Last week Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta was expanding their testing for the sale of NTFs to an additional 100 countries on Instagram and launching new integrations with Coinbase and Dapper. 

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens are one-of-a-kind items which are owned digitally by the creator, until sold to a buyer. There are no copies for sale, just a single, original piece that is ‘non fungible’.  

This means that Instagram users across Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas will be able to sell their NFTs on Instagram using the Ethereum, Polygon, and Flow blockchains by connecting their digital wallets to the app.

Sam Gormley from Osaka Labs, one of London’s leading digital marketing and activation studios says this move is set to revolutionise the way we engage with the world.

He says, “We’ve already seen social media change the way we interact with news and online content – In quite a relatively short period of time we’ve shifted from a broadcast model to a conversational one. 

This announcement by instagram heralds the beginning of a brand-new way of digesting online content, and one that is going to revolutionise the space and help clarify the grey area pertaining to ownership of online content.”

Recently, we saw news that Spain's equality ministry and the Institute of Women, released a campaign aimed at encouraging women worried about their appearance to go to the beach. In this ad, the ministry used images they sourced from Instagram, without gaining permission from the account holders.

The artist responsible for the images, ArteMapache, eventually apologised, whilst one of the models whose images were used by ArteMapache expressed the sentiment, “People would never take an image without permission from a photographer because they know they have to pay, but [this has] a bit of a loophole.”

Gormley believes the introduction of the NFT model will help combat situations like this. He explains, “I think the growth of the NFT format on platforms like Instagram will be a further evolution of the conversational digestion of content, one which will enable clearer ownership.”

He believes that rather than focusing on their ad sales going forward, Instagram will begin to shift to a commission focus. He says, “The Instagram model will move from selling ads to make money and diversify by taking commission on NFT sales similar to how Twitch, Youtube, Patreon and Onlyfans operate.”

KOLs and live-streaming now integral to social commerce in China: Ebiquity report

Ebiquity launches a new report to guide marketers on maximizing return on influencer marketing

The report covers 7 steps that can help advertisers successfully leverage the power of KOLs
 
Ebiquity plc, the world leader in media investment analysis, announced today the release of its latest report, “How to maximise your return on Influencer Marketing in China”. Advertisers who want their brands to succeed in China should consider key opinion leaders (KOLs) as a key plank of their country-wide marketing strategy. 

As the largest social media market in the world, China has a penetration rate of 66%, representing 28% of the global social media population. China’s social media market has evolved quickly over the past few years, propelled in part by the stratospheric rise of key opinion leaders (KOLs) and live streaming, which has permanently altered the social landscape. 

Today, social commerce is heavily reliant on live-streaming sales, and that means advertisers who want their brands to succeed in China should consider KOL live-streaming as a key plank of their country-wide marketing strategy. This report looks into the evolution of KOLs and livestreaming in China’s social media market and its growing relevance in the country’s advertising market today. As with most campaigns, planning is crucial, but marketers need to follow best practices in navigating a fragmented market of over 10 million KOL accounts across more than a dozen different major social media platforms. Setting the right KPIs for these KOLs is also key since the market is relatively new and cost transparency is still uncommon.

Advertisers will therefore need to understand the finer points of KOL monitoring and selection. This report covers 7 steps that can help advertisers successfully leverage the power of KOLs. These include developing a KPI framework; deploying 3rd party tracking and fraud verification; breaking down KOL quotations; setting guidelines; agreeing to a systematic evolution and agency remuneration model; and finally, ensuring that the right contract is in place.

And most importantly, work with the right local partners. While we look into some of the most effective third-party KOL agencies and analytics firms in the market today, marketers are also encouraged to do their own research. It’s clear that KOL marketing and live-streaming is set to become a dominant platform and ecosystem in China going forward, and marketers will need to hone their craft in this new integrated channel to boost sales and future-proof their brand’s relevance with the next generation of consumers.

“KOL marketing and live-streaming is set to become a dominant platform and ecosystem in China going forward,” said Stewart Li, Managing Director, Ebiquity China. “Marketers need to hone their craft in this new integrated channel to boost sales and future-proof their brand’s relevance with the next generation of consumers.”

Today, social commerce is heavily reliant on live-streaming sales, which means advertisers who want their brands to succeed in China should consider KOL live-streaming. Having conducted dozens of KOL performance audits and benchmarking projects over the years, Ebiquity’s China team has identified best practices, risks, and attention areas that advertisers should look out for when considering KOL live-streaming. 

This report covers 7 steps that can help advertisers successfully leverage the power of KOLs. These include developing a KPI framework; deploying 3rd party tracking and fraud verification; breaking down KOL quotations; setting guidelines; agreeing to a systematic evolution and agency remuneration model; and finally, ensuring that the right contract is in place. And most importantly, work with the right local partners.

Influencer marketing in China is extra-ordinary. Our research finds top 15% of all KOLs in China generate return on investment six times more than the average ROI”, said James Gong, Vice-President of Datastory. “We suggest advertisers take a closer look at the effectiveness of their campaigns. And seek ROI maximization opportunities from KOL selection and content optimization.”

Navigating China’s KOL market is fraught with obstacles and pitfalls. From a KOL placement and measurement perspective, marketers face a number of significant challenges. The first is the nature of the market itself. With over 10 million KOL accounts across up to nine different major social media platforms, the market is incredibly fragmented and decentralised. Note as well that media buyers are not negotiating with media channels—they are dealing with individual persons, which can be a very different experience from traditional media and channel selection and comes with its own challenges.

