In this week’s Week in Review: Roku patents new tech for detecting ad breaks, Paramount enters exclusive takeover talks with Skydance, and Reach calls out Meta’s deprioritisation of news.
Top Stories
Roku Files Patent for Serving Ads in Breaks via HDMI Devices
Roku is looking to insert ads on its TVs by detecting breaks on connected HDMI devices. According to a patent filing reported by Lowpass, Roku wants to serve ads when a user takes a break from playing a game on their Xbox or streaming a show on an Apple TV device, which are plugged into the Roku TV.
The company has also explored ways to determine what the user is doing on their HDMI-connected devices in order to show them relevant advertising, including automatic content recognition (ACR) or fingerprinting/watermarking technology. Knowing that a consumer is a gamer, and which console they are playing, also becomes valuable to Roku in this environment.
Skydance Enters Exclusive Takeover Talks with Paramount
Hollywood studio Skydance has entered exclusive talks to take control of Paramount Global. After weeks of fielding offers from various suitors, Paramount controller Shari Redstone has closed in on Skydance, whose CEO David Ellison reportedly has 30 days to reach a deal.
The structure of the deal would likely require Skydance to start by buying National Amusements, the Redstone-owned cinema group that controls Paramount Global. Skydance would then merge with Paramount at a later date.
Reports also confirm the Paramount board has rejected a $26 billion bid from private equity firm Apollo.
Reach Describes Meta as “Potent Threat to Civil Society”
UK publishing group Reach’s chief digital publisher David Higgerston has described Meta as “a potent threat to civil society” in a submission to the UK’s House of Lords’ inquiry into the future of news.
Higgerston said the damage done by Meta to the publishing industry “cannot be underestimated”. Meta has de-prioritised news on Facebook in recent years, claiming its users don’t really interact with news content. But Higgerston disputed this claim, saying that Reach saw people clicking through from Meta onto its websites in record numbers prior to Facebook’s algorithm change. “Our assessment is that Meta has concluded that supporting the news industry globally is just too much hassle,” he said.
Higgerston added that the amount of time people spend on Meta’s platforms is concerning given that – he claims – “reliable, accurate information is, at best, being given only equal billing to conspiracy theories and misinformation” on Facebook.
The Week in Tech
Cadent Announces $324 Million AdTheorent Acquisition
Cadent, an advanced TV specialist, has announced it will acquire AdTheorent, a machine learning-driven programmatic advertising company, for around $324 million. The deal will see the TV advertising firm purchase all outstanding shares of AdTheorent Holding Company for a cash consideration of $3.21 per share. The combined entity will provide omnichannel audience activation platforms for buyers and sellers of advertising, according to the companies, with a focus on providing performance advertising solutions that cater to both digital and traditional TV markets. Read more on VideoWeek.
LinkedIn Tests TikTok-Style Short-Form Video Feed
LinkedIn is testing a short-form video feed in the style of TikTok, according to TechCrunch. The Microsoft-owned company said videos are becoming one of its users’ desired formats for learning from professionals and experts. The aim of the new feed is to boost engagement and discovery on the platform using short, scrollable videos.
Comscore and VideoAmp Receive JIC Certification
A broadcaster-backed joint industry committee (JIC) in the US has announced it will certify Comscore and VideoAmp as national TV currencies ahead of May’s upfront negotiations. The certification confirms the companies have accurate and census-representative data sets which allow buyers and sellers to transact. Ad measurement company iSpot did not receive full certification but maintains conditional certification from last year.
Teads to Provide Ad Placements on LG TVs Across 10 Markets
Teads, a video-centric ad tech business, will provide native video and display ad placements on LG smart TVs in over 10 markets across Europe and Asia-Pacific, as part of an expanded partnership that began last year. The CTV ad placements appear in areas such as app menus and navigation screens. Teads said it can now deliver native ad experiences across 100 million LG smart TV households globally.
ICO Calls on Social Media and Video Sharing Companies to Protect Children’s Data
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data regulator, has called on social media and video sharing companies to improve their data protection practices in order to better protect children using their services. The regulator has set out its 2024-2025 child safety priorities that businesses should focus on, including turning off geolocation settings, targeted ads and the use of personal information in recommendation systems. “Children’s privacy must not be traded in the chase for profit,” said John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner.
X Hires Heads of Safety and Advertiser Solutions
X (formerly Twitter) has appointed Kylie McRoberts as its new Head of Safety, a position that has remained vacant for nine months. The company has also enlisted Publicis Media’s Yale Cohen as Head of Brand Safety and Advertiser Solutions. The appointments will look to restore advertiser trust in the social media firm that has lost more than half its ad revenues since Elon Musk’s takeover.
Facebook Upgrades Fullscreen Video Player
Meta has upgraded its fullscreen video player on Facebook, which unifies its appearance across its various video products, including Reels and Live videos. The update includes new controls such as fullscreen mode for horizontal videos, a slider to skip through longer videos, and additional options to jump back or forward 10 seconds. The upgrade also improves the relevancy of video recommendations, according to Meta.
