TF1+ revenues climbed 37 percent YoY, meaning digital sales made up more than 10 percent of total ad revenues for the first time. Read more on VideoWeek.

One-Third of UK Streaming Subscribers Chose Ad Tiers in Q1

One-third of new streaming subscribers in the UK chose ad-supported tiers in Q1 2025, according to Kantar data, rising to 56 percent for Disney+ and 65 percent for Netflix. The report also noted that Mubi, an SVOD service focused on world cinema, arthouse/indie films and documentaries, saw a surge in subscribers during Q1, driven by horror movie The Substance and a promotional offer of three months’ access for £1. Mubi’s subscriber base grew by 64 percent during the quarter, according to Kantar.

M6+ Drives Ad Revenues in Q1

Revenues at RTL-owned M6 fell 2.3 percent during Q1, according to the French broadcaster’s latest earnings update, with weak cinema activity dragging the company’s non-advertising business. But advertising revenues were up 0.7 percent, driven by 25.9 percent growth in streaming revenue, following the launch of the M6+ streaming service in May 2024. The commercial broadcaster noted that “visibility for the rest of the year remains poor due to global economic and political uncertainty.”

Canal+ Revenues Rise Despite Europe and Africa Dip

Canal+, the French pay-TV company that spun out of Vivendi in December, posted 1.5 percent YoY revenue growth in Q1. However, organic revenue in Africa and Europe declined 2.3 percent, which the business attributed to tough comparisons to Q1 2024, when the broadcaster showed the African Cup of Nations. The company’s shares were up 1.1 percent after the results.

Paramount Reportedly Willing to Settle Trump Lawsuit

Paramount is willing to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump against its CBS News network, according to the FT, which accuses the 60 Minutes news programme of favouring Kamala Harris in its election coverage last year. Sources said Paramount’s current owner Shari Redstone is concerned with political bias at the network, and that the settlement could be in the tens of millions of dollars. The lawsuit has become a sticking point in the proposed merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which would bring Redstone a billion-dollar payout if the Trump administration approves the acquisition.

Future Today Launches New CTV Marketplace

Future Today, owner of streaming services including Fawesome, FilmRise, and HappyKids, this week announced the launch of the Future Today Marketplace, a new CTV marketplace which will provide access to inventory across its owned and operated services. Future Today says the marketplace will enable ID-less targeting based on first-party data, will have high levels of transparency, and will offer outcome measurement. The Future Today Marketplace will be interoperable with a number of third-party ad tech solutions including Magnite, PubMatic and Index Exchange.

The Week for Publishers

Washington Post Signs Licensing Deal with OpenAI

The Washington Post has become the latest major publisher to agree a licensing deal with AI giant OpenAI, enabling OpenAI’s ChatGPT to display summaries, quotes, and links to Washington Post content. “We’re all in on meeting our audiences where they are,” said Peter Elkins-Williams, head of global partnerships at The Washington Post. “Ensuring ChatGPT users have our impactful reporting at their fingertips builds on our commitment to provide access where, how and when our audiences want it.” OpenAI says it now has deals in place with more than 20 news publishers.

Reach Reports Digital Revenue Growth

UK news publisher Reach reported its Q1 financial results this week, with group revenues down 3.7 percent year-on-year due to declines in its print business. Digital revenues however were up 1.6 percent, which the group said was thanks to growing audience numbers and increased trading activity. Programmatic advertising performed well, supported by nine percent growth in page views.

L.A. Times Losses Mount As Ad Revenues and Subscriptions Fall

The Los Angeles Times recorded losses of $50 million last year, Adweek reported this week, as controversial decisions by the newspaper’s billionaire owner have hit subscriptions and ad revenues. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the newspaper’s owner, made a number of unpopular decisions last year including blocking the newspaper from running a presidential endorsement, and introducing a ‘bias meter’ rating at the end of the paper’s own articles. While the moves were seemingly designed to mollify right wing critics, over 20,000 subscribers have since cancelled their subscriptions. Meanwhile Netflix refrained from renewing an ad deal with the paper, citing changes made by Soon-Shiong, according to Adweek.