The second challenge is tracking and measurement. With traditional online media, invalid traffic (IVT)—that is, activity that may represent either accidental or outright fraudulent clicks or impressions—can eat into marketing costs and siphon advertising budgets. However, KOL tracking layers on an additional risk of invalid engagements (IVE), which often involves fake followers spamming artificial bot engagements. And every second, there are over 3,000 posts on Sina Weibo alone, which makes tracking and measurement incredibly complex.

Finally, advertisers often run into the perennial problem of transparency. With over 100,000 multi-channel network (MCN) agencies in China, marketing professionals have to negotiate with complicated and opaque KOL buying chains, with little visibility or detailed breakdown over what exactly the client is purchasing. Rate cards and standardised cost quotations are not common practice, and the cost of a KOL placement can often be bundled in with other below-the-line activities without the knowledge of the buyer.

Having conducted dozens of KOL performance audits and benchmarking projects over the years, we’ve identified a series of best practices, risks and attention areas that advertisers should look out for. We’ve combined these insights into seven key aspects that will hopefully offer marketers a more comprehensive model to get started, covering the entire end-to-end process of KOL buying and management.

Conclusion

KOLs and Livestreaming are a relatively new marketing ecosystem and can be quite challenging to negotiate. The insights outlined in this report should offer a solid primer for advertising
professionals ranging from veteran marketers looking to emulate best practices to new entrants looking for some guidance on how to get started.

But this is only a start. Ultimately, there’s no substitute to proper due diligence in choosing the right local partners and platforms that fit your business strategy. A good partner can make or break a KOL campaign, helping you eliminate fraud, set the right KPIs, find suitable KOLs, minimise your fees and ensure you hit your targets.

New York Festivals AME Awards announced the shortlist for the 2022 competition.

Creative and effective work submitted from 23 countries worldwide were judged online by the 2022 AME Grand Jury.The five-region jury panels included global industry innovators and branding experts who selected entries advancing to the trophy round. View the 2022 shortlist HERE.

Shortlisted entries include top-scoring ground-breaking campaigns that elevated brand positioning, created engagement, and increased market share while delivering results that surpassed benchmarks.

Prominent brands and sponsors advanced. The UAE Government Media Office took the top slot worldwide with a record-breaking 34 entries shortlisted. Global brands and foundations advancing include Guinness, adidas, Allianz - Women's Aid, Pepsi, Flutwein, McDonald's, BURGER KING® Deutschland, Extra Gum, Sheba, Harry Rosen, Black Business & Professional Association, Fundaparkca Foundation, Kellogg's Eggo, Intuit QuickBooks, Lexus, Maltesers, Pfaff Harley-Davidson, Dove/Mars Wrigley, Indeed, Wendy's Canada, Heinz Ketchup, Mall of the Emirates, Tourism New Zealand, Campbell's Co. of Canada, Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation, and Zalando.

Branded Content/Entertainment increased brand affinity and boosted engagement. Campaigns advancing include "The Warm Winter Livestream" the UAE Government Media Office partnered with gaming influencer and YouTube star Hassan Suleiman "AboFlah", who lived in a glass box, opposite the Burj Khalifa to raise $10 million in aid for refugees. Energy BBDO's humorous campaign "For When It's Time: Extra Gum's Pandemic Comeback" for Extra Gum dramatized just how epic our return to the world could be post Covid, and Starcom's "The Show Next Door" for client Maker's Mark created a six episode talk show running on the Roku Channel reminding viewers to take some time for themselves.

Purpose Driven marketing aligned like-minded consumers with causes that championed social and environmental issues. Shortlisted entries include AMVBBDO's "Hope Reef" for client Sheba, the campaign launched the world's largest coral restoration program - a 10-year commitment starting with Hope Reef off Indonesia. "#flutwein - Our Worst Vintage" by Seven.One AdFactory / Creative House / White Rabbit Budapest / WallDecaux for Flutwein was Germany's most successful crowdfunding campaign created to raise funds for locals affected by the Arh Valley's catastrophic flood, that destroyed more than 50 wineries. Additional campaigns advancing include "The World's Strongest Women" created by In the Company of Huskies for Allianz - Women's Aid, Leo Burnett Manila's "McDonald's Classroom" for McDonald's, UAE Government Media Office's campaign "The Donation Plate" for 100 Million Meals Initiative, and "Parkinson´s Scale Films" by WINGS The Agency for Fundaparkca Foundation.

Outdoor/Out-of-Home effectively sparked engagement across a wide spectrum of environments. Shortlisted campaigns include "Liquid Billboard" by Havas Middle East for adidas Middle East. The agency transformed a traditional billboard into a 5-meter-high swimming pool for women to dive in and become the heroes of the campaign and adidas' new inclusive swimwear line. "Better with Pepsi" by ALMA DDB for client Pepsi utilized paper artwork that uncovered Pepsi's logo in the wrappers of the top burger chains. "Empty Plates" created by Saatchi & Saatchi MENA for the UAE Government Media Office orchestrated a stunt that targeted Dubai's elite to use empty number auto plates and a VIP auction to fight world hunger. "Christmas Wildfire" created by MullenLowe MENA for Mall of the Emirates used a special-build digital carbon-neutral Christmas Tree which lit beautifully and burst into flames to raise awareness about climate change.

