ZEE5 Global, the world's largest streaming platform for South Asian content, is all set to announce its next original – Duranga. Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan, Duranga is an official adaptation of the Korean show named ‘Flower of Evil’.

Helmed by Goldie Behl and Shradha Singh, the romantic thriller will star Gulshan Devaiah and Drashti Dhami as protagonists and will premiere on the platform in August 2022.

Produced by Rose Audio Visuals, Duranga chronicles the love story of Sammit [played by Gulshan Devaiah] and Ira [played by Drashti Dhami], that unfolds in three different timelines. Hiding a twisted past, Sammit maintains a facade of a perfect husband to his Inspector wife — Ira. With a series of twists and turns, Ira begins investigating multiple gory copycat murders by the suspected accomplice of a psychopathic serial killer Bala, twenty years after his suicide. This case leads her to some shocking revelations about her husband! In true Kafkaesque style, the story will show how the protagonists wade through constant problems, despite which, they stand tall. But still leaving you with a question – How well do you know your partner?

The 9-part episode series also stars - Rajesh Khattar, Divya Sheth, Zakir Hussain, Barkha Bisht, Abhijit Khandkekar and Hera Mishra in prominent roles.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said, “At ZEE5 Global, we have been constantly innovating to launch compelling stories that keep viewers entertained and our latest series ‘Duranga’ is yet another state-of-the-art mystery. Duranga is an adaptation of the popular Korean programme "Flower of Evil'', with a unique twist that makes it more relatable to South Asians. We strive to continue to cater to the ever expanding appetite of South Asian communities, and bring forth such compelling stories. ‘Duranga’ is the perfect addition to our growing line-up of crime-thrillers.”

Nimisha Pandey, Chief Content Officer – Hindi Originals, ZEE5 said, “Korean shows and their intricately relatable storylines have found a huge fan base in India, and we are thrilled to present the first ever adaptation of a Korean series in the Indian market. We are excited to unveil ‘Duranga’ on ZEE5, a unique love story with a twist where circumstances pit lovers against each other. Our vision of creating the show has been brought to life by an exceptional team at Rose. It was a pleasure to collaborate with Goldie Behl, and directors Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan. With ‘Duranga’, the audiences will witness Drashti Dhami in a stellar performance as a cop, a never seen before avatar for the audiences. Gulshan Devaiah enlivens the complex character of Samit Patel with aplomb, making it a captivating watch. We hope the audiences enjoy the rollercoaster ride that ‘Duranga’ will deliver.”

Goldie Behl, Producer, Rose Audio Visuals commented, “It’s always been a pleasure collaborating with ZEE5 Global and looking forward yet again, this time with Duranga. Nimisha Pandey, the content head at ZEE5 Global has been very forthcoming of the concept of Duranga and gave us the required support while making the show. At Rose Audio Visuals we have always been committed to produce quality, out of the box content which is also entertaining. Duranga is a step forward in that direction. It is a special subject because it explores the concept of marriage but through a unique twisted lens, something you have never seen before. The unusual pairing of Drashti Dhami and Gulshan Devaiah has worked very well for us. Their characters in the show come from very varied, distinct backgrounds and they both have divulged completely into it.”

He added, “Duranga primarily deals with the subject of how well you know your partner and then explores the story further. We may believe that we know our partner really well, but do we really? That’s what Duranga will explore and answer. Very excited to present the show and we hope the audience totally resonates with it the way we did.”

Duranga will soon premiere on ZEE5 Global exclusively.

The first volume of Season 4 of Stranger Things was released May 27, 2022 and several brands who have positioned their products throughout the new season, such as Coca-Cola, Lacoste and Reebok, are seeing valuable exposure.

New data from YouGov Stream—which uses opt-in, zero-party viewership data—reveals that Coke has the highest value placement of any brand with product placement in Season 4 so far at $1.83 million.

The soft drink giant’s highest performing asset was the Can, at $1.17m, followed by the Fountain Cup ($348k) and the Scoreboard ($211k), which was used during Hawkins High’s championship game in episode 1. The valuation for Coke across the first 28 days is nearly four times that of Pepsi’s, whose own placement valuation was $438k across both the UK and US.

