In this week’s Week in Review: the BBC discusses options for its future funding, IAB UK reports continued strong growth in video investment, and the UK government “kicks the can down the road” on law changes regarding AI use of copyrighted content.
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BBC Proposes Opening Up iPlayer, Talks Down a Shift to Advertising
The BBC has warned that a number of “permanent and irreversible” trends make its current funding model unsustainable, and has warned that without a significant rethink of how the BBC pays for itself, the broadcaster’s future is in peril. The growth of international streaming services has led to a decline in live TV viewership, meaning fewer people need licenses. The proportion of the population who evade the license fee has also risen. But at the same time, 94 percent of the UK population consume content from the BBC, creating a major funding headache.
In a response to a recent government Green Paper on the future of the BBC, the corporation outlined a number of potential changes which could help secure its long-term future. One interesting suggestion was that the BBC could open up its streaming platform iPlayer, the UK’s most-used streaming platform, to other public-service broadcasters. “We are proposing that iPlayer could be opened to other PSBs (and their commercial services), with support for their business models (i.e. advertising or subscription), whilst keeping BBC public service content advertising-free,” the broadcaster said. “This could help ensure the UK retains a streaming platform that competes with global services and remains a first choice for audiences.”
The government Green Paper which the BBC was responding to raised the possibility of the BBC itself being allowed to run ads, or even being fully advertiser funded. But the broadcaster warned that a shift to this model could have major consequences. “The Green Paper rightly acknowledges the ongoing economic pressures facing the broadcasting advertising market and notes an advertising model could draw revenue away from other broadcasters, including other PSBs,” the BBC said in its response. “This could place additional strain on an already important creative and economic sector. There are other concerns, including distinctiveness and brand reputation risks regarding perceptions of editorial independence.”
Video Accounts for Nearly a Quarter of UK Digital Ad Spend
Total UK investment in digital video advertising, spanning online video, CTV, and social platforms, rose 20 percent year-on-year, reaching £9.3 billion, according to the IAB’s latest ‘Digital AdSpend’ report. With total digital ad investment hitting £40.5 billion, the figures show that video now accounts for nearly a quarter of all digital spend. The signs are positive for continued growth this year, as 57 percent of respondents to the IAB’s survey expect digital budgets to be higher in 2026 than they were last year, and video was listed as one of the channels expecting to see the strongest gains.
Within the video category, CTV continues to rise rapidly, representing 34 percent of all video investment. Social media is also a big driver of video’s growth. Social spend was up 21 percent year-on-year last year, and video is taking a growing share of the social pie, now making up 59 percent of all social media ad spend.
“Digital advertising has continued to show resilience in a challenging environment,” said Jon Mew, CEO of IAB UK. “The acceleration of video – particularly TV+ and social video – demonstrates how quickly media consumption is evolving and how confidently advertisers are following audiences. As AI, measurement and full-funnel expectations reshape the landscape, those that combine creativity, data and accountability will be best placed to drive growth in the years ahead.”
Copyright “Kicked Down the Road” as UK Government Delays AI Decisions
The UK Government will delay making changes to UK copyright rules that would have made it easier for AI companies to mine media content, the FT reported this morning, following a backlash from the creative industries.
Responses to the government’s consultation reportedly rejected its proposed models for AI use of copyrighted materials, which included allowing AI firms to train their models on content unless rights holders specifically opted out.
Many in the media industry argue that the proposals would undermine the UK’s creative industries, calling the opt-out model unfair and unworkable. Recent moves and responses from media owners suggest they would rather strike their own content licensing deals than be bound by the government’s compromises with the tech sector.
Ministers will now gather more evidence and consult on further options, according to two people briefed on the plans. “Copyright is going to be kicked down the road,” as one person told the FT.
