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In this week\u2019s Week in Review: Thomas Rabe says Bertelsmann is working on further M&A, Netflix debuts new ad formats, and more live sports come to YouTube in Portugal.<\/p>\n
Bertelsmann Eyes Up Further Media M&A<\/strong><\/p>\n European media giant Bertelsmann, owner of broadcasting group RTL, could finalise multiple large acquisitions in the coming months, the company\u2019s CEO Thomas Rabe told Reuters<\/a> this morning.<\/p>\n Earlier this summer, RTL Group completed its takeover of Sky Deutschland, shaking up the German TV market. And Bertelsmann is on the hunt for further deals, as it looks for growth via a mix of organic expansion and M&A. \u201cIt is entirely possible that we will conclude one or two larger transactions in the next few \u200bmonths,\u201d Rabe told Reuters. The company is particularly interested in deals which would expand its presence in the US, China, India, Germany, and Brazil.<\/p>\n Bertelsmann also released its H1 earnings this morning, reporting overall revenue growth of 2.3 percent year-on-year to \u20ac9.3 billion. Organic revenue growth was 5.1 percent, the highest rate in the past 20 years outside of its pandemic-affected H1 2021. The company says it now expects strong revenue growth and a significant year-on-year increase in adjusted operating profits \u2014 two metrics which had previously been projected to remain flat in 2026.<\/p>\n Netflix to Add AI Ad Formats and New Measurement Tools to Ads Suite<\/b><\/p>\n Since launching the Netflix Ads Suite (NAS) last year, the streaming giant has been adding new tools and capabilities for advertisers on its ad-supported tier, which has now been running for almost four years. At its Upfront Mexico 2026 last week, Netflix announced new updates for NAS, including:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWith Netflix Ads, brands can move beyond fragmented media plans and consolidate their reach in one place, thanks to our unmatched variety and quality,\u201d said Marcos \u00d3rdenes, Director of Netflix Ads in Mexico. \u201cWe also have more and more tools to understand our viewers, allowing us to connect brands with their audiences more precisely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Premier League Comes to YouTube in Portugal Under DAZN Deal<\/b><\/p>\n Sports streaming service DAZN has announced a partnership with LiveModeTV, a Portuguese digital sports channel, to expand the reach of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League in Portugal. Under the agreement, LiveModeTV will stream one free match per round of both tournaments on its YouTube channel in Portugal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All matches will also continue to be available live on DAZN, which has the rights to all 380 Premier League games, alongside over 80 percent of Champions League fixtures.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe more people experience top\u2011level international football, the greater the opportunity to create new fans,\u201d said Jo\u00e3o Diogo Ferreira, Managing Director of DAZN Portugal. \u201cWe\u2019re confident this innovative partnership will expand the reach of these competitions and create value for both companies \u2014 and above all, for the fans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While YouTube has long hosted a range of niche live sports content, we\u2019ve seen a number of deals in recent years which have brought more mainstream leagues and competitions onto the platform. Notably, Brazilian sports YouTube channel Caz\u00e9 TV held domestic broadcast rights for all 104 matches of this year\u2019s FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n Meta Conditionally Agrees $18 Billion Settlement in US Lawsuit Over Harms to Children<\/b><\/p>\n Meta has agreed to pay $18 billion to settle a US lawsuit claiming that Facebook and Instagram harmed children, and that the social media giant misrepresented the extent of mental health harms caused by its apps. Meta said the states involved in the lawsuit will receive 70 percent of the total settlement payment over the next 10 years. However, Meta will only pay the remaining 30 percent if YouTube and TikTok pay an equivalent sum, and implement certain app changes, including daily time limits for young users, age-assurance measures, and a \u201cnight mode.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n TikTok to Pay $400 Million in US Child Privacy Case<\/b><\/p>\n TikTok has been ordered to pay $400 million to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), in order to end a lawsuit alleging the short-form video app violated children\u2018s privacy. The deal stems from a 2024 lawsuit brought by the DOJ, accusing parent company ByteDance of collecting \u201cvast amounts of data\u201d on users under the age of 13. US Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. called the settlement \u201ca major victory for American children and parents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Nexxen Standardises Home Screen Inventory Buys Across OEMs<\/b><\/p>\n Nexxen has announced its standardisation of Smart TV home screen inventory specifications across original equipment manufacturers (OEM), enabling advertisers to \u201cbypass the complexity\u201d of managing different formats and requirements. By activating campaigns through Nexxen TV Home