Captify Brings Search Data to Magnite SSP
Captify, a search intelligence company, has partnered with Magnite, a supply-side platform (SSP), to bring search intent data to programmatic CTV ad inventory. The partnership enables programmatic advertisers to address CTV audiences based on consumer intent. “Captify is able to determine who is truly interested and ultimately has the intent to purchase a product,” said Britt Augenfeld, VP of Video and Advanced TV at Captify. “By pairing that with premium CTV inventory through Magnite, we can focus on the consumer – the interests and behaviours of the households we are trying to reach.”
The Week in TV
Viaplay Completes Sale of UK Business Premier Sports
Viaplay Group, the embattled Nordic streaming company, this week completed the sale of Premier Sports back to its original owner. Viaplay acquired Premier Sports’ UK business in 2022, but was forced to retreat last year under the financial strain of its international expansion. Premier Sports comprises a streaming service and two linear TV channels, and holds the UK rights to sports properties such as La Liga, the Scottish League Cup, and the NHL.
Disney Rejects Peltz and Re-Elects Full Board
Disney CEO Bob Iger has seen off the latest attempt by activist investor Nelson Peltz to secure a seat on the Disney board. All 12 board members were reelected to their seats, rebuffing the challenge from Peltz who has been critical of Iger’s leadership. Iger is scheduled to retire at the end of 2026, and board members said they are in the process of vetting candidates for his replacement. “With the distracting proxy contest now behind us, we’re eager to focus 100 percent of our attention on our most important priorities: growth and value creation for our shareholders and creative excellence for our consumers,” said Iger.
Amazon Prime Video to Offer Premier League in Nordics Under Viaplay Deal
Amazon Prime Video will offer Premier League football in Sweden and Denmark, as part of a new agreement with Nordic streaming company Viaplay. The four-year deal makes games available from August at no additional cost to Prime subscribers in those markets. The agreement forms part of a wider deal between Viaplay and Amazon, which also brings nine new Viaplay series to Prime Video in the region.
NBA Launches FAST Channel on Roku
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is launching a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel in the US, under a partnership with Roku. The deal carves out an NBA Zone on Roku’s streaming service, providing access to the FAST channel alongside other NBA content. “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Roku with the NBA’s first FAST channel and other NBA content and functionality that will serve as an enticement and on-ramp to live NBA games,” said Greg Beaton, SVP Content Partnerships at NBA. “This partnership supports our goal of reaching NBA fans with our content in innovative ways.”
Vegan Business Podcast PLANT CEO Teams Up with UnchainedTV
PLANT CEO, a London-based podcast platform that spotlights leaders in the plant-based sector, has teamed up with UnchainedTV, a Los Angeles-based vegan-centric streaming service. The collaboration will give the vegan entrepreneurs and businesses featured on PLANT CEO to showcase their missions, products and services to a global video audience. “We are elated to join forces with UnchainedTV to broaden the impact of our show,” said PLANT CEO host Anant Joshi. “By sharing motivational stories of those leading the charge in plant-based lifestyles, we aim to motivate and inspire individuals to embrace this healthy, ethical, and eco-friendly way of living.”
The Week for Publishers
The Independent Takes Control of BuzzFeed and HuffPost in UK
The Independent has signed a multi-year license and strategic partnership with BuzzFeed which will see it effectively take control of BuzzFeed’s UK publications. The companies will combine their publishing, data, and ad-tech platforms which they say will allow commercial partners to buy ads across their sites with combined audiences. BuzzFeed’s UK commercial and editorial staff will move over to The Independent, while BuzzFeed’s global business will provide global content and strategic support.
The New York Times Partners with Adelaide for Attention Metrics
The New York Times has started working with attention measurement specialist Adelaide to use eye tracking data to benchmark its inventory, with the ultimate aim of tying attention metrics to advertisers’ campaign performance, Marketing Brew reported this week. The NYT began working on its own attention metric last year, but Adelaide is the first external partner providing attention metrics to the newspaper.
BILD Launches an Ecommerce Platform
German news tabloid BILD, owned by Axel Springer, has launched a new ecommerce platform for third-party sellers called BILD Marktplatz. The new offering will provide a new revenue stream for BILD, and create new ad opportunities for existing and new advertisers on BILD. It will also give the newspaper a bank of first-party shopper data which it could use to power its ad targeting and measurement.
Yahoo Acquires AI News Platform Artifact
Yahoo announced on Tuesday it has acquired Artifact, an AI-driven news aggregation and discovery platform developed by Instagram’s co-founders, for an undisclosed fee. Yahoo says it won’t continue to run Artifact as a standalone app, but will incorporate its technology across its other products, including Yahoo News.