Fashion brand Lacoste ranked second in YouGov’s net product placement valuation at $1.8 million, a considerable feat for the French clothing company despite appearing in just one episode.

Several footwear brands featured throughout the first volume of Season 4, with Reebok leading the pack in net product placement valuations at $1.42 million ahead of Nike ($413k), Vans ($379k), and Converse ($144k).

Jif Peanut Butter proved integral to the plot of episodes 4 and 5 in which Joyce Byers breaks a jar of Jif Peanut Butter and uses a shard of glass to free herself from capture. The spreadable condiment brand ranked fourth in terms of net product placement valuation at $879k.

And, with Kate Bush’s “Running up that Hill” becoming one of June's biggest global hits on streaming charts and social media following its deployment in Stranger Things, the Walkman Cassette Player used to play the song that saves Max Mayfield during Episode 4 drove $635k of net placement value for Sony.

Commenting on the data, Associate Director of Product at YouGov, Dominic Prince, said: “Coke, as reportedly the largest buyers of product placement in Stranger Things, unsurprisingly top our leader board for Net Placement Value from Season 4 Vol.1 of the show. Lacoste will also be very happy with surprisingly strong value driven by their polo shirt, which featured in Episode 2, while brands like Reebok and Jif also top our category leader boards with some well-executed placements.

It is Important to note that the figures presented here are values that have accrued already from these two key markets. The audiences will only grow, and these values are set to grow with them. Our total valuation of the product placements in the first seven episodes of Season 4 so far is $13.7m across the UK and US. Factoring in global audiences, the release of the last two episodes, and the lifetime viewership of the season, Netflix are set to deliver many millions more in marketing value for the brands they work with.”

Corporate credit card transactions MENA enterprises in different phases of growth focus on digital advertising online through social media networks.

Tribal Credit has highlighted local enterprises' most significant spending categories based on corporate card spending data from small, medium, and emerging businesses tracked over the last year.

As businesses develop throughout the region, their expenditures are becoming more important to economic growth.

Despite the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, 9 out of 10 purchases were made online in recent months, reflecting the shift toward that e-commerce and online shopping. 

As shown by Tribal data, online advertising was the category where companies in various stages of development spent the most during this period, further demonstrating the long-term growth of online sales. 

For companies and advertising service providers, payments for digital campaigns with cards streamline the payment process, control of expenses and the relationship with platforms.

The second largest expenditure on corporate cards was for freight services and logistics, primarily for imports and exports. Growing e-commerce provides companies in various stages of development with an excellent opportunity to expand to additional markets, which has become increasingly important with the growth of e-commerce.  

Lastly, companies spent the third highest amount on technology and computing infrastructure, such as hardware, software, and programming services. Digital infrastructure spending shows that companies continue to adapt their operations to the digital economy. 

In MENA, tribal observed that travel spending, including travel agencies, flights, and hotels, showed the most substantial growth between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022. The region's companies in various stages of growth have ranked travel spending among the top ten expenses during the last quarter. A high increase in spending in this sector indicates that companies are expanding their markets and travelling to improve their operations.

The use of services such as Tribal can make managing digital spending more effective by making it simpler to track and manage.

Amira Fadel, Tribal's Regional Manager - MENA, said: "It is important to take into account that companies continue to adapt to the new times with the revolution in disruptive technologies, and many are accelerating their digitization processes. In this sense, it is valuable to see that companies are using their capital and corporate credit resources to make payments, especially through electronic commerce, directly related to boosting business growth."

SMEs in Egypt account for 90% of active enterprises and 80% of GDP, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the UAE, SMEs represent 86% of the private sector labour force and 60% of GDP. Furthermore, Saudi Arabian government data indicate that SME contribution to GDP has risen to 28.7% since March 2021. 

Fadel added: “We know that MSMEs are the backbone of the global economy and that most of the world's employment comes from them. Therefore, continuing to bet on the expansion of its businesses is key to continue contributing to economic and social development.”

