The WIR: France Télévisions Distributes Content on Prime Video, Publishers Back Cloudfare's 'Pay-Per-Crawl' Model, and Barclays Downgrades Agency Holdcos Over AI Impact

In this week’s Week in Review: France Télévisions starts distributing content on Amazon Prime Video, publishers back Cloudfare’s ‘pay-per-crawl’ model, and Barclays downgrades the agency holdcos over the impact of AI.

The Week in Tech

Meta Could Face Daily EU Fines Over ‘Consent or Pay’ Model

Meta could face daily fines in the EU, according to Reuters, if the tech giant’s proposed changes to its ‘Consent or Pay’ model fail to comply with an antitrust order issued in April. The European Commission warned that Meta will only make limited changes to the model, which was found to breach the Digital Markets Act (DMA). A Commission spokesperson said that “continuous non-compliance could entail the application of periodic penalty payments running as of 27 June 2025, as indicated in the non-compliance decision.”

Ofcom Issues Guidance on Stopping Illegal Content Going Viral

Ofcom, the UK’s communications watchdog, has issued further guidance for tech firms under the Online Safety Act, including proposals to protect children when livestreaming, tackle intimate images shared without consent, and stop illegal content going viral. The guidance notes that tech platforms’ recommender systems can exacerbate harm when riots or terrorist attacks are livestreamed, and recommends they implement systems that alert when a user reports a livestream, and have human moderators available at all times. “We’re holding platforms to account and launching swift enforcement action where we have concerns,” said Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director. “But technology and harms are constantly evolving, and we’re always looking at how we can make life safer online. So today we’re putting forward proposals for more protections that we want to see tech firms roll out.”

X to Charge for Ads Based on Size

X will start charging advertisers based on the vertical size of their ad creatives, according to Elon Musk, a change designed to disincentivise oversized ads. The announcement did not offer detail on pricing tiers, but suggested making smaller ads cheaper would better serve the user experience. “X is moving to charging for ads based on vertical size, so an ad that takes up the whole screen would cost more than an ad that takes up 1/4 of the screen, otherwise the incentive is to create giant ads that impair the user experience,” Musk posted.

Barb Invites Suppliers to Develop New API

Barb, the UK’s TV measurement body, has issed an invitation to tender (ITT) for the third phase of its API development. Due to launch later this year, API 3.0 will offer built in metrics such as reach, frequency and TVRs (television ratings), and will sit alongside, and pull data from, the Barb Data Hub. “This ITT is an exciting opportunity to deliver an upgraded API that offers faster, more consistent and future-ready access to our independent audience data, for the benefit of the wider UK media and advertising industry,” said Barb COO Caroline Baxter.

DoubleVerify Launches Attention Measurement on Snapchat

DoubleVerify, a media measurement and verification business, has launched an attention measurement partnership with Snap, combining platform signals with eye-tracking insights from Lumen Research. The DV Authentic Attention for Social product measures ad focus, dwell time and attention index for ads, helping advertisers on Snapchat understand how creative, placements and activation strategies impact user attention. “Snap’s immersive, high-impact environment makes it an ideal platform to demonstrate how attention can drive better outcomes across social environments,” said DV CEO Mark Zagorski. “This will give advertisers further visibility into how users engage with their campaigns, transforming how performance is measured and empowering smarter, more impactful media investment decisions.”

IAS, Lumen and Snap Team Up for Attention Metrics

Also this week, Integral Ad Science (IAS), a media measurement and optimisation firm, announced a partnership with Snap to bring attention metrics to Snapchat, again in partnership with Lumen Research. Snap Attention Measurement will combine Lumen’s eye-tracking technology with IAS’s AI media quality data to create a bespoke Snapchat attention score within the IAS Signal platform.  “This partnership is a major step forward for the attention economy — giving advertisers on Snap the clarity and confidence to measure how attention drives action,” said Mike Follett, Chief Executive at Lumen Research.

The Week in TV

Channel 4 to Launch GenAI Ads with Streamr.AI and Telana

Channel 4 is launching GenAI ads on its streaming service using tech provided by Streamr.ai and Telana, The Times reported on Wednesday. The move aims to attract SMBs to advertise on Channel 4 by lowering the cost of TV advertising, with brands testing the offering on ads airing this summer, before launching more widely later this year. Rak Patel, Chief Commercial Officer at Channel 4, said the UK broadcaster aimed to attract brands used to advertising on social media, albeit with “a huge point of difference” in media quality. “We won’t have anything on any of our platforms that’s either untrustworthy, inaccurate, factually incorrect, damaging in any form,” said Patel.

