In this week’s Week in Review: Ofcom announces its new chair, Paramount launches a publishing division, and Publicis wins Microsoft’s media account as part of a wide-ranging new deal.
Top Stories
Sir Ian Cheshire Chosen as Ofcom Chair
Sir Ian Cheshire has been announced as the UK Government’s preferred choice as Ofcom chair. He is expected to succeed Michael Grade, who will stand down from the role at the end of the month. Cheshire will be formally appointed to the role for a four-year term once he has been approved in a parliamentary hearing.
Cheshire was formerly the boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher, and served as Chair of Channel 4 until last year. His appointment comes at a critical time for the watchdog as it begins to enforce the Online Safety Act, expanding its remit into the regulation of online platforms and digital services.
Ofcom has also been criticised in recent months for its approach to regulating biased TV coverage, after it refused to investigate a series of complaints about right-wing news channel GB News. Meanwhile the UK Government has urged the regulator to use all its powers, including a potential ban, against social media company X, following the dissemination of sexualised deepfakes by AI platform Grok.
“Ofcom has a critical job to do at a time of rapid change in how people communicate, access information and stay safe online,” said Sir Ian Cheshire. “I look forward to setting out my vision for how Ofcom can meet those challenges when I appear before the select committee.”
Paramount Launches Publishing Division in IP Push
A big part of the motivation behind Paramount’s agreed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is gaining access to the latter’s bank of hugely popular IP. Properties like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the DC Universe were frequently namechecked by Paramount’s CEO and chairman David Ellison in discussions around the deal.
Now, with the company taking on huge amounts of debt in order to finance the purchase, Paramount has to squeeze every penny possible out of that valuable intellectual property. To that end, the company this week announced the launch of Paramount Global Publishing, a new publishing imprint which will create books based on Paramount’s IP. “With the launch of Paramount Global Publishing, we’re expanding the reach of our most beloved franchises while also introducing original stories to audiences around the world,” said Josh Silverman, president of global products and experiences.
The hope will be that this publishing division will strengthen the appeal of its existing IP, reinforcing audience connections with the worlds and characters it owns the rights to, while adding another revenue stream. Paramount also wants it to be a two-way street, with original IP created in the publishing division feeding back into its film and TV arm.
Publicis Seals Wide-Ranging Media Partnership with Microsoft
French agency holdco Publicis Groupe picked up another major media win this week, as it was appointed by tech giant Microsoft as its global media agency of record. It’s a massive account, worth $1.2 billion according to Adweek. But the deal expands beyond Microsoft’s media duties, and will see the two collaborate on agentic AI technologies and solutions.
Microsoft helped Publicis build Marcel, its early AI-powered internal platform designed to help Publicis staff work more collaboratively and pool resources more efficiently. Now, that partnership has been renewed, with the two set to collaborate much more extensively around AI. Publicis’ digital consultancy Sapient will leverage Microsoft’s Azure cloud offering within its Slingshot framework, and will integrate Microsoft Copilot Studio, Microsoft Agent 365, and Microsoft AI into its AI solutions. And AI agents developed by the two businesses will be built on data from Publicis’ Epsilon, using Publicis’ in-house dataset to power decisioning. This would allow an agent, for example, to identify customer segments, generate and personalise content, deploy a campaign across channels, and optimise that campaign over time.
“Together, we are combining Microsoft’s unmatched technology and AI capabilities with Publicis Sapient’s transformation expertise on top of Epsilon’s industry-leading identity data to deliver agentic solutions that are truly game-changing for clients,” said Sadoun. “Both our companies believe that the future of AI requires agents in service of people and humanity, and with this partnership we are creating a unique opportunity for our clients to lead against this ambition.”
The Week in Tech
Swivel and Olyzon Enable Agent-to-Agent CTV Transactions
Swivel, an agentic ads business, has partnered with Olyzon, a CTV ad tech firm, to facilitate agent-to-agent CTV transactions through the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP). The collaboration connects Swivel’s seller agents with Olyzon’s buyer agents, enabling structured campaign briefs to flow directly between systems for approvals, trafficking and activation. “We’re done pretending manual workflows can scale CTV,” said Joseph Hirsch, CEO and Co-Founder at Swivel. “The human bottleneck has become the single greatest tax on growth. This partnership replaces manual hand-offs with agentic execution. We’re finally letting agents handle the complexity so the business can actually scale.”
