Week in Review: Sky Agrees Terms with ITV, Omnicom Goes All In on Streaming at Cannes, and Walmart Acquires Vibe.co

In this week’s Week in Review: Sky reportedly agrees terms with ITV, Omnicom announces a slate of new streaming partnerships at Cannes, and Walmart buys French ad tech business Vibe.co.

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Sky Agrees Terms to Buy ITV’s TV and Streaming Arm

Comcast-owned broadcaster Sky had reportedly agreed terms with fellow British TV business ITV to acquire its linear and streaming TV business, Reuters reported this week, paving the way for the rumoured £1.6 billion transaction to be completed in the next couple of weeks. As part of the deal, ITV Studios will acquire Sky-owned production company Love Productions, best known for its flagship reality formats The Great British Bake Off and The Piano, according to Reuters’ sources.

News of discussions between Sky and ITV first emerged at the end of last year, but hammering out the exact terms of the deal has been a lengthy process. Disentangling the production and distribution arms of the 70-year-old broadcaster has proven complex. But there have been consistent positive sounds from the two companies over the course of the year so far, suggesting talks were still moving in the right direction. The question remains, however, whether UK competition authorities will approve of the deal as and when it’s formally announced.

Omnicom Media Focuses on CTV Ad Experience in Cannes Announcements 

Omnicom made a series of announcements at Cannes this week, many of them centred around the streaming ad experience. On Monday the holding company announced new capabilities for Omnicom Media’s cross-platform clean room, designed to help resolve the issue of frequency capping across multiple streaming services and broadcasters. According to AdExchanger, the move enables post-campaign measurement of reach, frequency and performance across multiple streaming publishers and linear TV broadcasters, within a single clean room instance.

Omnicom Media has also partnered with Netflix, bringing its identity and AI solutions to the Netflix Ads Suite in order to deliver more relevant ads. The collaboration uses Acxiom audience intelligence, Omni’s operating platform and Omnicom Production’s AI creative tools. “Leveraging Omnicom Production’s digital twin technology and generative AI expertise, the partnership enables advertisers to seamlessly integrate brand assets into the look and feel of the shows and films audiences are watching, while closed-loop measurement evaluates performance across audiences, creative executions and programming,” the company announced.

In addition, the media agency unveiled a partnership with Disney Advertising, to enable the deployment of dynamic sequential ads across both on-demand and live content. Built with ad tech firm Innovid, the solution is designed to replace repetitive ads with coordinated creative messages that evolve throughout a viewing session, according to Digiday. The collaboration is already live in the US, and will roll out to Europe and Latin America later this year. The media agency announced a similar collaboration with Paramount, whereby sponsor units in streaming premieres can be dynamically adapted to let advertisers tell a sequential story in those ad breaks. The partnership will go live in Q3 in the US, before rolling out internationally next year.

Walmart Acquires Vibe.co in CTV Acceleration

US retail giant Walmart announced on Tuesday it has agreed a deal to buy Vibe.co, an ad tech business specialising in performance CTV advertising. Vibe.co will be integrated into Walmart’s media arm Walmart Connect, while both founders are expected to also join Walmart’s team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though reports suggest the price to be around $1.4 billion.

Vibe’s exit is notable both in terms of the size of the deal, and the speed with which it’s come about. The French company was founded in 2022 by Arthur Querou and Franck Tetzlaff, pitching itself as ‘Meta for TV advertising’. Its platform is designed to enable small and medium-sized businesses to quickly and simply plan and execute campaigns across CTV inventory, while allowing them to optimise towards performance outcomes in the same way they’ve historically been able to on social media. It’s a model now being directly embraced by the traditional TV world, as shown by the launch of Universal Ads in the UK this week (see below). But Vibe was early to the scene in America, onboarding major sell-side brands thanks to its ability to bring in incremental spend.

