Disney and gambling ads, Clear Channel's European challenge, and our new AI columnist

08/14/23 • 35 min

Jack Benjamin, Omar Oakes and Ella Sagar are back on the podcast this week to analyse some of the industry’s biggest stories.

The Premier League season is upon us once more, and while Jack may be clueless about British professional sport, he did cover how the league’s forthcoming gambling ads ban has thus far had ‘almost no impact’ on Premier League shirt sponsorships. With Disney finally getting involved in the gambling industry through its sports broadcaster ESPN, will the sports betting market continue to grow despite growing concerns over gambling ads?

Clear Channel has pledged a strategic review of its European holdings after it previously sold off its Swiss and Italian businesses this year. Ella discusses how the company expects to do the same in Spain and France next year, and how the outdoor company is in sell-mode as it seeks to reduce more than $5bn in company debt.

Plus: the trio discusses a number of disappointing earnings results from news publishers and considers whether AI can provide them with a competitive advantage in the future; and the Daily Mail and General Trust has thrown its hat into the ring to purchase Telegraph Media Group, but could such an acquisition get past regulators?

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Jack Benjamin, Omar Oakes and Ella Sagar are back on the podcast this week to analyse some of the industry’s biggest stories.

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Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media.

LinkedIn: The Media Leader

Twitter: @TheMediaLeader

YouTube: The Media Leader

Previous Episode

Why retail media will transform the travel sector: With Kiessé Lamour and Simon Akers

2023 has been touted as the year of retail media. Between Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Boots, Target, Kroger, Uber, Deliveroo, Revolut, and Walmart, retailers have been jumping at the chance to expand their media footprints. But what should retail media’s space be on the media plan?

Kiessé Lamour, Wunderman Thompson's global head of media, commerce, and Simon Akers, founder of marketing consultancy Archmon, join host and reporter Ella Sagar to future of retail media, including why Lamour and Akers believe travel companies are primed to be the next big thing.

“We should be treating retail media as a contributor to the overall shopper strategy," said Akers. "It’s complicated because you’ve got brands, you’ve got the shopper team, you’ve got the retailer... [but] how do we integrate the needs of the shopper team with the needs of the media team and ensure that we’re all helping each other out?"

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This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.

Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media.

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Next Episode

Pinkwashing: how media should step up LGBT+ support - with Outvertising's Cass Naylor

2023 has seen a startling spike in anti-queer rhetoric and misinformation around the world and brands have been caught up in the culture war.

Earlier this year, Bud Light was victim of a right-wing boycott for a partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and Target received a high-profile onslaught of threats against staff for offering Pride products during the month of June. Both companies responded by capitulating to pressure.

Cass Naylor is co-director of advocacy at Outvertising, the not-for-profit LGBTQ+ advertising and marketing advocacy group. He is also an independent diversity and inclusion consultant and campaigner. And until recently, he worked in comms and marketing for the Financial Times.

He joins host Jack Benjamin and reporter Ella Sagar to discuss how media properties, brands and advertisers must do more to support the queer community, especially in the months outside of Pride.

“Queer people know what pinkwashing looks like; we're very, very sensitive to it now and we react very badly to it", Naylor says. "And [brands] are not getting any better at it. So you need to engage with your queer employees and the forum to do that is through the staff network. I'm a big believer in internal employee activism advocacy through staff networks, ERGs [and] BRGs. Lean on them. They are your experts. But make sure that you deserve to be showing up where you’re showing up and then be loud about it because we need companies to lead the charge."

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This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.

Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media.

LinkedIn: The Media Leader

Threads: @TheMediaLeader

Twitter: @TheMediaLeader

YouTube: The Media Leader