UK Broadcasters’ YouTube Strategies are Delivering Significant Reach and Viewership

New data from Ipsos iris, which measures online audiences, suggests that UK broadcasters’ YouTube strategies are paying off in delivering significant extra reach and viewership. The measurement company says that ITV, Channel 4, the BBC and Sky collectively saw a significant jump in YouTube viewership in May, with nearly one in three UK internet users aged 15+ watching content from one of these four broadcasters on their mobile, tablet, or PC. Since this figure excludes connected TV, where YouTube is strong in the UK, it’s likely that total viewership would have been higher still. Read more on VideoWeek.

Netflix Holds Talks with Spotify Over Live Music Events

Netflix has held conversations with Spotify about partnering on live TV events, the WSJ reported on Wednesday, such as music awards shows or live concert series. The streaming giant has been expanding its live events programming, and is also reportedly now looking to build up its music content. According to the report, Netflix is rebooting the talent contest Star Search, and has another music competition in the works.

Paramount Agrees $16 Million Settlement in Trump Lawsuit

Paramount has agreed to pay Donald Trump $16 million to settle the US President’s $20 billion defamation lawsuit against CBS. The payment will be made to Trump’s future presidential library, according to the FT, in line with the $15 million that Disney-owned ABC paid in December to settle another defamation suit. The payment could help clear an obstacle to Paramount’s merger with Skydance as it seeks federal approval.

Canal+ Refuses to Carry LFP’s Ligue 1 Channel

Canal+ will not carry the new Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) channel that is being launched to air Ligue 1 matches, the French broadcaster’s CEO Maxime Saada said on Tuesday, suggesting the price the LFP wants to charge is too high. The relationship between Canal+ and the LFP has been frought since the French football body handed discounted Ligue 1 rights to Amazon in 2021, leading to Canal+ refusing to participate in the 2023 auction, ending the groups’ 40-year relationship. “Canal+ is throwing in the towel,” said Saada. “We have chosen to give up. To date, we consider that the conditions are not met for Canal+ to distribute the new Ligue 1 platform.”

GB News to Launch US Studio and White House Coverage

GB News is launching a bureau in Washington DC and hiring its first US political editor, Press Gazette reported on Monday. The UK broadcaster will broadcast two hours of daily live programming from a new studio near the White House in September, hosted by presenter Bev Turner, promising in-depth analysis of Donald Trump’s presidency and stories from across the US. “This is a huge moment for GB News as we grow our presence and deliver more of the fearless journalism that defines us,” said Michael Booker, Editorial Director at GB News.

RTL Completes Sale of RTL Nederland to DPG Media

RTL Group has completed its sale of RTL Nederland to DPG Media, a Belgian media group, for €1.1 billion. The deal was first announced in 2023, and was finally approved by the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets on 27 June 2025. The Dutch business includes five free-to-air TV channels (RTL 4, RTL 5, RTL 7, RTL 8 and RTL Z), three digital pay-TV channels (RTL Lounge, RTL Crime, RTL Telekids) and the Videoland streaming service.

Schwarz Group and DFL Take Stakes in German Sports Streaming Service Dyn Media

Retail company Schwarz Group and German football association DFL have agreed to acquire stakes in Dyn Media, a German sports streaming service, as part of a capital increase. Under the agreement, Schwarz Group will hold approximately 42.5 percent of the company’s shares, the DFL around 6.5 percent, Axel Springer will retain 42.5 percent, and Dyn Media founder Christian Seifert approximately 9 percent. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Austrian Ad Sales House IP Österreich Becomes RTL AdAlliance in Austria

RTL AdAlliance, RTL Group’s ad sales house, has completed the absorption of IP Österreich, an Austrian sales house. The latter will now operate under the international RTL AdAlliance brand, according to RTL, as the business seeks to unify international and national advertising sales under one roof. “We will remain the trustworthy partner for the Austrian market that our customers have grown accustomed to for the past 30 years,” said Walter Zinggl, Managing Director of RTL AdAlliance in Austria. “At the same time, being RTL AdAlliance enables us to offer a unique contribution of local expertise and international efficacy.”

The Week for Publishers

G/O Media Sells Kotaku, Formally Announces it is Winding Down Operations

G/O Media has offloaded its video game focused publication Kotaku to Swiss tech publisher Keleops, which previously also acquired Gizmodo from G/O Media. The digital media holding group, which once owned a stable of well-known titles including Quartz, Deadspin, Jezebel, The Onion, and Gizmodo, has been selling off its titles over the past few years as its owners have sought to back out of the publishing business. Now that it only owns one title, The Root, the company has formally made clear it is winding down its operations.

