The GCC chapter of the Interactive Advertising Bureau released a first of its kind industry study in MENA to measure investment for the region.

The IAB board that includes 14 of the leading companies in the ad industry (Choueiri Group | DMS, MBC Group, MMP World Wide, Anghami, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Publicis, OMG | PHD, MCN Mediabrands, GroupM and Dentsu) commissioned the study earlier this year to MTM, a research organization that has previously produced similar market sizing studies across multiple markets in Europe including for  IAB Europe. The board unanimously approved the release of the data and released it via an online event that took place on the 22 of September, 2021.

Here are some key highlights:

Social channels accounted for as much as 47% of total digital advertising in 2020, surpassing European benchmarks, yet in line with consumer trends for the region’s which has a traditionally strong social user base.

Digital Video ($800M excluding social video) continues to dominate over display ($500M), again supporting the region’s traditionally strong digital video viewership.

Search advertising accounted for 14% of total digital, well below the European average.

Commenting on the release, Rayan Karaky, Chairman of the IAB GCC, said:  “The significance of this study is well beyond the numbers; it’s the first time we have truly come together as an industry in an effort to bring more transparency to the market. As you’ll see from the results the digital adspend per capita in MENA is still severely below global benchmarks even in similar markets to ours, these numbers show the opportunity is significant and we as the IAB GCC will continue being the enabler of growth to the digital Ad ecosystem.”

Ian Manning, IAB GCC Acting CEO added: “We’re excited to share this with the market as it shows that MENA’s digital sector is larger than many may have thought, it’s growing strongly and it’s clear there is still substantial room for growth. Interestingly, while lagging European markets in areas like programmatic adoption, we are in fact leaders in other areas, perhaps indicating the future direction for Europe.”

MCN Mediabrands CEO, Shadi Kandil commented: “As agencies, it’s important for us when looking at the market size to check our own bias on the type of industries we normally service; the study clearly shows that direct businesses, retail, commerce as well as long tail advertisers constitute a large share of the market which really is a meaningful opportunity for our business to build solutions that cater to this segment of the market.”

Michel Malkoun, Chief Growth Officer, Choueiri Group and IAB Vice Chair added: “This piece of research will act as a lighthouse to attract global investments to the region, guide start-ups on growth areas, and help to shine global interest onto MENA, to name a few advantages. This is all in the hope of bringing MENA up to par in terms of advertising spend per capita with similar markets. What’s remarkable is that for the very first time, we have a consensus from all the major players, on not only the research but also its desired outcome. We’re very excited about this development.”

Working with the region’s main digital buyers and sellers, a unique methodology was devised and implemented with the help of MTM.  Dr Daniel Knapp, IAB Europe’s Chief Economist who led the MTM team commented: “This methodology was in fact addressing an issue that many markets across the world had been grappling with in getting accurate figures – the lack of total platform spends.  By including a mix of reported actuals, collaborative estimates, mathematical modelling and comparative benchmarks to come to an agreed industry figure, we were able to estimate the total market more accurately.”

Townsend Feehan, CEO, IAB Europe added: “The strong growth we saw in our own market sizing in Europe shows that digital advertising is going to be ever more important in the media mix post 2020. It is great to see the MENA region launch its own market sizing to put the evolution of digital advertising on a robust and evidence-driven basis.”

Conclusion & Key Learnings

• Ad market sizing in MENA pioneered a new hybrid method that combines granular estimations from market participants with extensive econometric modelling

• Versions of this model will successively be applied by other markets, as the standard model of revenue reporting surveys only reflects part of the market

• MENA is an early market to adopt programmatic market sizing which is still undergoing a lot of development internationally

• Despite its classification as an ‘emerging’ digital ad market in terms of international Adspend per capita comparisons, the MENA Adspend emphasis on key growth areas of video and social suggest that MENA is already ahead of format adoption compared to other, more ‘mature’ markets

Global pitch decision in favour of Omnicom Group, with a long-term partnership planned to launch under the name ‘Team X’ beginning January 2022

Mercedes-Benz is bundling its global media, brand and performance marketing activities across all phases of the customer journey in an international agency network