All Top UK News Websites Saw Falling Traffic in February
All of the UK’s top ten news websites saw a month-on-month drop in their total audience in February, according to Press Gazette’s analysis of IPSOS data. ITV saw the biggest drop of the top ten, with its total audience down seven percent month-on-month, while the BBC saw the smallest dip with just a one percent fall. Among the wider top 50 there were some growth stories among national titles: LBC was up 20 percent month-on-month, the Irish Mirror was up 16 percent, and Examiner Live was up 13 percent.
Michael Leidig Shutters UK News Agency Network
Michael Leidig’s news agency network, which is comprised of Newsflash, Central European News, AsiaWire and Clipzilla, has ceased publication, Press Gazette reported this week. The network, which employs 30 people and distributes across a range of major titles, has seen falling budgets and a shortage in commissioning editors among news titles, which has hit its finances.
The Week For Brands & Agencies
The Brandtech Group Hits $4 Billion Valuation After AI Funding Round
Digital marketing group The Brandtech Group completed a Series C funding round of $115 million this week, placing the company’s value at $4 billion. The new funding will be used to make further investments and acquisitions around generative AI. “When OpenAI founder Sam Altman provocatively said AI Will Handle 95 percent of marketing work done by agencies and creatives, the traditional legacy industry was up in arms. We, on the other hand, said: ‘That’s exactly why we built the Brandtech Group'”,said David Jones, founder and CEO of The Brandtech Group.
Dentsu Launches Merkury for Media
Dentsu this week announced the launch of Merkury for Media, a media-specific product which will sit within its global data, identity, and insights platform, Merkury. Dentsu says the new product places every dollar of media using first-party people data optimised to business outcomes. The new platform will connect up Dentsu clients’ first-party data with its own Merkury ID for audience building, and then enable media planning, activation, and optimisation.
Marketing Procurement Teams Express Frustration with KPIs
Marketing procurement teams at major global brands are frustrated with their current KPIs, according to research from the WFA, as current savings-based metrics are deemed insufficiently detailed. Just 52 percent of marketing procurement executives surveyed by the WFA said their target setters have a good or very good knowledge of marketing. And the result is that targets are overly blunt, and disconnected from the current ad market.
Havas Media Network Joins Origin in UK
Havas Media Network has signed up to ISBA’s cross-media measurement initiative Origin as a funding stakeholder, meaning all of the major global media networks are now represented within the initiative. Havas Media Network UK will integrate with Origin ahead of its launch later this year and be part of the steering committee driving Origin forward. It will also enable Havas Media Network’s UK clients to join the beta trials which start in the second quarter of 2024.
Brands Begin Adding AI Restrictions to Agency Contracts
A number of major brands have started adding stipulations regarding generative AI to their agency contracts, wary of risks associated with generative AI, AdAge reported this week. Agency executives spoke of contract clauses which forbade them from using AI of any kind without prior authorisation – even for internal work related to the client’s project such as conceptual work.
Magna Raises 2024 Outlook for US Ad Market
Interpublic Group-owned media investment business Magna has upgraded its 2024 forecast for the US ad market, expecting 9.2 percent ad sales growth this year, including spend on the Summer Olympics and US elections. This is a significant increase from its previous forecast of 8.4 percent. Magna said it has raised its forecast due to encouraging economic indicators such as slowing inflation and strength in the US jobs market.
Team5pm Acquires Social Media Agency Lijm Amsterdam
Dutch marketing business team5pm this week announced it has acquired social media agency Lijm Amsterdam, which it says will increase its specialised knowledge of TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Team5pm said it is also looking at additional acquisitions in the near future as it continues to grow.
GroupM Wins Government of Canada’s Media Contract
The Government of Canada has selected GroupM’s Government Practice Powered by EssenceMediacom as its new media agency of record, GroupM announced this week. The new contract with Public Services and Procurement Canada covers a full suite of services across media planning and strategy, buying, as well as ad serving and trafficking, ad verification and reporting. The contract runs until the end of Q1 in 2027.
Hires of the Week
Laura Coller to Lead M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment has promoted Laura Coller to UK Chief Executive. The role will also entail Chief Executive duties across the lifestyle division, M&C Saatchi Fabric. Coller previously held the position of Managing Director.
The Spectator Appoints The Telegraph’s Stevie Antonioni as CCO
The Spectator has named Stevie Antonioni its new Chief Commercial Officer. Antonioni joins from The Telegraph, where she has served as Director, Digital Sales & Innovation since January 2023.
This Week on VideoWeek
Cadent Announces $324 Million AdTheorent Acquisition
Why Brands Which Use Their Data Most Effectively Will Win with AI
Can the Summer of Sport Revive the TV Market?
What Publishers Can Learn from Broadcasters When it Comes to Data Collaboration
Generative AI Can Bring Gaming Elements to Streaming TV
VideoWeek Podcast #42, Andrew Casale, Index Exchange
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