Introducing today’s round-up of stories from around the media world, updated by the Mediatel News team, to ensure you’re 100% up-to-date.Thursday, 20 January
Bloomberg Media and Twitter renew global agreement
Bloomberg Media and Twitter have announced a new agreement across major media markets with a focus on providing content and data on cryptocurrency.
The publisher currently has Twitter handles @Business, @Climate, @Luxury, @Technology and will add @Crypto this year “to help consumers navigate this evolving, saturated market”.
The crypto project plans to combine Bloomberg Media’s reporting with Twitter’s data via @Crypto Activity snapshots and weekly “What You Need to Know” videos with financial influencers.
Bloomberg Media also plans to host weekly Twitter spaces and live-stream events like Bloomberg New Economy Forum over the next two years.
Wednesday, 19 January
Microsoft buys video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn cash
Microsoft has agreed a deal to buy video games provider Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn.
This cash price means Microsoft is paying $95 a share making this its biggest acquisition since buying LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2bn.
Activision Blizzard has game franchises such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo and Candy Crush.
Education publisher Pearson revises operating profit forecast on back of stronger than expected sales
Pearson, the world’s largest education publisher, said in a release today full-year group sales were up 8% and adjusted operating profit up 33% on last year, ahead of expectations.
The January trading update report said its average operating profit for the year was around £385m with n average USD:GBP exchange rate of 1.38.
Dorries buffeted by ‘cabinet pushback’ against scrapping BBC licence fee
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reportedly led a cabinet pushback against replacing the BBC licence fee, despite the Culture Secretary claiming last weekend this would happen by 2027.
Read about this story in more depth here.
Nick Tran departs CMO role at TikTok
Global head of marketing for TikTok, Nick Tran, has suddenly left after just under two years in the position.
According to reports in The Information and Ad Week, TikTok leaders pushed out the marketing head this week but the immediate reason for this was not apparent and there was no official comment about the move.
Tran joined the social media company in 2020 from Hulu.
YouTube scales back Originals as Susanne Daniels leaves Google company
YouTube is winding down its original productions as its global head of original content leaves the company.
Daniels had been in the role of global head of original content at YouTube for more than six years, having come from being president of programming and production at MTV Networks.
YouTube chief business officer Robert Kyncl announced it will now only fund originals in Black Voices and YouTube kids.
‘Misleading’ cryptocurrency ads prompt new UK regulation
The UK government plans on including cryptocurrency ads under the same financial promotion rules as stocks, shares and insurance products.
Read about this story in more depth here.
Tuesday, 18 January
Google expands presence in the UK with London office
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced the company will be purchasing a central London office location for 10,000 employees.
As part of our commitment to the UK’s growth & success, we’re excited to purchase our Central Saint Giles office in London and invest in creating a more flexible future workplace. Looking forward to having space for 10,000 Googlers across our UK sites! https://t.co/x7X9B4qtuG
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 14, 2022
This was retweeted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, who hailed it as “a big vote of confidence in the UK as a world-leading tech hub.”
In a company blog, Ronan Harris, vice president and MD of Google UK & Ireland, said this builds on Google’s long-term commitment to the UK and the price for the flexible worksite was $1bn.
Motorway chosen as standalone sponsor for ITV’s Six Nations
Motorway, the used car marketplace, will be the stand-alone sponsor of ITV’s Guinness Six Nations coverage for the next two years.
Read full story in more detail here.
Brainlabs promotes Matt Adams to global chief operating officer
Matt Adams has been promoted to global chief operating officer of digital agency Brainlabs, according to an update on his LinkedIn account.
Adams (pictured, above) was Brainlabs global managing director and had previously worked as CEO of Havas Media Group UK & I and managing director and chief media officer at iProspect.
OOH Capital appoints three global partners
OOH Capital, the global OOH consultancy has chosen three partners covering the US, Asia and Benelux.
