Brunswick Group promotes 16 Partners globally

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The Brunswick Group has promoted 16 Directors to Partners across the firm globally. Partners were selected following an extensive and thorough process and include Annalisa Barbagallo in Brussels, Katie Loanilli in London and Will Anderson MBE in Abu Dhabi, who has spent a total of six years with the Brunswick Group and will continue to focus on the telecoms and businesses operating across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

“The challenges our clients face are increasingly complex and require a broad range of expertise to help navigate them,” says Susan Gilchrist, Group CEO, Brunswick Group. “I am therefore delighted by the calibre and diverse experience of colleagues we are inviting to join the Partnership this year. The group includes a real cross-section of our specialist offers, sector expertise and international network, further strengthening our ability to help clients address their critical issues. Along with our recent senior hires, I know they will make a strong contribution to the continued development of the firm.”

Publicis makes changes to structure and leadership

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Publicis Groupe has reorganised its media capabilities globally into Publicis Media, as part of efforts to increase growth and provide value to clients. The organisation has made a number of structural and leadership changes in order to do this; primarily consolidating its six global agency brands: Starcom, Mediavest, Spark, Zenith Optimedia and Blue 449, into four global agency brands: Starcom, Zenith, Mediavest|Spark and Optimedia|Blue 449. Each agency will be lead by a Global Brand President who will be responsible for leading clients, driving growth and enabling best work, with Lisa Donohue as Global Brand President for Starcom, Vittorio Bonori as Global Brand President for Zenith, Brian Terkelsend as Global Brand President for Mediavest|Spark and Andras Vigh as Global Brand President for Optimedia|Blue 449.

Publicis Media’s new structure will cover top 20 markets, led by Tim Jones, Regional CEO for the Americas. Iain Jacob will be Regional CEO for EMEA and Gerry Boyle will now be Regional CEO for APAC. There will also be four US CEO’s who will report to Tim Jones; Chris Boothe for Mediavest|Spark, Dave Ehlers for Optimedia|Blue 449, Lou Rossie at Zenith and Lisa Donohue continuing as CEO at Starcom.

“We are driven to get to the future first,” says Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media. “Publicis Media is a fresh opportunity to simplify our organisation, invent more modern approaches to gain efficiency, introduce structures for greater collaboration and effectiveness as well as drive new levels of scale and client value.”

Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe, adds “The new Publicis Media imagined by Steve King is fully equipped to fit the future and best serve our clients. A leaner and simpler structure will bring more value to our clients and further accelerate our growth.”

beIN Media Group acquires MIRAMAX

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Qatar-based beIN Media Group has acquired film and television company MIRAMAX. MIRAMAX will continue to invest in and co-distribute feature films, with upcoming productions including Bridget Jones’s Baby, Southside With You and television show From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series, which is now in its third season.

“We are extremely excited to have achieved this key milestone within our strategy,” says Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, beIN Media Group “MIRAMAX is a successful film and television company, providing a strong and recognisable brand, a unique library and industry expertise that complement beIN Media Group’s plans to grow across the entertainment industry and develop new content production. As part of beIN Media Group, we will support MIRAMAX in continuing to build this exciting platform. We very much look forward to working with the MIRAMAX team.”

Steve Schoch, CEO, MIRAMAX, adds “This is an exciting time in the evolution of our company and we are thrilled to be a part of beIN Media Group. MIRAMAX’s growing 2016 slate is a testament to the incredible work of the team thus far to build on the proud MIRAMAX legacy. In concert with beIN leadership, we look forward to further expanding our film and television output, broadening our distribution capabilities and fortifying our position as the premiere independent studio brand.”

Sky News Arabia to launch on Canadian cable

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Sky News Arabia will now broadcast live via Rogers Cable, a Canadian cable television service by Rogers Communications Inc. Through the new service, the channel’s audience in Canada will be able to watch a host of its programs and bulletins on various platforms through subscribing to the service online.

“After reaching out to our audiences in the United States via Sling TV, joining Rogers Cable was the next strategic step.” says Nart Bouran, CEO, Sky News Arabia. “We have always been keen to provide our followers and audience, regardless of their location, with a continuous broadcast of our unique content on various platforms. This expansion aligns with our efforts as an international media organisation to provide quality content.”

Slava Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethnic Channels Group Limited, adds “As the largest distributor of multicultural television content in Canada, Ethnic Channels Group brings with it a combination of cutting edge technology and distribution expertise. We share a common vision with Sky News Arabia to showcase premium news programming content to Canadian audiences. Sky News Arabia, which has already distinguished itself by its excellent journalism, can now claim its share of Canadian viewers and become the destination channel for world class news.”

