Allwyn Launches In-House Creative and Content Studio
Allwyn, the multinational lottery operator, announced the launch of its own creative and content studio, named Studio 59, scheduled to open in April 2026. The in‑house facility will produce advertising, digital assets, and brand storytelling for Allwyn’s portfolio of games across multiple markets. By bringing production internally, Allwyn aims to tighten control over creative output and cut reliance on external agencies. The move reflects a strategic shift toward vertical integration within the gambling and entertainment sector.
NYFestivals to Honor Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Stephen Capus
New York Festivals Television & Film Awards and Radio Awards will honor Stephen Capus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and former NBC News chief, with its 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. The accolade will be presented at the Storytellers Gala on...
NRG Media to Sell Northern Wisconsin Stations to Midwest Communications
NRG Media announced the sale of its Northern Wisconsin radio portfolio, including WOBT‑AM and eleven FM translators, to Midwest Communications’ WRIG, Inc. The transaction expands Midwest’s presence in the Wausau and Rhinelander markets and brings a suite of sports‑talk programming...
Audacy Hosting “The Business of Sports Fandom” Webinar
Audacy is hosting a webinar on March 23 titled “The Business of Sports Fandom: Turning Passion into Advertiser Performance.” The panel features Audacy SVP Jason Newman, Genesco Sports Enterprises CEO Kit Geis, and former NFL star Tiki Barber. The discussion will explore...
Katz and Barrett Celebrate WRVA Anniversary
WRVA, Richmond’s historic talk‑radio station, marked its centennial on March 19, 2026. The celebration featured veteran hosts Jimmy Barrett, who spent 16 years anchoring Richmond’s Morning News before moving to Houston’s KTRH, and Jeff Katz, the station’s afternoon‑drive personality for 13 years....
As AI Fuels In-Housing Surge, Agency Execs Take The Entrepreneurial Path
Artificial intelligence is accelerating a wave of in‑house creative adoption, as brands seek tighter data control and faster production cycles. A recent NewtonX/Adweek survey finds 32% of brands plan to handle nearly all creative internally within the next 12 months,...
Freely Appoints Synapse TV for Showcase Channel Operations
Freely has appointed Synapse TV to create and operate its Freely Showcase service on channel 100 of the Freely streaming platform. The IP‑only channel, available exclusively to Freely subscribers, will feature platform highlights, feature updates, and how‑to content to aid discovery....
FixEd Podcast: Women in Media Leadership with JournalismUK’s Marcela Kunova
The FixEd podcast features JournalismUK’s Managing Director Marcela Kunova discussing persistent gender inequality in media leadership. She highlights the motherhood penalty, the fact that women secure only 2 % of startup funding, and the critical role of sponsors over mentors. Kunova...
Podcast Industry Insights Relaunches with Deeper Data, 7-Year Historical Charts, and New Apple Podcasts Category Explorer
Podcast Industry Insights has completed a full rebuild and relaunch, adding seven years of historical data and a brand‑new Apple Podcasts Category Explorer. The free platform now tracks nearly 3 million Apple podcasts, over 4.6 million podcasts on the Podcast Index, and...
Sky Media Opens Premium VOD Inventory to Programmatic Buying Through DV360
Sky Media announced that its premium video‑on‑demand (VOD) inventory is now available through Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), extending programmatic access across Sky’s owned and partner channels. The offering includes entertainment, drama, sport and news assets such as Sky Atlantic,...
Spotify Marks 5 Years of EQUAL With “EQUAL: The Podcast” And Global Events
Spotify celebrates the fifth anniversary of its EQUAL initiative by launching a new artist‑led video podcast, EQUAL: The Podcast. The five‑episode series, hosted by Kim Taylor Bennett, features ambassadors Juliana, Zolita, Angela Torres, Silvana Estrada and Orla Gartland, extending the program’s...
ITV Reveals Shortlist for £1m Head First Award
ITV has unveiled the shortlist for its 2026 Head First Award, naming five brands as finalists for the £1 million prize. The competition, which celebrates breakthrough creative work, will culminate later this year with a televised ceremony. Winners will receive not only...