Screen, demand-side platforms (DSP) and buyers can bid on home screen inventory using a standardised request structure. \u201cFrom the beginning, our goal with Nexxen TV Home Screen has been to transform the home screen from a fragmented media environment into a scalable, performance-driven channel for the industry,\u201d said Kara Puccinelli, Chief Commercial Officer at Nexxen. \u201cBy standardising these formats across OEMs, it\u2019s another major step toward a more streamlined cross-platform ecosystem that better enables buyers, DSPs, and brands alike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Trade Desk Builds Agentic Network for Media Buyers\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The Trade Desk is building an AI conversational interface that will route media buyers towards specialised agents, <\/span>Adweek<\/span><\/a> reported on Wednesday. \u2018Ask Koa\u2019 is being built alongside Kokai Zuma, the AI assistant that the ad tech firm unveiled this week. The agents will handle different parts of the programmatic workflow, according to the company\u2019s product roadmap, including audience building, campaign creation, insights and troubleshooting.<\/span><\/p>\n KERV.ai Brings Interactive Formats to LG Ad Solutions<\/b><\/p>\n KERV.ai, a video analysis, performance and monetisation business, has expanded its partnership with LG Ad Solutions, bringing its interactive and commerce-enabled CTV products to LG\u2019s streaming inventory in Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The announcement follows the companies\u2019 collaboration in the US, allowing advertisers in the new markets to deliver \u201coutcomes-driven advertising experiences\u201d across LG\u2019s video inventory. \u201cTogether with KERV.ai, we are bringing innovative, premium CTV experiences to more brands and viewers around the world, while creating solutions that reflect the needs and opportunities of each market,\u201d said Esther Maguire, Head of Product Marketing & Strategy at LG Ad Solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n Broadpeak Launches Add-to-Cart Feature for Streaming Ads<\/b><\/p>\n Broadpeak, a streaming monetisation business, has launched Click2Cart, an interactive ad solution that allows viewers to add products to their online shopping cart using their TV remote during a streaming ad. The company said the product helps enable measurable performance advertising for broadcasters and streaming services. \u201cFor too long, delivering true shoppability and performance advertising has only been feasible for a handful of top digital platforms,\u201d said Jacques Le Mancq, President and CEO at Broadpeak. \u201cWe\u2019re giving streaming companies and broadcasters the tools to compete for performance advertising on a level playing field.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tracer Adds Real-Time Analytics to Comcast\u2019s Universal Ads<\/b><\/p>\n Tracer, a collaborative analytics business, has partnered with Universal Ads, Comcast\u2019s self-serve advertising platform, to unify operational and revenue data across systems. The partnership creates a \u201ccentralised operational layer that gives teams real-time visibility into campaign delivery, advertiser investment, forecasting, and revenue operations,\u201d according to the companies. \u201cUniversal Ads is built to make TV advertising as accessible and easy to buy as social \u2014 giving more brands a simpler way to create, buy, and measure campaigns across premium TV,\u201d said Daniel Druger, Vice President of Product at Universal Ads. \u201cTracer has helped us build the connected data foundation we need to deliver on that vision at scale and continue moving quickly to bring new capabilities to market.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Channel 4 Extends Audience Targeting to YouTube Channels<\/b><\/p>\n Channel 4 is extending its audience targeting proposition to YouTube channels, the UK broadcaster announced last week. The extension enables advertisers to use the broadcaster\u2019s data segments to buy audiences across select YouTube creators. The move forms part of Channel 4\u2019s \u2018Fast Forward\u2019 strategy, as it aims for 50 percent of its total revenues to come from digital advertising by 2030.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Paramount Could be Required to Divest Cable Channels Ahead of WBD Acquisition\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n California Attorney General Rob Bonta is expected to ask Paramount to sell select cable channels before he signs off on its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the <\/span>WSJ<\/span><\/a> reported on Sunday. Bonta will also seek commitments from Paramount to keep its movie studio separate from WBD, according to people familiar with the matter. The commitments were reportedly expected to be discussed at a meeting between Bonta and Paramount CEO David Ellison on Monday, but Bonta said the meeting was called off at the last minute. \u201cNot only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith,\u201d Bonta said in a statement. \u201cAs soon as Paramount stops playing games and engages sincerely, my office is happy to meet again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Amazon Prime Video Announces $2 Billion Investment in Latin America<\/b><\/p>\n Amazon Prime Video plans to invest more than $2 billion in Latin