After the merger of the new, fully integrated PR & Marketing unit under the leadership of Bettina Fetzer, the next step for strengthening the brand presence will follow with the further development of the agency network

Creating globally consistent brand experiences across all customer touchpoints

After merging the communication and marketing departments within the company, Mercedes-Benz is now taking the next step and fundamentally repositioning itself on the agency side as well, consolidating its global marketing communication scope with ‘Team X’ from Omnicom. This arrangement, which is unique in the industry, will create a fully integrated, global agency model – from performance content development to media playout and success measurement – which can serve interested parties and customers with relevant information at all contact points of the customer journey. This consolidation on the agency side is to follow the internal consolidation of performance marketing activities into international hubs in the four regions of the United States, Europe, China and Overseas. As a basis for content production, an efficient process for digital image and moving image production is being established which can present the required communication content and formats for personalised communication with the customer on a large scale.

Prior to the six-month selection process, the areas of responsibility of the two agency groups that are currently enjoying a very successful working relationship with Mercedes-Benz were redefined and re-evaluated in a multi-stage selection process, with the aim of consolidating into one partner. The focus of the tender was primarily on the further development of digital and data-based media, as well as brand and performance marketing activities, which assure the customer-centric approach to all target groups along the customer journey – online and offline. In addition to the processes of change in marketing and sales driven by the digital transformation, the aim for the new agency set-up is also to simplify marketing operations. In order to consistently increase marketing effectiveness and efficiency, the intelligent use of data along the customer journey should also be accelerated.

As the budget holder of global media activities, Omnicom Group was convincing in this selection process, and as the new holistic partner, will ensure seamless development and playout process both on- and off-site for the corporate and product brands of Mercedes-Benz, on a global basis. The new agency unit will commence operations under the name ‘Team X’ in January 2022, and will have cross-divisional responsibility for a large number of Mercedes-Benz business units in more than 40 markets worldwide. A long-term partnership is planned.

“With this decision, Mercedes-Benz is setting the next milestone in consistent customer communication on all channels – online and offline. By bringing together a new, fully integrated unit, Mercedes-Benz is re-orchestrating all of its communication content across all channels to deliver a data-driven, personalised and seamless brand experience for customers at all touchpoints worldwide. This is where ‘Team X’ will act as our holistic, fully networked agency partner for globally sustainable, efficient and effective communication,” says Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG responsible for Sales. “Our goal is to build the most desirable cars in the world – we also want to convey the desirability of our products as well as our esteem for our customers in every contact with our brand,” says Seeger.

“We share the importance of this moment and feel privileged to partner with Mercedes-Benz as they transform and merge their Global Marketing and Communication activities”, says John Wren, Chairman and CEO of Omnicom Group. “Mercedes-Benz was looking for a holistic agency partner that could help deploy a sustainable and globally consistent luxury experience for the company’s brand promise around the world for the first time. Our newly formed ‘Team X’ delivers on that goal, creating a streamlined global structure with clear single points of contact as well as innovative data and analytics connected in every layer. We look forward to supporting Mercedes-Benz in a long-term partnership to further increase the desirability of its brand portfolio and pioneer the creation of personalized and highly effective customer communications.”    

Globally consistent and brand defining experiences

To further develop the brand’s luxury positioning, Mercedes-Benz is also focusing even more on generating brand-defining experiences that lie outside the classic campaign – from events to collaborations. To this end, both agency groups involved in the pitch were additionally asked for a concept for a fully integrated global creative agency. This is intended not only create a globally consistent brand presence, but also consider the special cultural and social characteristics in the relevant regions.

To this end, Omnicom Group presented a compelling approach, envisioning an integrated and tailor-made agency solution unlocking a holistic view of the consumer across every brand-defining touchpoint, experience and moment along the customer journey. The model combines the ability to further augment desirability for our brand portfolio while using powerful data to identify and capture future demand potentials. Working closely with the Mercedes team, Omnicom Group plans to further refine the model, bringing together best-in-class specialists across disciplines within their existing agency network in the United States, Europe and China – as well as from long-standing Mercedes-Benz agency partners antoni und OSK.

