Stuart Jackson

Last week I got a request for a quote to send a press release and get coverage in 2-3 TV stations, 1 print publication and 1 online publication. My response: You need an Ad placement, not help distributing a release. Please read Alex Hunter's post to understand how we work. We don't do media placement, we work on a pitch based on angles we know might land with some media. We make your story appealing to media houses. This takes time, effort, experience and a great understanding of how journalists work. PR is not sponsored posts, you don't need us for sponsored posts. Please get in touch if you are struggling getting noticed by media houses, we can help you with your key messages and your media strategy! #TruthBehindCommunications #PR #MediaRelations

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The question of how we reshape democracy, walking the fine line between stagnation and populist rage – is the defining problem of our time – with a coherent strategy, we can shape anything. In its absence, we’re going to end up spinning in pointless circles, arguing about trivia while the world burns. Indra Adnan is the author of The Politics of Waking up: Power and Possibility in the Fractal Age and Pat Kane is a musician, writer, curator, consultant, activist and futurist and his substack is absolutely essential reading for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the ideas in our eco-system. The reason we’re here, they’re, Co-Initiators of The Alternative, which is a socio-political platform hosting #PlanetA: new ground to stand on for a flourishing future – and a daily blog and a forum, or perhaps a melting pot – for new ideas and new ways being. Acknowledging that the systems we are embedded in – media, economic, political – take our power away. The Alternative and Planet A ask us how we achieve the world we know deep down is possible. You have to experience The Alternative really to understand what it is to explore ideas at the leading edge of our emergent inter-becoming, to think through the lens of cosmo-localism, to hold new truths of who and how we are and to frame radical new political options in this age of cardboard cut-out politicians spouting ever more stale lines that were out of date in the 80s and are certainly not fit for purpose in the third decade of the twenty first century.  So this conversation takes us deep into this territory. Recorded on the day after the EU elections, as France heads to the polls and the UK’s general election descends ever further into infantile name-calling and political posturing that no longer even pretends to be the adults in the room, it was – and is – really refreshing to explore ideas of what’s possible with people whose entire lives revolve around the concepts of emergent change. https://lnkd.in/gk5p2gWN #ClimateAction #LiquidDemocracy #ScottishIndependence #IndyRef #DistributedDemocracy #DigitalDemocracy

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Today sees the release of Ofcom’s overview of the UK media landscape – the Media Nations Report. As always with this invaluable report, its best to read past the “Gen Z swerving” headlines (a slightly un-Ofcom choice of language) and pick through the many insights that lie within. The first observation is that overall video consumption went up in 2023 to a an average of 4 hours and 31 minutes a day, and the TV set is the most used device. So please no headlines on the “death of TV”. The big theme is the migration of TV audiences to the breadth and flexibility of streaming options, and away from traditional broadcast/over-the air TV. And yes this remains most acute amongst those swerving 16-24 year olds, more than 50% of whom do not watch “broadcast TV” on a weekly basis (although they could of course be watching live TV on a streaming service, which highlights the growing need for clarity on definition – broadcast TV does not equal live TV, ask anyone launching a FAST TV service). The decline in broadcast TV viewing is steep in the last three years, although this is from a Covid peak in 2021. The only anomaly in this decline was the +75s who with a small increase in their broadcast TV viewing (up 1%). But even the most stalwart defender of broadcast TV I doubt would claim that as much more than an aberration of the overall trend. But let’s not forget this decline is still from a very big base – live/broadcast still represents 109 minutes of those 4 and half hours of viewing. Two bits of good news emerge from the report for the PSBs: -         BVOD is growing nicely – up 29% year on year, and most significantly amongst older audiences – reinforcing the strategy to invest in the content range and product quality of the PSB players. -         There remains strong and consistent satisfaction in public service broadcasting across all age groups. Another key insight from Ofcom’s report is that SVOD penetration definitely seems to have plateaued. Of course it remains a very competitive market but on the simple measure of what proportion of homes take at least one SVOD service, we remain at 68% which is no higher than the post lock-down SVOD boom. And as others have commented in recent months, if SVOD were an Olympic sport then it appears the real battle is for silver and bronze, with Netflix accounting for half of all SVOD viewing. The final insight of note is on YouTube – hard to describe Google’s video platform as a sleeping giant – but it is sometimes surprising it doesn’t get more attention compared to its SVOD cousins. Total viewing of YouTube reached 31 minutes on average per individual per day (50% higher than the equivalent figure for Netflix), and most notably half of this is now on the TV set. If anyone still thought YouTube was about watching cat videos on the train home – think again. https://lnkd.in/ekpQR7sm