CEO Jim Spanfeller said in a blog post that while G/O Media’s titles were performing well before the sell-off began, the company is majority owned by a growth equity firm, and that the “hockey stick type growth” which had previously been hoped for was clearly not going to occur any time soon. He also referenced the challenging market for digital media, and took shots at the “parasitical nature” of the ad tech ecosystem (to use his words).

Future Launches New Content Categorisation Engine

UK specialist publisher Future this week unveiled ‘Advisor’, a new AI-powered content categorisation engine which it says uses machine learning and LLMs for real-time, in-depth article analysis. Future says Advisor helps optimise ad performance, increases user engagement through content personalisation and recommendation, and powers ecommerce user journeys. “Enhancing our ability to understand what a user wants to read next doesn’t just improve the experience for our audiences, it directly powers more intelligent, high-impact targeting for our advertising partners,” said Jamie Samuel, director of commercial product at Future.

National World Shuts Down Linear TV Channel Shots!

UK local publisher National World has shut down Shots! TV, the linear TV channel it launched back in 2023 which hosted a mix of original and syndicated shows. The shutdown comes shortly after National World was acquired by Media Concierge. Malcolm Denmark, the new CEO, said that Shots! TV was “launched as an expensive vanity project,” by the previous CEO, “which has proven to be both financially imprudent and strategically distracting”.

Google Launches Publisher Paywall System ‘Offerwall’

Google has launched ‘Offerwall’, which is essentially a type of paywall that gives users multiple ways of accessing content such as watching an ad, completely a survey, or making a micropayment. Publishers can add their own options, such as signing up to a newsletter. Offerwall is available in Ad Manager, and Google says that while it’s available to publishers of all sizes, it’s primarily aimed at smaller publishers which have more limited resources.

Future Shutters Laptop Mag

Future this week told staff it is closing down its 33-year old tech publication Laptop Mag, The Verge reported this week. Laptop Mag joined Future’s portfolio in 2018 when the latter acquired The Perch, which itself bought Laptop Mag in 2011. But Future has been pruning its stable of titles recently as it works to streamline its business.

The Week for Brands & Agencies

IPA Pushes for Reforming “Outdated” Agency Pricing Models

The advertising industry is approaching a “potential tipping point” over agency pricing structures, according to a new report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). The report, entitled ‘The Price Isn’t Right: Why agencies should change the way they price’, follows an IPA survey which found that only 27 percent of agencies feel they receive a “fair” price for the work they do, while 58 percent feel there has been little or no progress when it comes to reforming commercial agreements.

Based on 63 qualitative interviews with creative and media agencies, clients and intermediaries, the report proposes new models for an agency pricing structure “that moves beyond simply accounting for hours”, including output- or outcome-based fees, subscription-like arrangements, or intellectual property licensing. Read more on VideoWeek.

UK Government Drops Alcohol Ad Ban Plan, But Calls for Fossil Fuel Restrictions Grow

The UK government decided not to include a ban on alcohol ads in its ten-year plan for the NHS, due to concerns about the potential economic impacts of such a move, as well as concerns that it could threaten the UK’s trade deal with the US. Separately this week, calls in the UK grew to ban ads for fossil fuels, following a similar move in Spain. Over 100 advertising organisations have signed a letter to the UK government calling for a ban, saying that fossil fuel businesses use “advertising and sponsorship to greenwash their image and sell products that are harmful to human health”.

LVMH Moves Large Part of European Media Business to Havas

Luxury brand holding group LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Sephora, Hennessy, and Tiffany & Co. among other companies, has moved part of its European media business from Publicis to Havas, Adweek reported this week. Havas already handles LVMH’s media duties in Italy as well as Latin America, and will now take on a number of additional European markets, though the exact shift is unknown.

Next15 Looks to Offload Some of its Brands

UK-based marketing business and consultancy Next15 is looking to offload some of its brands, Reuters reported this week. The group’s share price has fallen by close to 70 percent in the past year as its performance has struggled, with the company stating this week that its fiscal 2026 profits are likely to come in below market expectations. Next15 hasn’t stated which of its brands it might sell, according to Reuters.

Hires of the Week

The Guardian Appoints Enders’ Douglas McCabe as CSO

The Guardian has named Douglas McCabe as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer. McCabe will be responsible for strategic initiatives and global transformation projects, according to the UK publisher, as well as overseeing partnerships with global platforms and other partners. He joins from media research outfit Enders Analysis, where he spent 12 years as CEO.

ShowHeroes Promotes Sarah Lewis to Global Vice President, CTV

ShowHeroes, a video and CTV ad tech business, has promoted Sarah Lewis to Global Vice President, CTV. Formerly Global Director, CTV, Lewis will continue leading the CTV Innovation Team, while taking on additional responsibility for developing and scaling the company’s global CTV presence. Lewis joined ShowHeroes from SpotX in 2021.