India’s #1 local language content discovery platform powered by VerSe Innovation, today announced its strategic multi-year content partnership with MENA Newswire, a media-tech startup that is reshaping the future of content distribution across the Middle East region.

VerSe Innovation, currently valued at $5 Billion has rolled out its offering of Dailyhunt in the Middle East countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The partnership with MENA Newswire enables Dailyhunt to deliver content that informs, enriches, and entertains audiences across formats like text and video. Leveraging MENA Newswire’s SaaS platform, Dailyhunt has onboarded a total of 181 news publishers onto the app. The content from MENA Newswire will be available in Arabic and English across the GCC and further afield to the Levant.

Umang Bedi, Co-founder, VerSe Innovation said, “We are excited about our partnership with MENA Newswire, as we expand our offerings across the MENA region. MENA Newswire is the region’s first home-grown internet content provider and is an ideal partner for us. This strategic association is in line with our vision of catering to the unmet content needs of the Middle East market. This will also enable untapped monetization opportunities for MENA Newswire in the region.”

MENA Newswire Co-Founder and Chairman, Heba Al Mansoori said, “With Dailyhunt’s AI-driven model and its advanced machine learning algorithms, all the sites that are onboarded through MENA Newswire gain additional traffic and revenue, which is a massive game-changer in the region. The content license partnership will facilitate partner websites’ organic growth and allow them to leverage their media positions to enhance their content portfolio and develop quality authoritative content.”

Dailyhunt is India’s #1 local language content platform offering 1M+ new content artifacts every day in 15 languages. The content on Dailyhunt is licensed and sourced from a creator ecosystem of over 50,000+ content partners and a deep pool of over 50,000+ creators. Our mission is to be the Indic platform empowering a billion Indians to discover, consume, and socialize with content that informs, enriches, and entertains. Dailyhunt serves over 350 million monthly active users (MAUs) every month. The time spent per daily active user (DAU) is 30 minutes per user per day. Its unique AI/ML and deep learning technologies enable smart curation of content and track user preferences to deliver real-time, personalized content and notifications. The Dailyhunt app is available on Android, iOS and the mobile web.

MENA Newswire is the brainchild of Emirati entrepreneur Heba Al Mansoori who created a region-first newswire that does not rely on outdated HTML feeds or emails to share content. MENA Newswire is a media-tech company reshaping the future of content distribution using a proprietary SaaS content delivery model. An evolution of the newswire that integrates AI, Cloud computing & storage, Google webmaster guidelines, cutting-edge SEO techniques and provides analytics results once stories are published on websites and news portals. MENA Newswire has content agreements in place with over 500 websites – a first in the Middle East region. With widespread coverage across the Middle East and North Africa, this media-tech startup is making a foray into sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, MENA Newswire distributes content in Arabic, English and French languages and is the only regional/international newswire to offer a money-back performance guarantee.

A tsunami of private capital has left Russia and Ukraine, the UK has lost its wealth hub crown, and the US is fading fast as a magnet for the world’s wealthy, with the UAE expected to overtake it by attracting the largest net inflows of millionaires globally in 2022, according to the latest Henley Global Citizens Report, which tracks private wealth and investment migration trends worldwide.

The Q2 report released today by international residence and citizenship by investment advisory firm Henley & Partners exclusively features the latest projected 2022 net inflows and outflows of US dollar millionaires (namely, the difference between the number of HNWIs who relocate to and the number who emigrate from a country) forecast by New World Wealth. The firm is the only known independent wealth research company systematically tracking international private wealth migration trends over the past decade. The HNWI migration figures focus only on people with wealth of USD 1 million or more and who have truly moved — namely, those who stay in their new country more than half of the year.

