In this week’s Week in Review: Canal and PPF mull taking Viaplay private, marketers raise principal media concerns in new ANA report, and the UK backs down on AI copyright revisions.
Top Stories
Canal+ and PPF Could Take Viaplay Private
Canal+ and PPF are considering bringing Viaplay into private ownership, according to reports from Bloomberg. The two companies each own around 29.3 percent of the Nordic streaming business, following a rescue recapitalisation undertaken in 2024. The discussions are at an early stage, according to the report, with no formal proposal being announced.
Viaplay has spent the past few years rebuilding after almost collapsing in 2023, following a period of heavy losses stemming from an ambitious (and ultimately abandoned) international expansion plan. The company’s stock price has fallen more than 90 percent in the last four years, but jumped five percent after the reports emerged on Tuesday.
Ninety Percent of Marketers Are Unsure Whether Principal Media is in Their Best Interests
Principal media, the practice whereby agencies buy media upfront at an undisclosed price and sell it on to clients for an undisclosed markup, has generated plenty of debate in the past couple of years. Key to that debate is whether it’s a product which truly delivers for advertisers. Critics say that an agency which has already bought inventory and is trying to generate a strong return will be incentivised to guide advertisers towards media which isn’t necessarily the best fit for their campaigns.
A new study from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) suggests these concerns are crystallising in the minds of clients. Ninety percent of those surveyed said their top concern with principal media is uncertainty over whether it’s in their best interests, up from 79 percent in the ANA’s 2024 survey. Meanwhile just 57 percent of marketers say their companies have guidelines covering principal media, and 63 percent say their agency contracts cover the topic. So more than a third say their agency contracts don’t address it, or they’re unsure.
These concerns aren’t stopping advertisers from investing, though. Fifty-eight percent of marketers said their companies use principal media, up from 47 percent in the previous report, and 56 percent expect to use it in the coming year. Costs continue to be a big driver here, with 76 percent citing reduced costs as the main benefit from principal media arrangements.
UK Government Backs Down on Copyright Law Changes for AI Tools
The UK government has backed down from its plans to change copyright laws in order to make it easier for AI businesses to access and train on copyrighted content. The proposals had sparked backlash from the creative industries, who argued that watering down copyright protections would make it harder for IP owners to secure fair agreements with AI businesses to license access to their work.
“At the end of 2024, the Government published a consultation on copyright and AI,” said Liz Kendall, the UK’s technology secretary. “At that stage, the Government’s preferred way forward was to enable AI developers to train on copyright works, but to give rightsholders the ability to opt out of this regime. This was overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of the creative industries.”
“We have listened,” Kendall added. “We have engaged extensively with creatives, AI firms, industry bodies, unions, academics and AI adopters, and that engagement has shaped our approach. This is why we can confirm today that the Government no longer has a preferred option.”
The Week in Tech
Meta and TikTok Upped Harmful Content to Drive Engagement Say Whistleblowers
More than a dozen whistleblowers have told the BBC that social media companies moved to allow more harmful content on their platforms, after internal research into their algorithms showed how outrage fuelled engagement. The whistleblowers, who provided evidence to new documentary Inside the Rage Machine, include a Meta engineer who said staff were told to allow “borderline” harmful content on Facebook and Instagram “because the stock price is down”; and a TikTok employee who said content moderation teams were told to prioritise relatively trivial cases involving politicians over cases involving harm to teenagers.
Meta Ran Over 1,000 Illegal Financial Ads in One Week Says FCA
Meta has repeatedly failed to stop illegal ads for high-risk financial products running on Facebook and Instagram in the UK, according to a review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The watchdog found that during one week in November, 1,052 ads for currency trading and certain complex financial instruments were posted on Meta’s platforms by advertisers not authorised by the regulator to promote them, according to Reuters. The FCA said that more than half of those ads were from unauthorised advertisers that it had already flagged to Meta.
FIFA Media Partners Can Stream First 10 Minutes of World Cup Games on YouTube
YouTube and FIFA have announced a Preferred Platform partnership for the 2026 World Cup. Media partners will have the option of live streaming the first 10 minutes of every match on their YouTube channel, according to the announcement, and a global cohort of YouTube creators will be given access to matches. FIFA will also make its digital archive available on its YouTube channel, including full-length past matches.