America between 2027 and 2030, the streaming business announced at a Prime Video showcase event in Mexico City. The investment will span original programming, locally produced and acquired content, as well as live sports rights across Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. The company will also aim to double the number of local originals produced across the markets compared to 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n Netflix\u2019s UK Revenues Surpass ITV\u2019s M&E Business<\/b><\/p>\n Netflix\u2019s UK revenues reached \u00a32.06 billion in 2025, according to a Companies House filing reported by <\/span>Broadband TV News<\/span><\/a>, putting the streaming giant ahead of the UK\u2019s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV. The 2025 figure surpasses the \u00a31.9 billion generated by ITV\u2019s media and entertainment division in its latest full\u2011year results. However, the overall ITV business, including ITV Studios, posted \u00a34.12 billion in revenues last year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n US Court Blocks Political TV Ad Discount Extension<\/b><\/p>\n The US Court of Appeals has blocked a move to extend TV advertising discounts \u200bto political party and joint fundraising committees, ahead of the midterm elections in November. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had moved to allow the committees to get the same heavily discounted ad rates as political candidates, but four Democratic candidates and officeholders challenged the extension, which was expected to hand Republicans an advantage at the midterms. Republicans reportedly plan to appeal the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n USA Today Optimises Content for AI Licensing Deals<\/strong><\/p>\n US publishing group USA Today is formatting its website and its content to be easier for AI tools to access and understand, Digiday<\/a> reported this week, in order to help the company negotiate licensing deals with the big AI companies. Kara Chiles, USA Today\u2019s SVP of product management, told Digiday that reworking content formats and templates will make it easier for the group\u2019s content to be surfaced in AI engines \u2014 a factor which will be particularly significant for any deals which remunerate the publisher based on how often its content is cited.<\/p>\n Media Startup Puck Eyes $250 Million Valuation with Potential RedBird Investment<\/strong><\/p>\n Investment firm RedBird Capital is in advanced talks to acquire a stake in digital media startup Puck, in a deal which would value Puck at $250 million according to the Financial Times<\/a>. Puck, launched in 2021, centres its coverage on eight editorial strands: Washington D.C., Wall Street, AI, Hollywood, media, fashion, sports, and art, and the new investment would enable it to expand its coverage further. The FT reports that Puck\u2019s growth has been powered in part by its willingness to spend significant sums on adding well-known reporters to its roster.<\/p>\n Axel Springer Reorganises its German Ad Sales Operations<\/strong><\/p>\n European media business Axel Springer is reorganising its ad sales operations for its German media brands, the company announced on Thursday, as it seeks to offer faster and more targeted solutions to its advertising partners. Ad sales will be split into two structures. Axel Springer\u2019s primary sales house Media Impact will be fully integrated into BILD Group by the end of this year, while the PREMIUM-GRUPPE, which comprises WELT POLITICO Germany, BUSINESS INSIDER Germany, and ICON, will consolidate advertising sales in the luxury and events segments.<\/p>\n Mirror Reorganisation Makes Room for Further Video Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n Reach-owned UK newspaper the Mirror is opening up a new base in its parent company\u2019s Manchester Hub called Mirror North, as part of a move to better reflect the paper\u2019s northern readership. As part of the restructure, Liverpool Echo editor-in-chief Maria Breslin is joining as editorial director, taking responsibility for the Mirror\u2019s online publishing team. As a result, Reach says the Mirror\u2019s executive editor Lizzie Smith will put her whole focus on the Mirror\u2019s video strategy, which includes the launch of a new bi-weekly YouTube show in September.<\/p>\n WikiHow Sues OpenAI Over Content Misuse<\/strong><\/p>\n How-to website wikiHow has become the latest publisher to sue OpenAI, Reuters reported this week, stating that the ChatGPT maker has illegally scraped over 11,000 of its articles in order to train its AI tools. \u201cHaving ingested wikiHow\u2019s articles, those models now produce competing how-to content on the same subjects, at \u200ba fraction of \u200bthe time, effort, \u2060and cost of researching, writing, and editing a wikiHow article,\u201d said wikiHow\u2019s lawsuit, as reported by Reuters. \u201cThe substitution cuts wikiHow\u2019s revenue and, over time, \u200bits reason to keep producing the articles at all.\u201d<\/p>\n BuzzFeed Makes Further Cuts to HuffPost\u2019s National Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n Digital news business HuffPost\u2019s National desk has been cut to just three staff, The Wrap<\/a> reported this week, the latest round of cuts within HuffPost\u2019s embattled parent company BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed announced earlier in the year it would lay off around 180 positions across its media brands as part of a company-wide restructure.