As expected, Russia has suffered the biggest emigration of millionaires over the past six months, with forecast net outflows of 15,000 by the end of 2022 — a massive 15% of its HNWI population and 9,500 more than in 2019, pre-pandemic. Russia’s invasion is in turn driving a steep spike in outgoing HNWIs from Ukraine, which is predicted to suffer its highest net loss in the country’s history — 2,800 millionaires (42% of its HNWI population) and a net loss of 2,400 more than 2019. No country-specific figures are available for 2020 and 2021 owing to Covid-related lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Top 10 countries gaining and losing millionaires in 2022

Forecast figures in the Henley Global Citizens Report show the top 10 countries in terms of net inflows of HNWIs in 2022 will be the UAE, Australia, Singapore, Israel, Switzerland, the US, Portugal, Greece, Canada, and New Zealand. Large numbers of millionaires are also expected to move to ‘the three Ms’: Malta, Mauritius, and Monaco. On the flip side, the 10 countries where the highest net outflows of HNWIs are predicted are Russia, China, India, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, says HNWI migration was a rising trend over the past decade until, understandably, it dipped in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The 2022 forecast reflects an extremely volatile environment worldwide. By the end of the year, 88,000 millionaires are expected to have relocated to new countries, 22,000 fewer than in 2019 when 110,000 moved. Next year, the largest millionaire migration flows on record are predicted — 125,000 — as affluent investors and their families earnestly prepare for the new post-Covid world, with an as yet-to-be revealed rearrangement of the global order, and the ever-present threat of climate change as a constant backdrop.”

Andrew Amoils, Head of Research at New World Wealth says HNWI migration figures are an excellent barometer for the health of an economy. “Affluent individuals are extremely mobile, and their movements can provide an early warning signal into future country trends. Countries that draw wealthy individuals and families to migrate to their shores tend to be robust, with low crime rates, competitive tax rates, and attractive business opportunities.”

UK and USA – the mighty are falling

According to the latest data, destinations that traditionally attracted wealthy investors are losing their luster. The UK, once touted as the world’s financial center, continues to see a steady loss of millionaires, with net outflows of 1,500 predicted for 2022. This trend began five years ago when the Brexit vote and rising taxes saw more HNWIs leaving the country than entering for the first time. The UK has suffered a total net loss of approximately 12,000 millionaires since 2017.

The appeal of another financial giant, the US, is also dwindling fast. America is notably less popular among migrating millionaires today than pre-Covid, perhaps owing in part to the threat of higher taxes. The country still attracts more HNWIs than it loses to emigration, with a net inflow of 1,500 projected for 2022, although this is a staggering 86% drop from 2019 levels, which saw a net inflow of 10,800 millionaires.

Commenting on the geopolitics of millionaire migration in the Henley Global Citizens Report, award-winning journalist Misha Glenny says private wealth growth is bound to remain anemic in the US this year as political unpredictability looms. “In November, the mid-term elections are likely to return a Republican House and possibly the Senate, too. With culture wars between Democrats and Republicans mounting once more with the leaked decision of the Supreme Court to overturn the Roe vs. Wade ruling on abortions, some fear we are entering another period of dramatic instability such as that which characterized the Trump years. As a consequence, some high-net-worth investors will doubtless think twice before committing their wealth to the Americas.”

The UAE’s stellar ascent as a wealth hub

By contrast, the UAE has become the focus of intense interest among affluent investors and is expected to see the highest net influx of HNWIs globally in 2022, with 4,000 forecast — a dramatic increase of 208% versus 2019’s net inflow of 1,300 and one of its largest on record. This mirrors the country’s remarkable rise in the Henley Passport Index rankings over the past decade as it focused on attracting tourism and trade by implementing a succession of mutually reciprocated visa waivers. The UAE is now doing the same with its competitive, agile approach to adapting immigration regulations to attract private wealth, capital, and talent.

Glenny says affluent Russians seeking to escape the impact of the devastating Western sanctions on their country have started to move to the UAE and Israel in large numbers. “An underlying pattern was already detectable in advance of the invasion of Ukraine. Well before the imposition of sanctions on the Russian banking system, there was a tsunami of capital leaving the country, largely prompted by the increasingly capricious governing style of President Vladimir Putin and his demands of loyalty made on middle-class and wealthy Russians. They have now come under further pressure from many Western countries, such as Britain, where they had previously made their homes.”

Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore among the big winners

As Glenny points out, net HNWI inflows are on the rise in Israel, with a figure of 2,500 forecast for 2022 — a significant increase of 79% since 2019.

Long-term high performer Australia consistently attracts large numbers of HNWIs. New World Wealth estimates that over 80,000 US dollar millionaires have moved to the country over the past 20 years. In 2022, the net inflow is expected to be 3,500 — the second-highest globally. Neighboring New Zealand is expected to receive a net inflow of 800 HNWIs in 2022, and Asia’s prime hub of affluence, Singapore, continues to attract millionaires, with net inflows of 2,800 expected — a prolific 87% increase compared to 2019’s figure of 1,500.

Commenting in the Henley Global Citizens Report, FutureMap founder and international bestselling author Dr. Parag Khanna says, “Globalization is not dead — and certainly not from the perspective of Asia, where inward capital flows are rising on the back of a post-Covid reopening and genuine investments across the region in productive capacity. With multiple factory floors, multi-trillion-dollar economies, rapid urbanization, a rising middle class, and surging technological penetration, Asia’s continued ascent remains the major economic story of our age.”

China, Hong Kong (SAR China), India, Brazil among the biggest losers

Wealth emigration is beginning to hurt in China, with net outflows of 10,000 HNWIs expected in 2022. Amoils says, “General wealth growth in the country has been slowing over the past few years. As such, recent outflows of HNWIs may be more damaging than in the past. China’s deteriorating relationships with Australia and the US are also a major long-term concern.”

In Hong Kong (SAR China) HNWI departures continue albeit at a slower pace, with projected net millionaire outflows of 3,000 in 2022 (a 29% drop compared to 2019). Brazil’s millionaire exodus is intensifying with net outflows of 2,500 HNWIs predicted — up 79% compared to 2019. India is expected to suffer a net loss of approximately 8,000 HNWIs in 2022, up 14% since 2019 when the net loss was 7,000. However, India produces far more new millionaires than it loses to migration each year.

Commenting on wealth growth projections in the Henley Global Citizens Report, Prof. Trevor Williams, former Chief Economist at Lloyds Bank Commercial, says emerging economies are forecast to boom in the next decade. “As the world economy grows, economies in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere in the Global South are catching up with high-income economies. And as this report shows, they will see a more significant number of millionaires and billionaires in the next decade. For example, the number of HNWIs in Sri Lanka is forecast to increase by 90% by 2031, while India and Mauritius’s millionaire growth is forecast at 80%, and China’s at 50%, compared to 20% in the USA and 10% in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.”

Relentless uncertainty fuels demand for investment migration

Henley & Partners received the highest number of investment migration program enquiries on record in the first quarter of 2022 — an increase of 55% compared to the previous quarter, which was itself record-breaking. The top four nationalities currently driving demand are Russians, Indians, Americans, and Brits, and for the first time ever, Ukrainians are in the top 10 globally.

The Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program remains the most popular program in 2022, followed by the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Program. Next is Canada, with the Canada Start-Up Visa Program the fastest way for entrepreneurs and wealthy individuals to access Canadian residence and the North American market. Rising in popularity this year is the Greece Golden Visa Program, and last in the top five is the Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Program.

Dominic Volek, Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners, says historically, many wealthy individuals acquired residence rights or citizenship without moving to those countries. “Recent turmoil is causing this to shift — more investors are considering relocating their families to other countries for a range of reasons, from safety and security, to education and healthcare, to climate resilience and even crypto-friendliness. It is important to note that nine of the top ten countries for forecast net HNWI inflows in 2022 host formal investment migration programs, which encourage foreign direct investment in return for the right to reside or citizenship. Investors can now see the value of diversifying their domicile portfolios as the ultimate hedge against both regional and global volatility.”

