Sky to launch contextual targeting ads; Meta faces €550m lawsuit in Spain; Publishers hesitant about Threads

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 6th Dec 2023 in News

On today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Sky to launch contextual targeting ads; Meta faces €550m lawsuit in Spain; Publishers hesitant about Threads…

Sky to launch contextual targeting ads

In the coming year, Sky will begin trialling contextual targeting ads, which will allow brands to place ads against particular content details that are common across shows. Advertisers will be able to align ad placement using granular-level details within shows thanks to data gathered through AI scans of written, audio, and visual material. Over 5,000 pieces of VOD content have been scanned and tagged so far. In response to advertisers’ demand for more quality and granular data, the broadcaster will also be scaling its household viewing panel.

Meta faces €550m lawsuit in Spain

Meta is facing a significant legal battle in Spain, with a challenge and damages claim arguing that the tech giant’s failure to have a valid legal basis for processing people’s data under EU data protection laws constitutes a competition breach. The lawsuit is being led by AMI, an association of newspaper owners with over 80 members. They are seeking compensation of over €550m (£471m), describing Meta’s non-compliance with the EU’s GDPR as “systemic and massive”. Privacy group noyb was behind the first tracking/consent related GDPR complaint against Meta in 2018, and has very recently challenged the tech giant over its latest subscription approach which forces users to pay for privacy.

Publishers hesitant about Threads

Many news publishers are hesitant to allot more resources to Meta’s Threads, showing no significant plans to do so in the near future. Due to Threads’ limited data available to their social and audience development teams, some are struggling to determine whether investing more into the platform is worth it. Currently, X still gets about 100 times more web traffic than Treads worldwide and has over 11 times more monthly active mobile users in the US. However, executives report seeing engagement grow on Threads, even noticing that engagement seems higher than on X.