Walmart itself is a rapidly growing player in the advertising world, and has made inroads into CTV through its acquisition of TV manufacturer VIZIO. VIZIO has given Walmart access to a big bank of TV audience data, as well as its own CTV inventory, which will help feed Vibe’s performance capabilities. “Vibe.co was built as the self-serve platform for performance and ecommerce marketers to run streaming TV the way they run paid social: measurable, fast to launch, and optimised for better outcomes,” said Vibe.co’s Arthur Querou. “Joining Walmart gives us the opportunity to accelerate that mission and bring performance TV advertising to one of the most powerful commerce media ecosystems in the market.”

The Week in Tech

Samba Acquires Bestever AI for Agentic Ad Products

Samba, a TV intelligence business, has acquired Bestever AI, a GenAI ad platform, for an undisclosed fee. The acquisition “accelerates Samba’s agentic roadmap” by building an agentic product for the media ecosystem, according to the company, combining its TV viewership data with Bestever’s technology that autonomously researches brands and generates ad creative. Apoorva Govind, Founder and CEO of Bestever, will join Samba as Director of Product. 

UK Government Plans to Make YouTube and Meta Boost Prominence of PSB News

UK ministers will consult on plans to make social media and video services boost the prominence of public service broadcaster (PSB) news content on their platforms, people close to the talks told the FT. The rules would make BBC, ITV and Channel 4 content more prominent on the likes of YouTube and Instagram, in efforts to combat the rise of mis- and disinformation in environments where younger audiences consume TV content. The rules could also be extended to national and regional newspapers, according to the report, for example by making their content appear at the top of a TikTok feed. 

Instagram TV Comes to Samsung TV in the US

Meta has made Instagram TV, its Reels app for smart TVs, available on Samsung TV in the US, joining its availability on Amazon Fire TV and Google TV. Instagram is also testing a dedicated home for horizontal videos, and exploring new formats, such as longer-form creator content, episodic series and live streams. The company aims to roll out the new features soon. 

AppsFlyer Raises $1 Billion From Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

AppsFlyer, a mobile ad tech firm, has raised more than $1 billion in a Series E funding round that values the company at $2.7 billion, Axios reported on Monday. According to AppsFlyer CEO Oren Kaniel, Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity have each acquired a minority stake in the business, which provides measurement, attribution and analytics tools for mobile marketing. Kaniel also said the company intends to go public, with this investment being “a step on that path.”

TikTok Launches AI Agent for Generating Video Ads and Finding Creators 

TikTok has introduced Symphony Agent, an agentic AI system that works across three products within its Symphony advertising suite: Symphony Creative Studio, Content Suite, and TikTok One. Advertisers can use the new system to generate video content from text prompts, images and video references, create campaign briefs, and match with creators. “Whether it’s creating TikTok-first campaigns, discovering creators and community content, or scaling creative across markets, we’re building tools that help marketers unlock the full potential of creativity powered by technology,” said Andy Yang, Global Head of Creative and Brand Products at TikTok. 

Adnami Brings “High Impact” Ad Formats to JWX

JWX, a video monetisation business, has announced a strategic partnership with Adnami, an ad tech firm specialising in attention, to bring Adnami’s “high-impact” advertising formats to JWX’s global publisher and streaming partners. The collaboration will see JWX represent Adnami demand in the US, while Adnami will apply its creative across JWX’s video footprint. “JWX is committed to building better experiences for publishers and advertisers amid the evolution of the advertising and media ecosystem,” said JWX CEO John Nardone. “Enhanced creative units are an underleveraged opportunity for publishers to gain consumer attention, and for publishers to gain new revenue streams. Partnering with Adnami lets us bring a proven solution to market.”

DoubleVerify Expands Pre-Bid Media Quality Protection to Meta and TikTok

Media verification business DoubleVerify has announced the expansion of its DV Authentic AdVantage solution to Meta and TikTok. The move allows advertisers to leverage the solution’s pre-bid media quality protection, campaign optimisation and measurement tools in Meta and TikTok environments. DV said the product has reduced “brand suitability incidents” by 59 percent in TikTok test campaigns, while also improving unique reach by 98 percent.