“The creative unit with hubs in the US, Europe and Asia will take local needs into account early into the strategy and creative work, and adapt global brand presences in a regionally nuanced way. In addition, together with all regions, we want to significantly strengthen the communicative and experience-oriented proportion of brand communication. In parallel, we will work as a team on continuous brand development and the design of our style-defining appearance across touchpoints and audiences – in all regions and markets. One presence, one brand experience – one “Mercedes look and feel” for all brand-defining activities worldwide – that is our goal,” says Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Communications & Marketing Mercedes-Benz AG.

Fair and transparent selection process with commitment to sustainability

Selection of the new agency was based on a standardised procedure involving all participating regions and Mercedes-Benz business units. In order to guarantee a fair and transparent process, the agency services presented were assessed according to uniform criteria and collated to form an overall result using a predetermined weighting key. Evidence of and commitment to a sustainable business strategy was a relevant part of the selection criteria. Throughout the process, Mercedes-Benz also followed the common guidelines of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) on conducting pitches. 

Nitin Michael and Hasnaa Descuns, co-Founders of SynProNize, a Dubai-based content distribution and production company, announced that they acquired four top-rated dramas from GMA Network, the Philippines' leading broadcaster and distributor of Filipino dramas for distribution into Africa.

The four drama series are:

A Place in your Heart: Sean hits rock bottom when his wife, Katharine left him for another man, but Audrey helps him pick up the pieces. Eventually, they fall in love. Sean files for annulment of his marriage with Katherine so he can marry Audrey. But his scheming wife suddenly returns with one agenda – to assert her right as his legal wife and to claim her share of his wealth. .

Heart and Soul: Crisanta and Criselda are fraternal twins. Because of a rare disease, Criselda dies but remains a spirit that only appears to her twin sister. Their bond as sisters falls apart when they both fall in love with Diego. Longing to live again, Criselda possesses the body of a girl to take Diego away from Crisanta.

Legally Blind: Grace is kidnapped and raped on the night she celebrates her passing of the bar exam. She manages to escape her assailant but accidentally crashes into a glass panel which permanently blinds her. Soon after, she meets Edward, a kind lawyer who helps her investigate her kidnapping and rape. Eventually, they fall in love and get engaged. As Edward uncovers the rapist's identity, he discovers that it is his brother, William who raped Grace. Torn between his love for his fiancé and his brother, whose side will Edward take?

The Way to Your Heart: Natalie is a stubborn young lady who cannot accept that she is the daughter of Onay, a little person with achondroplastic dwarfism. Their life is going well until Onay is raped. Later on, Onay finds out she is pregnant with her second child, Maila. Because the baby is the result of her horrifying experience, she finds it difficult to accept Maila even if she grows up to be a loving and caring daughter. So goes the story of a mother longing for her first daughter's acceptance, while her other daughter yearns for her love.

Nitin Michael stated: "The demand for Filipino dramas is swiftly on the rise and as SynProNize we wanted to ensure that our clients have the best content from GMA to choose from for their channels/platforms. We have grown our reputation to become known as the go-to company to take the best global programming into Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and we will source the precise broadcasters to give the best visibility and respect to these GMA titles."

Roxanne J. Barcelona, Vice President, Worldwide of GMA Network said, "GMA is very pleased that SynProNize is taking four of our top drama series into Africa. All four programs: A Place in Your Heart, Heart and Soul, Legally Blind, and The Way to Your Heart have performed extremely well in other parts of the world and we are confident they will resonate well with African viewers.

With an intangible asset value of nearly $2 trillion, Microsoft becomes world’s most intangible company, overtaking Apple, Saudi Aramco, and Amazon, as Microsoft Teams keeps global economy running through COVID-19 lockdowns

Corporates booming – global intangible value has grown by nearly a quarter over past two years of pandemic, from $61 trillion in 2019 to $74 trillion in 2021

Over past 25 years, intangibles have seen astronomical growth – increasing 1145% from estimated $6 trillion in 1996. At this historic rate of change, global intangibles could be worth $1 quadrillion by 2050.

Brand Finance and International Valuation Standards Council call for more comprehensive reporting of intangible asset value to facilitate investor understanding and economic recovery post-COVID

Every year, the Brand Finance Global Intangible Finance Tracker (GIFT™) report ranks the world’s largest companies by intangible asset value.