Social Equality campaigns shined a spotlight on inequality and helped brands be a catalyst for culture change while promoting DE&I. Shortlisted entries include Zulu Alpha Kilo's "The Micropedia of Microaggressions" for clients Black Business & Professional Association, Canadian Congress on Inclusive Diversity & Workplace Equity, Pride at Work, and the Diversity Institute launched the Micropedia, a judgement-free online tool that provides easy-to-digest information where people can unlearn their unconscious bias and make immediate changes in their daily interactions. Also advancing Wunderman Thompson's "Vicious Circle (No Fixed Address)" for HSBC UK, Zulu Alpha Kilo's "Tough Turban for Pfaff Harley-Davidson, and Anomaly GmbH's "Zalando - Here to Stay" for Zalando. Multi-cultural campaigns advanced including ALMA DDB's "Adios Cuadernito" for Inuit Quickbooks, and Marca Miami's "Iconos" for client DishLATINO.

Agencies employed technology to build stronger brand connections, entertain, and create a personalized brand experience. Entries advancing include "David's Unusables" created by Special Group for Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand, the campaign used Trade Me's auction functionality in an innovative way to chart the 'real-life' digital decline of David Seymour. BBDO China's "Dove Chocolate - Oddly Pleasurable" for Dove/Mars Wrigley used real-time neuroscience methodology to gather data to create a brand experience that triggers pleasurable feelings by generating dopamine. Zulu Alpha Kilo's "Notes IPA" for SingleCut Beersmiths used augmented reality to craft a beer-drinking experience that could elevate your musical abilities.

Activation & Engagement increased brand awareness and inspired emotional connection. Entries advancing include Inspire Activation's "Lonesome Hotel" for Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation, the campaign addressed public awareness and increased donations by modifying neglected seniors' homes into "Lonesome Hotel" and turned seniors' life dilemma stories into special services. MullenLowe MENA's "An Invitation to the Future" for UAE Government Media Office used the real-life 'Iron Man,' jet-suit inventor Richard Browning, to fly across Dubai in his jet suit to gain attention for Dubai's Museum of the Future.

Products and Services campaigns launched new products, engaged target audiences, and generated brand awareness. Shortlisted entries include Grabarz & Partner's "The plant-based revolution by Burger King in Germany" for BURGER KING® Deutschland gave a glimpse into the future of Plant-based fast food at world's first Burger King Plant-based pop-up restaurant. Entries also advancing include Havas New York's "Keurig Makes Any Occasion the Perfect Coffee Occasion" for Keurig, Barbarian's campaign "Fenty Eau De Parfum Ghost Stores Launch" for client Fenty Beauty, AMVBBDO's "Black Shines Brightest" for client Guinness, McCann Canada's "Wendy's Phone" for Wendy's Canada, "Ingrid makes Indeed the No. 1 job search brand in Germany" created by Grabarz & Partner for Indeed, and "Lexus IS: All-In On Obsession" created by Team One for Lexus.

Health & Wellness entries informed and engaged while delivering results. Shortlisted campaigns include "The Return Visit" created by Deloitte Digital Us for NYU Langone Health, AMVBBDO 's "The Invisible Opponent" for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), Starcom's "Winning the Switch Window" for client Novartis Kesimpta, ALMA DDB's "CRM" for Tobacco Free Florida, and "Grown-up Problems" created by McCann Canada for client Kids Help Phone. View the 2022 shortlist: HERE.<https://www.ameawards.com/winners/shortlists/2d890773-1aaa-4945-99b8-79206cb69b76>

All entries submitted into the 2022 AME Awards were evaluated based on 4 criteria and weighted according to importance: results/effectiveness, idea, execution, and challenge/strategy/objective.

The advertising industry is demanding more attention for their ads. How does this change media planning and creative development?

Every year Cannes Lions surfaces the big themes that matter in advertising, and there is a lot to learn from the award winning campaigns. But the event isn’t just a celebration of creativity. While creativity was debated and celebrated in the Palais award shows, all the major media platforms and agencies were vying for attention outside.

Meta, Google, Twitter, Snap, Spotify and others were lined up on the beachfront, along with many media agencies. 2022 also saw the arrival of the Amazon Port at Cannes - not surprising when you consider their ad revenues now equal the entire global newspaper industry.

Sitting neatly at the intersection of media magic and creative success is the debate around attention, which was a topic du jour from day one. Advertisers are increasingly keen to create ads that capture and retain attention. Publishers want to show they have the environments that deliver high-quality attention. And Agencies want to place ads where they can generate the most attention for their clients’ money.

The Attention Economy means brands need to cut through the noise, but they can’t do this by shouting louder, or by over-investing and simply adding to the clutter. Inflation and fears of recession put even greater emphasis on campaign ROI, so advertisers need to get smarter about improving attention via media planning and creative development processes.

Why is attention such a hot topic?

One reason is the demise of the cookie. Restrictions on targeting capabilities are leading to a resurgence of interest in contextual and format-based targeting.

Another driver is that audience measurement is evolving beyond viewability, beyond what the machine delivers, and incorporating a greater understanding of what the human sees. Or as Karen Nelson-Field puts it, moving away from “inward” insight about how an ad is served, to using more “outward” data concerning whether it was really viewed.

Get more attention for your media money

I spoke on a panel at Cannes hosted by Teads (the global media platform), Attention, the new metric you can’t miss, with L'Oréal, OMD Worldwide, Havas Media Group and Lumen Research. We debated whether attention metrics can be the foundation for improving the online ad experience and enhancing effectiveness. It seems the jury is still out on whether attention will become a new media buying currency, but it is certainly impacting media planning decisions and driving a useful debate around consumer attention being limited and valuable. The search for more attention makes sense because there is already decent evidence that more attention is likely to generate stronger brand lift.

Based on a large-scale study conducted in partnership with GroupM, we saw that greater attention measured by eye gaze results in stronger brand endorsement. However, for the skippable format shown below, the relationship was no stronger than the relationship we saw with behavioural time viewed.

