In this week’s Week in Review: YouTube confronts Barb over channel measurement, the CMA pushes for publisher opt-out for Google’s AI tools, and Paramount prepares a short-form scroll.
Top Stories
Paramount Plans Short-Form Feed for its Streaming App
Paramount is considering adding a short-form video feed to its streaming service, and has even floated the idea of adding user-generated content onto the platform in an effort to boost engagement, Business Insider reported this week.
A leaked presentation and internal emails seen by Insider suggest that the company has already begun working on a short-form video feature for the mobile app version of Paramount+, and has been creating a catalogue of short clips extracted from the company’s wide bank of content. Dan Reich, head of global product and design for Paramount+, emailed other executives saying that his team was working to get one million clips into its in-development short-form feed as quickly as possible. Meanwhile ‘UGC’ was listed on a ‘mobile app brainstorm’ slide within a wider presentation listing priorities for Paramount+.
Several of the major international streamers have stated ambitions around short-form video recently, as they compete with the major short-form apps for audience attention. Disney earlier this year explicitly stated it is working on a short-form feature for Disney+, in an effort to make the app more of a daily destination for users, while it’s also announced plans to integrate UGC based on Disney’s IP, made within OpenAI’s video generation product Sora. Netflix also announced it is working on a short-form feature last week, which will show clips from Netflix shows and films.
YouTube Shuts Down Barb’s TV Comparisons
Google has forced UK TV measurement provider Barb and its research partner Kantar Media to suspend a new service that the companies have built to compare YouTube channel viewership with other TV channels and streaming services.
The move follows the launch of a “landmark initiative” between Barb and Kantar Media to measure viewing of select YouTube channels on TV sets. The service has now been suspended, according to the FT, after YouTube sent the companies cease and desist letters.
The legal request said the initiative breached Google’s terms of service, by accessing data that helped the measurement firms attribute viewing sessions to specific content creators. Kantar Media confirmed that the service had been paused but declined to comment further on “confidential client discussions”, while Barb also declined to comment.
The dispute comes amid mounting debate over comparing YouTube viewing figures with broadcasters and streaming services on TV, as advertisers seek consistent methodologies in measuring audiences across different video services.
UK’s Competition Regulator Proposes Publisher Opt-Out for Google’s AI Tools
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) this week proposed a series of changes to how Google’s search service operates in the UK, including allowing publishers to opt out of their content being used either as cited sources within Google’s AI Overviews feature, or for wider training of the tech giant’s AI models.
There have been a number of anecdotal reports and studies over the past year indicating that publishers have seen traffic from Google drying up, following the introduction of AI Overviews into search (though Google disputes these claims). One issue for publishers is that in order to opt out of having their content used by Google’s AI tools, they have to opt out of search entirely, which would hurt their traffic figures further.
The CMA is proposing that publishers should be able to opt out of having their content used in AI products without opting out of regular search. This includes giving them the ability to avoid having their content used to train Google’s models, even in cases where those models won’t regurgitate any of the content they’ve ingested. Google’s IP lead told a House of Lords Committee earlier this year that the business shouldn’t have to pay or compensate publishers whose content it uses in this context, since it’s freely available to the public.
Under UK law, the CMA is able to impose interventions on businesses which it designates as having ‘strategic market status’ in a particular market — a designation which Google received for the search market last year.
The Week in Tech
Barb’s New Total Campaign Reporting Tool ‘Barb Ads Hub’ Goes Live
Barb, the UK’s joint industry committee (JIC) for TV measurement, this week launched Barb Ads Hub, a new analytics system built by RSMB which will cover both pre-campaign planning and post-campaign reporting across linear and on-demand services. The new product brings together two existing tools, Barb’s Advanced Campaign Hub and CFlight, into one unified interface, something which Barb says the industry has been hungry for. Within this hub, users will be able to run both standardised and custom reports with “advanced data-visualisation capabilities”, according to Barb. The system also supports automated requests via API, enabling ingestion into proprietary tools. Read more on VideoWeek.
Google Launches Shoppable CTV Ads
Google has launched Shoppable CTV ads as part of its Demand Gen campaigns, enabling viewers to browse and purchase products while watching YouTube ads on TV screens. First announced at Google Marketing Live 2025, the ads incorporate QR codes that can be sent to viewers’ phones via their remote control. Google said Demand Gen campaigns that include TV screens drive an average seven percent additional conversions at the same ROI.
TikTok Uninstalls Up 150 Percent in US
Instances of US users deleting TikTok jumped almost 150 percent in the five days after the deal to transfer the business to US ownership, according to data from Sensor Tower shared with CNBC. Users cited TikTok’s updated privacy policy, which states that TikTok may collect data around “racial or ethnic origin,” “citizenship or immigration status,” and “sexual orientation.” CNBC noted that the language is the same as the privacy policy found in the 2024 version.
