Posts made in June, 2017

on Jun 27, 2017

By Tony Connelly Facebook will live stream Uefa Champions League matches next season as part of a new deal with Fox Sports. The partnership will see Fox Sports air more than a dozen Champions League fixtures in the US through the Fox Sports Facebook Page from the onset of the tournament in September. The deal includes the right to stream double-headers during the group stage, four round-of-16 games and four quarterfinal games. “Facebook is a social media powerhouse and a great partner to help us grow soccer in the United States,” said David Nathanson, head of business operations, Fox Sports. “As people spend Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jun 27, 2017

By Tony Connelly Sky Sports 1,2,3,4 and 5 are to be retired and replaced by channels dedicated to specific sports as part of a major shakeup which will see the pay-TV powerhouse introduce new subscription packages two-thirds cheaper than current offerings. The changes include the launch of themed channels, similar to Sky’s existing Formula One channel, for its crown jewel sports including football- which will have two channels- golf and cricket. A fourth channel, Sky Sports Arena, will broadcast other sports including rugby and tennis. The changes are part of Sky‘s attempts to entice sports fans to sign up to cheaper packages focused Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jun 27, 2017

By Richard J. Hillgrove VI Rumours of advertising’s demise are far from exaggerated, and Publicis Groupe is just the latest in a line of industry luminaries to see the warning signs lit up like neon. It has announced that it is sitting out the Cannes Lions festival next year – in fact, all awards festivals and trade shows. They’d rather save the money, or spend it elsewhere like on AI. Smart move. Cannes was a great jolly when money was flowing from deep-pocketed clients, an opportunity to network and pat creative colleagues on the back, but these days the agency money men want a return Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jun 27, 2017

By John McCarthy BT TV has landed in Gloucestershire’s town of Saul in a very British themed promotion of Breaking Bad spin off Better Call Saul. An office for the renegade lawyer Jimmy, played by comedian Bob Odenkirk, has been installed in a British phone box in the town of Saul, affording locals many a photo opportunity. Dubbed as the wayward legal representative’s international office, the character put out a ‘statement’, penned by comms agency Unity, targeting a number out archaic laws, “it being illegal to fly a kite in a park in an annoying manner,” “sing or chant rude football chants Read full story › Source: The Drum...

on Jun 27, 2017

By Tony Connelly WPP has been subject of a cyber attack with reports of systems crashing and ransom demands. Several of WPP’s agencies including GroupM, MediaCom and Burson-Marsteller are thought to be affected by the attack, which began this afternoon (27 June). Mary Heather, senior director at WPP-owned agency Burson-Marsteller, confirmed the attack on Twitter saying the agency had “no access to technology”. WPP got hacked. No access to any Technology. It’s like working in 1996 again #wpphacked — Mary Heather (@MaryBecks) June 27, 2017 The Drum has attempted to contact a number of WPP representatives but Read full story › Source: The Drum...