Both eye gaze and time on screen have relationships with brand endorsement

How to measure attention

A lot of the attention measurement debate is focussed on eye tracking and predictive eye tracking tools which are being built into media planning systems. Attention can be measured in many ways. Machines, eyes and faces all provide legitimate signals, and what is ‘best’ depends heavily on the application. For one-off landscaping studies, you ideally want comprehensive measurement across multiple methods. This is what we deployed for the GroupM study which assessed four mobile video formats for three advertisers in three countries using ad completion, eye gaze, facial expressions and attitudinal responses. For industrial, ongoing measurement, you probably need to pick the most relevant metric. AI-based predictions of attention will likely play more of a role in the future, but we need to learn more about the strengths and limitations of machine learning vs human measurement.

In their media plans, marketers should not be aiming for attention at any cost. We know from our Media Reactions media evaluation research that ads are 7x more effective among receptive audiences. So, in the rush to generate more attention, advertisers and platforms should be careful not to inadvertently promote formats that are overly intrusive and likely to create consumer backlash.

Advertisers should also consider how much attention they really need. There is no point paying for a premium, high-attention environment if your ad doesn’t need long to achieve its objectives. While more complex stories and messaging need more time, some saliency campaigns need only a few seconds to remind consumers about their favourite brands.

Great ads demand attention

Once the platforms and ad formats have been selected, the question becomes whether your ads can make the most of those opportunities. Your ad quality determines how much attention you receive, especially within skippable environments.

Ryan Reynolds was the must-see speech at Cannes, with huge lines queueing to hear him talk about “telling stories that consumers want to hear”. But even he can’t get everyone to watch his ads to completion. Using Kantar’s automated Context Lab solution on Kantar Marketplace we tested his 36- second “Different Mintality” ad for Mint Mobile across four digital formats. The ad worked well across all formats, but audience retention was stronger on TikTok and YouTube, resulting in greater brand impact. However, even for this successful creative many consumers skipped before seeing half of the ad.

Even Ryan Reynolds can’t get everyone to watch his ads to completion

I recently compiled Kantar’s learning on the role of attention in the creative development process, sharing the findings at an Attention Council webinar and in this Human-centric AI podcast with Affectiva.

Attention measurement is baked into Kantar’s ad testing and development. We have assessed around 50,000 video ads using facial coding and tested over 10,000 digital ads in context where we capture attitudinal and behavioural responses. For print or outdoor ads, we also use behavioural techniques to understand areas of focus within those ads.

We’ve learned there are different ways to capture attention. Our brain is programmed to pay attention to things that are very different, personally relevant and make us feel something, so ads should be entertaining, engaging and emotive.

These three traits are highlighted by Kantar’s 2022 Creative Effectiveness award winners.

The Chupa Chups “XXL Flavour Playlist” TV ad from Spain entertained in a unique way using an animoji-type graphics and editing à la TikTok.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G digital billboard with Google engaged with a simple, sleek and effective product demonstration.

And the Mitre 10 “With You All The Way” TV ad successfully wove an emotive storyline into the home improvements shopping experience.

Conclusions

So, what’s the best way to measure attention in the creative development process? For videos we’ve found our facial coding measure of ’Expressiveness’ is more useful than the basic ’Attention’ measure of time looking at the screen. Expressiveness (which we could consider to be engaged attention) is more diagnostic since it is based on lots of different reactions at different times during an ad, and it validates better to sales effectiveness.

Yet neither attention nor expressiveness are sufficient to assess the overall quality of an ad. Other key attitudinal measures such as enjoyment, branding and persuasiveness are required to make a strong validation of sales effectiveness. This means attention is necessary but not sufficient for creative effectiveness.

The renewed focus on attention measurement should be welcomed. Attention matters and it is an especially precious commodity in skippable digital environments. Optimising your attention per dollar spent is likely to increase campaign performance. The best ads can earn more attention, so make sure you test them to understand both behavioural and attitudinal responses. Keep in mind that attention is not a new destination, rather a stepping-stone on the road to successfully building brands and driving sales.

Written by Duncan Southgate, Senior Director, Creative & Media Solutions, Kantar

Moët & Chandon is the most valuable wine and champagne brand in the world, valued at US$1.4 billion

Moët & Chandon is also the strongest wine and champagne brand with AAA- brand rating

Lindeman's achieves brand value growth of 81% and is fastest growing brand in ranking

Moët & Chandon is also the strongest wine and champagne brand with AAA- brand rating

In addition to brand value, Brand Finance determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in more than 35 countries and across nearly 30 sectors. In addition to being the most valuable brand in the ranking, Moët & Chandon (brand value up 15% to US$1.4 billion) is also the strongest brand in the ranking with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 82.1 out of 100 and a corresponding brand rating of AAA-.

Moët & Chandon is strengthening its branding with strong retail partnerships with luxury brands including Harrods and Selfridges. Moët & Chandon has launched a permanent champagne bar in Harrods’s food hall, the first of its kind. In addition to high-end retail partners, the brand also partners with online grocery stores such as Ocado and Whole Foods to ensure availability and a strong distribution network across its target markets.

Alex Haigh, Managing Director, Brand Finance, commented: “Over the course of the pandemic, alcoholic brands have been faced with difficult conditions including fluctuating demand due to national lockdowns across the world. The reopening of the economy has allowed the wine and champagne sector to pop many corks in celebration.”

