- Bauer Media Group’s 2025 international revenue (outside Germany) increased to €1.97bn ( 2024: €1.43bn) due to the €506mn generated by the pan-European outdoor division acquired during the year from Clear Channel for €600mn. Audio/ radio accounted for 42%, Magazines (32%) and Outdoor (26%). EBITDA was €351mn (€247mn), a 18% margin (17%). With some 75% of revenue expected from audio and outdoor in 2026-7, Bauer says it is managing Europe’s largest magazine portfolio “in order to keep the publishing business profitable for as long as possible”. Background
- Skydance (the now-completed combination of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery) has confirmed plans to merge streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+. CEO David Ellison has pledged not to interfere in CNN’s news coverage and said he supported its lawsuit against the Trump administration over being blocked from accessing the White House. CNN CEO and chair Mark Thompson says he is staying. (Hollywood Reporter) The Wrap said of the merger: “It’s a massive portfolio that threatens to disrupt the current order of US television. Over the past 12 months, networks and streaming assets owned by Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery combined averaged about 13.3% of all TV watched. That narrowly edges out TV’s long-running leader YouTube, which accounted for 13.2% of all TV watched, and puts it ahead of Disney, NBCUniversal, Versant and Netflix.”
- UK lifestyle publisher Immediate Media (part of Hubert Burda) increased its 2025 EBITDA by 7% to £37.7mn (2024: £35.4mn) despite a 2.9% decrease in revenue to £175.3mn (£180.5mn). EBITDA margin was 21%. Digital revenue was up 5% and print was 6% down. Events were 9% of revenue. Nutracheck (acquired in 2022) continued to grow strongly with revenue up 20% to £18.7mn (£15.5mn) and EBITDA up 28% to £8.6mn. Its revenue has increased 2.5x in three years under Immediate whose other brands include: Radio Times, Good Food, History Extra and BBC Gardners’ World magazine. Background
- MGM is exploring an offer for People Inc. after People Inc. withdrew its own proposal to buy the rest of MGM. (WSJ) Background
- The Independent is celebrating its 40th anniversary by offering eligible charities a 40% discount on advertising booked this month. Background
- Silicon Valley nonprofit the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism said it has earmarked $10m to fund mainstream and independent coverage of the AI industry (Semafor).
- Wikimedia said its page views fell 8% last year as more people got information from AI models. (Axios)
- BBC is developing an AI agent for its iPlayer catchup archive called Iggy that can recommend and summarize iPlayer content. CEO Matt Brittin He said the BBC needed to be smaller “a bit more Elvis – a little less conversation, a little more action”.
- Condé Nast owners the Newhouse family have rejected rumours that they will sell the magazine group as it begins the search for a new CEO after Roger Lynch’s departure. Steven Newhouse, who chairs family holding company Advance, answered a categorical “no” when asked if a sale was under consideration. Condé Nast operates across 32 countries, publishing content in 26 languages and claims a global audience of over 1 billion consumers. (FT) Background
- Global advertising expenditure is now forecast to grow 11.9% to $1.34tn this year. Social media is expected to record the strongest growth – up 21.3% to $394.6bn, followed by VoD (+15.1%), retail media (+14.3%), search (+14.2%) and digital OOH (+13.7%). (WARC)
- Spotify has renewed its deal with podcaster Joe Rogan, securing multi-year licensing rights and ad sales to “The Joe Rogan Experience” for an estimated $250mn. (WSJ)
The Week That Was – 8 October