The Week in Tech
UK Government Launches Consultation On Possible Social Media Ban for Children
The UK government on Monday morning launched a new consultation asking how to keep children safe online across social media, AI chatbots, and gaming platforms, gathering views on the possibility of banning children under a certain age from accessing social media, as well as less severe measures. The consultation, which was first announced in January, will run for three months, collecting opinions from “everyone with a view” including parents, carers, young people, those who work with children, civil society organisations, academics, and industry. Once the consultation is complete, the Prime Minister and Technology Secretary will have new legislative powers to act quickly on its findings. This will mean that “ministers can move within months instead of waiting years for new legislation every time technology evolves”, according to DSIT’s statement. Read more on VideoWeek.
Google Faces Lawsuit Over Gemini Allegedly Instructing Man to Kill Himself
The family of an American man who took his own life last year is suing Google over harms posed by the tech giant’s Gemini chatbot, which allegedly instructed 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas to kill himself. The lawsuit alleges that Google promotes Gemini as safe, even though the company is aware of the chatbot’s risks, and that its design and features allow the chatbot to craft immersive narratives that give the impression of sentience. The suit is the first wrongful death case brought against Google over its Gemini chatbot. In November, seven complaints were filed against OpenAI, accusing its ChatGPT chatbot of acting as a “suicide coach”.
Google Rolls Out Non-Skippable YouTube CTV Ads
Google is making non-skip video reach campaigns (VRC) globally available, enabling advertisers to buy non-skippable YouTube CTV ads in Google Ads and DV360. Google AI dynamically optimises between six-second Bumpers, 15-second standard and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable ad formats, according to the company. “AI-powered precision helps drive greater efficiency across multiple non-skip ad formats, delivering more unique reach and impact compared with manual mixes of single-format campaigns,” Google said in a blog post.
AudienceProject Launches Measurement Platform in Poland
AudienceProject, an audience measurement firm, has launched its SaaS platform for independent cross-media measurement in Poland. The company said it will enable Polish advertisers to measure reach and frequency across the open web, social media, online video and CTV. “Poland is the largest advertising market in Europe after the big five – the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain,” added AudienceProject CEO Thomas Gregers Honoré.
Smartly Integrates with Amazon DSP to Extend Video Campaigns to Amazon Inventory
Smartly, an AI-driven advertising business, has announced an integration with Amazon DSP, enabling advertisers to extend their Smartly video campaigns to Amazon’s CTV inventory, including Prime Video, Fire TV and third-party publisher inventory. The integration is available globally, with additional features rolling out later in 2026. “As CTV matures, entertainment, commerce, and social are merging into one experience,” said Melissa Yang, SVP of Ecosystems & AI Applications at Smartly. “This integration gives marketers the performance precision and creative intelligence they’ve long expected in CTV, enabling personalisation at scale, real-time optimisation, and full-funnel impact.”
Onetag Acquires Italian Ad Tech Firm Aryel
Onetag, a global ad exchange and curation company, has acquired Aryel, an Italian ad tech firm specialising in immersive and interactive advertising experiences, for an undisclosed fee. OneTag said the acquisition brings together quality media from premium publishers, high-impact creative formats, and AI-driven decisioning for outcomes, in a single platform. “The acquisition of Aryel strengthens Onetag’s strategic positioning and reinforces its ability to deliver innovation at scale,” said Valentina Franceschini, Senior Partner at Wise Equity, Onetag’s private equity backer. “The combined platform is well placed to set a new standard for value creation in programmatic advertising.”
The Week in TV
ITV Still “Actively Engaging” with Sky in Acquisition Talks
ITV released its full year earnings on Thursday, reporting that overall revenues were up 5 percent across the full year, with 5 percent growth in the Studios business offsetting a 5 percent decline in ad revenues. But digital ad revenues were up 12 percent, and now make up 31 percent of total ad revenues, as ITV seeks to ease its reliance on the declining linear TV market. Two-thirds of the company’s total revenue now comes from Studios and the digital business, which McCall called “a key strategic target” for the commercial broadcaster.
The future of ITV remains uncertain, as the broadcaster is still in talks with Sky over the sale of its M&E business. The deal was referenced only once at the top of the call, when McCall said that negotiations were ongoing. “We are actively engaged with Sky, and we will provide an update to you when we can.” Read more on VideoWeek.