The Week in TV

Comcast’s Universal Ads Platform Goes Live with UK Broadcasters for SMEs

One year after unveiling plans to develop a joint self-serve ad platform for small and medium-sized advertisers at last year’s Cannes Lions, UK broadcasters ITV, Channel 4, and Sky on Tuesday launched the new product to the market. The platform is built on the Universal Ads self-serve technology which Sky’s parent company Comcast first launched in the US, and launches under the Universal Ads brand. “Together with Channel 4, ITV and Sky, we’ve built a platform that changes how TV advertising works in the UK today, bringing an experience that feels as simple as social, while preserving everything that makes broadcaster TV trusted, effective and impactful,” said David Shaw, head of global expansion at Universal Ads. Read more on VideoWeek.

Channel 4 Opens Up Programmatic Access to Five New Ad Tech Partners

UK broadcaster Channel 4 on Monday announced it is significantly opening up programmatic access to video on-demand inventory on its eponymous streaming platform, launching five new partnerships with ad tech partners. Amazon Ads, FreeWheel, Hawk, PubMatic, and Yahoo DSP will now all have direct access to Channel 4’s on-demand offering, significantly expanding the route available to advertisers to run campaigns with the UK broadcaster. Read more on VideoWeek.

UK Government Prepares for Wind Down of Digital Terrestrial Television

The UK government will begin preparing for a managed withdrawal of the country’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast infrastructure, planning to either wind DTT services down by the end of 2034, or set a time-limited extension lasting until 2044 at the longest, according to a new government green paper. The green paper, Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media, sets out the government’s strategy for addressing the challenges created by the shift of audience attention away from linear TV channels and towards less-regulated online platforms. Read more on VideoWeek.

EBU Calls for European Legislation “With Teeth” to Protect PSB Prominence Against Big Tech Gatekeepers

Much has changed since the last time the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the EU’s legal framework that coordinates national legislation for audiovisual services, was revised back in 2018. With video content now accessed through a range of different entry points, public service media (PSM) content sits alongside all types of video, all competing for prominence in viewing moments increasingly determined by algorithm. But with the AVMSD being reviewed again this year, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has called on the European Commission to use the revision to safeguard the prominence of PSM “in a digital landscape dominated by global tech giants.” Read more on VideoWeek.

European Commission Set to Approve Paramount’s WBD Acquisition with Conditions

The European Commission is set to approve Paramount’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the FT reported on Wednesday, providing the company accepts certain remedies that are still being worked out. According to two people involved in the discussions, the remedies could include a requirement for Paramount to exit its joint venture with Universal Pictures, which distributes films in several international markets, though a decision has reportedly yet to be made. The EU’s review is among the last major regulatory obstacles facing the deal, after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger last month. 

Channel 4 to Sell Home Screen Ads on VIDAA OS

Channel 4 has partnered with V, a TV operating system (OS), enabling the UK broadcaster to sell home screen ads on the VIDAA OS, according to Broadband TV News. The agreement gives advertisers access to home screen placements on VIDAA-powered smart TVs, including devices manufactured by Hisense, Toshiba and Loewe. “Home screen advertising is a high impact, innovative format which gives brands the opportunity to run at the highest engagement point, when viewers turn on the TV and are leaning in, so we’re delighted to partner with V,” said Jaymin Kassam, Head of Ad Sales Business Operations & Revenue Innovation at Channel 4.

HBO Max Announces Contextual Ad Format 

Warner Bros. Discovery has unveiled a new contextual ad format called Moments, enabling advertisers to tailor their messaging to themes, settings and on-screen context across HBO Max. Powered by KERV.ai, the new format will launch in select international territories by the end of 2026. “Moments gives brands a powerful new way to align with the content viewers are already engaged with, while also supporting a better experience on the platform,” said Daniel Barnes, Head of Global Advertising Revenue at HBO Max.