The Henley Global Citizens Report also features regional insights by investment migration industry leaders representing seven key markets: the Americas, Europe and the UK, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia and Oceania alongside expert commentaries by notable private wealth industry leaders such as Albert S. Yeo, President of BDO Private Bank Inc. (Philippines), Bijal Ajinkya, Partner in the Direct Tax, Private Client and Investment Funds Practices of Khaitan & Co (India), Yannick Archambault, Partner and National Leader of the KPMG Family Office in Canada, Matthias Ribback, who manages multi-asset portfolios for US clients of Vontobel Swiss Wealth Advisors AG, Murray Sarelius and Michelle Zhou from KPMG China, Ladi Runsewe, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UR Family Office (UFO) in Nigeria, Ayuli Jemide, founder of DETAIL Commercial Solicitors (Nigeria), Tim Searle, Chairman of Globaleye (Dubai), and Giles Maynard, Senior Financial Advisor and Regional Manager at Carrick Wealth in South Africa.

Newsmax announced today that it has signed multiple deals for distribution of Newsmax programming across the globe.

Zee5, who’s parent company Zee Entertainment last year merged with Sony, is a streaming platform offering general entertainment content across 12 navigational and featured languages, including English.

Through the agreement, Zee5 will carry Newsmax’s newsfeed 24/7, as well as VOD content. Zee will also post content from Newsmax.com in its news section.

Zee5’s initial distribution of Newsmax content will be in India, with eventual expansion to the Middle East and North Africa.

Newsmax has also signed a distribution deal with M7, a top European satellite, cable, and OTT provider owned by Canal+ with 3 million subscribers throughout Europe. Following the channel’s launch on M7 on July 4th, Newsmax is now available in The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary.

Bill Wijdeveld, VP Platform Content Services at M7 Group, comments: “We are welcoming Newsmax on board of our TV platforms, allowing the channel to launch into multiple European markets in one go. We thank Newsmax for its trust in our service provisioning and look forward to a fruitful cooperation over the coming years.”

Rounding out its recent global expansion efforts is Newsmax’s deal with Foxtel-owned streaming platform Flash News, Australia’s biggest news streaming service, which added Newsmax on July 19th.

“The demand for high-quality journalism is growing worldwide as citizens everywhere look for real news to help understand a complex world,” says Chris Ruddy, CEO, Newsmax. “We are delighted to be working with Zee, M7, and Foxtel to deliver our content to the world’s largest democracies and we are looking forward to continuing to expand our global reach.”

Mr. Goenka won the esteemed award for his invaluable contribution to the Media & Entertainment Industry

Mr. Punit Goenka, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the leading content company, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) was conferred with the coveted Game-Changer of the Year award at the International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Leadership Awards held in Mumbai.

Mr. Goenka was awarded the esteemed honour for his invaluable contribution towards the growth of the media and entertainment sector. He has also been credited for scripting the success story of ZEE in a year that tested the resilience and agility of businesses across sectors.

Crediting this recognition to all the teams at ZEE, Mr. Goenka said, “This is not only an encouragement, but a firm testament that we have indeed been taking the right steps and marching ahead. This win belongs to every member of the ZEE family who has consistently strived to achieve success and generate higher value for all our stakeholders.”

As the MD & CEO of ZEE, Mr. Goenka has been extremely successful in enhancing the company’s performance and driving the business towards its set goals by not just creating quality entertainment content, but also by bringing about a positive change across the society. His futuristic vision and sharp acumen in the media domain has enabled ZEE to become the frontrunner in the entertainment sector, leading the company to achieve a global stature today.

Under his able leadership, ZEE has successfully expanded into international markets, with a presence across 190 countries, and its reach to over 1.3 billion viewers today across consumption platforms.

Independent Research Gives Omnicom Media Group Highest Possible Scores in Retail Media, Commerce Media, and Intelligence and Insights Criteria

In a new analysis of global media agency groups from leading research and advisory firm Forrester (NASDAQ: FORR), Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. received the highest possible scores in several criteria. These include the retail media, commerce media, intelligence and insights, and optimization criteria, as well as the operations and innovation roadmap criteria.

The Forrester Wave™: Global Media Management Services report analyzes the seven most significant global media management service providers against a 19-criterion evaluation across three categories: current offering, strategy, and market presence. Designed to help CMOs select the right provider for their needs, the report assesses the media groups under four designations: Leaders, Strong Performers, Contenders, and Challengers.