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So the essential listening for #PR and media people is back - the “When It Hits The Fan” programme and podcast from the BBC. Presented by the modern-day Statler and Waldorf of the strategic communications game, David Yelland and Simon Lewis. Two weeks back (10/9/24) in a bit of a scoop Mr Yelland “revealed” that the Govt’s COBRA committee had commissioned online advertising to target and deter potential rioters during August after the Southport stabbings (Link in Comments). The ads delivered 70m impressions, he said. But how did the Govt actually choose and target potential rioters? First they targeted men, then age and then geography (ie location), Yelland explained. They behaved “just like any advertiser”. But wait, do not savvy advertisers (and certain media platforms) also deliver ads next to content consumed by their target audience? In this case, potential rioters. What would that media plan or online brief look like? What sites would get past the “black list” and what a story it would be if tax-payers’ money was spent advertising in the right “environment” for this unsavoury demographic.

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It feels like change is coming… I’ve noticed a trend recently in the briefs we’ve been receiving from rights-holders & broadcasters. “Fan Engagement” has finally started to become a meaningful part of briefs. And not just for vanity metrics. It’s a noticeable shift in priorities, particularly with live content and sports rights-holders, where the opportunity for active two way involvement of fans is key. The benefits of this change are…. 1) Building Live Community: Prioritising two way audience engagement via Q&As, polls, gamification and audience generated content is proven to increase retention Which in turn leads to 2) Potential for bringing fans into your ecosystem via creating dedicated web apps or integrations within existing apps. Leading to… 3) New asset inventory for partners on highly retentive real estate This shift, something we’ve been championing for a long time, can not only drive substantial impact in building fan relationships but also result in tangible commercial benefit. I’m excited for what is to come with some of these pioneering new partners! #sportsbiz #sportsindustry #fanengagement

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#ITVX record month - the value of localisation "ITV’s Euro 2024 coverage, along with a new season of Love Island and a selection of new dramas drove record streaming numbers in June for ITVX, with 375.8 million streams across the month, making it ITVX’s best ever month in streaming, up 54 per cent year on year." It's hard to remember almost 2 years when ITVX was about to launch, there were big questions about its viability in an increasing competitive space, dominated by #global #svods #avods However, ITV has taken the #streaming world in the #UK by storm, and keeps going from strength to strength. It had huge success with the Post Office drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Now, with the #euro2024 tournament, viewing was always likely to go up, but it's hardly an anomaly, its on the back of consistent strong performance for ITV. "The 19 Euro 2024 matches on ITV in June were streamed just under 84 million times, with the current season of Love Island up to 76 million streams after 28 episodes, which is up 10 million on the comparable point in the season last year. Including streams to previous seasons which are also available on ITVX, Love Island has delivered over 80 million streams across June. New dramas pulled strong audiences in June including The Flash, the DC superhero series and Arrow spinoff, darkly comedic crime thriller Bay of Fires, and the UK premiere of Orphan Black: Echoes starring Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes. Commissioned dramas including Red Eye and Douglas Is Cancelled continue to grow and were also top performers in the period." Yesterday, I posted about Tubi's entrance into the UK, and the huge name they bring. However, ITV has a real mix for UK audiences. They have the big films from Hollywood that will always have an audience. They also have UK commissioned series, reality TV, as well as benefitting from years of presence in the market, with its series and shows having ingrained following in the UK, as any local service would. While the #streamingmedia space seems to get crowded, and competition is intense, its easy to think those with the deepest pockets will eventually triumph. That's not the case. Apple TV is maybe the best example, with cash to burn, but has not threatened #Netflix's domination of the SVOD market. Just because big US global streamers set their eyes on the UK, it doesn't mean that they will be successful. #Localisation is the key driver of growth and success across the world, Netflix has invested heavily in local production, and this has helped them maintain their top spot around the world. I predict there will be no global model, Netflix may lead worldwide, but after that, local players will dominate in their markets, beating out some of the global streamers, because they have their ear to the ground, and target their audience, rather than relying solely on mass appeal. https://lnkd.in/efSc6rqh #tvindustry #mediaindustry #creativeindustries #streamingplaforms