Meta to Double AI Spending This Year
Meta expects to spend up to $135 billion this year, mostly on infrastructure related to AI, doubling the amount it spent on developing the technology last year. The company’s expenses outpaced revenues in Q4 2025, squeezing the tech giant’s profit margins. Meta’s share price jumped 6.5 percent after the announcement.
Azerion Announces New Media Planning Tool and GDR Integration for Hawk DSP
Azerion, an omnichannel advertising business, has unveiled a media planning tool called Mind Map that helps advertisers target audiences when they are most likely to engage. Mind Map is based on understanding how people feel and what they are doing when exposed to media on different channels, according to the company, so campaigns can be designed to reach them when they are most cognitively and emotionally receptive. Also this week, Azerion has integrated Global Data Resources (GDR) into its Hawk DSP, bringing geo-demographic datasets into the demand-side platform for clients to directly access and activate against.
Digital Element Launches NAT Detector to Identify Shared IP Addresses
Digital Element, an IP intelligence and geolocation specialist, has launched NAT Detector, a new feature within its IP intelligence database NetAcuity. NAT Detector is designed to identify Network Address Translation (NAT) connections, which enable multiple devices or users to share a single public IP address. “NAT Detector helps organisations distinguish NAT-associated addresses with confidence, empowering them to interpret IP data more accurately and act strategically across every connected channel,” said Digital Element CPO Vinod Kashyap.
YouTube and Netflix Dominate Kids’ Viewing in Germany
YouTube and Netflix dominate children’s media habits in Germany, according to research from media intelligence company Precisify, as it expands its ‘Precisify Insights: Kids’ series into Germany as part of its broader European growth strategy. The study found that YouTube use rises with age among German kids, from 51 percent of 2-5 year-olds, to 67 percent for 6-9 year-olds, and 80 percent among 10-12 year-olds. Meanwhile Netflix reaches 71 percent of children in Germany, according to the report.
The Week in TV
Sky Media Launches AI Creative Toolkit for SMEs
Sky Media this week announced the launch of a new AI-powered creative toolkit, designed to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make fit-for-TV ads. The toolkit integrates Waymark, an AI-powered creative product which makes TV ads based on content from a brand’s website. Waymark can create either 10-, 15-, or 30-second ads which can be tailored to specific audiences and locations. Sky Media’s toolkit also incorporates the Clearcast BCAP approval process to ensure that ads generated are compliant with UK TV ad standards. Alongside these core ad creation components, the toolkit will also offer capabilities covering creative intelligence, targeting, and outcome prediction. Read more on VideoWeek.
M6 Pushes for Regulatory Wiggle Room to Pursue M&A
French broadcaster M6, backed by one of its major shareholders, is pushing for a loosening of French media laws in order to free it up to pursue M&A opportunities, Reuters reported this week. According to Reuters’ sources, M6 and its second-largest shareholder CMA CGM are lobbying for a change to France’s Freedom of Communication Act, a 1986 piece of legislation which serves as a cornerstone of French media and broadcasting regulation. Under the current version of that act, broadcasters are locked into their current ownership structure for a period after they renew or are granted their broadcasting license, preventing M&A activity. But M6 would like to see this period shortened, enabling it to go after major deals within the next couple of years, including possible mergers with other European broadcasters. Read more on VideoWeek.
UK Politicians Call for CMA Investigation into Netflix’s WBD Deal
A group of UK politicians and former policymakers have called on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a “full review” of Netflix’s $83 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), according to the FT. The letter was signed by former culture secretaries Lord Chris Smith, Sir Oliver Dowden and Dame Karen Bradley, as well as former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall. They warned that the deal “will cement an already dominant player” in the TV streaming market, potentially leading to “a substantial lessening of competition with damaging consequences for consumers, the UK’s world-leading creative industries and the UK cinema industry.”
Ligue 1+ to Broadcast World Cup Games in €20 Million FIFA Deal
Ligue 1+, the French direct-to-consumer streaming service owned by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), will broadcast all 2026 World Cup matches, in a new deal with FIFA valued at €20 million. The LFP launched the streaming service in 2025 in order to air Ligue 1 matches, after its previous media partnership with DAZN broke down in May.
Comcast Posts Widening Peacock Losses in Q4
Comcast-owned streaming service Peacock posted widening losses in Q4 2025, reaching $552 million, compared with $372 million in Q4 2024. However the streaming service’s revenues and subscribers were up by 23 and 22 percent YoY, respectively. Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong said the company expects “Peacock losses to meaningfully improve again” in 2026.