Lindeman's achieves brand value growth of 81% and is fastest-growing wine and champagne brand in ranking

Lindeman’s (brand value up 81% to US$664 million) is the fastest-growing brand in the champagne and wine ranking. The brand climbed two ranks from last year and made it into the top ten most valuable brands in this year’s ranking. Earlier this year, the Australian wine brand celebrated reaching its goal of 100% carbon neutrality across its wine portfolio. The brand is also working towards transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2024 to reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to a sustainable future. To achieve and promote its sustainable goals, Lindeman’s is partnering with organisations such as the Carbon Trust and Ecologi.

Women filmmakers have beautiful, complex, and nuanced stories to tell – stories which have the power to resonate with people not just in the Arab world, but across the globe. Arab women have been telling these stories for decades.

Netflix is celebrating these stories and storytellers by releasing a catalog of 21 films by female filmmakers spanning various genres including documentary, drama, and romance, via a dedicated collection titled ‘Because She Created’.

The collection includes the works of critically acclaimed directors from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Tunis, and celebrates the creativity of the Arab world’s greatest female storytellers. While these stories are distinctly and authentically Arab, the themes will resonate with women across the world, uniting women from all walks of life through beautiful and poignant series and film.

Cinematic masterpieces like ‘Let’s Talk’ by Marianne Khoury dive into the life of legendary Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine, Nariss Nejjar’s ‘Stateless’ reflects on North African history from a female perspective, Suha Arraf’s ‘Villa Touma’, Leyla Bouzid’s ‘A Tale of Love and Desire’, Fatma Zamoun’s multi-character drama ‘Parkour’ and Suzannah Mirghani’s ‘Al-Sit’ – all bring fresh, unique, and underrepresented narratives to life with the female perspective front and center. 

The collection features many other stories that amplify the work of Arab women behind the camera, amplifying underrepresented voices and giving more people a chance to see their lives reflected on screen. We hope these voices provide inspiration for the wider creative community and highlight the importance of equitable representation storytelling, and why it matters. We’re proud to be working towards filling the pipeline of women in entertainment in the region. More women behind the camera also have a ripple effect for women in front of it. 

Netflix launched the ‘Because She Created’ platform last year as a virtual panel discussion hosting Arab women filmmakers to talk about the evolving role of women in the Arab film industry. Following its success, we also teamed up with the Cairo International Film Festival to host the second edition of Because She Created as a fireside chat with renowned actress Hend Sabry. Our ambition with this collection is to showcase the work of female filmmakers from around the Arab world so that more stories made in the Arab world can be loved globally.

Football fans across the MENA region can now enjoy the upcoming Italian League (Serie A), Cup (Coppa Italia) and Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana)

The three-year win enables STARZPLAY subscribers across the MENA region to enjoy the European League exclusively

Abu Dhabi Media (ADM), UAE's leading public service broadcaster and media company, and STARZPLAY, MENA region’s fastest growing subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, have secured the exclusive rights to stream the premium Italian League (“Serie A”), “Coppa Italia” (Italy Cup), and “Supercoppa Italiana” (Italian Super Cup), for the next three seasons beginning this year.

The Italian Football Federation granted the rights after a competitive bid by Abu Dhabi Media and STARZPLAY to win the rights to broadcast one of the most powerful European leagues to offer football fans across the region the best quality viewing at the highest broadcasting standards.

STARZPLAY’s reach of over 2.1 million regional subscribers will offer “Serie A” clubs’ maximum visibility to grow the brand across a population of 400 million people. The deal is an example of a successful partnership between ADM and STARZPLAY. They have been strengthening their collaboration to bolster the sports offering (such as AFC, UFC, FIFA Club World Cup) for enthusiasts in the region.

Commenting on the deal, Haitham Al Kathiri, Acting Executive Director of Abu Dhabi TV Network, said: “AD Sports' acquisition of the exclusive broadcast rights to Italian League (Serie A), Italy Cup (Coppa Italia) and Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) confirms our leading position, and highlights our technical expertise and media portfolio. We are looking forward to broadcasting the competitions in partnership with STARZPLAY, which is enjoyed by millions of football fans around the world.”

“This milestone comes in line with the digital transformation of AD Sports Channel, which has an extensive track record in covering the most important sports competitions across the world with professionalism and impartiality.”

“Driven by its reputation in covering the most prominent and largest local and international tournaments with the latest technologies and in line with the highest standards of global broadcast quality, AD Sports will continue to fulfill the expectations of viewers by providing premium HD audio and video coverage.” Al Kathiri concluded.

Danny Bates, Chief Commercial Officer, STARZPLAY, said: “Sports in the OTT space is a huge focus for us, and we have been investing in the live sports category over the last year with our platform witnessing an impressive subscription growth. As part of our long-term strategy, we are building this content category into one of our core products, offering the best in sports entertainment to subscribers across the region. With our stellar technical and customer support, STARZPLAY today is undoubtedly the best positioned platform to seize this incredible opportunity.”

“Abu Dhabi Media has been a strong catalyst in driving the sports portfolio for STARZPLAY and we are proud to partner with them once again to bring the popular Italian League to regional fans. Our ability to pitch and secure the exclusive broadcast rights for one of the top European leagues in a highly competitive bid, is a testament of our strength together as a team. We are confident that there is a huge untapped market in MENA which will support our goals for the coming years, and we look forward to additional category offerings in the future,” added Bates.

In 2019, the Digital News Report looked at how young people get their news,1 finding stark differences in news consumption and behaviours among younger people, including a greater reliance on digital and social media and a weaker identification with and loyalty to news brands compared with older groups. Three years later, we now turn our attention to how young people’s news habits and attitudes have changed amid rising concerns about news distrust and avoidance, increasing public attention to social issues such as climate change and social justice, and the growth of newer platforms such as TikTok and Telegram.