This year’s number one company in terms of total estimated intangible value is Microsoft (US$1.90 trillion), which has jumped from 4th position in 2020 to overtake Apple (US$1.87 trillion), Saudi Aramco (US$1.64 trillion), and Amazon (US$1.47 trillion). Microsoft Teams has become embedded into business life for global organisations, once again proving the value of Microsoft’s ability to innovate and roll-out at scale. Microsoft is investing heavily in its business suite solutions. Although Apple is the more valuable company by approximately $200 billion, Microsoft is estimated to have more intangible value with its portfolio of brands and business operations.

Intangible assets are identifiable, non-monetary assets without physical substance. Intangible assets can be grouped into three broad categories – rights (including leases, agreements, contracts), relationships (including a trained workforce), and intellectual property (including brands, patents, copyrights).

Intangible assets boom during COVID-19 pandemic

Over the past year in particular, global intangible asset value has grown faster than usual, and at $74 trillion it exceeds pre-pandemic levels by nearly a quarter, having increased 23% compared to $61 trillion in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated even further the importance of people, innovation, reputation, and brand for businesses all around the world. Intangible assets are now unequivocally a boardroom priority.

Increases through the pandemic were primarily fuelled by the growth of the world’s largest organisations which were resilient to investor uncertainty due to their scale and their focus on technologies which we continued to rely on through lockdowns. This year, growth has been driven by China and the USA, with several industries recovering from the downturn in 2020.

David Haigh, Chairman & CEO, Brand Finance Plc, commented: “In times of crisis, brands – especially those most valuable and strongest in their categories and markets – become a safe haven for capital. Like gold or fine art during past economic downturns, nowadays well-managed, innovative, and reputable brands are what the global economy turns to in the hour of need. There can be no better evidence for why brands matter than the role they have already played and will continue to play in the post-COVID recovery.”

Global intangible value grows by over 1000% in 25 years

25 years ago – when Brand Finance was established – global intangible assets were worth only an estimated $6 trillion, less than a tenth of the same value today. As of September 2021, global intangible assets are worth over $74 trillion. This is a 1145% growth over 25 years – approximately 11% per annum.

Annie Brown, Associate at Brand Finance, and author of the GIFT™ report, commented: “It is a pivotal moment in financial reporting for intangibles. Total estimated intangible value has grown by over 1000% in the past 25 years. At the same rate, total global intangible value could stand at over $1 quadrillion by 2050 (that is $1,000,000,000,000,000). As investors grapple with balancing various issues such as Climate Change and ESG over the coming years, it is essential that the data they need to understand these vast sums is readily available.”

Internally generated intangibles should be recognised in financial reports

The majority of intangible assets are not recognised, due to the limitations set by the financial reporting rules, which state that internally generated intangible assets such as brands cannot be disclosed in a company balance sheet.

David Haigh, Chairman & CEO, Brand Finance Plc, commented: “Investors should not be deprived of this critical information. Intangible assets such as strong, valuable brands and innovative technology can be the differentiators that drive a $2 billion company to $2 trillion in 25 years – as witnessed with Apple. This information vacuum for investors is part of the reason why Brand Finance endeavours to estimate the extent of “undisclosed intangible value” in our GIFT™ study each year.”

To truly aid investors and provide them with useful information, we believe management should be allowed and required to:

Identify the key intangibles of the entire business – both internally generated and acquired.

Provide an opinion on the value of those intangibles in the notes to the financial statements.

Provide an opinion of the overall business value at the reporting date, to help investors to understand whether or not their capital is allocated efficiently.

Kevin Prall, Technical Director, International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC), commented: “Despite the importance of intangible assets to the capital markets, only a small percentage are recognised on balance sheets, typically via acquisition from a third-party transaction. The pandemic has further exacerbated the disparity between market values and book values for those industries most reliant on brands, technology, and human capital for value creation. The IVSC supports Brand Finance, and all others, that look to make progress on this most critical issue.”

