This is a daily digest of news stories from around the media world, updated by The Media Leader team, to ensure you’re 100% up-to-date.
Wednesday, 13 April
The Daily Mail relaunches Weekend Magazine with streaming highlights
The Daily Mail’s Saturday supplement will relaunch this week with a ten-page guide of on-demand TV plus existing listings.
The redesigned 88-page magazine (front cover pictured-below) will be free each Saturday with The Daily Mail and include 72 TV channels, a separate Freeview section and more than 100 “must-see shows” across terrestrial, satellite, cable and on-demand TV with highlights from Netflix, BBC iPLayer, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and other streamers.
Sarah Vine will give her view on the most talked-about shows of the week and other regular columnists will include Jaci Stephen, Monty Don and James Martin.
The Recount debuts live news show on Twitch
The Recount, a news start-up founded in 2019 with a focus on video journalism, is launching a three-hour long live news broadcast via Twitch.
The show, called Recount Live, will be hosted by journalists Mosheh Oinounou and Liz Plank and will cover breaking news across a host of subjects, interspersed with audience interaction via Twitch’s live chat feature.
The show will air exclusively on Twitch on weekdays at 4pm ET, who will take a 50% cut of the ad revenue from the program, which will include pre- and mid-roll advertising on top of paid subscription tiers.
Stagwell launches Brazil office
Challenger marketing holdings company Stagwell announced the opening of a new global office in Brazil.
Vinicius Reis will lead the office as President, Stagwell Brazil, alongside CCO and partners Andre Kassu and Marcos Medeiros.
The opening hopes to accelerate the company’s growth in Latin America and drive collaboration across its local agencies and affiliate partners.
Stagwell agencies in Brazil include global travel media firm Ink, communications network Allison+Partners, CP+B Brazil, YML, Locaria, and Code & Theory.
Stagwell Brazil is the second international office the company has opened this year, following the launch of Stagwell Singapore in January.
Chris Mason to take over from Laura Kuenssberg as BBC political editor
Chris Mason has been chosen to replace Laura Kuenssberg as BBC political editor next month.
Mason has worked across BBC radio, TV and online for the last ten years as a political correspondent, presenting BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? since 2019, co-hosting podcast Brexitcast and featuring on sister podcast Newscast with Kuenssberg.
He is set to take on the role after the end of the local elections while Kuenssberg, who was in the role for seven years, will take over the BBC Sunday morning TV politics slot from veteran journalist Andrew Marr who recently left to host his own show on Global’s LBC and Classic FM.
Incubeta announce Kevin Buerger as new US CEO
Global digital marketing group Incubeta announced the appointment of Kevin Buerger as its new US CEO.
Buerger (pictured-main) previously served as global chief growth officer at digital marketing company Jellyfish, at which he founded Jellyfish US.
As US CEO, Buerger will be based in New York and tasked with driving Incubeta’s growth strategy and elevating its client service offerings.
Buerger will report directly to Incubeta Group CEO Lars Lehne.
Snap introduce ‘Dynamic Stories’ to publish premium content faster
Snap has launched a new format so partners can create and publish stories automatically from content they are already creating on the web.
Dynamic Stories uses a partner’s RSS Feed to tie in Snapchat to existing workflows and will update in real-time so Snapchatters can keep up to date with the latest news.
Testing has begun in the US, UK, France and India with more markets to follow.
Early UK partners include British Vogue, GQ UK, PinkNews, The Independent and The Mirror, and in the US these include Bloomberg, BuzzFeed, CNN, ESPN and The Wall Street Journal.
UK 5G usage overtakes 3G for first time
New data from Three UK shows 5G usage has increased by 385% in the last year on its network.
Three UK’s Mobile Britain 2022 report revealed 5G data carried on Three’s network is now more than double that of 3G, overtaking it for the first time.
Three’s 5G network now covers more than one third of the UK population, with 5G handset usage quadrupling in 2021.
Three also predicted 5G will account for 35% of data usage by the end of 2022.
Google to offer six-figure grants to small and medium-sized publishers in Europe
Google has opened applications to small and medium-sized publishers to gain up to €150,000 through an innovation initiative.
The Google News Initiative (GNI) European Innovation challenge will fund select news organisations, including freelancers and sole traders, based in Europe with projects that demonstrate new thinking in digital journalism, develop new business models, or change the way users consume digital news.
Google launched the Google News Initiative in 2018 to “help build a stronger future for news”.
According to its website, the initiative has so far supported more than 7,000 news partners in 120 countries and territories with upwards of $300m in funding.
Ocean Outdoor CEO joins WOO global conference line-up
The World Out of Home Organisation has announced more industry leaders will speak at their Toronto 2022 conference.
Tim Bleakley, the CEO of Ocean Outdoor, is due to speak, as is Cristian Schmalzl, co-CEO of Germany outdoor media owner, Ströer Group.