The Last Mile Problem: Why Publishers Need Independent AI/ML Infrastructure for Yield Optimisation
Publishers are still using manual, weekly rules for ad‑yield while buy‑side platforms have leveraged real‑time machine learning for years. The gap, called the "last mile" problem, stems from the complexity of building impression‑level data pipelines, feature engineering, and sub‑50 ms inference...
Adobe’s AI Image Generator Can Now Be Trained on Your Own Art
Adobe has opened a public beta for Firefly Custom Models, letting creators and brands train its AI image generator on their own artwork. The tool preserves specific visual attributes such as stroke weight, color palette, lighting, and character features, ensuring...
Colgate Aims for Stressed Millennials with Campaign About Resilience
Colgate launched the "Your Smile Is Your Strength" campaign on March 19, targeting millennials who juggle caregiving and work. The multi‑platform effort spans linear TV, YouTube TrueView, Disney CTV, Meta Moment Maker and TikTok Top Feed, and includes more than 30...
Emily in Paris Creator to Make New Netflix California-Set Romcom
Netflix has commissioned a new romantic comedy series, Uncorked, created by Darren Star, the mind behind Emily in Paris, in partnership with New Amsterdam writer‑producer David Schulner. Set in Napa Valley, the show follows a talented yet self‑destructive winemaker seeking...
Upstart Publisher Full Set Partners with ‘Global Newsroom’ Fuller to Publish Original Essays
Full Set, an independent nonfiction publisher, has partnered with the award‑winning global newsroom Fuller to repurpose three of Fuller’s original essays as ebook, audiobook and print‑on‑demand titles, launching in spring 2026. The pilot, announced at the London Book Fair, will...
5 Questions for… CNBC’s Morgan Brennan on New Show, Morning Call
CNBC is debuting a new early‑morning program, “Morning Call,” anchored by veteran Morgan Brennan. The show premieres Monday, March 23 at 5 a.m. ET and promises high‑energy market insights, global developments, and a rotating panel of top business leaders. Brennan highlighted the...
The End Of Easy Measurement: Building An Evidence-Based System For Marketing ROI
Marketers face a $400 billion US media spend in 2025, yet privacy restrictions and loss of third‑party IDs erode clear ROI measurement. The article argues that the era of last‑click attribution is over, advocating a deterministic‑first, closed‑loop system that combines experiments...
Netflix's "Cunning" Traitors-Style Show Confirmed for Season 2
Netflix has confirmed season two of its reality‑game series *Million Dollar Secret*, slated to debut on April 15 with three episodes, followed by additional drops on April 22 and April 29. Hosted by Peter Serafinowicz, the show pits eleven contestants against...
Celebrity Traitors' Mark Bonnar, Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston Join James McAvoy in New Crime Thriller
Sky is set to launch *Meantime*, a Glasgow‑based comic crime thriller adapted from Frankie Boyle’s 2022 novel. The series stars James McAvoy as Felix McAveety, a drug‑addicted man framed for his friend’s murder, and adds Mark Bonnar and former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston to...
WAN-IFRA Announces Finalists for the Digital Media Awards 2026
WAN-IFRA unveiled the finalists for its 2026 Digital Media Awards, selecting 278 projects from 811 submissions across 78 countries. The finalists compete in 12 categories, including new AI‑driven and Emerging News Provider awards, with winners to be announced at the...
What To Watch Thursday: Beauty In Black Returns, March Madness On CBS, And More
The Thursday, March 19, 2026 TV guide spotlights a packed lineup, from the return of Tyler Perry’s drama Beauty in Black on Netflix to an extensive March Madness slate on CBS and its cable partners. Women’s NCAA First Four opens the evening on ESPN2, while ABC...
Get Ready for More Big Tech Lawsuits About Design, Not Content
A landmark tort lawsuit in Los Angeles accuses Meta and YouTube of designing addictive features that harm children, shifting the legal focus from First Amendment speech protections to product design. The case, representing roughly 1,600 plaintiffs from 350 families, draws...
Digital Natives Wins KP Snacks Social Media Account
Digital Natives has been awarded the social media account for KP Snacks, a leading UK snack manufacturer. The agency will oversee digital strategy, content creation, and community management for brands such as Tyrrells, KP, and Butterkist. Creativebrief managed the agency...