ByteDance Suspends Seedance 2.0 Launch After Legal Threats
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has put the global launch of its video generation model Seedance 2.0 on hold, The Information reported on Saturday. The decision follows threats of legal action against ByteDance by Hollywood studios. Last month, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Chinese firm, accusing it of using Disney characters to train Seedance 2.0 without permission.
Gracenote Sues OpenAI for Copyright Infringement
Gracenote, Nielsen’s content data unit, is suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, Axios reported last week. The lawsuit accuses the AI firm of using Gracenote metadata without authorisation or compensation, as well as copying the relational framework it uses to connect its metadata. The report notes that the case could set a new precedent for how data providers protect their intellectual property.
Adform Receives SBTi Validation for Emission Reduction Targets
Adform, a demand-side platform (DSP), announced on Monday that its near-term science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets have been officially validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The targets include decreasing absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42.0 percent by 2030, and reducing scope 3 GHG emissions by 51.6 percent per EUR of value added by 2030, relative to a 2024 base year.
The Week in TV
Linear TV Beats Streaming in US After Nielsen Changes Methodology
Broadcast and cable TV’s share of US TV viewing surpassed that of streaming in February, according to Nielsen’s upcoming Gauge report, as reported by the WSJ. Linear TV accounted for 47.4 percent of TV viewing time, compared with 41.9 percent for streaming, bucking industry trends that have seen streaming consumption outpacing linear TV. The shift comes as Nielsen reworks its methodology by using a study from the Advertising Research Foundation to inform its estimates of the demographic groups in US households, and the devices they use to watch TV – estimates previously derived entirely from its own volunteer panels. Nielsen delayed its February report after some streaming services asked for more information on the changes.
Disney+ Launches Vertical Video Feed ‘Verts’ in US
Disney+ has launched vertical video product ‘Verts’ in the US, “marking the first phase of bringing vertical video content to the platform.” Verts appears as a vertical video feed on the Disney+ mobile app, where users can swipe through a stream of scenes and moments from movies and shows on the streaming service, and add titles to their Watchlist. The move is part of a push by broadcasters and streaming companies to compete with social media platforms for younger users’ attention, using scrollable, short-form video content.
Sky Media Offers Access to VOD Inventory Through Google DV360
Sky Media has enabled programmatic access to its VOD inventory via Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), the UK broadcaster’s sales house announced on Thursday. “With Sky Media representing more than 31 percent of ad-supported TV viewing in the UK, this development is a major step in simplifying how TV advertising is planned and activated within the connected TV (CTV) ecosystem,” the company said in the announcement.
ProSiebenSat.1 Puls 4 to Sell Ads for DAZN in Austria
ProSiebenSat.1 Puls 4 will take over ad sales for DAZN in Austria, the TV operator announced on Wednesday, under a new strategic partnership aimed at strengthening sports monetisation in the market. The Austrian broadcaster will sell ad formats including premium spots, live pre-roll, exclusive ad breaks and in-stream formats such as L-frames, designed to maximise visibility around live sports coverage. The partnership also includes access to addressable video inventory across DAZN’s streaming service and YouTube channels.
MFE Profits More Than Doubled Last Year
MFE-MediaForEurope’s net profit more than doubled in 2025, the European TV group announced on Wednesday, with free cash flow estimated around €500 million (approximately €300 million on a like-for-like basis). The results, which include ProsiebenSat.1’s contribution in the fourth quarter, will be approved by the Board of Directors on 15th April.
ProSieben Sells esome and Kairion to Pivotum Capital
ProSiebenSat.1 is selling CTV advertising company esome, and retail media business Kairion, to German investment firm Pivotum Capital. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close in April, were not disclosed. The transaction “underlines ProSiebenSat.1’s strategic focus on its core entertainment business”, according to the media group, following its takeover by MFE-MediaForEurope, which has spent the last few years pushing for ProSieben to divest non-TV assets.
BBC Urges Court to Dismiss Trump Defamation Lawsuit
The BBC has urged a Florida court to dismiss Donald Trump’s multi-billion dollar defamation lawsuit, arguing that the Panorama episode at the centre of the suit never aired in the US. “It wasn’t available to watch in the US on iPlayer, online or any other streaming platforms,” a BBC spokesperson said on Monday. “We have therefore challenged jurisdiction of the Florida court.”
