Agency & Consulting
Publicis closes $2.2 billion LiveRamp acquisition
Adweek’s Alison Weissbrot reports that Publicis has closed its $2.2 billion all-cash acquisition of LiveRamp, its largest deal since Epsilon in 2019, after the FTC cleared it with five years of neutrality conditions.
CTV overtakes cable in political ad spend for first midterm ever
Adweek’s Kendra Barnett reports political advertisers have spent $11.4 billion in the 2026 midterms cycle, up 28% from 2022, per AdImpact data.
Creator agency LV8 merges with Mirage, raises high eight figures
Adweek’s Mark Stenberg reports that LV8 is merging with sister firm Mirage Digital and raising a “high eight figures” round from Velocity Capital Management, forming a combined creator agency under the LV8 brand with Griffin Haddrill as CEO.
Omnicom exec builds the plumbing for commerce media buying
Ad Age’s Brandon Doerrer reports that Elizabeth Donovan, EVP and global head of retail and commerce media networks at Omnicom’s Acxiom, oversees data, identity and technology infrastructure powering networks for retailers, publishers and brands.
Skydance’s $80 billion debt dwarfs its merger savings math
TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that Skydance faces nearly $80 billion in net debt after closing its Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, with a debt-to-EBITDA ratio Fitch pegs at 7.8 times, well above the 2-to-3 times standard for media companies.
Slow audience delivery is costing retail media networks ad dollars
eMarketer’s Peter Clark reports that slow audience delivery is costing retail media networks ad dollars, as brands increasingly route budget toward platforms that can activate audiences and show results faster than many retail media networks currently manage.
Netflix signs YouTuber Druski to multiyear exclusive content deal
The Verge’s Jay Peters reports that Netflix signed a multiyear deal with YouTuber Druski, who will create content exclusively for the streamer.
IAB: sloppy data, not weak ads, makes audio look ineffective in MMM
Inside Radio reports that the IAB’s new “Amplifying Audio’s Impact in MMM” report argues audio underperforms in media mix models mainly because of thin, blended data rather than weak ad effectiveness.
Siloed linear and digital teams are stalling TV convergence, exec says
VideoWeek’s Dan Meier reports that Virtual Minds advisor Hossein Houssaini says broadcasters run separate linear and digital teams, compensated on separate targets, which pits them against each other instead of building one converged ad market.
WPP Media posts first growth in two years as turnaround holds
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that WPP Media’s revenue rose 0.3% in Q3, its first quarterly gain in two years, as the broader group’s like-for-like revenue decline narrowed to 2.1% and executives pointed to Elevate28 progress toward 2027 growth.
Fox ad revenue jumps 47% on World Cup, political spend, Tubi growth
Deadline’s Jill Goldsmith reports that Fox Corp. revenue rose 22% to $4.57 billion last quarter, beating expectations as a 47% ad sales surge from the FIFA Men’s World Cup, political advertising, and Tubi’s digital growth drove gains, while distribution revenue climbed 9%.
MediaPost: low-budget creator films are outperforming big-studio tentpoles
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that LightShed’s Richard Greenfield expects AI to eventually produce a hit show or film, but cites creator-driven movies like “Obsession” and “Backrooms” already beating $100 million-plus franchise films on tiny budgets.
MediaPost’s Mandese: retire the word “traditional” in media
MediaPost’s Joe Mandese argues the industry should stop labeling radio, TV and out-of-home as “traditional,” citing Guideline data that digital passed 80% of U.S. ad spend and Borrell Associates data showing digital nearing 75% of local spend.
Dana Maiman exits Omnicom Health; Tom Schwenger named to lead marketing unit
Campaign US’s Jameson Fleming reports that Dana Maiman is leaving Omnicom Health after 11 months as CEO, with her last day set for November 6.
Daddy Yankee, Visa back vertical microseries on aTwist for new album
Variety’s Isabelle Farina reports that Daddy Yankee partnered with vertical media studio aTwist and Visa to launch “La Postal: Written in the Dance,” a microseries promoting his album, releasing on his YouTube channel and aTwist on November 3.
Vend Advertising taps Kevel to build Nordic commerce media network
Markets.businessinsider.com, via a GlobeNewswire release, reports that Vend Advertising has chosen Kevel as its ad tech infrastructure partner to power a new “Marketplace Media” offering.
Sony Music podcast chief Emily Rasekh moves to CAA’s creator division
The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston reports that Emily Rasekh has left Sony Music, where she spent seven years building its podcast business and launched The Binge network, to join CAA.
Newsom proposes raising California film tax credit to $1 billion
The Hollywood Reporter’s Erik Hayden reports that Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing to raise California’s annual film and TV tax credit from $750 million to $1 billion.
Vibe brings Walmart shopper data to CTV ad targeting
TVREV’s Alan Wolk interviews Vibe.co CEO Arthur Querou, who explains the self-serve CTV platform now lets advertisers target streaming viewers using Walmart’s purchase-intent audiences, with AI selecting the best segments automatically.
iSpot data: old KitKat and Butterfinger Halloween ads still outperform new ones
The Measure’s Eleanor Semeraro reports that iSpot SAGE data shows five of October’s 20 most-seen linear TV candy ads debuted in 2024 or earlier, with KitKat’s 2015 “Halloween Sounds” spot ranking No. 3 and still beating brand Likeability norms.
Instagram readies full rollout of long-form TV feature
TVREV’s Alan Wolk reports Instagram plans to fully roll out “Features,” a long-form horizontal video format supporting up to 90 minutes, tested in Brazil and built for TV-set viewing, letting creators link up to eight Reels as promos.
Traditional TV still claims two-thirds of sports viewing, Inscape finds
The Measure is reporting that Inscape data shows cable, satellite and over-the-air TV captured two thirds of sports viewing time in Q2, even without football in the mix.