Yahoo shares rise on speculation of “core” business sell-off and Alibaba stake as Marissa Mayer and board meet December 2, 2015 Shares in US media and tech firm Yahoo have shot up more than six per cent as speculation surrounding the company's future mounts. It's been suggested Yahoo is considering selling off its core internet business – it's main news and sports website and email service – when its board meets this week. Just a fortnight ago, activist investor [...]
Richard Desmond hopes Trinity Mirror chief Simon Fox “Fox off” over Mirror Express deal December 1, 2015 Northern and Shell owner Richard Desmond has told rival newspaper group boss Simon Fox to "Fox off" over rumours that Trinity Mirror wants to buy his Express newspapers – but admitted that he had tried to arrange meetings to buy the Mirror. In a strongly worded retort to Fox, who said he still has his "sights set" on [...]
Brand secrets for the digital age: Dentsu Aegis UK CEO Tracy De Groose on agency agility and the industry’s diversity problem November 29, 2015 Few in the UK’s advertising industry will have failed to note the aggressive expansion of Dentsu Aegis Network. Since it was formed last year in the largest merger ever seen in the industry, the UK arm has acquired a number of agencies, to disrupt the hegemony of the more established players. Its most recent [...]
BBC Three will stop broadcasting by February as it moves online-only, Trust confirms – but there’ll be no BBC One +1 channel November 26, 2015 BBC Three will cease broadcasting by February next year, the corporation confirmed today, in an attempt to save millions of pounds. The channel, aimed at a young adult audience, will move online-only. BBC Three controller Damian Kavanagh defended the move as better serving them and the way younger audiences view television. "BBC Three is not closing, we are [...]
How did this unknown Spanish lottery video win the Christmas advert battle of 2015, giving Mog and Man on the Moon a run for their money? November 23, 2015 Move over John Lewis and Sainsbury’s, a new Christmas contender in the festive ad race has emerged. And it has come from the most unlikeliest of places – the Spanish Lottery. “Justino” is a beautiful animated ad which in a week has overtaken a number of leading British brands to become the third most shared [...]
Brands without borders: OMD’s Nikki Mendonca on the digital single market November 22, 2015 Sharing data across jurisdictions remains a headache for brands that operate within a number of different markets. The situation may be about to become a lot easier in Europe, however, due to the European Commission’s digital single market strategy. “I’m optimistic about what these changes would mean for brands,” says Nikki Mendonça, president of OMD [...]
Mog the Cat vs Man on the Moon: Sainsbury’s trumps John Lewis for Christmas advert of the year – but there’s a third surprise most shared ad of 2015 not far behind November 22, 2015 The Christmas bonanza has once again pitted John Lewis and Sainsbury’s against each other to create the year’s most heartwarming advert, and the supermarket appears to have trumped the reigning champion once again. John Lewis has topped the video charts with Man on the Moon for the most shared festive ad of the year in 2015, however, considering it’s [...]
Christmas adverts 2015: New John Lewis Man on the Moon advert released as part of Age UK campaign November 20, 2015 John Lewis has allowed another organisation to use its Christmas advert for the first time as part of the next stage of its campaign with Age UK. Behind-the-scenes footage from the Man in the Moon film has been used for a new advert aimed at encouraging viewers to donate to the charity and help older [...]
Adele keeps 25 off streaming services following Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to become latest superstar to snub Spotify November 19, 2015 Adele has become the latest artist to keep her music off Spotify, announcing today that her upcoming album 25 won't be made available on any streaming services. The British singer had reportedly been pushing Spotify to release her hotly-anticipated album to paying Spotify Premium subscribers alone, a move which would limit the release to 20m [...]
Now Sky’s doing virtual reality reporting – with help from the Silicon Valley VR startup Jaunt it invested in November 19, 2015 Sky is the latest media company to embrace the brave new world of virtual reality, following in the footsteps of the New York Times across the pond. Its news channel has produced a video report, called Migrants Crisis – The Whole Picture, which can be experienced by viewers virtually, placing them deeper wihin the story. Touted as [...]