Pictured from left to right above, the new partners are Sheldon Silverman, founder of Liquid Marketing and CEO of the SmartBomb Media Group in the US, Jim Liu, formerly Zenith media head of OOH in China and president of Group M’s Kinetic China, and Fred Kuhlman, a founding partner of Nationaal Adviesbureau Buitenreclame in the Netherlands.
Advertising Standards Authority takes out ads against non-compliant social media influencers
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has taken out ads alerting social media users that six influencers consistently fail to disclose ads after multiple warnings.
This escalation in sanctions applies to Love Island stars Francesca Allen, Jess Gale, Eve Gale, Belle Hassan, Anna Vakili and model Jodie Marsh who have all previously been named by the watchdog for not flagging ads in their posts, Stories or Reels on their Instagram accounts.
The ASA’s ads read: “[Name] has been sanctioned by the UK’s ad regulator for not declaring ads on this platform. Be aware that products and services recommended or featured by this influencer may have been paid for by those brands. Our non-compliant social media influencer page at asa.org.uk is regularly updated to inform consumers of those who break these rules.”
In June 2021, the ASA has created a list of influencers who consistently fail to declare their posts as paid promotions by using #ad or similar.
Another Love Island star, Amber Rose Gill will be added to this page this week for ongoing non-disclosure with her account still being monitored in case further sanctions are needed.
Ruth Davidson joins Times Radio as presenter
Ruth Davidson (pictured, below) will join Times Radio in the Friday afternoon slot with her first show airing on 18 February.
Davidson is a former member of the Scottish Parliament and leader of Scottish Conservatives and is now a member of the House of Lords as Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links.
Prior to her political career she was a journalist and broadcaster, presenting live shows for BBC Scotland.
Monday, 17 January
Freezing BBC Licence Fee is ‘direct threat’ to strength of UK news
The future of the BBC’s funding has been thrown in question after the government signalled a two-year freeze and discontinuation of the Licence Fee within five years.
Read about this story in more depth here.
Archmon scales business with three new hires
Marketing and media consultancy Archmon have hired three new starters to increase the company’s planning and strategy offering.
Nina Franck, Emily Drake and Alexis Levene will join founder and CEO Simon Akers (pictured, below far left) as either planning or digital partners in the business.
Franck (middle left) is a monthly Mediatel News columnist and founder of Franckly with previous roles at Blue449, Starcom, MEC and MSIX. She will be joining as a planning partner.
Drake (middle right), founder of 360 enterprise and ex-Wavemaker and Manning Gottlieb, will be starting as an integrated planning partner.
Levene founded Caerus Digital Media and prior to that worked at We Are Social, Wavemaker and Accord. He will be Archmon’s digital partner.
Google ‘repeatedly and brazenly’ breaks antitrust rules, lawsuit alleges
Unredacted filings from an antitrust lawsuit in the US allege Google and Meta CEOs fixed online advertising sales.
Read about this story in more depth here.
ITV agrees replacement £500m revolving credit facility based on carbon emissions targets
ITV has agreed a new syndicated revolving credit facility (RCF) with six banks based on its steps towards net zero.
The syndicated RCF is with Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse International, Mizuho Bank, National Westminster Bank and Wells Fargo Bank and its terms will run until January 2027.
ITV will receive a lower interest rate if it delivers on emissions reductions which will be assessed annually and then verified independently.
The Ozone Project bolsters commercial team with promotions and new hires
The digital advertising platform, The Ozone Project, has added four promotions and two hires to its commercial team.
Frances Lazenby (pictured, above, bottom right) will become head of strategic solutions, a new position, while James Mapley (bottom left) will move to senior client services manager.
Daryl Manian and Bill Dennett (top right and left) will take on the role of agency sales hub leads.
In the next few weeks, Richard Rust and Jack Oates will join the agency sales team as senior agency partner and agency partner respectively.
Spotify poaches Yahoo’s Kristiana Carlet for international sales chief
Spotify has hired Yahoo’s Kristiana Carlet to be the audio streaming company’s international sales chief, a newly-created commercial role, Mediatel News can reveal.