Google’s Juanjo Duran Talks Streaming and His Keys to Success
Juanjo Duran, a veteran Google executive, highlighted vertical videos—low‑budget, portrait‑oriented series—as a multi‑billion‑dollar growth engine reshaping streaming. He explained Google’s plan to partner with studios, surface vertical content on the Google TV mobile app, and embed Google Pay for frictionless...
Brand Placements Fuel Growth in the Ad-Skip Era
As audiences increasingly skip traditional commercials, brands are turning to authentic product placements to maintain relevance. EightPM’s partnership with 7‑Eleven led to a subtle integration on the hockey rink in the series Heated Rivalry, illustrating the power of early, low‑touch...
Deezer Reports First Profit, Two Decades After Launch
Deezer announced its first full‑year net profit for fiscal 2025, posting €8 million in net income and €10 million in adjusted EBITDA on €543 million of revenue. The profit stemmed from a €12 million expense reduction and a 25.4% adjusted gross‑profit margin. Meanwhile, the...
For 2026, Netflix Is Doubling Down on Original Storytelling and Comedies
Netflix is reshaping its 2026 film strategy by prioritizing original storytelling and a robust comedy slate, moving away from the sequel‑driven model that dominates theaters. Dan Lin, the film chairman, highlighted a healthy content budget that will both build and...
Future Newsrooms Now: Your Input Needed to Set the Standard for Transformation
WAN-IFRA, FT Strategies and Arc XP have launched the Future Newsroom Study, a global survey aimed at establishing a benchmark for newsroom transformation. The research will probe how editorial leaders are redefining strategy, integrating AI and automation, reshaping organisational structures,...
Building Podcasting a Bigger Stage
Podcast Movement Evolutions integrated into SXSW was a massive success, marking a strategic shift from a traditional conference to an industry‑infrastructure hub. By consolidating to a single track and situating the event within the larger SXSW festival, organizers attracted over...
Venatus Delivers 5x Higher Video Ad Attention by Activating Audiences “In the Zone”- Lumen Research Finds
Venatus Media, in partnership with Lumen Research, reports that its video‑ad platform achieves up to five times higher attention by targeting audiences "In the Zone"—users deeply engaged in gaming, sports or entertainment. The technology assesses mindset, context and timing to...
Entries Are Open for ADWEEK Fastest Growing Agencies 2026
ADWEEK has opened entries for its 2026 Fastest Growing Agencies ranking, inviting agencies worldwide to submit three years of revenue data. Participants must certify figures through audited statements or a CEO/CFO notarized letter, though actual revenues remain private and only...
Digest: Publicis Advises Clients to Avoid The Trade Desk; Meta Misses Illegal Financial Ads; Alibaba Forms New AI Business Group
Publicis Groupe told select clients to pause work with The Trade Desk after an independent audit flagged questionable fee applications and opaque cost reporting. The Trade Desk rejected the allegations, citing confidentiality constraints on the auditor’s data requests. Meanwhile, Meta...
Former Buccaneer & Cineflix Execs Launch Drama Outfit High Road Entertainment
Former Buccaneer co‑CEO Richard Tulk‑Hart and ex‑Cineflix scripted head James Durie have launched High Road Entertainment, a co‑production and sales consultancy focused on drama. The venture, rebadged from Volteo Media, is already developing the Greek‑set crime series Antiparos and the...
IPL 2026: The Formula Behind India’s Most Profitable Season
India’s IPL 2025 delivered over 1 billion viewers and 840 billion minutes watched, creating a massive, time‑compressed traffic surge. Peaks occur a week before the tournament, during the first two weeks, and again before playoffs, demanding rapid campaign scaling. Affiliates succeed by...
Traffic Is Dying as a Media Metric. What Comes Next Is More Important
Recent Growtika analysis of Ahrefs data shows tech media traffic plummeting, with Digital Trends down 97%, ZDNet 90% and The Verge 85% since their peak months. The decline is linked to AI‑driven search, which consolidates answers and reduces clicks to...
Claudia Winkleman’s New Chat Show Is Here… So What Happened to the Great British Talk Show?