Ben Milne, Head of Out of Home at dentsu International, will also discuss what “buyers really think about the medium”, the changes they would like to see and how they view OOH’s evolving role in the global media landscape.
The WOO Global Congress will run 25-27 May.
CNN+ draws ‘fewer than 10,000 daily viewers’
CNN+, CNN’s new paid subscription service, is drawing fewer than 10,000 daily viewers, according to a report by CNBC.
CNN has not released the exact number of subscribers for its service, and the ratings figures are currently non-public.
The streaming service only became available on Roku on Monday and still isn’t available on Android TV, but the early numbers are not encouraging.
In response, Axios is reporting that big cuts are coming to investments in the service.
CNN+ launched 29 March and charges $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
CNN’s new president, former Late Show showrunner Chris Licht, will start 1 May.
FIFA launches new streaming service FIFA+
FIFA yesterday launched a new online and app-supported streaming service, FIFA+.
The service is free (for now) and ad supported.
The platform will host live football games from leagues around the globe, as well as contain archival footage, news, documentaries, and more.
There are no plans to air the 2022 World Cup on the service.
Tuesday, 12 April
John Ayling & Associates hires new commercial director
Independent media specialist John Ayling & Associates has appointed Susan Fernando-Solini as commercial director.
Fernando-Solini joins the agency having worked with clients such as the RSPCA and the Woodland Trust.
She will be responsible for developing projects to progress the agency’s commercial expertise and work closely with the management team and business directors.
Cannes Lions owner considers transatlantic company break-up
Cannes Lions owner Ascential is considering breaking up the £1.49bn company across the pond.
While the plans have yet to be formalised, the split would see the events operations (such as Cannes Lions) remain in London, while the company’s digital operations would be spun-off to be listed separately in the US, where digital marketing providers tend to be more highly valued by investors.
Netflix and Fever launch immersive Stranger Things: The Experience in NYC
Netflix has teamed up with experience discovery platform Fever to launch an immersive Stranger Things experience in Brooklyn this spring ahead of its series four launch, with openings in other US cities expected later this year.
The 45-minute in-person audiovisual experience will allow fans to explore Hawkins, the fictional town in which the show is set, as well as the Upside Down, it’s dark, sci-fi underbelly.
Stranger Things 4 will include nine episodes released in two volumes – one on 27 May and the other five weeks later on 1 July.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Batman to stream on HBO Max 18 April
Matt Reeves’ blockbuster hit The Batman will be streaming on HBO Max beginning next Monday, 18 April.
The announcement from WarnerMedia comes just a week in advance of its streaming release, an apparent change in strategy from when Warner Bros. announced the streaming release date for Dune a week in advance of the film’s theatrical release.
The Batman recently crossed £565.1m ($735.1m) at the global box office, making it the highest grossing global hit of 2022 thus far by a wide margin.
Netflix rolls out ‘two thumbs up’ button
Netflix is launching a new ‘two thumbs up’ button to allow users to express a deeper love of shows and films they watch on the platform.
The streaming company previously switched from a five-star rating system to the binary thumbs up/down system in 2017.
Netflix hopes the new option will allow them to further refine content recommendations.
Monday, 11 April
Omnicom announces partnership with livestream platform Firework
Omnicom Group announced a strategic partnership with Firework, a livestream commerce and shoppable video platform provider.
The partnership will give Omnicom agency clients access to Firework’s suite of proprietary short-form video and livestreaming tech.
Through Firework’s technology, products can be featured on first-party livestreams (chat functions and reaction buttons included) which can simultaneously be made available for purchase.
Vodafone to potentially acquire TalkTalk for £3bn
TalkTalk, one of the UK’s biggest broadband providers, has hired bankers to field approaches for acquisition.
The value of the sale is reported to be £3bn and potential buyers are understood to include Sky and Vodafone, with talks with the latter having already gone on for weeks.
TalkTalk’s long-time adviser is investment bank Lazard and it was acquired last year for around £2bn.
TikTok ad revenue projected to surpass Twitter and Snapchat combined
TikTok’s worldwide ad revenues are expected to triple in 2022 and reach $11.64bn (£8.9bn) by 2024, surpassing Twitter and Snapchat combined to land the company in the ballpark of YouTube, according to Insider Intelligence’s Inaugural forecast.
More than half (51.2%) of the social media company’s ad revenues in the next year are projected to come from the US market.
TikTok’s popularity has grown significantly in recent years, especially amongst the valuable young adult demographic.
Digital UK appoints ex-Channel 4 exec for new chief technology officer
Digital UK, the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat, has chosen Orpheus Warr as its chief technology officer.
Warr (pictured- below) was formerly Channel 4’s chief technology officer responsible for digital transformation initiatives and was “instrumental” in developing the streaming service All 4.