DAZN to Stream “March Madness” for Free to Broaden Interest in US College Sport
DAZN will stream the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s and women’s basketball tournaments (AKA March Madness) free of charge in selected international markets, the sports streaming service announced last week. Disney+ also said it would stream March Madness across Europe and South Africa. “Global interest in US sport is rising fast, and DAZN’s worldwide platform is helping drive that growth,” said DAZN CEO Shay Segev.
Netflix Makes Cuts to Global Product Team
Netflix has cut several dozen staff from its global product team as part of an internal reorganisation, Variety reported last week. The streaming giant did not disclose exact numbers, but the report suggests the cuts affected the creative studio unit, which produces marketing such as posters, in-app trailers and content for live-experiences. Some staff were made redundant while others were moved to other positions at Netflix, according to the report.
The Week for Publishers
Google Agrees to Give Publishers an AI Overview Opt-Out, but Concerns Remain
At the start of this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) 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. Now, following a consultation period, Google has agreed to play ball. While it continues to dispute claims that the introduction of AI features into its search interface is harming publishers, the company says it is developing controls “to let sites specifically opt out of generative AI features in search”.
But publishers’ responses to the CMA consultation indicate that the design of these opt-out tools will determine exactly how impactful that tool is. Read more on VideoWeek.
Future Launches New Audience Intelligence Tool Helix
UK publishing group Future this week unveiled Helix, a new audience intelligence engine which it says pairs advanced data science and predictive AI with Future’s first-party dataset. The tool maps real-time intent across Future’s media portfolio, helping advertisers reach audiences when they’re ready to convert, while also recommending specific audience segments based on conversion behaviour and offering a performance guarantee on click-through rates. Helix is launching in the US first, with plans for a global expansion further down the line.
Stephen Smith Takes £300 Million Stake in The Economist
Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has bought a £300 million stake in UK-based business magazine The Economist, the Financial Times reported this week, acquiring a 26.9 percent share from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild. This is Smith’s first large media investment, according to the FT. “This investment reflects Mr Smith’s full support for The Economist’s longstanding tradition of rigorous editorial independence and will see The Economist’s strategy and operations continue unaffected,” Smith Financial said in a statement.
UK Government Launches Initiative to Support Local Media and Tackle News Deserts
The UK’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy this week announced the launch of a new government strategy to protect the future of local news. A new £12 million fund will be distributed to local media outlets across print, online, radio, and TV, via a centrally managed competitive bidding process. The government says it will also “endeavour to make best use of local media outlets in government advertising campaigns, while championing their value as an advertising channel”. Read more on VideoWeek.
Media Figaro Expands Partnership with RTL AdAlliance
Media Figaro, the sales house for French media company Groupe Figaro, has agreed a deal for RTL AdAlliance to sell its digital in-stream video inventory in international markets, including the USA, UK, Germany, and Japan. Media Figaro’s portfolio includes Le Figaro, Madame Figaro, Le Journal des Femmes and Gala, reporting over one billion monthly views. “This partnership is part of our strategy to develop strong bonds with major international players and strengthen our availability to advertisers globally,” said Aurore Domont, president of Media Figaro.
Agencies and Advertisers say News is Under-Invested In
The News Alliance, a UK coalition of media businesses launched last year, released new research this week showing that while advertising professionals see news as a trusted, reputable media channel which is suitable for brands, many say it is currently under-invested in. Seventy-seven percent of agency professionals surveyed by the group said they are comfortable recommending news to clients, but 49 percent believe it is underutilised on media plans, InPublishing reported. Political associations (54 percent) and brand safety worries (40 percent) were some of the more commonly cited reasons why news content gets left off media plans.
Axios Cuts 11 Newsroom Staff
Political and business news business Axios has cut 11 staff from its editorial team, NYT reporter Ben Mullin reported this week, with Axios publisher Nicholas Johnston describing the move as part of a refocussing of the newsroom in an internal memo. Johnston said Axios is “cutting back on areas where we no longer have an edge”. The company is however still hiring in localities and areas of coverage where it sees growth opportunities.
The Week for Brands & Agencies
Publicis Advises Clients to Not Use The Trade Desk
French agency group Publicis has advised its clients not to use demand-side platform The Trade Desk, Adweek reported this week, stating that the ad tech company failed an audit conducted by a third-party. That audit claimed that The Trade Desk improperly applied its DSP fees to the costs Publicis and its clients paid for services which it was automatically opted into, with no clear evidence that those purchases were authorised. The Trade Desk’s CEO meanwhile has responded claiming that his company hasn’t in fact failed an audit, while suggesting that the auditor in question may have sought access to client data which The Trade Desk wasn’t obligated to hand over.