81% Ready to Embrace Pre-Pandemic Shopping, Travel, and Holiday Experiences

Sitecore’s Holiday Shopping Trends 2021 report shows 82% of UAE consumers buying bigger gifts and 76% planning trips of a lifetime

Sitecore®, the global leader in digital experience management software, today released its Holiday Shopping Trends 2021 report exploring how consumers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intend to celebrate, indulge, and recuperate this holiday season.

UAE residents are eager to resume their normal lives and make up for last year’s COVID-controlled holiday, with 81% of those age 25-34 saying they are ready to embrace pre-pandemic shopping, travel, and holiday experiences.

About four-fifths (82%) of UAE consumers surveyed plan to make bigger and more mindful holiday purchases this year, fueled in part by the fact that 72% of UAE consumers say they have more savings set aside for the holidays this year compared to last year.

Sitecore’s Holiday Shopping Trends 2021 report surfaces insights from consumers around holiday shopping, gift giving, spending, and sentiment. The data arms marketers in categories like retail, travel, automotive, and others with the intelligence they need to deliver winning experiences that satisfy the evolving tastes and demands of consumers.

“As 83 percent of consumers in the UAE are very clearly ready to move on from the pandemic, they are looking at Holiday 2021 as the beginning of the rest of their lives,” said Mohammed Alkhotani, Area Vice President – Middle East and Africa, Sitecore. “Our research shows pent-up demand and more savings than usual will result in younger consumers splurging on self-care and big-ticket items at the register, which is great news for those in retail, travel, and hospitality. It’s also heartening to see that 69 percent of UAE consumers want to support their local community, including locally-owned businesses. The industry will need to respond with more offerings from these businesses.”

UAE Shift in Perspective:

76% of consumers would prefer experience gifts to “more stuff”

76% of consumers are now planning “the trip of a lifetime”

68% of consumers under the age of 44 said they are now more spontaneous, more social, and enjoying life more

Young UAE consumers bringing spending back:

85% of those under the age of 44 stated that following their experiences during the pandemic they now “value travel and appreciate other cultures more”

UAE retailers could support more locally-owned businesses:

94% of consumers believe it is essential that retailers offer more products from locally-owned businesses, but only 60% report seeing more locally-owned products when shopping

Buying local and being mindful with purchases is a priority for the UAE:

69% of consumers are willing to pay more for locally made gifts

63% of consumers are annoyed when they find a purchase was made in China, when they thought it was a local purchase

92% of consumers stated that the pandemic has made them think more carefully about how they spend their money

In the UAE, self-care now includes self-gifting:

43% of those buying a gift for themselves cite “therapy” as the main reason

Peter George has been appointed as the Managing Director of Amazon Payment Services (APS) for the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). 

In this critical role, Peter will lead the team in an ambitious period of expansion for APS in the MENA region by developing partnerships, penetrating new markets, and enabling the digitization of businesses across all sectors of the economy by reimagining payments in the digital sphere.

A proven leader with a passion for building the future of digital commerce, Peter brings over 20 years of experience in digital services to the role, with a strong background in business development, operations, execution, and growth, and a demonstrated ability to operate in a fast-moving emerging business. 

Peter is a 10-year Amazon veteran and was one of the first employees of the Amazon India team. He started in 2011 as the leader of the Business Development team for Junglee.com, Amazon’s first foray into India. In 2013, Peter was a part of the Marketplace team that launched Amazon.in as the leader of the third-party selling partners across India. In 2017, Peter went on to launch Amazon Business (AB IN), Amazon’s B2B enterprise in India, which has since grown to be the largest B2B marketplace in the country, with over 17MM listings and over two million Indian businesses enlisted as customers and shoppers on Amazon. 

Prior to Amazon, Peter had 10 years of experience with leading tech companies in India, including Microsoft (Product Marketing - MS Office), Nokia (Sales, Brand Marketing), and Britannia Industries. Peter completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Manipal Institute of Technology, India, and a post-grad in Marketing Management at the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. 

People are flying again, but how brands are reaching consumers has changed since the early days of the pandemic.

Despite the Delta variant, travel is once again taking flight, but much has changed as to how brands are approaching their overall marketing strategy since the pandemic first took hold in March of last year. 