With the highest possible scores in six criteria, and with the highest score in the current offering category, Omnicom Media Group was one of only two providers among the seven evaluated to earn the designation of a “Leader” in the report.

Describing OMG as “a good fit for advertisers that require bespoke, technology-literate, global media teams”, the report also noted that “… the agency scales consumer empathy and understanding into quantifiable attention metrics against which advertisers can plan, buy, and measure. To achieve this vision, the company deploys its Omni audience planning portal to power better audience, client, and employee experiences.”

The report also states that “OMG’s strength lies in initiatives to innovate its Omni portal, such as customized client workflow integrations, audience data integrations; marketing automation partnerships with Google; and efforts to unite media, e-commerce, and shopper tactics.”

This finding is borne out by a steady drumbeat of first-mover product and partnership announcements from OMG in 2022, including a multi-year agreement with Affinity Solutions to integrate retailer purchase transactions into Omni; an enterprise-wide partnership with Firework, the world’s largest livestream commerce and shoppable video platform, to deliver livestream shopping solutions directly to Omnicom clients’ websites; the industry’s first programmatic marketplace for point-of-purchase screens; and the Supply Chain IQ Score, which gives media planners day-to-day visibility into SKU inventory data at the physical store, digital shelf, and inventory-in-transit levels, enabling media investment to be shifted away from low inventory products in real time.

Most recently, OMG was headline news at last month’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, announcing a series of first mover strategic partnerships with retail media networks including Walmart Connect, Instacart, and Kroger Precision Marketing.

“As the only agency group to have earned the highest possible score in all three of the criteria that we believe best represent the future of media investment and management - retail media, commerce media, and intelligence & insights - and as a group that also received the highest possible scores in two criteria that we think are critical differentiators in selecting an agency partner –operations and innovation road map – OMG is clearly a leader in today’s marketplace,” says OMG CEO Florian Adamski. “More importantly, as we continue to expand our capabilities and automate our infrastructure, and to build new products and partnerships, we are assuring that we and our clients will remain leaders - today, tomorrow and beyond.”

Six Financial Times writers have won awards in science, data and investment categories, illustrating the breadth and quality of the FT’s journalism.

Science editor Clive Cookson won British Science Journalist of the Year at the Association of British Science Writers Awards. The judges said he had written “a selection of pieces replete with style and authoritative sources”, including an interview with physicist Carlo Rovelli and articles about Covid-19 variants and animal-to-human transmission.

Leisure industries correspondent Oliver Barnes and chief data reporter John Burn-Murdoch won the Explaining the Facts Award at the Royal Statistical Society Awards for their article 'Why are fully vaccinated people testing positive for Covid?'. The judges said it was “a strong example of how statistics and data can answer the questions everyone’s asking” and that they were “impressed with how clearly and engagingly the issues were explained and the use of data visualisation”.

Three FT investment writers also won recognition at the annual Headline Money Awards, beating a shortlist of their peers from UK national newspapers.

FT consumer editor Claer Barrett was named Commentator of the Year for her Serious Money column in FT Weekend, the third time she has been awarded the accolade. One judge said that “she puts the situation into perspective for readers and gives them useful knowledge”.

Hedge fund correspondent Laurence Fletcher and markets correspondent Tommy Stubbington won ESG Story of the Year for their Big Read ‘ESG investing: funds weigh sovereign debt profits against human rights’. They were commended for raising “important issues about investing in bonds issued by repressive regimes”.

The BBC will stream a live hustings with the final two candidates for the Conservative Party leadership, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, on Monday 25 July, to international audiences on BBC.com.

Presented by Sophie Raworth, and with analysis from BBC Political Editor Chris Mason and BBC Economics Editor Faisal Islam, Our Next Prime Minister will stream live from BBC’s UK News Channel to BBC.com at 9pm BST. 

Jonathan Munro, Interim Director of BBC News & Current Affairs, says: “We’re delighted to be offering BBC audiences the chance to be part of this pivotal moment in politics and hear, first hand, from the final two candidates as they compete to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.”