Losses Continue at The Standard

Free London newspaper the Standard, formerly the Evening Standard, recorded a £19.6 million pre-tax loss in its most recent full financial year, according to financial reports released this week. This is a slight improvement on the previous year’s losses of £20.6 million, and owner Lord Evgeny Lebedev has pledged to continue supporting the newspaper financially. The paper has recorded losses of over £10 million in each of its past eight financial years, and has begun a number of measures to try and end this run, including cutting down its print edition to one day a week, and putting more focus on its digital output.

BuzzFeed Partners with Shopsense AI for ‘Content-to-Commerce’ Product Listings

Digital publisher BuzzFeed this week announced a partnership with Shopsense AI, which will see BuzzFeed use Shopsense’s technology to integrate contextually relevant product recommendations directly into articles, via shoppable units. BuzzFeed will activate two types of native commerce modules across its content ecosystem: AI-driven product carousels that surface relevant items based on the article or image content, and fully sponsored modules featuring curated collections from a single retailer or brand.

Samsung Rolls Out New Mobile News App in UK

Samsung this week rolled out its news app, Samsung News, as the default news app in the UK on Samsung Galaxy devices, replacing the previous feed provided by Upday. Samsung says it receives content from hundreds of sources with content curated by a team of journalists. Publishers signed up to provide content to Samsung News include Sky News, Sky Sports Daily Mail, The Standard, The Independent, Mirror, Business Insider, Reuters, Metro, Indy 100, and OK!.

“Our goal with Samsung News is to offer Galaxy users a broad selection of free content from premium partners, including breaking news, deep-dives, and briefings hand-picked by our experienced news editors,” said Samsung News’s editor-in-chief Andrew Bailey.

Axel Springer Completes Corporate Restructure

European media group Axel Springer this week completed the corporate restructure it first announced last September, separating off its classifieds business and becoming, in its own words, “a transatlantic family-owned media company focused on digital journalism”. Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, said: “The new corporate structure allows us to focus on our most important task: shaping the future of independent journalism in the free world. The company is debt-free and, for the first time since 1985, once again wholly family-owned.”

The Week for Brands & Agencies

UK Ad Spend Grew 10.4 Percent in 2024, find AA/WARC

Total UK ad spend was up 10.4 percent in nominal terms in 2024, equal to a real rise of 7.6 percent when accounting for inflation, according to the latest Expenditure Report from the Advertising Association and WARC. This puts ad spend growth significantly ahead of total GDP growth, which was up 1.1 percent. Digital channels continued to drive total growth, with the AA and WARC finding that £4 in every £5 of ad budgets are now spent online. TV meanwhile was up 3.8 percent last year, and is pegged for further growth this year (0.9 percent) and next (4 percent). Read more on VideoWeek.

AKQA Founder Launches New Agency to Rival Holdcos

Ajaz Ahmed, founder of WPP-owned AKQA, has founded a new agency called Studio.One which he says will be a “direct rival to the slow, bureaucratic, large agencies that have many layers,” The Times reported this week. Studio.One is backed by private investment firm Atrum Capital, and Ahmed says it will look to work with other investment groups and provide services across their portfolios. Ahmed left WPP last year amid reported tensions with CEO Mark Read, and Ahmed told The Times his departure was the result of “misalignment of strategy” and “cultural friction”.

IPA Calls for Greater Age Inclusion in Ad Industry

Only eight percent of people in advertising agencies are over the age of 51, according to the latest IPA Agency Census, compared to around 33 percent of the overall workforce. The IPA this week released a new report, ‘Age Thinking‘, designed to highlight this imbalance and suggest strategies to change this statistic. The report highlights five strategies for supporting age inclusion, focussed on designing for inclusion, rethinking commercial models, encouraging intergenerational collaboration, training and upskilling, and applying empathy to take action.

“It’s clear that advertising can’t afford to overlook the value of experience,” said Xavier Rees, Chair of the IPA Talent Group and CEO of AMV Group. “We know that diverse teams produce better work, and that includes age diversity. Agencies that adapt and invest in the skills of older, more experienced professionals will set themselves up for long-term success. We need to work together as an industry to find better ways of retaining older talent.”