The travel industry spent a collective $6 billion on digital advertising in 2019, though the figure plummeted to nearly $3 billion last year, according to eMarketer. Not surprisingly, no other industry declined as fast or spent as little in 2020. And that forced airlines and the agencies that serve them to lean into data-driven channels.

But 2021 is a different story. Market research has revealed new insights into why people are traveling again, which is inspiring a new creative approach. As it turns out, people are increasingly viewing their next trip as something core to their mental well-being, says Dave Mering, chairman at The Shipyard, a digital agency that counts Visit California and the San Diego Tourism Authority as clients. 

“That's a really interesting trend that wasn’t as prominent in the past,” Mering tells The Current. “And we’re tapping into that psychology with the creative messaging we’re putting out.” 

Issues such as measurement and attribution, meanwhile, are also taking center stage. “Pre-pandemic, we looked at things like likelihood to visit,” he says. “Now, we’re tracking behavior, perception, brand tarnish — all of these have become more amplified. And it’s the collection of all this data that we’re using to inform our decision making.” 

Leaning into data is also giving airlines insights as to how people are traveling. The uncertainty caused by the Delta variant, for instance, has travelers booking their trips at the last minute. “If you think about people booking zero to 15 days out — we’re definitely seeing a peak there.” Seema Bissa, manager of performance marketing and strategy at Canada-based WestJet airlines, tells The Current.

Measuring Performance

Like The Shipyard, airlines are also taking a closer look at their measurement and attribution capabilities. “As a performance-focused team, we were and are focused on our ability to drive revenue,” Bissa says. “While attribution and measurement have always been at the heart of all we do, understanding the psychology of the guest and how we can affect that through our media tactics has become our priority.”

“We saw media behaviors change, and with that, so did we,” she adds. “The reality is, in our current state, every dollar we spend is closely monitored scrutinized to maximize the opportunity for growth.”

As a result, WestJet is leaning on numerous different data points whether from its own platform or its partners. The airline has also put together a signal framework to better understand what’s happening across the board with its customers. “As an airline have a ton of internal data,” Bissa says. “We have developed a framework that includes both external and internal data points and has been focused on stitching all this data together and monitoring it to continuously understand what is happening in the market and how to adjust our strategies.”

Other airlines, such as Canada’s Air Transat, echoed this sentiment. “We built a very strong measurement framework before the pandemic because the travel industry is a very performance-driven industry,” Xavier Szwengler, VP of marketing and international sales at Air Transat, tells The Current. “But what’s changed is we are no longer measuring our performance in comparison to the past. Now, we’re looking forward because we are forced to do it.” 

The company as a result is setting goals and trying to achieve them with its media investments. “We are adjusting our goals based on how we see performance evolving,” he says. 

Now that people are traveling once more, brands are turning to data-driven channels such as connected TV, as well as tried-and-true channels such as search. “We have a strong partnership with Google and they have been giving us information on what themes and topics are emerging (in search),” says Szwengler. 

Mering, the Shipyard exec, says the agency moved away from linear TV after ratings went down and costs went up. The benefit, he says, is reaching consumers where they’re consuming content, as well as all the data benefits that come with digital video. “From a channel perspective, I would say video is probably our top driver of awareness and intent,” he says. “Video is a key driver for the emotional impact because it really tells the story of a destination in such a visual way.” 

Source:The Trade Desk

State of Streaming: Europe Report Details Quality Gains, Which European Sports Teams Dominated Social and Streaming Ad Improvements

Conviva, the intelligence cloud for streaming media, released its State of Streaming: Europe report for Q2 2021, revealing streaming growth in Europe held onto pandemic gains, growing 19% year over year and outpacing global streaming growth (13%) for the same time period. Western Europe led Europe’s streaming growth with 32% year over year gains, followed by northern Europe at 23%. Viewership in southern and eastern Europe was down 1% year over year.

“European viewers continue to embrace streaming at a rapid rate, mirroring what is happening in every corner of the world and even outpacing some regions,” said Keith Zubchevich, CEO, Conviva. “As more and more people flock to streaming, the onus is on publishers in Europe and across the globe to provide a high-quality viewing experience for consumers, but they cannot do so without consistent, accurate, real-time measurement which is also critical to grow and monetize their streaming business in a highly competitive environment.”