Here, we aim to unpack these new behaviours as well as to dismantle some broad narratives of ‘young people’. Instead, we consider how social natives (18–24s) – who largely grew up in the world of the social, participatory web – differ meaningfully from digital natives (25–34s) – who largely grew up in the information age but before the rise of social networks – when it comes to news access, formats, and attitudes.2 These groups are critical audiences for publishers and journalists around the world, and for the sustainability of the news, but are increasingly hard to reach and may require different strategies to engage them.

In this chapter, we supplement our survey data with quotes drawn from qualitative research conducted by the market research agency Craft with 72 young people (aged 18–30) in Brazil, the UK, and the US.

The role of social media in young people’s news behaviours

Since the Digital News Report began tracking respondents’ main source of news, social networks have steadily replaced news websites as a primary source for younger audiences overall, with 39% of social natives (18–24s) across 12 markets now using social media as their main source of news, compared with 34% who prefer to go direct to a news website or app. We also find that social natives are far more likely to access news using ‘side-door’ sources such as social media, aggregator sites, and search engines than older groups.

The social media landscape continues to evolve dramatically, with new social networks like TikTok entering the field as well as existing platforms like Instagram and Telegram gaining markedly in popularity among young audiences. As social natives shift their attention away from Facebook (or in many cases never really start using it), more visually focused platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have become increasingly popular for news among this group. Use of TikTok for news has increased fivefold among 18–24s across all markets over just three years, from 3% in 2020 to 15% in 2022, while YouTube is increasingly popular among young people in Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

And while 25–34s have largely embraced many of the same networks as social natives in their daily lives and news habits, they have remained much more loyal to Facebook (9pp higher for news than social natives) – the network this cohort largely grew up with – and have been slower to move to new networks like TikTok (5pp lower for news than social natives).

What makes these networks so appealing to some younger audiences? Qualitative interviews reveal that they are drawn to the informal, entertaining style of visual media (and particularly online video) platforms – describing it as more personalised and diverse than TV, as a resource for rapidly changing events such as the Russia–Ukraine conflict, and as a venue for niche interests, from pop culture to travel to health and well-being.

On TV we always see the same things, but on YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, we have a range of diversity. … We can get all this and see that there is diversity, society far beyond just what we live.

Male, 18, Brazil

I find [YouTube] more digestible than mainstream media. I also find YouTube to be more interesting because it is more specifically geared towards me.

Male, 23, USA

However, the popularity of online video does not mean text- and audio-based formats don’t still have a big role to play in young people’s news habits. Under 35s still largely say they prefer to mostly read (58%) rather than mostly watch (15%) news – particularly, as our qualitative research finds, when looking for live updates and summaries or when keeping up with what is happening on a ‘need to know’ basis. Some say they seek out a mix of text and video content to better understand information. Others, particularly in Asia-Pacific and Latin American markets, are drawn to audio-based formats like podcasts that allow users to multitask while they listen. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach or medium through which newsrooms can attract younger audiences.

Why younger audiences avoid news

And yet, as more news outlets and formats compete for audiences’ time and attention, we continue to see longer-term falls in interest and trust in news across age groups and markets – particularly among younger audiences. Under 35s are the lowest-trusting age groups, with only a third (37%) of both 18–24s and 25–34s across all markets saying they trust most news most of the time, compared with nearly half of those 55 and older (47%). Young people also increasingly choose to avoid the news, with substantial rises in avoidance among social natives since we last asked this question in 2019. Across all markets, around four in ten under 35s often or sometimes avoid the news now, compared with a third (36%) of those 35 and older.

Why is this happening? Most often, younger audiences (under 35) say the news has a negative effect on their mood (34%) and, most recently, that there is too much news coverage of topics like politics or Coronavirus (39%). In particular, the longstanding criticism of the depressing or overwhelming nature of news persists among young people. For instance, in the UK, two-thirds (64%) of news avoiders under 35 say the news brings down their mood. Our qualitative research participants described forming habits of avoiding this negativity.

I tend to try and limit the amount of negative news I consume, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I don't want it to affect my day or make me worry.

Female, 29, UK

Depending on my mood, if I see news that I know is bad, is going to upset me, sometimes I leave it and read it later.

Male, 24, Brazil

Young people, particularly digital natives (27%), also at times avoid the news because they perceive it as biased or untrustworthy. As under 35s grew up in the digital age and have been socialised by older generations to be critical of the information they consume, our qualitative research suggests they take a particularly sceptical approach to all information and often question the ‘agenda’ of purveyors of news. In this sense, mainstream news brands are not inherently more valued for impartiality by some young people, and their wariness of bias at times pushes them away from consuming news altogether.

I do not think anything is 100% reliable in the mainstream media. You can never think that that is the absolute truth, because we are not sure of anything.

Female, 24, Brazil

A lot of the time, mainstream news can be very biased or politically motivated. This makes it hard to decipher its credibility.

Female, 28, USA

Yet many young people are not necessarily avoiding all news. In fact, many of them are selectively avoiding topics like politics and the Coronavirus specifically. As the Executive Summary notes, these patterns of selective news avoidance are not limited to younger audiences. But our qualitative research suggests that, among these groups, perceptions of political news are intrinsically tied to other themes of news avoidance: beliefs that it is particularly negative, that there is nothing they can do with the information, or that it is less trustworthy than other forms of news. Rather than simply avoiding news, there is ‘news to be avoided’.

I actively avoid news about politics as it frustrates me. It makes me feel small and no matter what my views it won’t make any difference at all to what goes on in the country or world, so there is no point listening to it.