Samba TV Brings Audience Targeting to TiVo Ads
Samba TV, a media intelligence business, will provide analytics and audience targeting capabilities to TiVo Ads’ CTV platform, under a new partnership announced on Tuesday. The collaboration commences in the UK before rolling out globally. “Clients at major media agencies can now leverage Samba data to precisely target specific audiences across TiVo’s premium CTV inventory, while Samba remains a neutral and independent audience intelligence platform without conflict,” said Samba TV CEO Ashwin Navin.
Turkish Competition Board Launches Probe into Google’s Ad Practices
The Turkish Competition Board is launching an investigation into Alphabet and related Google companies over its advertising and billing practices, Reuters reported last week. The watchdog will investigate whether Google’s billing and commercial practices for the online advertising services it provides to advertisers and agencies violate Turkish law, the board said in a statement.
TikTok Ads Chief Steps Down in Latest US Departure
TikTok ads chief Khartoon Weiss is leaving the short-form video company, according to Bloomberg, joining a wave of US executives stepping down over the past few years. Other recent departures include creators lead Kim Farrell, business solutions president Blake Chandlee, public policy executive Michael Beckerman, music chief Ole Obermann, and general counsel Erich Andersen.
Disney and Mediaocean Partner for Direct CTV Buys
Disney has partnered with ad tech firm Mediaocean, Digiday reported on Tuesday, allowing brands and agencies to execute direct transactions across Disney’s CTV and streaming inventory through a single interface. The transactions are enabled via Prisma Direct, a new workflow layer within Mediaocean’s Prisma system, designed to directly connect media buyers and publishers through API-driven integrations.
ICO Launches Campaign to Help Parents Talk to Children About Online Privacy
The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a new campaign to help parents talk to their children about protecting their personal information online. To accompany the ‘Switched on to privacy’ campaign, the data regulator released research revealing that 24 percent of children have shared their real name or address online, while 46 percent of parents don’t feel confident protecting their children’s privacy online. “We want parents to feel empowered and children to feel digitally confident, because only then will they be able to start to trust in how their data is used and be part of the whole society solution that is needed for online safety,” said Emily Keaney, ICO Deputy Commissioner.
Tesco Media Adds New Video Ad Placements for Website and App
Tesco Media has launched two new video ad placements across Tesco.com and the Tesco app. The Video on the Grocery Homepage format is an in-app placement built for high-reach brand storytelling at scale, while the Video in Browser placement for web and iOS/Android is designed to engage shoppers in relevant environments as they explore product categories. Tash Whitmey, Managing Director at Tesco Media, said the new formats “allow advertisers to tell compelling stories that naturally flow into those high-intent moments of discovery, turning awareness into measurable action.”
Google Introduces AI Capabilities to Editing Suite Google Vids
Google has introduced new AI capabilities to its video editing suite Google Vids, using Veo 3.1 and Lyria 3 to generate video and music using photos and prompts. The video generation tool is available to anyone with a Google account at no cost, while the music capabilities are reserved for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. These users can also customise and direct AI avatars and have them interact with uploaded objects.
Happydemics Launches ‘In-Flight’ Brand Lift Measurement
Happydemics, a global brand lift and ad measurement company, has launched a product called ‘In-Flight’, integrating brand outcome measurement directly into live campaigns. The announcement marks a shift from the historical practice of delivering brand performance data post-campaign, according to the firm, enabling real-time optimisation of a campaign while it is still running. “Media buying cycles are accelerating: a campaign can become obsolete within hours,” said Happydemics CEO Tarek Ouagguini. “In-Flight gives brands and their partners the data to act while it still matters. Every signal captured in real time becomes a decision: cut what’s not performing, amplify what works, and maximise the return on every euro spent.”
TattleTV Releases Vertical Version of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid
TattleTV, a vertical drama app, has released a vertical version of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 classic The Kid on its app in the US. The company adapted the silent movie using its proprietary in-house AI technology, according to TattleTV, extending and reconstructing the image rather than simply cropping the original frame. “The result is a format that feels native to mobile viewing while remaining faithful to the spirit of the film,” the company said in the announcement.
The Week in TV
Tubi Introduces ChatGPT App to Surface Recommendations
Fox-owned streaming service Tubi has launched an app within ChatGPT, allowing users to receive recommendations through natural language prompts. Users can add Tubi’s app from the ChatGPT app store, type “@Tubi” to describe what type of content they want to watch, and receive results that they can watch on the streaming service. “Streaming should feel effortless, and as chatbots and AI agents are becoming a common way people navigate the internet, Tubi is expanding its discovery experience to meet viewers in the moment they’re expressing intent in their own words,” said Mike Bidgoli, Chief Product and Technology officer at Tubi.