The BBC debuted The Claudia Winkleman Show, a celebrity chat program, after Winkleman announced her exit from Strictly Come Dancing. The first episode featured Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Saunders, Vanessa Williams and Tom Allen, delivering a pleasant but conventional interview style....
Influencer Marketing Around IPL Set to Touch ₹700 Crore in 2026: Report
Influencer marketing tied to the Indian Premier League is projected to hit roughly ₹700 crore by the 2026 season, according to Qoruz. Spending has risen from about ₹250 crore in 2023 to ₹550 crore in 2025, reflecting a 40 % compound annual growth rate....
Stephen Colbert Pushes Back on ‘Hero’ Label for Ex Trump Counterterrorism Chief: ‘He Suck’ | Video
Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned citing conscience objections to the U.S. approach to a potential war with Iran. On "The Late Show," Stephen Colbert dismissed calls to label Kent a "hero," mocking his past...
What Does A Beta Test Of A Sell-Side Agent Look Like?
Publishers are piloting AI‑powered sell‑side agents that use large language models to negotiate and package ad inventory on behalf of sellers. Early adopters such as The Weather Company and Optable have built prototypes leveraging the open Prebid framework and Anthropic’s...
Vision+ Exec On The Challenge Of Pulling Audiences Away From Social Platforms & Future Strategy Including Merger With RCTI And...
Vision+, Indonesia’s leading OTT service, announced a planned merger with free‑to‑air broadcaster RCTI, both owned by MNC, to create a single, integrated platform. COO Omar Giri Calliappan highlighted the current fragmentation where users must switch between separate apps for free...
UK Programmatic DOOH Spend to Rise 41% as It Becomes Core to Omnichannel Planning
VIOOH’s 2026 UK programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) report shows the channel now appears in 34% of campaigns, up from 31% in 2024, and is projected to reach 47% within the next 18 months. Marketers anticipate a 41% increase in pDOOH spend,...
Why Programmatic Quality Control Needs To Focus On The Bid Request, Not Domains
Programmatic buyers have traditionally relied on domain‑level whitelists and blacklists to clean up inventory. The article argues that domains are merely containers and that true quality control must happen at the bid‑request level, where signals such as device, geo and...
Why Programmatic Quality Control Needs To Focus On The Bid Request, Not Domains
Programmatic buyers are shifting from traditional domain‑based inventory cleanup to bid‑request level rationalization. The article argues that domains are merely containers and that real quality resides in the signals of each bid request. By focusing on bid rationalization—prioritizing specific request...
Cloudflare’s Compliant Crawler Highlights Tension – and Opportunity – in the Emerging AI Content Market
Cloudflare introduced a new Crawl API that can retrieve an entire website’s content in HTML, Markdown, or JSON with a single request, positioning itself as a compliant intermediary for AI developers. The rollout initially conflicted with publishers’ bot‑blocking settings, leading...
Brands Turn Niche News Creators Into a New Earned Media Engine
Brands are shifting earned‑media budgets toward niche news creators on platforms like TikTok and podcasts. Companies such as Tropicana’s Naked Smoothie, NASCAR and AI firms are partnering with creators who deliver news‑adjacent content to reach Gen Z and socially‑savvy audiences. This...
Netflix’s Split Seasons May Have Peaked; Long Gaps Between Seasons May Be Here To Stay On Some Series: “Absence Makes...
Netflix’s experiment with split‑season releases, introduced with Stranger Things in 2022, reached its apex in 2023‑2024 before receding. By 2025 only Wednesday and Stranger Things still used multi‑batch drops, and in 2026 the sole planned split release is Bridgerton’s Season 4,...
AAMI Kicks Off the 2026 AFL Season with New TV Commercial ‘Luck of the Bounce’ via Leo
AAMI has launched a new TV commercial called “Luck of the Bounce” to mark the start of the 2026 AFL season. The spot, directed by Stephen Carroll and produced by FINCH, highlights the sport’s unpredictable nature and colorful characters. It...
On ‘Survivor 50,’ Mike White’s Power Position Collapses in Blindside
On the fourth episode of Survivor 50, self‑styled mastermind Mike White saw his control crumble when ally Christian Hubicki turned his own plan against him, orchestrating a blindside that sent White to the vote. The Vatu tribe, already without immunity, lost...