Female, 22, UK

On days where I really want to relax, I avoid political news because it gets me anxious sometimes.

Female, 24, USA

What is news to young people?

These perceptions of too much newsroom attention going towards topics like politics and Coronavirus also reflect younger audiences’ broader desire for diverse news agendas, voices, and perspectives. As we discuss throughout this report, young people – particularly 18–24s – have different attitudes toward how the news is practised: they are more likely than older groups to believe media organisations should take a stand on issues like climate change and to think journalists should be free to express their personal views on social media.

On top of that, many young people have a wider definition of what news is. As our qualitative research reveals, younger audiences often distinguish between ‘the news’ as the narrow, traditional agenda of politics and current affairs and ‘news’ as a much wider umbrella encompassing topics like sports, entertainment, celebrity gossip, culture, and science. This is reflected, for instance, in the examples of ‘news’ our interview participants shared: from stories about the world’s biggest strawberry to pollution on local beaches to the latest episode of Big Brother.

Given that young people are generally less interested in news and access it less frequently than older audiences, it is not surprising that under 35s express lower interest in most news topics generally. But they are particularly less likely to be interested in what they consider to be ‘the news’ – traditional beats like politics, international, and crime news – and tend to be less inclined to consume Coronavirus coverage. Instead, under 35s are more likely to be interested in ‘softer’ news topics: entertainment and celebrity news (33% interested), culture and arts news (37%), and education news (34%).

I like news about sports, food, well-being, and health. I don't like seeing news about violence.

Male, 27, Brazil

Even many of the types of news often deemed ‘young’ topics – for instance, mental health and wellness, environment and climate change news, and fun news or satire – do not necessarily translate into greater interest among all young people across all markets (or at least, interest in news, specifically, about these topics). Younger audiences on average don’t have much higher interest than older audiences in news on social justice issues, for instance, though this interest varies dramatically by market. Interest in social justice news is nine percentage points higher among under 35s than those 35 and older in the UK, on a par across both groups in Brazil, and seven percentage points lower among under 35s in Germany. As we discuss in a later section, those 35 and older are also more likely than younger people to say they are interested in environment and climate change news.

Motivations to access news

This year, we also asked about why people personally choose to keep up with the news. All age groups see the news as equally important for learning new things, but news users under 35 are slightly more motivated than older groups by how entertaining the news is and how sharable it is, and they are slightly less motivated than older groups by a sense of duty to stay informed of news or by its personal usefulness to them.

However, the extent to which young people feel a sense of duty to consume news looks very different across countries – for instance, with huge gaps between those under versus over 35 in Brazil and the US but very small gaps by age in France and Japan. And in the UK, a sense of duty to be informed and feeling the news helps them learn new things are tied for the top motivation for consuming news among under 35s. Together with insights from our qualitative research, this suggests that young audiences engage in a sort of mix-and-match of motivations depending on their interests as well as the types of content they are thinking of or seeking out.

I access the news partially for fun and partially for entertainment but also to be informed. There are also science magazines, where it’s not fun, but it’s not ‘need to know’ either.

Female, 23, USA

I am looking for what I need to know to stay relevant with current events … That news is important and relevant to my life. Also, I look for news that is going to entertain my personal interests and fun news that is exciting to discover such as current celebrity news.

Male, 27, USA

Conclusions

As the digital media environment rapidly evolves and more young adults who grew up with social media enter our sample, key differences among younger news audiences continue to crystallise. The point here is not simply that some of young people’s behaviours and preferences are different from those of older people. They long have been. It is that the differences seem to be growing, even between social natives and digital natives. Many of these shifts in behaviours are so fundamental that they appear unlikely to be reversed with time. The youngest cohort represents a more casual, less loyal news user. Social natives’ reliance on social media and weak connection with brands make it harder for media organisations to attract and engage them.

At the same time, younger audiences are also particularly suspicious and less trusting of all information. This, along with the often-depressing nature of news and the overwhelming amount of information they encounter in their daily lives, makes young people sceptical of news organisations’ agendas and increasingly likely to avoid the news – or at least certain types of news. While young people do not all have the same needs, many are looking for more diverse voices and perspectives and for stories that don’t depress and upset them.

Social natives in particular have increasingly moved towards new visual social networks – but they are not simply all TikTokers, nor do they all have limited attention spans when it comes to serious information. Young people like a range of formats and media, from text to video to audio, and are drawn to information that is curated for them. There will continue to be a place for text, video, audio, and still imagery – sometimes all in one piece of content. And there will be a place for both the serious, impartial tones of traditional media and more casual, entertaining, or advocacy-centred approaches to covering news.

Younger audiences’ definitions of what news is are also wider. Recognising the variety of preferences and tastes that exist within an incredibly diverse cohort presents a new set of challenges for media organisations. But one route to increased relevance for news brands may lie in broadening their appeal – connecting with the topics young people care about, developing multimedia and platform-specific content, and aligning content and tone with format – rather than entirely replacing what they already do or expecting young people to eventually come around to what has always been done. At times, this includes continuing with what news brands currently offer, some of which is highly valued by younger audiences. In moments when they feel they ‘need to know’ what is happening – as with COVID-19 and the Russia–Ukraine conflict – young people still want news brands to be there.

Written by Dr Kirsten Eddy at Reuters Institute

Sequel and Spin-off In The Works; ‘Virgin River’ Enters TV List at #1

All eyes were on Sierra Six as The Gray Man clinched the top spot on the English Films List. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the action spy thriller had 88.55M hours viewed. A favorite amongst fans with a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 91 percent, the star-studded film featuring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jessica Henwick, Rege-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Dhanush, with Alfre Woodard and Billy Bob Thornton, was #1 in the Top 10 in 84 countries. Fans will get to see more of Sierra Six with Ryan Gosling set to star in a newly announced sequel of the film, based on the book series by Mark Greaney. A spin-off of the film is also in development.