FranceTV Publicité Adds Film-Based Targeting Segments in AlloCiné Partnership

FranceTV Publicité, the sales house for France Télévisions, has announced a partnership with AlloCiné (Webedia-Elephant), a digital and social media brand for films and TV series. The move expands FranceTV Publicité’s data offering by adding almost one million qualified profiles from AlloCiné, according to the partners, allowing advertisers to target audiences of film fans across a range of genre-based segments. “With this new data module, FranceTV Publicité is continuing to develop an ever-more comprehensive and relevant targeting offering that is closely aligned with the audiences’ interests,” the company said in the announcement. 

ESPN Launches Engagement Hub for Sports Fans

ESPN has announced a new engagement hub called ESPN Fan House, designed to connect fans with the network’s coverage of college sports and brands ahead of the 2026 college football season. Built on Flowcode technology, the hub offers interactive features such as live polls, trivia, sweepstakes, merchandise and brand integrations, across social and digital platforms, as well as on-site events. Publicis Sports will be the first agency to pilot the new initiative with Disney Advertising.

The Week for Publishers

AI and Video Fuel Independent Media Revenue Growth

UK publishing group Independent Media reported this week that it’s had a strong first half of the year, with both AI and its video arm Studios seeing 60 percent growth year-on-year. Notably, AI projects now contribute ten percent of all revenues across the company, while its four growth pillars (AI, Studio, Ecommerce, and US expansion) collectively account for over 60 percent of revenues. The release coincides with John Paton, the company’s chairman, stepping down from his role after seven years.

Majority of UK’s Biggest News Websites Saw Year-on-Year Falls in Traffic

Twenty of the UK’s 25 most popular news websites saw year-on-year declines in traffic in May, according to Press Gazette’s analysis of Ipsos iris data, as AI-induced shifts in audiences’ online behaviour continue to dent views. The BBC, the most popular site, was the only of the top ten publishers which saw year-on-year growth, up 3.7 percent year-on-year. ITV saw the highest growth rate, up by 20.2 percent, while GB News was hit by the biggest drop, down 37.7 percent.

UK Private Member’s Bill Targets Anonymous Content Scraping Bots

Conservative MP Damian Hinds has introduced a new Private Member’s Bill, the Automated Online Software (Access and Transparency) Bill, which is designed to crack down on anonymous bots extracting content, data, and value from publishers’ websites. The Bill says it will allow website owners to identify who is trying to access their website and why, enabling them to deter costly traffic. It’s received backing from UK publisher trade group the News Media Association. “Too many UK businesses are having their websites raided for valuable content, with no visibility on who is extracting the value from their work. But a functioning economy depends on property rights, and being able to trade and be paid,” said Hinds.

Majority of US Adults Say They Don’t Use AI for News

While many news publishers say they’re seeing website traffic fall as audiences increasingly receive news updates from AI chatbots, new research from Gallup finds that the majority of US adults say they don’t use AI at all to source news or information. Only seven percent say they use AI either a great deal or a fair amount for news. Meanwhile, when asked which channels they’d turned to for news in the past seven days, only two percent picked AI chatbots or assistants as one of their top three sources, placing it bottom of the options listed by Gallup.

DMG Media Rebrands to Daily Mail

Publishing group DMGT has rebranded its consumer news division DMG Media, naming it after its flagship title the Daily Mail, as part of an organisational restructure, Press Gazette reported this week. DMGT-owned newspaper Metro meanwhile will move out of that unit, and transfer over to Harmsworth Media, where it will sit alongside The I Paper and New Scientist. Meanwhile Vere Harmsworth, son of DMGT owner Lord Rothermere, has been promoted to executive chairman of Daily Mail, from his previous role of chief commercial officer.