Netflix Launches Kids Gaming App ‘Netflix Playground’
Netflix has launched a kids gaming app called Netflix Playground, designed for children ages 8 and under. The smartphone/tablet app is available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand, before rolling out to the rest of the world on 28th April. At launch the app includes games including Playtime With Peppa Pig, Sesame Street and Dr. Seuss’s Horton!
CNN Plans AI-Driven Media Trading by Early 2027
US news network CNN is developing an internal agent infrastructure, according to the Digital Watch Observatory, as part of a plan to begin AI-driven media trading by early 2027. The company aims to test how properties are interpreted by large language models (LLMs) and how buyers allocate budgets to agent-based systems. The report suggests CNN is also working with standards bodies to ensure agent communication produces accurate outcomes for buyers.
BBC Studios to Launch In-Flight Entertainment BBC Player Later This Year
BBC Studios is launching an in-flight entertainment system version of its BBC Player later this year, Broadband TV News reported on Wednesday. Developed in partnership with Panasonic Avionics, the service will be integrated into seatback in-flight entertainment systems, allowing passengers to watch titles shortly after their UK broadcast. The available content will include Blue Planet III, alongside programming from BBC News, BritBox and BBC Kids.
Paramount President Jeff Shell Steps Down Amid Fraud Lawsuit
Paramount president Jeff Shell is stepping down following legal action against the media executive. Last month, Shell was sued for fraud by a man named R.J. Cipriani, who claimed he provided the Paramount exec with 18 months of crisis communications services between 2024 and 2026 without any compensation. Cipriani also alleged that Shell reneged on a pledge to help him develop an English-language version of a Spanish show airing on Roku. Paramount said the board reviewed the allegations and found no evidence of violations. But the company confirmed that Shell had “elected to transition” from his post as president and member of the board of directors.
ITVX Surpasses One Billion Streams in 2026
UK streaming service ITVX has surpassed one billion streams in 2026, ITV announced last week, hitting the landmark figure eight days earlier than in 2025. Viewership was driven by the Rugby Six Nations, Britain’s Got Talent and the BVOD service’s drama slate, according to the UK broadcaster. ITV added that reality viewing is up 11 percent YoY, and news by 36 percent.
The Week for Publishers
Digital Revenue Growth Concentrated in Minority of UK Publishers Finds DPRI
In the face of ongoing challenges to website traffic and the rise of AI overviews, UK digital publishers grew their revenues by 3.88 percent YoY to reach £180.72 million in Q4 2025, according to the latest Digital Publishers’ Revenue Index (DPRI) from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte. But the report, which is based on a survey of 13 UK digital publishers, found that distribution of revenue growth is uneven across the publisher landscape. The majority of publishers (54 percent) suffered overall revenue declines, leaving growth concentrated in 46 percent of respondents, with 31 percent posting YoY growth of more than 25 percent.
BuzzFeed Sells Two Channels to Thai Randolph’s Media Startup
BuzzFeed has sold two of its old social-based channels, As/Is and Goodful, to Nile & Co., a media startup launched by Thai Randolph, the ex-CEO of Kevin Hart’s media company Hartbeat. BuzzFeed sold the titles for a combined $500,000, the Wall Street Journal reported this week. Randolph will use the two channels as the foundation of her new business, which aims to help launch and promote creator-fronted media brands. While the two BuzzFeed channels have been largely dormant for years, they still have over 40 million followers across platforms, according to the WSJ.
Le Monde CEO Reports Gains from AI Partnerships
French newspaper Le Monde’s CEO Louis Dreyfus says his company is seeing a number of benefits from its range of AI partnerships, as it’s being referenced more in AI engines, and picking up more subscribers, while also receiving direct revenues through those deals. Le Monde has deals with OpenAI, Perplexity, and Meta, and is sharing a quarter of the revenues from these deals with its journalists, according to an interview with Press Gazette. According to Dreyfus, Le Monde stories which are surfaced on ChatGPT convert to paid subscriptions 20 times more often than those same stories do on Facebook, and 50 times as frequently as they do on Google Discover.