The Sea Beast continued to make waves as the animated film pulled in an additional 34.14M hours viewed. In its third week, the film appeared in the Top 10 in 92 countries. Fans were in the mood for a love story as Persuasion had 29.04M hours viewed and was in the Top 10 in 91 countries. Meanwhile, The Man from Toronto and Girl in the Picture had 8.79M hours viewed and 7.36M hours viewed, respectively.

Emotions were at an all time high as Season 4 of Virgin River returned at #1 with 105.44M hours viewed. The small-town drama, based on the Virgin River book series, was in the Top 10 in 71 countries on the English TV List. The Hawkins crew came in #2 as Stranger Things 4 had 74.99M hours viewed, with Seasons 1-3 holding on strong. The Duffer Brother series now sits at 1.33Bn hours viewed on the Most Popular list. Even a zombie apocalypse couldn’t keep fans away from New Racoon City as Resident Evil came in #3 with 73.26M hours viewed. Animated series Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight had 21.02M hours viewed. Closing out the list is The Umbrella Academy with 18.25M hours viewed.

On the non-English Films List, new entrants included Polish coming-of-age story Too Old For Fairy Tales with 10.88M hours viewed and Spanish drama Live is Life with 7.17M hours viewed. Returning favorites include Tawainese horror Incantation, Spanish action-adventure Valley of the Dead, French drama Dangerous Liaisons, Indian dramedy Jaadugar, Italian rom-com Under the Amalfi Sun, French documentary My Daughter’s Killer and Indian action-adventure RRR.

Meanwhile, on the non-English TV list, drama series pulled fans in. Spain’s Alba had 57.74M hours viewed, Korea’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo had 55.07M hours viewed, Remarriage & Desires with 31.51M hours viewed, Alchemy of the Souls with 15.76M hours viewed and Brazil’s Sintonia with 9.24M hours viewed.

ZEE Brand Works launched to leverage ingenious creativity and consumer understanding into competitive advantage for brands and marketers

-  Introduces new & innovative solutions for national outreach across TV & Digital

-  Promises mass reach & hyperlocal influence for brands

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), India’s leading media and entertainment powerhouse, in an endeavour to further strengthen its creative offering for its clients across all industries and categories, today introduced ZEE Brand Works.

With client-centricity at its core, the team at ZEE Brand Works aims to provide brands a holistic and wide range of branding, sales augmentation, customer acquisition, new launches, content creation, influencer and integration solutions. Backed by ZEE’s distinguished leadership and expertise across all Indian markets and consumer cohorts, ZEE Brand Works offers brands and marketers an enhanced and direct access to reach, connect and engage with the right audience through ZEE’s portfolio of TV channels in 11 languages, OTT platform ZEE5 and social media platforms.

Speaking about ZEE Brand Works, Mr. Rajiv Bakshi, Chief Operations Officer – Revenue, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “Consumers are also increasingly rewarding authenticity and personalization along with purpose-driven brand alignment. Forging a deep emotional connect and occupying a greater share of mind is a primary challenge for both existing and emerging brands. ZEE Brand Works will further boost our endeavor to build brands’ resonance and sales in HSM and regional market clusters by employing the team’s ingenious creativity and inherent consumer understanding. With the onset of this journey, we are excited to partner with like-minded marketers and augment their growth strategies.”

Marking the initiative, Mr. Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said “As a pioneer in the Indian Media landscape, we have always had a finger on the pulse of the Indian viewer. This has helped us to develop a deep understanding of the myriad mini-Bharat’s which exist within this great nation, each with its own set of norms, sensibilities and traditions. Blending this understanding of the Indian consumer with the marketing requirements of our clientele to develop bespoke brand solutions has always been a hallmark of ZEE.”

He further added, “Given the fluid nature of brands’ marketing objectives in order to keep pace with evolving consumer requirements, we are also enhancing our services with the launch of ZEE Brand Works. Through this, we will enable brands to achieve their objectives across the marketing funnel providing integrated solutions spanning our TV, Digital, Social and Experiential assets resulting in enhanced brand connections, higher engagement and improved marketing outcomes. As an industry leading initiative, ZEE Brand Works will help brands reach the right audience utilizing the best medium(s) thereby boosting overall ROI for our clients.”

ZEE Brand Works introduced new programs that are meticulously designed to reach audiences effectively across brands’ varying objectives:

· Designing Product Launches that offer brands the visibility, grandeur and traction leveraging the distinct strength of ZEE’s network across linear TV, OTT, on-ground and social.

· Creative Solutions to the burgeoning community of new-age entrepreneurs and visionaries, highlighting their key successes, capturing their journeys in building successful companies and showcasing their contribution to India’s economic development.

·  Witness TV stars in their most candid avatar with interviews on iconic scenes and highpoints, gupshup, etc. through Behind the Scenes

·  Celebrate the upcoming festival season with audiences across the country through Khusiyon Ke Avsar.

Having already received accolades for ground-breaking activations for brands such as Pedigree, Dabur Honey Fitness, Ultra Tech Baat Ghar Ki etc., ZEE Brand Works’ existing clientele include GSK India, Pedigree, P&G, Ultra Tech Cement, Perfetti Van Melle, Philips India, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Mankind Pharma, MTR Foods, Asian Paints, Swiggy and Amazon amongst others.