Two in Three Media Buyers Cite Measurement Issues; UK Watchdog to Investigate Microsoft; BBC & ITV Get 24.2 Million Streams in Euro Final

On today’s news digest: Two in Three Media Buyers Cite Measurement Issues; UK Watchdog to Investigate Microsoft; BBC & ITV Get 24.2 Million Streams in Euro Final 

Media buyers are spending more across all video channels and content types, according to IAB’s 2024 Digital Video Ad Spend and Strategy Report. Short-form and vertical-format video are both responsible for the largest share of buyers. Looking at CTV, three-quarters of buying is now programmatic. Within this, there is a very similar activation percentage among real-time bidding/open exchanges, private marketplaces/preferred deals/programmatic guaranteed, and ad networks. Many media buyers are facing challenges, with two in three citing measurement issues. Additionally, nine in ten buyers are embracing alternative measurement currencies. 

In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a full investigation into Microsoft’s deal with Inflection, the startup founded in 2022. The company was founded by Mustafa Suleyman just two months after leaving his position at Google, and Microsoft hired several of his colleagues to lead the company’s new AI division. In addition to this, Microsoft signed deals with the startup to access its AI models. Due to its arrangement, the deal avoided the regulatory attention which would have been brought about from an acquisition. It did, however, raise the CMA’s suspicions: the regulator opened a three-month comment period to consider whether further investigation was needed. Following this period, the CMA has decided there is enough evidence to commence a full investigation. 

Casting our attention back to Sunday’s England vs Spain final of the Euros, an audience of 24.2 million was reached across both the BBC and ITV. The BBC saw a peak of 17.83 million viewers, while ITV achieved a peak of 6.4 million. At 26%, ITV gained its highest ever TV viewing share for a major men’s football tournament.

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