Netflix Hones its Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with CAPI Launch and DSP Partnerships
This week, Netflix announced several updates to its Ads Suite based around audience targeting and proving outcomes. Firstly, deeper integrations with two of its DSP partners will add new targeting capabilities. Advertisers buying through Amazon’s DSP and Yahoo DSP will be able to target their Netflix campaigns based on those two partners’ proprietary audiences. The streamer also announced it has developed its own Conversion API (CAPI) tools, allowing advertisers to connect up their marketing data (such as conversions or website activity) to Netflix’s ad suite data, helping attribute outcomes to campaigns run on Netflix. Read more on VideoWeek.
All3Media and Banijay Merge to Create Largest Independent TV Production Group
All3Media, a British production and distribution business, has merged with Paris-based Banijay Entertainment to create an $8 billion TV production group, the companies announced on Tuesday. The combined group, which will be called Banijay, will be the world’s largest independent TV maker, according to reports, encompassing more than 170 production and live events companies distributing content in nearly 250 countries. Banijay and RedBird IMI, All3Media’s US owner, will be equal partners in the new business, but the French group will receive €796 million in the deal to reflect that it is a larger business.
Paramount Plans to Combine Paramount+ and HBO Max
Paramount will combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming service if regulators approve its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Paramount CEO David Ellison said on Monday. The merged service would have around 200 million subscribers based on the companies’ current totals, according to Ellison. And regulatory approval looks increasingly likely, after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr told the FT that the watchdog would not seek to block the merger.
MFE Reorganises Business From Holding Group to Media Company
MFE-MediaForEurope has reorganised its management structure to shift the group from a holding company to an operational media company with direct control of its businesses across markets. The board has appointed Pier Silvio Berlusconi as Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer, while Fedele Confalonieri remains Statutory Chairperson. MFE will also set up new divisions, including an AI unit to extract value from new technology and data.
GB News Receives Fresh Funding Following Annual Loss
GB News remains dependent on financing from investors including hedge fund boss Sir Paul Marshall, the right-wing broadcaster said on Tuesday, after posting another annual loss of £22 million, narrowing from £32.7 million the previous year. Accounts in Companies House show that GB News received funding of £17.7 million in 2025 from its parent company All Perspectives Ltd, while also passing on an additional £5.3 million to its owners, according to the FT. “The directors are confident about the future of the group, and we remain firmly on track to achieve our ambition of becoming the UK’s biggest news channel by 2028,” said GB News.
DAZN Scores FIFA World Cup Rights in Italy
DAZN has secured exclusive rights to show all FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Italy, making it the only service to carry the full tournament live in the country. Italian public broadcaster Rai will also show select matches free-to-air (FTA). The deal expands on DAZN’s long-term partnership with FIFA, following its broadcast of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and the planned relaunch of FIFA+ on the streaming service in the first half of 2026.
Swiss Streaming Service OnePlus to Integrate RTL+
Swiss media company CH Media is integrating German streaming service RTL+ into its own streaming app, OnePlus. The bundle also includes content from Paramount+ under an existing partnership. CH Media said OnePlus now combines original Swiss productions, international series and films, and RTL+ content in a single streaming interface.
Little Dot Studios to Distribute and Monetise ZDF Studios Content
Little Dot Studios, a UK production company, has announced a deal to distribute and monetise factual content from ZDF Studios, the commercial arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, across global digital platforms. Under the new multi-year agreement, Little Dot Studios will license more than 600 hours of programming from the ZDF Studios library, which will be distributed across Little Dot’s YouTube and FAST channels, the History Hit SVOD service, and German streaming services waipu.tv and Joyn. The programming includes German-language content for the German-speaking region and English-language titles for the UK and international markets, with a focus on science, engineering, natural history and historical biography content.