Dentsu Launches Global Media Planner
Japanese agency group Dentsu this week launched ‘Global Media Planner’, a new product within its dentsu.Connect operating system which allows clients to plan across channels paid media, retail, branded content, sponsorship, experiential, across 15 markets where it’s currently active. The tool is powered by an attention database built alongside Lumen, according to LBB, helping clients allocate budgets and predict outcomes. “Our new Media Planner augments owned, earned, shared, and paid touchpoint knowledge at global scale with an equally robust understanding across retail touchpoints as well one of the world’s most advanced format-level attention database,” said Hamish Kinniburgh, Dentsu’s global chief strategy officer.
Madison & Wall Raises its US Ad Spend Forecast
Advertising advisory firm Madison & Wall this week raised its US ad spend forecast for 2026 from 6.6 percent year-on-year growth to 8.1 percent — or 10.2 percent including political advertising. The increase was attributed in part to the strength of the market in Q4 last year, giving the ad industry strong momentum coming into 2026. Economic growth indicators have also been positive for the year ahead, though the war in Iran could drag those figures down. Looking at TV specifically, digital TV ad revenues are forecast to rise by three percent, while linear national TV and local TV are expected to fall by two percent and three percent respectively.
WPP Lines Up £11 Million Pay Deal for Cindy Rose
UK holding group WPP is proposing a new pay package worth up to £11 million for Cindy Rose, who took over as CEO of the group last September. Rose took the rudder in choppy waters, with WPP’s stock down by nearly 70 percent since the start of 2022, and the business reporting organic revenue drops each quarter. Earlier this year, Rose unveiled her ‘Elevate28’ turnaround plan for the company, which seeks to return WPP to “accelerated, high-quality growth” from 2028.
Tapestry Taps Dentsu for International Media Duties
Tapestry Inc., owner of luxury brands including Coach and Kate Spade, has chosen Dentsu as its agency of record for markets outside of the US, following two separate pitches covering APAC and EMEAI. Dentsu already worked with Tapestry in China, and has now expanded its remit to cover markets which were previously run by various incumbent agencies. “Building on our successful collaboration in China, we are confident that dentsu’s connected capabilities, cultural intelligence, and regional expertise will help Coach and Kate Spade deepen relevance with consumers and drive sustainable growth across APAC,” said Kylene Campos, SVP of brand and growth strategy APAC at Tapestry.
Hires of the Week
Sam Tewungwa Named UKTV CEO
UKTV has announced Sam Tewungwa as its new CEO, effective 1st April. Currently Managing Director of UKTV, Tewungwa will lead the BBC Studios-owned broadcaster’s growth across its portfolio of channels and its free streaming service U. He succeeds Marcus Arthur, who takes on responsibility for all BBC Studios global channels and streaming services outside the US.
Mail Metro Media Appoints Claudine Collins as Chief Client Officer
Mail Metro Media, which sells ads for the Daily Mail, Metro, i, and New Scientist, has named Claudine Collins as Chief Client Officer. Collins was previously Chief Client Officer at EssenceMediacom UK, and also serves as a Non-Executive Director at The Mission Group, a brand performance business.
Bradley Rogers Becomes CEO of OMD USA
Omnicom Media has appointed Bradley Rogers as CEO of OMD USA. Rogers brings more than 25 years of marketing and business leadership experience, according to Omnicom, including stints at McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy and Mindshare. He succeeds Chrissie Hanson, who is leaving the agency after four years as CEO.
Untold Fable Hires Mumsnet’s Joseph Beckett as Business Development Manager
Untold Fable, a global production company, has hired Joseph Beckett as Business Development Manager. Beckett previously spent three years as Brand Partnerships Manager at Mumsnet, following stints at Buzzfeed and TripAdvisor.
This Week on VideoWeek
“The Metrics That Matter Are in the Inventory Supply” – Buy-Side View with Mindshare’s Dave Sargent
UK Government Launches Initiative to Support Local Media and Tackle News Deserts
The Risks and Rewards of Bringing New Ad Formats to Live Sport
Britain’s FCA Calls Out Meta’s Failings on Scam Ads
Google Agrees to Give Publishers an AI Overview Opt-Out, but Concerns Remain
Ad of the Week
British Airways, And Original British Briefing
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