NBCU Reveals CTV and Social Media Partners for Winter Olympics
NBCUniversal has revealed its digital partners for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, selected to extend the US broadcaster’s coverage of the Games and drive cross-platform engagement. The partnerships include dedicated NBC Olympics hubs on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Hulu, Prime Video, Roku, Samsung and YouTube TV. NBCU is also partnering with social media companies, including Meta, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube, to distribute Olympics content and facilitate community discussions.
ITV to Air Nations Championship and Six Nations Rugby Until 2029
ITV has agreed a new deal with Six Nations Rugby to broadcast its tournaments free-to-air until 2029. The agreement includes the first two editions of the Nations Championship in 2026 and 2028, which will be exclusively available on ITV and STV in the UK. “Securing free-to-air coverage for the new tournament is testament to the strength of its format and reflects the anticipation for its debut,” said Tom Harrison, CEO of Six Nations Rugby.
The Week for Publishers
Goalhanger Takes Investment from The Chernin Group
Goalhanger, a media business co-founded by Gary Lineker, Tony Pastor, and Jack Davenport, known for its ‘The Rest Is…’ podcasts, this week announced it has entered a strategic partnership with US-based media investment firm The Chernin Group. TCG has taken a minority investment in Goalhanger and will take a seat on the company’s board, though financial terms were not disclosed. Goalhanger says the investment will be used to support its next stage of growth, scaling its shows into “global, multi-platform IP” and accelerating its expansion into the US. TCG’s portfolio of investments includes Barstool Sports, Hello Sunshine, The Athletic and U.S. podcast network Audiochuck.
Forbes Launches Engagement-Focused Predictions Platform
Business magazine Forbes is launching a new predictions platform, ForbesPredict, designed to drive engagement by capitalising on consumer enthusiasm for prediction markets shown by the popularity of companies like Kalshi and Polymarket in the US. Like those tools, ForbesPredict will let readers make predictions on future events, but no money will be involved, according to Digiday. People who make correct predictions will be rewarded with virtual tokens. The platform is designed to keep users coming back to Forbes, and opens up new ways for the publisher to prompt its readers to visit the site, for example through prompting them to check in on how their predictions are faring.
Future Plans Editorial Redundancies
UK publishing group Future Plc is making 45 editorial redundancies across several of its titles, while also hiring for 15 new roles, Press Gazette reported this week. The change is part of a significant restructure which the company says will “better reflect [its] strategy going forward”. An internal email announcing the decision referenced changes to how content is distributed and consumed, and said that cutting staff will enable the business to focus on growth areas.
Semafor Has First Profitable Year
News startup Semafor, launched by ex-NYT columnist Ben Smith and former Bloomberg Media chief executive Justin Smith, is planning investment across several parts of the business following its first profitable year in 2025, Press Gazette reported this week. The company, which launched in 2022, focuses heavily on newsletters, and now has over one million email subscribers in total. It now has a team of over 100 staff across offices, and plans to increase its coverage in Washington DC, the Gulf, and Asia.
The Economist Renews ‘Boss Cast’ Podcast
Business and current affairs magazine The Economist this week released the third season of its Boss Class podcast series, a leadership-focused podcast which interviews CEOs, academics, and other leaders. Magazines and news publishers are increasingly turning to podcasts as new ways of reaching audiences and adopting a more personality-led approach to content, and it’s a particularly interesting move from The Economist, which traditionally keeps its writers anonymous. Boss Class is hosted by Andrew Palmer, author of The Economist’s ‘Bartleby’ column.
The Week for Brands & Agencies
AA/WARC Expenditure Report Predicts Continued Strong Ad Growth Despite Tough Economic Backdrop
Despite the tough economic conditions facing the UK this year, with subdued household incomes and a softening labour market, the AA/WARC’s latest Expenditure Report forecasts another year of strong growth in ad spend in 2026. Following projected growth of 10.1 percent in 2025, the report predicts a further 7.5 percent increase in advertising spend this year, taking total expenditure above £50 billion for the first time. The AA and WARC’s figures show strong results for Q3 last year, when total UK ad spend is calculated to have grown by 11.4 percent year-on-year. Read more on VideoWeek.
S4 Capital’s Stock Rises After Upgraded 2025 Forecast
Following a series of profit warnings last year, there was some positive news for marketing group S4 Capital this week as it issued a trading update stating that full-year earnings for 2025 were higher than was previously forecast. “Good to see both delivery beyond revised net revenue and operational EBITDA guidance and the significant improvement in liquidity,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman at S4 Capital. “However, there is still much more to be done around net revenue and margin growth in 2026 and beyond which we will cover with the 2025 results presentation in March.” The company’s share price rose by over 45 percent following the announcement.