Publicis Acquires Portland-Based Agency Adopt

Publicis Groupe this week announced it has acquired Adopt, a Portland-based agency which it says “drives brand connection by fusing creativity with sport and culture”, for an undisclosed fee. “Adopt is at the forefront of creativity, culture and human behaviour – blending all three to deliver customer-centric brand strategies,” said Dave Penski, global CEO of Publicis Connected Media. “Their deep and multi-faceted expertise is invaluable to all clients seeking to define and modernise their brand at the speed of culture.”

Brands are Wary of AI Influencers, finds WFA Research

Research from advertiser trade group the WFA this week found that just 15 percent of its members have tested AI influencers, and 60 percent say they have no plans to. One of the most frequently cited issues around AI influencers is consumer trust and acceptance, with 96 percent of respondents listing this as a concern. Authenticity (cited by 73 percent) and potential brand reputation risk (58 percent) are also significant deterrents. “Technology is asking marketers lots of challenging questions and while the use of AI influencers might seem appealing, as with so much of the AI opportunity there are a series of risks and rewards to be balanced out by brands to ensure they don’t breach consumer trust as well as regulations around the world,” said Gabrielle Robitaille, the WFA’s director of policy.

Agency M&A Fell Sharply in 2024, says COMvergence

M&A transactions in the agency space were down 37 percent year-on-year in 2024, according to COMvergence’s latest Global Marcom Agency Acquisitions Benchmarking Study. COMvergence clocked 52 acquisitions last year, well below the peak of 127 acquisitions back in 2016. Activity across the big six holding companies has slowed in the intervening period: WPP, Publicis, Omnicom, IPG, Dentsu and Havas collectively accounted for 69 percent of deals tracked by COMvergence in 2016, down to just 37 percent last year.

Embattled Agency Madwell Closes Down

US independent agency Madwell is shutting down, Adweek reported this week, with CEO Chris Sojka telling staff that the company has been unable to secure funding to pay off its debts. Sojka blames the company’s financial turmoil on fraud which he says was committed by former executives, though Sojka himself has been accused in recent weeks of financial mismanagement and fostering a toxic work culture.

Hires of the Week

Reach Makes Emma Callaghan Permanent CRO

UK publisher Reach has announced the permanent appointment of Emma Callaghan as Chief Revenue Officer, following Piers North’s promotion to Chief Executive. Callaghan started her career on the agency side at Omnicom-owned PHD, before joining Reach in 2015. She took the CRO position on an interim basis after North became CEO in March.

Channel 4 Sales Appoints Spotify’s Emma Hopkins

Channel 4 has hired Emma Hopkins as Creative Leader at Channel 4 Sales. Hopkins joins the UK broadcaster from Spotify, where she served as Creative Director, EMEA for Spotify Advertising. The announcement follows Sam Hicks’ appointment as Head of Sales Strategy at the broadcaster’s advertising unit.

Medialab Hires EssenceMediacom’s Joseph Lee

Medialab, an independent UK media agency, has appointed Joseph Lee as Director of Digital Activation & Operations. The role oversees day-to-day digital execution, process and product delivery, while working closely with senior Digital Specialists and Client Managing Directors to foster relationships, deliver efficiencies and ensure data integrity. Lee previously spent three years as Activation Partner at WPP’s EssenceMediacom.

Ozone Announces Reorganisation of Commercial Roles

Ozone, a digital advertising publisher alliance in the UK, has announced a restructure of commercial roles reporting to CRO Craig Tuck. Emma Cranston moves from Client Services Director to Senior Director of Advertising; Jacque Chadwick, Commercial Trading Director, expands her remit across Ozone’s brand and agency commercial partnerships; Client Director Jhan Hancock-Rushton becomes Strategy & Client Director; Frances Lazenby, Head of Strategic Solutions, is promoted to Strategic Solutions Director; Dipti Patel, Publisher Development Director, is promoted to Senior Director of Publisher Development; and Charlotte Seagers, Head of Customer Success, becomes Director of Customer Success and GTM.

RAAS LAB Names Laura Stephens Head of Agency Sales UK

Ad tech company RAAS LAB has named Laura Stephens as Head of Agency Sales UK. The position leads the firm’s agency sales team and spearheads strategic partnerships with existing and new partners to boost revenue and market profile. Stephens has more than 10 years’ experience in digital advertising, most recently serving as Sales Development Director at Sharethrough, a supply-side platform (SSP).