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The difference in building a modern media company in developed versus emerging market in the last decade Lad Bible Group vs Augustus Media Founded: 2012 vs 2015 Employees: 500 vs 110 Markets: Uk & US vs MENA Revenue 2023: $85m vs $10m Profit: $7.6m vs $2.1m Brands: 12 vs 35 Offices: 6 vs 5 Reach: 1bn vs 1.2b

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Will digital exclusion ever really disappear? It's great to see our work with LINK and Adrian Roberts launch today, casting a fresh look at digital exclusion. Despite ongoing efforts to combat digital exclusion, our research shows that it continues to be felt across all age groups - either as a result of affordability or through our increasing reliance on digital skills in all aspects of our life and work. Today's young workforce are acutely aware that having the right digital skills today will not necessarily equip them for the workplace of tomorrow. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/et7w8WF6

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Major international events & public interest The #parisolympics2024 start on Friday, and as always, there's huge interest as each country looks to follow its atheletes and see how many medals they get. However, Discovery (WBD) has bought the rights for the Olympics, and therefore can put this coverage behind a paywall, where only subscribers can view the coverage. This is the not the first time this has happened, it happened in Tokyo 2020 also, and it was clearly commercially successful that they wanted to get/keep the rights for Paris 2024. The BBC in the UK has set out how viewers in the UK can tune in to the public service broadcaster for coverage, the opening ceremony will be covered live, BBC will have coverage, one live channel and one livestream, covering 250 hours of content. The rest will only be available to the public on radio, depriving viewers of viewing without a subscription. England got to the final in #euro2024 against Spain, and the run of England team drew huge live audiences, and the same will be in Spain as the other team that made it to the final, as well as other teams having good runs. From a viewership perspective, I don't think there's any doubt that having the games on Free-to-Air would draw more viewers than if it was behind a paywall. For #fta channels with advertising, it would allow advertisers to get huge reach, knowing millions would be watching. The Olympics will draw audiences in large numbers, not as big, but still substantial. So there's a commercial argument for having the Olympics on FTA. However, beyond commercial arguments, there must also be a public interest argument. Imagine how many people across England, Spain and the rest of Europe would be shut out from watching their teams progress if the Euros were behind a paywall. I think this would be untenable, and lead to huge discontent and complaints from publics across Europe and beyond. It's in the public interest to follow their teams, and that's where FTA is so invaluable in bringing everyone together and breaking down barriers of entry. It used to be the same with the Olympics, but as its not in the league of the Euros or World Cup, private companies were able to come in and buy the rights. But why is this different to the Euros and the World Cup? The public interest is the same for a national of whichever country to watch their team in this multi-national tournament. Yes, Discovery has slashed its prices to allow people to watch the games at a small price, credit to them for that, but the principle is the same. What about people who don't have smart TVs, or can't afford subscriptions, they are walled off. Even in today's world of #vod #fastchannels and a multitude of #streamingplatforms FTA is still unique for major news and sports events, and the Olympics is something, I believe, that should be under this umbrella. https://lnkd.in/eeGHhY-q