Connected TV Devices Continue to Dominate

Connected TV devices dominated Europe as the streaming device of choice maintaining a 32% share of all viewing time. Desktop and tablets saw no change from Q2 2020, still at 14% and 11% share, respectively. Mobile phones gained 1% and smart TVs gained 2%, while gaming consoles dropped in share of viewing time, down 3%. Among big screen viewing in Europe, Samsung TV led with 19% market share followed by Chromecast at 12% and Amazon Fire TV at 11%. This is in contrast to global numbers where Roku held a solid leadership position with 31%.

Europe’s Football Leagues Celebrate Resurgence on Social Media

Q2 2021 was the first quarter since the beginning of 2020 where European sports leagues showed an increase year over year in social posts, videos and engagements. Even as the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament took precedence over league play, European leagues, including Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League and Serie A showed strong quarter-over-quarter growth, up 68% in social engagements despite only increasing videos by 2% and posts by 20%.

Streaming Quality Improves

The report also found several facets of streaming quality in Europe improved in Q2 2021, with video start failures down 12% for the continent year over year, led by eastern Europe with a 21% improvement in video start failures. Picture quality also improved, with bitrate up 43% in Europe overall led by southern Europe with a 51% increase. Quality of streaming ads improved significantly in Q2 2021, with only 16% of ads around the world representing missed opportunities (ads that went unfilled or failed to play as expected), down from 37% the previous quarter. While global ad attempts dropped 8% from Q1 to Q2 2021, more attempts were successful, resulting in a 4% increase overall in ad impressions. What’s more, in Q2 2021, viewers spent 31% less time waiting for ads to play and ad duration decreased 3% to 27 seconds.

New-look CNN Marketplace Middle East launches on 18 September to explore the new era of doing business and driving innovation across the region

As the world rebounds from the pandemic, CNN is launching new-look CNN Marketplace Middle East programming across TV and digital platforms to tell the business stories defining and shaping the region and examine how industries and corporations are adapting at a pivotal time of political, economic and social change. 

From 18 September, CNN Marketplace Middle East will offer CNN’s global audience a front row seat to these seismic shifts, through exclusive interviews with the biggest names in business, unique access to centres of industry and innovation, and on-the ground-reporting from major events across the Middle East as they start to return, beginning with Expo 2020 Dubai, for which CNN is an Official Broadcaster. As well as a monthly show on CNN International, presented by Anchor & Correspondent Eleni Giokos - now based in the UAE, alongside Reporter Salma Abdelaziz, and International Correspondent Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Marketplace Middle East will also include a dedicated new digital section on CNN Business and CNN Arabic. 

This latest cross-platform programming is part of a continued global expansion of CNN’s business coverage through the CNN Marketplace franchise, to inform CNN’s global audience of business leaders and decision-makers. This also comprises cross-platform strands for Africa, Asia and Europe. Major focuses for the CNN Marketplace franchise are technology, sustainability, automotive & mobility, health & medicine, energy, and e-commerce. 

Reflecting this, CNN Marketplace Middle East kicks off by looking at how economies and companies in the Middle East are using technological advances and innovation to emerge stronger from the pandemic. This first episode explores tech transformation in Saudi Arabia, analysing the new retail revolution across the region for ultra-fast grocery deliveries, being driven by rapidly expanding companies. In the coming months, CNN Marketplace Middle East will deep-dive into topics such as how sustainability is informing business in the region, as policy-makers and the private sector focus on the climate emergency and future of the planet during November’s COP26 summit.  It will also examine the burgeoning sector of sports business and events in the Middle East.

“Audiences around the globe are eager to find out more about how businesses and countries are applying innovation and seeing economic growth as the world looks beyond the pandemic,” said Ellana Lee, Senior Vice President, CNN International. “The Middle East has a unique story to tell as it applies new technologies, spearheads many areas of transformation and undergoes economic diversification. Through CNN Marketplace Middle East, CNN will uncover and tell these stories to inform our audiences of the latest trends and developments from right across the region in a way that no other news network can.”