 

CNNMoney to expand

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CNN Worldwide will expand its CNNMoney brand internationally, across both TV and digital, to provide consumers around the world with its business and financial news and analysis. With the addition of staff in London, Dubai, New Delhi and Hong Kong, CNNMoney will launch new franchises, series, features and reporting tailored directly to the regions and audiences it covers. The international expansion builds on the success of CNNMoney U.S. while utilising the power and reach of CNN International, under one banner.

Coverage from CNNMoney will span Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It will focus on global markets and the economy, business strategy, corporate leadership, global brands, business travel, lifestyle and luxury, as well as industries such as auto, energy and technology.

“By uniting our portfolio of U.S. and international business reporting under the CNNMoney brand, we now offer an even more compelling product to globally-minded consumers hungry for a smart, accessible business and financial news experience – everywhere in the everywhere in the world,” says Mike McCarthy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CNN International.

 

The Independent to end print production

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UK-based newspaper The Independent is to cease all print production of its daily paper, as well as The Independent on Sunday, in a move towards a digital-only future. The national publication, launched in 1986, is owned by ESI Media and is due end all print copies by March, 2016. News will then be exclusively available through The Independent’s websites, www.independent.co.uk or www.i100.co.uk, which will later become www.indy100.com. This move follows the sale of The Independent’s tabloid i newspaper to Johnston Press, owner of other British regional titles including the Eastbourne Herald, The Herald Express and the Londonderry Sentinel.

 

Al Jazeera America to shut down

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Al Jazeera America, owned by Qatar-based Al Jazeera, is set to end its cable TV and digital operations by April 30, 2016, less than three years after launching. The decision comes at the same time as the channel’s parent company decided to commit to an expansion of worldwide online content into the US. Since launching in 2013, the channel has won numerous journalism awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a News Magazine, two Overseas Press Club Awards and three Gracies Awards. The channel is headquartered in New York City and has bureaus in 12 cities across the U.S.

Criteo begins operations from new location

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Performance marketing technology company Criteo has started operations from its new Dubai offices in Media City, aiming to offer opportunities to a growing local workforce. The company has also welcomed the move of its Managing Director of Emerging Markets, Dirk Henke, from Munich to Dubai – where he will continue to run operations in the MENA region as well as in Turkey and Russia, amongst other markets.

“This is a very exciting time, both personally and professionally,” says Dirk. “Criteo is very eager to tap into the potential of the Middle Eastern markets in the midst of an ongoing e-commerce and m-commerce surge. Joining the Dubai office allows us to focus on the region, and being here makes it easier to dig deeper and get more involved in the rise of digital programmatic advertising. I look forward to supporting our existing and potential clients.”

Instagram celebrates five-year anniversary

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Instagram celebrated it’s five year anniversary this week in Dubai, with a projection on the Burj Al Arab. Amy Cole, Brand Development Lead, EMEA and Instagram’s sixth employee, came to the Emirate to take part in the company’s 12th Worldwide InstaMeet. The celebrations follow Instagram’s recent announcement that it will make advertising available to more businesses, allowing marketers in the MENA region to share ads with Instagram’s community of 400 million members worldwide.

“People are communicating visually and using images to experience the world around them, and this is incredibly true in the UAE and Middle East,” says Amy. “With the high smartphone penetration in the region, these devices in our pockets have caused a shift in communication, from words to images. With 80 million photos posted to Instagram every day, if something is happening, it’s likely being captured on Instagram.”

Jonathan Labin, Head of Facebook, MENA, adds “People come to Instagram to experience the world through images, find inspiration and connect through shared passions. This backdrop sets Instagram up to be a powerful mobile advertising platform for businesses and marketers globally. Our launch partners have already inspired people with their creative storytelling, and we’re excited to see what else brands in the Middle East and North Africa will bring to the community.”

 

Updates to Twitter Publisher Network

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Twitter has made some major changes to the Twitter Publisher Network – now called Twitter Audience Platform – a feature aimed at helping advertisers connect with audiences beyond Twitter in thousands of mobile apps.

As well as its name change, the Twitter Audience Platform is now being expanded beyond mobile app installs and re-engagements by offering advertisers the ability to drive two additional objectives: Tweet engagements and video views. Both will now be available in beta to all managed clients globally. New creative formats, such as customisable call to action buttons, are also being launched to aid advertisers in engaging with their in-app audience.