WPP Stops Using LiveRamp Following Publicis Acquisition

WPP CEO Cindy Rose said on stage at Cannes this week that her company has stopped working with data and identity business LiveRamp, following its acquisition by WPP rival Publicis Groupe. Speaking at Campaign House, Rose said the company has pulled back from LiveRamp “as of recently”, and when asked whether this was due to Publicis’s ownership of the platform, she replied “what do you think?”, according to MMM Online.

Dentsu Partners with Lightbox to Automate Linear TV Buying

Agency group Dentsu announced at the start of the week that it is partnering with TV buying and planning platform LightboxTV to automate manual processes in linear TV workflows, removing the need to build TV buying frontsheets by hand. Dentsu says that LightboxTV’s technology connects campaign planning, broadcaster airtime delivery, and Barb verification, doing away with the need for manual spreadsheet-based administration. “Automating the administration gives us complete accuracy on delivery while our people focus on the judgement calls and human relationships that actually move results,” said Lauren Hawkins, managing director of total AV at Dentsu.

Ad Net Zero, a voluntary not-for-profit climate action programme for the global advertising industry, this week released the third edition of its Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF), which it says helps track emissions from 95 percent of global media spend. Ad Net Zero says that the third edition of the GMSF, v1.3, allows advertisers and agencies to view sustainability performance and understand the impact of media decisions across markets and media channels via a consistent framework covering digital, TV, OOH, and print, with audio and cinema guidance to be added soon. “The data is clear and evidence is growing – sustainable advertising delivers commercially through greater effectiveness, smart efficiencies and waste reduction,” said Sebastian Munden CBE, Ad Net Zero global chair.

WPP Media Tops COMvergence’s 2025 Agency Billings Rankings

WPP Media has topped media research group COMvergence’s rankings of media agency billings for 2025 among the major holding groups, with total billings of $63.9 billion across the year. This put it just ahead of Publicis Media, which brought in billings of $62.4 billion, and significantly ahead of third-placed Omnicom Media, with $48.5 billion. However, WPP Media’s billings were down by 0.2 percent year-on-year, while Publicis’s climbed 12.8 percent, meaning Publicis is on course to take the top spot in 2026 if those trajectories continue.

Havas Media Network Launches Attention Marketplace with Viant

Havas Media Network this week unveiled its new Attention Marketplace built with Viant, a joint solution which scores omnichannel inventory based on attention within Viant’s DSP, enabling pre-bid targeting against high attention environments. The marketplace houses a curated network of publishers which have been scored across a range of quality and effectiveness metrics including viewability, attention, brand safety, and audience growth. “The Attention Marketplace is designed to help brands make smarter media investment decisions,” said Jackie Lyons, chief planning officer of Havas Media Network North America. “By connecting attention data to activation and optimisation, we can identify the environments that drive stronger engagement and demonstrate measurable value for our clients.”

Stagwell Integrates Copilot into Live Media Campaigns

Marketing group Stagwell revealed on Wednesday that it has embedded Microsoft’s Copilot AI agent directly into the paid search operations and live campaigns of its global media agency Assembly, via Microsoft’s MCP. The group says this integration will enable increased audit frequency; broader coverage across markets, accounts, and campaign types; and greater consistency in recommendations across global teams. “This is not AI as a toolset. This is AI as infrastructure, embedded into how our media segments operate in Search, and beyond, at Stagwell,” said Dan Roberts, global SVP of search at Stagwell Media Platform.

Havas Research Demonstrates Importance of Brand Desire

New research from French advertising group Havas released at Cannes this week demonstrates the role of desire (as Havas defines it) in driving results for brands. According to Havas, desire is the result of three interconnected drivers: attraction, affinity, and attachment. Brands that manage to build desire among audiences see significant results, including 2.2x more fame, 87 percent more pricing power, and 2.4x sustained growth. Desirable brands are also 4x more likely to be referenced by AI.