The expansion of the CNN Marketplace franchise bolsters the wider CNN International business offering including flagship daily shows Quest Means Business and First Move with Julia Chatterley, and CNN Business on digital, which has seen its international unique visitors grow by 66% in the last year as business decision-makers around the world turned to CNN for facts and information. This addition will meet the needs of CNN’s large scale audience of global business influencers, which includes 67% of executives at companies with over $100M in revenue, 71% of international business executives and 72% of government policy makers – more than any other international media*. Recent research also found that consumers rate CNN as covering business news better than any other international TV news competitors**. 

 * GBI 2020 Global Business Influencers 2020 (USA/Europe/APAC/Middle East/Africa)

** CNN Brand Study 2021 conducted by Toluna (19 international markets)

New York Festivals Will Celebrate TV, Film and Radio Storytellers in a Virtual Ceremony October 12th

The New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders, innovators, and driving forces in the broadcast industry whose accomplishments have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.

New York Festivals® Television & Film Awards will honor Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President of NBC Olympics Production and Executive Producer for the Golf Channel with the eleventh annual New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Thank you to the New York Festivals for the Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s an honor to be recognized among pioneers in our industry. It’s a dream job working at NBC Sports and Olympics covering the biggest sporting events across the world, working alongside the most talented team of announcers and production colleagues. I wouldn’t be here without each and every one of them.”—Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics Production & Executive Producer, Golf Channel

NBC Sports veteran Molly Solomon’s illustrious career will be celebrated as the New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award recipient at a virtual ceremony taking place on October 12th at 6pm.

Molly Solomon’s impressive career trajectory in the world of sports production spans three decades. Since November 2019, Ms. Solomon has been responsible for all day-to-day editorial production of NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Games, as well as Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA.  She has worked on 11 Olympics for NBC Sports including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. In addition, she also serves as Executive Producer of GOLF Channel, a position she has held since 2012.

Ms. Solomon became the first woman to serve as executive producer for a national sports network with her appointment at GOLF Channel. Previously, she served as Executive Vice President of Content and Executive Producer, GOLF Channel, and oversaw all aspects of production and programming, including tournament coverage, news, original productions, and operations. Solomon worked closely with media rights partners to elevate prestigious golf championships, including THE PLAYERS, The Open, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the new FedExCup Playoffs, as well as launching new events, such as the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also oversaw the network’s production of golf’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

From 2006-2012 Solomon served as the Coordinating Producer of NBC Olympics and was involved in every facet of production and planning, including program development, operational planning and the hiring and assigning of on-air talent and production staff. She produced figure skating at the 2010 Vancouver Games, as well as the Opening Ceremony and primetime show for the 2012 London Games.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Solomon was the coordinating producer of NBC’s Olympic cable coverage. Previously, she served as a feature producer and associate director with NBC Olympics. She began her NBC career in 1990 as one of two Olympic researchers for NBC’s Emmy Award-winning coverage of the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Other accomplishments between her Olympic assignments include extensive involvement with many NBC Sports productions. Solomon served as the studio show producer during USA Network’s coverage of the US Open and NBC’s “Late Night Wimbledon” show (1998-2002 and 2005-07). Other assignments have included serving as the co-producer of the NBA on NBC studio show for two years. She also worked extensively on NBC Sports’ golf production for six years (1993-99).

A 13-time Emmy Award-winner, Ms. Solomon won a Gracie Award from the American Women in Radio & Television for her Beijing Olympics work. She was also a producer on NBC’s primetime coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, which won a prestigious Peabody Award. Solomon was named “Woman of the Year” by WISE (Women in Sports Events) in 2008, was named to the Sports Business Journal’s prestigious “Forty Under 40” list, honoring the best young talent in the business, among other industry honors.

A Phi Beta Kappa member, Solomon graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in with a bachelor’s degree in international politics.

The 2021 New York Festivals Storyteller’s gala celebrates the eleventh year of NYF’s strategic partnership with the annual NAB Show. For 2021, New York Festivals will celebrate global storytellers and honor world-class content from prominent television and radio stations, networks, international independent producers, and presenters in a virtual ceremony on October 12that 6pm EST.