Channel 4 Sales Offers Free TV Airtime to Sustainable Brands in B Corp Competition
Channel 4 Sales, the UK broadcaster’s commercial arm, has announced the return of its B Corp competition. Following the inaugural competition last year, five more sustainable brands that meet verified standards for social and environmental business will win free TV advertising airtime. “B Corps have authentic stories worth shouting about — and Channel 4 loves nothing more than telling stories that spark change,” said Tom Patterson, Sustainability Lead at Channel 4 Sales. “There are incredible purpose‑driven brands nationwide, and this opens the door for more of them to grow bigger. We’d love B Corps across the UK to apply.”
The Week for Publishers
Reach Says Google Discover Declines are Hitting Traffic Harder Than Search
UK publishing group Reach revealed in its full year earnings on Tuesday that it saw a major drop in Google referrals in the second half of last year, with Google traffic down by 46 percent, after a relatively stable first half of the year. This put a dent in page views for Reach’s owned and operated properties, which fell by eight percent year-on-year. But Reach CEO Piers North said that a drop in traffic from Google Discover, rather than Google Search, was the primary culprit
“Certainly, the buzz has been around Search,” said North, speaking on a call with investors. “For us, and many publishers, the change has really been in Google Discover, which has had a far greater impact. If we look at Google referrals, we see the number of referrals from that source declining by nearly 50 percent, meaning Google now represents around 50 percent of our on-platform [traffic].” Read more on VideoWeek.
News Corp Signs AI Licensing Deal with Meta
Global media group News Corp revealed this week it has signed an AI licensing deal with Meta which could be worth up to $50 million a year, an agreement which will give Meta’s AI tools access to content from a number of News Corp’s titles including the Wall Street Journal, The Sun, and The Times. CEO Robert Thomson said at a Morgan Stanley conference on Monday that he sees a strategic advantage in being an “input company” in the age of AI. “The great threat in the age of AI is going to be to what you might call output companies,” he told the conference, according to the Guardian. “We’re an input in the way that semiconductors are an input, in the way that datacentres are an input, in the way that energy is an input.”
Condé Nast is Working on Assumption of Decreasing Search Traffic, says CEO
Roger Lynch, CEO of publishing group Condé Nast, released an open letter discussing the company’s performance this week, announcing that Condé Nast saw both revenue growth and a fourth year of profit growth in 2025. But he said that 2026 will be “defined by how we shape our place in a media ecosystem increasingly organised around AI”. One of the implications of AI for Condé Nast is it expects to see search’s role in driving traffic continuing to diminish, and the company is building its strategy around that assumption.
Axel Springer Launches Brew Media Group Following Bisnow Acquisition
German media group Axel Springer this week announced it has acquired Bisnow, a commercial real estate media and events business, which it will combine with existing business brand Morning Brew into Brew Media Group. Bisnow and Morning Brew will continue to operate as separate, independent companies, according to Axel Springer, which will look to add further acquisitions to fold into Brew Media Group. “The launch of Brew Media Group enables us to pursue future growth opportunities both organically and through acquisitions that fit our criteria for how we think media and events businesses should operate,” said Robert Dippell, CEO of Morning Brew and Brew Media Group. “We couldn’t ask for a better first addition than Bisnow.”
Prominent Gaming Sites Replace Journalist with Fake AI Authors
A group of well-known gaming websites which were acquired by PR and marketing agency Clickout Media appear to have laid off staff and replaced them with AI authors, which are designed to appear like real human beings, Press Gazette reported this week. One such site, Videogamer, has a variety of new writers who have recently begun releasing articles on the site, each with detailed biographies. These biographies mention degrees, previous journalism experience, and hobbies, making the author appear human, but analysis of their text and profile pictures suggests they are AI generated. Indeed, the URL for one of the author’s headshots included the phrase ‘ChatGPT-Image’ in the file name, though this has since been updated.
Spiegel TV Expands FAST Partnerships
Spiegel TV, the video-focused arm of German newspaper Der Spiegel, has expanded the footprint of its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, through a number of new distribution partners. Broadband TV News reports that Spiegel TV has agreed deals to distribute its channels via MagentaTV and Zattoo, alongside existing partnerships with Prime Video, Joyn, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, Titan OS, LG Channels, Rakuten TV, Xiaomi, and Whale TV.