Dentsu Launches Curated YouTube Marketplace with Channel Factory
Agency group Dentsu has announced it is launching a new curated TV marketplace for YouTube inventory, powered by contextual advertising specialist Channel Factory, which the two companies say will enable advertisers to apply Barb-aligned quality standards to YouTube inventory at scale. The marketplace will use Channel Factory’s ViewIQ technology and human curation to identify broadcast-quality content on YouTube. “Video consumption habits have evolved, and AV planning must evolve with them,” said Renee Losardo, Trading Partner at Dentsu. “Fit for TV is designed to help brands meet their audiences where they are, while maintaining the rigour and safety they expect from traditional AV environments.”
Advertising Association Warns Against Bringing Ads to the BBC
UK advertiser trade group the Advertising Association has warned the government against allowing the BBC to run ads in the UK, stating that the BBC would be likely to “eat into a shrinking pie rather than expanding it for everyone”. The government recently released a green paper laying out new funding options for the BBC, including introducing ads in the UK. But the Advertising Association’s director of public policy and regulation Konrad Shek said in a Westminster address that if the BBC started running ads, it would distort the UK broadcast market, and could undermine the commercial sustainability of broadcasters which rely heavily on ad revenues.
Marketing Procurement Teams Lack Ability to Measure AI Investments
As debate across industries continues around the true value of generative AI tools in the workplace, three-quarters of marketing procurement professionals surveyed by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) said they lack appropriate KPIs to measure and monitor AI investments. Concern is also growing around AI replacing marketing procurement roles: 46 percent of those surveyed said they either somewhat or strongly agree that AI could take over their jobs, compared to just 13 percent who agreed with that statement in December 2024.
Havas Makes Media Plans Green by Default
Havas Media Network UK is now making its sustainable media planning into an opt-out model, the media agency reported this week. Rather than asking its clients to opt-in to its sustainable media products – which are designed to measure, reduce and optimise carbon emissions across media plans – clients will be automatically enrolled in using these products unless they choose to withdraw. The move could be instrumental in reducing carbon emissions from media plans without putting the onus on overly cautious brands to make the call themselves. Read more on VideoWeek.
IPA Report Highlights Business Impacts of Brand Trust
A new report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) this week released a new analysis which shows that ad campaigns which build brand trust also tend to deliver significant business impact. Based on analysis of campaigns in the IPA Effectiveness Bank, the study found that 93 percent of for-profit ad campaigns that led to large increases in brand trust also led to at least one very large business effect, such as sizeable growth in sales, market share, or profit. “While there are many ways to make your advertising effective, this new research provides a strong business case for the benefits of investing in trust-building campaigns,” said Laurence Green, director of effectiveness at the IPA.
Hires of the Week
BBC Appoints Rhodri Talfan Davies as Interim Director-General
The BBC has named Rhodri Talfan Davies, currently Director of Nations, as interim Director-General. Current DG Tim Davie is to stand down on 2nd April, following his resignation over the editing of a Donald Trump speech on Panorama.
Medialab Names Mark Syal as CPO
Medialab, a UK independent media agency, has appointed Mark Syal as Chief Product Officer. Syal joins from Brainlabs, where he was Global Chief Product Officer, and previously served as Chief Product Officer, EMEA at WPP-owned Essence (now EssenceMediacom).
OpenX Announces Three Promotions
OpenX, a supply-side platform (SSP), has announced a trio of promotions. Andrew Goode is elevated to Senior Vice President of Strategy, Chris Hallenbeck to Vice President of Marketplace Quality, and Rich Calkins to Vice President of Product.
Bob Lord and Krishan Bhatia Join IAS Board
Integral Ad Science (IAS), a media quality specialist, has announced that Bob Lord and Krishan Bhatia have joined the company’s Board of Directors. Lord is president of Horizon Media Holdings, while Bhatia is former head of Amazon’s global video advertising business.
This Week on VideoWeek
M6 Pushes for Regulatory Wiggle Room to Pursue M&A
Barb’s New Total Campaign Reporting Tool ‘Barb Ads Hub’ Goes Live
Havas UK is Making Clients Opt-Out of Sustainable Media Plans
Sky Media Launches AI Creative Toolkit for SMEs
AA/WARC Expenditure Report Predicts Continued Strong Ad Growth Despite Tough Economic Backdrop
VideoWeek Podcast: #55 Arthur Querou, Vibe.co
Ad of the Week
BBC, Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games
Follow VideoWeek on LinkedIn.