In the newly created role at Digital UK, Warr will report into CEO Jonathan Thompson and take charge of shaping and delivery technology strategy for the UK’s leading free-to-view platforms.
Orpheus Warr said of the move: “Free TV plays a critical and hugely valuable role in the UK’s broadcasting ecosystem and I’m really looking forward to helping shape its future evolution. In an increasingly global, complex TV market, technology is central to how viewers discover and consume content. With Freeview and Freesat relied upon by over half of the UK’s homes, there’s a lot at stake and I can’t wait to start this important role.”
News UK reveals The News Desk panellist line-up
TalkTV’s hour-long weeknight news programme will be called The News Desk hosted by journalist Tom Newton Dunn.
Newton Dunn, previously chief political commentator on Times Radio, will be the programme’s executive editor in charge of its editorial output alongside series editor Caitlin Black.
News UK has said the prime-time show will give viewers the news “in a straight and balanced way with a fresh format” with journalists from The Times’ political team, The Sun’s showbiz desk, talkSPORT’s commentators and The Wall Street Journal’s business journalists
Regular panellists (pictured below- top left to bottom right)from across the political spectrum will include:
– Kate McCann– TalkTV’s political editor.
– Anas Sarwar MSP– leader of the Scottish Labour Party and MSP for the Glasgow region.
– Bim Afolami MP– Conservative MP for Hitchin and Harpenden and vice chair of the Conservative Party.
– Isabel Oakeshott– political journalist and TalkTV’s international editor.
– Adam Boulton– political broadcaster and journalist.
– Douglas Murray– Sunday Times best-selling author journalist.
– Emily Sheffield– journalist, columnist and former editor of The Evening Standard.
– Grace Blakeley– author and staff writer at Tribune Magazine.
– Miatta Fahnbulleh– chief executive of The New Economics Foundation.
– James Slack– deputy editor-in-chief of The Sun and former Downing Street director of communications.
–Tan Dhesi MP– Labour MP for Slough and shadow minister for railways.
TalkTV will begin broadcasting live from studio facilities in Ealing and News UK’s News building headquarters in London Bridge for the first time on 25 April on linear TV platforms Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview and Freesat.
It will also be streamed via Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus and on YouTube, as well as via the Talk.TV website and TalkTV iOS and Android apps.
TalkTV will also be available via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter.
Sky Media announces first partner of The Daily Climate Show
A people-powered campaign for sustainable pensions, Make My Money Matter, has become the first sponsor of Sky News’ The Daily Climate Show.
The sponsorship will use Sky Media’s Social Sync product from 11 April 2022 to reach “a highly defined eco-conscious audience across the UK” across the programme’s Facebook and Twitter.
Educational messages will be shown next to The Daily Climate Show’s content on these social channels to encourage them to think about the impact of their investments on the planet.
The organisation Make My Money Matter was founded by filmmaker Richard Curtis and aims to give the UK public “more voice and choice” over how their pension schemes are invested to help build a more sustainable future.
Starcom names Emma Morris head of investment
Publicis media agency Starcom has promoted Emma Morris from managing partner to head of investment.
Morris (pictured–below) started has previous roles at ITV and MediaCom and started at Starcom in 2002 as a TV planner/buyer.
She moved up through the ranks to head of AV in 2011, client investment director in 2016 and managing partner for the agency’s dedicated Samsung team in 2018. She also
Morris will now join the leadership team for PMX, Publicis Media’s central trading and investment practice, and report into UK CEO Steve Bignell.
She will replace John Heather, who was promoted to head of trading at PMX earlier this year, and work closely with Starcom CEO Nadine Young.
Morris will be responsible for all media investment on behalf of Starcom clients in the UK and a team of 80.
The Guardian to test paywall on new app
The Guardian will test a paywall on a sample of regular news app users later this month.
This paywall experiment is being explored as the media group considers putting the entire app product behind a pay wall.
The website will remain open to all and last year, The Guardian hit more than one million digital subscriptions with its voluntary subscription and free-to-read news model.
Musk not joining Twitter board, company says
In a reversal, Twitter stated that Elon Musk would not be joining its board after all.
Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted the announcement:
Elon has decided not to join our board. I sent a brief note to the company, sharing with you all here. pic.twitter.com/lfrXACavvk
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 11, 2022
Musk was announced to join Twitter’s board following his 9.2% passive stake purchase of the social media company announced last week.
Discovery-WarnerMedia merger closes
Discovery and WarnerMedia officially completed their merger Friday evening.
The new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, combines WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s non-fiction and international entertainment and sports businesses.
Warner Bros. Discovery will begin public trading Monday morning under the new ticker “WBD”.
In case you missed it last week:
https://mediatel.co.uk/news/2022/04/13/100-media-roundup-11-april-15-april/