The Week for Brands & Agencies
Tesco Sticks with EssenceMediacom Following Closed Review
British supermarket chain Tesco has completed a closed review of its media business covering the UK and Central and Eastern Europe, retaining WPP’s EssenceMediacom. “It’s great to be able to continue our partnership with EssenceMediacom and WPP following a thorough review process,” said Becky Brock, group managing director, customer at Tesco. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with the team as we leverage new technologies to unlock more value for our customers and business from media planning and delivery.”
VCCP Tops $1 Billion in Billings
Independent agency network VCCP reported this week that it has topped $1 billion in new client media billings for the first time. The company says the milestone was passed thanks in part to its growth in the US, where it picked up a big account win in telco giant Spectrum. Meanwhile in the UK, it won business from British Gas and Direct Line, as well as a global remit for Barclays. “We invest where it matters, from AI to new markets, and build teams and technology where our clients need them,” said Julian Douglas, group CEO of VCCP. “Crossing the $1bn mark in billings is a major milestone and a proud moment for our team, reflecting the trust clients place in our people and our integrated model.”
Chinese Auto Brand Changan Picks Mediaplus as First European Media Partner
Chinese car manufacturer Changan this week announced it has chosen Mediaplus International as its first European media agency partner, following a multi-stage pitch process. The account spend will be a double-digit million euro figure, according to the announcement, covering all brand and performance activity across traditional and digital channels. The initial push will focus on Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK, but Changan is aiming to expand across all key European markets by 2028.
Havas Acquires Styleheads in Germany
French agency group Havas announced this week it has acquired German cultural marketing agency Styleheads, which will be integrated into Havas Media Network in Germany, as part of its global Play network. Havas Play and Styleheads will be brought under a single leadership structure in Germany, led by Styleheads’ managing director Eike Faecks. “I am delighted to welcome Eike Faecks and the entire Styleheads team to the Havas family,” said Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré. “Their leadership in cultural marketing and creator‑driven activations perfectly aligns with our ambition to build the most innovative and culturally relevant activation offer in the market.”
Advertising Next to AI Content Isn’t “Inherently Harmful” for Brands, Finds Omnicom/Zefr Study
A study run by Omnicom’s in-house research unit OM Media Trials and brand suitability tech business Zefr has found that advertising next to AI-generated content can actually deliver positive outcomes for brands. Across some sub-categories of AI content, including satire, humorous youth depictions and creative expressions, ad adjacency drove increases in ad recall and perceptions of innovation, according to the study. However negative outcomes were associated with spam-like or misleading AI content.
Hires of the Week
Tesco Media Names Walmart Connect’s Lauren Bolles as COO
Tesco Media has named Lauren Bolles as Chief Operations Officer. Tesco Media said the newly created role reflects the next phase of growth for the retail media platform. Bolles joins from Walmart Connect, where she spent four years as Chief Operating Officer.
Assembly Hires Wavemaker’s James Northway for Data and AI Strategy
Assembly, an omnichannel agency, has named James Northway as EVP, Global Head of Data Strategy, where he will oversee AI developments. Northway previously spent four years as Global Head Of Data Strategy at WPP’s Wavemaker.
Cadent Appoints Walmart Connect’s Taly El-Zmetr as COO
Ad tech firm Cadent has appointed Taly El-Zmetr to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. El-Zmetr will be responsible for strengthening the strategic alignment of solutions, operations and partnerships across Cadent. She previously served as Vice President of Operations and Client Services at Walmart Connect.
This Week on VideoWeek
UK Government Launches Consultation On Possible Social Media Ban for Children
Signals, Silos and Standardisation: Unpacking the Knowledge Gaps in CTV Trading
Reach Says Google Discover Declines are Hitting Traffic Harder Than Search
“If You’ve Got It, Use It” – How First-Party Data Drives Effectiveness in Addressable TV
Netflix Hones its Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with CAPI Launch and DSP Partnerships
AI is Reducing Costs at ITV as Studios Business Offsets Ad Declines
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