WSJ Beefs Up its Video Division
The Wall Street Journal has grown its video team by around a third since bringing in Maral Usefi as its head of video in September, Press Gazette reported this week, as the current affairs and business news publisher has revamped its video strategy. The WSJ is focusing on six pillars for its video content: original journalism, breaking news, explainers and analysis, live video, habit-building franchises, and IP-based scripted and unscripted projects. It is also working to bring more video viewership onto its owned and operated properties.
The Associated Press Cuts Under Five Percent of Global News Staff
Global news business the Associated Press is cutting under five percent of its global news staff, Reuters reported this week, with cuts largely concentrated in the US, where AP is restructuring. In an internal memo seen by Reuters, AP executive editor Julie Pace said the layoffs are aimed at aligning AP’s newsroom with the needs of its largest customers, many of which are undergoing their own internal restructures in response to changes in their audiences’ media consumption.
The Independent Celebrates Ten Years as Digital-Only Newspaper
UK news business The Independent this week marked ten years since it shut down the print version of its newspaper and went digital-only. The Independent was an early mover on that front, claiming to be the first major newspaper to go fully digital. Since then, the company says it has recorded significant growth and sustained profitability, recording over 2.2 billion global article views in the past three years. “Becoming fully digital was not only a defining moment for the business but a marker of The Independent’s commitment to the future of quality journalism,” said CEO Christian Broughton. “Ten years on, we’ve grown our audiences and our revenue, innovated continually, and built a commercially resilient organisation without compromising our editorial independence. Our digital revenues today are greater than the print revenues of The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, and The i Paper combined in 2015-2016.”
The Week for Brands & Agencies
Dentsu Says Advertisers are Underinvesting in Video for Brand Building
New research from Dentsu, released this week, verifies linear TV’s ability to deliver on brand metrics. But it also suggests that video advertising more widely can be used effectively for brand campaigns, and challenges some commonly held assumptions. The report, The Brand Reset, found that digital video advertising, including short-form formats, is capable of producing multi-year brand-building effects. Dentsu says this challenges the notion that linear TV is the only channel capable of driving long-term growth. Connected TV meanwhile was found to be as effective as linear TV at delivering on brand-building objectives. Read more on VideoWeek.
Publicis Acquires Sports Marketing Business 160over90
Publicis Groupe has agreed a deal to buy sports and culture-focussed agency 160over90, a division of WME Group, for an undisclosed fee. The acquisition will be integrated into Publicis’ dedicated sports unit Publicis Sport, significantly expanding its size with 160over90’s 670-strong team. “After building our industry-leading position in identity resolution, commerce, and creators, our next big bet is sport,” said Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun. “In the age of AI, it has become one of the most high-value channels for clients, delivering unparalleled cultural relevance, live engagement, and measurable impact.”
Omnicom Wins Global Media Mandate for IBM
Omnicom Group has been appointed by tech business IBM to handle its global media duties, following a competitive review. WPP Media, which previously ran the account, did not participate in the review according to Ad Age, and Omnicom faced off against Publicis in the final stage of the process. This marks one of Omnicom’s first major wins since completing its merger with fellow holding group Interpublic Group at the end of last year.
Wendy’s Picks WPP Media for Media Duties
WPP Media has been appointed as media partner for fast food chain Wendy’s in the US, its largest market, Ad Age reported this week. WPP-owned creative agency VML has already worked with the brand for 14 years, and WPP CEO Cindy Rose described the win as “a powerful endorsement of our vision for a new, more connected WPP – uniting our world-class creativity with media, data, and technology to help our clients win”.
Hires of the Week
Jungle Creations Names Mallory Simmonds CEO
Jungle Creations, a global social and influencer agency, has named Mallory Simmonds as CEO. Simmonds joins from media agency Kepler, where she was CEO for EMEA & APAC. She replaces Melissa Chapman, who left in February.
Azerion Promotes Ryan Burnett to Group Sales Director
Azerion, an omnichannel advertising business, has promoted Ryan Burnett to Group Sales Director. Burnett has 15 years of commercial sales experience, including stints at Haymarket Media Group and The Daily Telegraph. He previously served as Azerion’s International Senior Account Director.
This Week on VideoWeek
Digital Revenue Growth Concentrated in Minority of UK Publishers Finds DPRI
Dentsu Says Advertisers are Underinvesting in Video for Brand Building
Ad of the Week
Hargreaves Lansdown, Helping Britain Invest for 45 Years
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