Streaming services facing tighter regulation in UK broadcasting shake-up
Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and other streamers will be given new rules that will bring them in line with traditional broadcasters. Under new government proposals, streaming services will be regulated by Ofcom, just as linear TV services are now.
Why is this important?
This would be a real marker of how the lines between traditional and streaming video services are being blurred with evolving viewing habits. The move will be welcomed by public service broadcasters (PSBs), who have been lobbying for streaming services to face the same regulations as them for several years.
Google Ads API v10.1 is now available
Google has now released version 10.1 of the Google Ads API just three months after the previous version was released. Google has published the highlights including added support for Discovery campaigns, campaign groups, removing batch jobs in the pending state, conversion tracking and Local Service campaigns are now in general availability. The following assets have also been added: Dynamic Real Estate, dynamic custom, dynamic hotels and rentals, dynamic flights, dynamic travel, dynamic local and dynamic jobs assets.
Why is this important?
The new version update will allow advertisers to funnel account data into other applications they use as well as having more flexibility with tools and ease in managing large accounts and campaigns. Advertisers should also now be using the Google Ads API, as the legacy Google AdWords API sunset today.
Twitter bans ads containing climate change denial and misinformation
April 22nd was officially ‘Earth Day’ and Twitter marked the occasion by announcing that from this point onwards they would be actively banning any and all advertisements on their platform which would be classed as climate change denial or misinformation. Any ads which make claims or spread misleading information about climate change, in contradiction to scientific consensus on the matter, will not be allowed on Twitter in any capacity.
Why is this important?
To many this ban may seem like something that should have been implemented long ago, however, only a few social platforms have this kind of official policy in place. Pinterest imposed a similar ban earlier this month, extending the prohibition to all posts as well as ads. Meanwhile, in October, Google announced that YouTube would not allow any ads denying climate change and would also not allow the monetization of videos that do the same. These kinds of direct, focused actions against the spread of climate change denial is a step that hopefully many more social sites will take, especially given their reach to young, impressionable audiences.
Campaign of the Week: Innocent Drinks 're wilds' Trafalgar Square
Innocent have planted more than 6,000 plants, trees and flowers as part of an installation at the London landmark. This transformation is part of the launch of Innocent's "Big rewild" campaign under which the brand will help to create and protect natural spaces by planting meadows, fruit orchards and preserving global forests.
Three million seeds via plantable seed papers were handed out to help people start their rewilding journey and educate them on the importance of nature in tackling climate change, led by Innocent's UK partner the Orchard Project. Visitors to the site were invited to pick up and rehome one of the plants at the makeover helping to create further pockets of nature across London.