<\/p>\n MSN Abruptly Cuts Publishers from Syndication Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n Microsoft\u2019s MSN has removed several independent publishers from its syndication platform without giving them any notice, Press Gazette<\/a> reported this week. Microsoft confirmed to Press Gazette that it regularly adjusts which publishers appear on the platform based on a range of \u201cbusiness, quality, and operational considerations\u201d.<\/p>\n Dentsu Reports Intensifying Competition in Pitches<\/strong><\/p>\n Japanese agency group Dentsu\u2019s quarterly earnings earlier this month showed low organic revenue growth across the first half of the year, at just 0.3 percent. And a management plan update from new CEO Takeshi Sano, as reported by Campaign<\/a>, labels intensifying competition in pitches across the Americas and EMEA as a factor for Dentsu\u2019s poor performance in those markets. In EMEA, Sano plans to focus on offering integrated, media-led propositions while also focusing investment in priority markets and consolidating its operations. In the Americas meanwhile, Dentsu will work to strengthen its consultative selling, expand its capabilities in high-growth areas, and scale its AI transformation business.<\/p>\n WPP Fires Back at Ex-Employee\u2019s \u201cSalacious\u201d Claims<\/strong><\/p>\n A filing in a wrongful termination court case between British holding company WPP and its ex-employee Richard Foster claimed that Sony, a client of WPP, had conducted an investigation of the agency group and identified illegal practices. Foster says he was fired by WPP after raising concerns internally relating to the company\u2019s principal media operations, and argues the Sony investigation backs up his claim. Now WPP has asked that this filing be sealed from the public docket, stating it contains confidential information which is not in the public interest. WPP\u2019s own filing meanwhile describes Foster as \u201cnothing more than a disgruntled employee\u2019s naked attempt to leverage an exorbitant payout\u201d, according to Business Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dentsu Signs EU AI Transparency Code<\/strong><\/p>\n Dentsu has announced it has signed the European Union\u2019s Code of Practice on Transparency of AI Generated Content, claiming to be the first global marketing group to do so. Dentsu says the move reinforces its commitment to responsible AI adoption, and helps establish a new standard for transparency across the ad industry. \u201cAI is creating extraordinary new opportunities for brands, but real value can only be realised when it is built on trust,\u201d said Will Swayne, global practice president, media and integrated solutions at Dentsu. \u201cBy signing the EU Code of Practice on Transparency of AI Generated Content, we are helping clients navigate a rapidly evolving landscape with greater confidence, providing clear frameworks, governance and transparency around how AI generated content is created and used.\u201d<\/p>\n Omnicom Offloads Omni Architects to Third-Party Contractor<\/strong><\/p>\n US agency group Omnicom has transferred hundreds of staff who helped build its flagship AI-powered \u201coperating system\u201d Omni to IT firm Endava, according to Adweek<\/a>. At least 468 staff across the US, UK, India, and Malaysia have been moved across to Endava, Adweek reports, while a further 50 US workers from the Omni Platforms Product & Engineering Division have been laid off.<\/p>\n ASA Cracks Down on Testosterone-Related Social Ads<\/strong><\/p>\n The UK\u2019s ads watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) this week banned four separate social media ads for products targeted at men with low testosterone levels, Campaign<\/a> reported this week. The four ads were run on Facebook by two separate healthcare brands, BioID Health and Numan. For BioID\u2019s ads, the ASA said the posts made claims inferring its own tests are more effective than GP assessment, without providing evidence. Numan\u2019s ads meanwhile presented stats around the diagnosis and prevalence of low testosterone, which the ASA said weren\u2019t accurate based on the sources provided.<\/p>\n AUDIENCES Adds Nikhil Dixit to Advisory Board<\/b><\/p>\n AUDIENCES, a first-party data activation business, has appointed Nikhil Dixit to its Strategic Advisory Board. Following four years at Google, Dixit co-founded data platform Arbor, which was acquired by LiveRamp in 2016. His appointment comes as AUDIENCES continues to scale its independent activation infrastructure, according to the company. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cClients Need to be Brave\u201d and Choose Agencies Based on Ideas Over Price \u2013 Buy-Side View with Guerillascope\u2019s Max Kelvin<\/a><\/p>\n CTV\u2019s Race for Consolidation May Stop at Measurement<\/a><\/p>\n Week in Charts: AI Brings Monetisation Opportunities for Publishers, Confidence Returns to Upfront Investments, and US Viewers Turn to Long-Form Creator Content<\/a><\/p>\n Dentsu Signs EU AI Transparency Code<\/a><\/p>\n\n
The Week in Tech<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Week in TV<\/h2>\n
The Week for Publishers<\/h2>\n
The Week for Brands & Agencies<\/h2>\n
Hires of the Week<\/h2>\n
This Week on VideoWeek<\/h2>\n