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Delighted to confirm the headlines from S4C's annual report today. The Channel has confirmed the hours of content watched on S4C’s digital platform S4C Clic or on iPlayer have increased by almost a third in a year. The channel has reported an increase of 31% in hours watched on demand since the previous year – the best figure in the broadcaster's history. The report also highlights a growth of 53% in the number of hours watched on YouTube, central to S4C’s goal of growing and maintaining a younger audience.​ This comes as a result of its commitment: “Providing your content on your platform” which is part of S4C's strategy. While the report warns that the fall in linear viewing affects all broadcasters and is challenging for S4C like every other channel, S4C's annual reach on television in Wales has risen by 5% to 1,713,000 viewers. In addition, it saw a 9% increase in the number of Welsh-speakers who watch from week to week in 2023-24 - the highest figure for six years. In terms of content the year was remarkably successful for the broadcaster, with the new drama series Anfamol, Bariau and Pren ar y Bryn capturing considerable attention and audience appreciation, and the Rugby World Cup and sport programmes in general attracting​ large audiences across all​ S4C platforms. In this period S4C managed to win broadcasting rights to international Cymru men’s football games until 2028, following an agreement with Viaplay. The Annual Report is published following a difficult period for the broadcaster, and the Report recognises this and outlines the Action Plan which was published in February 2024 in order to restore the situation. Guto Bebb, S4C’s Interim Board Chair, said: "These figures crown​ a year of ambitious work at S4C to improve our digital reach. S4C is no longer one channel. As a broadcaster S4C now reaches new audiences on S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and all its social media platforms, all of which is important to ensure the audience of the future." Sioned Wiliam, S4C’s Acting Chief Executive, added: "With huge thanks to the staff and our partners in the production sector we are particularly proud​ to publish all the successes you see in this Report. #clientwork #Wales #tvproduction #agencylife #annualreport

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Disney and ITV strike deal - capping a week of more co-operation ITV and The Walt Disney Studios struck a deal for ITV to take more content to UK audiences. "Welcome to Chippendales and Culprits from Disney Entertainment. Both series will be available to stream for free on ITVX later this year.....The titles join Under the Banner of Heaven and Extraordinary that ITV previously acquired from Disney." This caps a week of news where Amazon and #appletvplus struck a deal to allow Apple to appear on Amazon Prime Video's platform as an add on. Something like this would have been unthinkable before as the two sought to compete. What struck me also was how different major markets are, thanks to a presentation by Maria Rua Aguete and Jonathan Broughton hosted by CTAM Europe where they showed that while all markets have Youtube as the top video source, the rest of the list is very different. In the UK, the #publicservicebroadcasters were very strongly positioned, and crucially here, ITV is viewed more in the UK than Disney+, which didn't register in the top 5 of most watched platforms. Does that mean therefore that more co-operation is coming to the industry? Are big global platforms like Disney deciding to partner with strong local players that are better positioned than they are to increase the reach of their their content into certain markets. It certainly looks like it, and it's positive. The bundling with #telcos and #paytv is a big part of co-operation in the industry, where two services previously seen as rivals, are coming together for mutual benefit. However, it just shows that more needs to be done to increase co-operation and mutual benefit. I started the week posting about #piracy and how to blunt its potency, and I end the week again highlighting how co-operation and strategic thinking are needed more and at a quicker pace than the #tvindustry is currently going. #television #media #mediaindustry #cooperation #tv #itvx #amazonprimevideo #appletv

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Big thanks to Criteo for hosting me at the UK Commerce Media Summit today 🛒 where we got some great insights from ASOS.com, Currys plc, AS Watson, Colgate-Palmolive, IAB and more into how brands and retailers are building and scaling their #retailmedia propositions, the challenges with getting those models right and best practice on how to tap into the mindset of the polarized customer. 🧠 Customers are unpredictable and unconventional. To do this well, you have to enter with an open mind to connect with the complex, irrational consumer. ➕ It’s “a means to an end” and has got to be additional and incremental to the shopper journey, not disruptive to the experience. ⚖️ Measurement standards still have a way to go to catch up with other media - a common language and currency is key. But it’s a bit “like herding cats”. 🧪 Be willing to learn fast and fail fast. That requires an always-on mentality for testing and developing to scale and be successful. Stay tuned for my full write up coming soon via The Drum 🥁

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It’s Annual Report and Accounts Day today at the BBC – the publication of which is always an incredibly impressive feat undertaken by colleagues. There’s lots of data to dig into in the document which examines the BBC’s performance over the past year - including: 📈 The BBC contributed almost £5 billion to the UK economy last year – and for every £1 of the BBC’s direct economic activity, £2.63 is generated in the economy overall. Plus half of the BBC’s economic impact is outside London – versus 20% for the wider industry. 🥇 The BBC remains at the heart of national life and is the country’s go-to media brand – with 95% of adults using BBC services on average per month. 💻 And on average, people across the UK are spending 5hrs 44m watching BBC TV / iPlayer per week – more than all the big SVOD streamers combined. Lots more to dig into here: https://lnkd.in/e_he7Nr3

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Transformation has been labelled as one of the key factors to staying relevant in the content and media industry. So in this week's episode of 'The Content & Media Matters' Podcast, we're fortunate enough to be joined by Chris Pulis the Chief Technology Officer at Globecast, who shared his advice for other leaders who want to guide their teams to new heights. In this episode, we also explored the industry’s growing talent issues, including the skills that new hires need to survive in a transforming industry. Be sure to check it out! The link is in the comments! #neuco

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BBC criticised for cross-promoting its own shows - why?? "BBC bosses could be banned from 'advertising' hit shows such as Strictly Come Dancing under controversial plans being considered by Culture Secretary John Whittingdale. He is looking at sweeping new restrictions on the BBC's ability to 'cross-promote' its output across its huge array of TV channels and radio stations – giving it an 'unfair' competitive advantage over ITV." BBC always has to be careful when any hint of appearance of unfair advantage comes out, but this is a classic case of comparing apples and oranges. BBC is advertising it's own shows!! It's not gaining a commercial advantage, its not making money from advertising. It's not even advertising in any traditional sense, its more a cross promotion. I know that other public broadcasters in the UK engage in promoting their own shows, as they should and should be allowed to. Singling out the BBC for this is a symptom of a political motivation to undermine the BBC, bashing it at any opportunity. "The BBC last night defended the practice of cross-promotion, saying: 'The BBC is committed to all audiences and has a duty to ensure licence fee payers are aware of all our programmes and services.'" I think BBC is being very shrewd in doing this, because it needs to build consensus on its service, on its value to the public. I watched the BBC last night, and found it so impressive the list of shows its made over the years. When the role of #publicservicebroadcasting is under the microscope, and with the BBC in particular, the future of the licence fee up-in-the-air, it's vital they draw attention to their stellar work and content, so more people are aware of it and understand its value. They should probably not just highlight TV shows, but also the various websites they have, podcasts, radio shows etc. Some members of the public think that BBC is just television, and may dismiss it because they don't watch public #lineartv. However, they may well watch BBC shows on Amazon or Netflix, listen to the radio or use the website. BBC shouldn't listen to the naysayers, and should continue to draw attention to their incredible body of work. After the UK election, hopefully there will be more sense in terms of the value the BBC offers and merely allowing it to remind its viewers of that doesn't give it any unfair advantage! #tvindustry #bbc #broadcasting #broadcastmedia #television #psm #mediaindustry #uk #ukelection #advertising #media

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How to kill an industry in one move! Allowing the BBC to run advertising in its podcasting could be a disaster for the commercial/independent sector. The way the BBC is funded gives it a huge competitive advantage and I think this move would ultimately result in a contraction of the podcast sector and less content choices for audiences. Effectively this would also be like charging audiences twice for content (via the licence fee and via the consumption of ads). I believe the main function of the BBC should be to provide content that can't be served by the commercial sector, rather than competing with it. In reality that's a long way from its current remit and this feels like a further step away from that role.

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As ever an insightful article in The Media Leader regarding the GB News and Ofcom situation from Ray Snoddy There is a possibility that GB News are actively undermining the right wing vote by adding to the split between the Conservatives and Reform, thus helping Labour. The presence on GB News of Nigel Farage, a vocal critic of the Conservatives, will reinforce this rift. If so, the losses that Ray refers to in the article will have been even less well-spent.

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