News in brief: Outbrain Completes Teads Acquisition; UK Betting Companies Under Scrutiny for Ad Targeting; Nielsen and Paramount Strike Measurement Deal 

Outbrain Completes Teads $900m Acquisition

Outbrain has completed its acquisition of Teads, following regulatory approvals. The deal closed at approximately USD$900m (£725m). The acquisition officially merges both parties’ branding and performance offerings to create an omnichannel outcomes platform for the open internet. They will operate under the name Teads. Their combined data will power expanded contextual, audience, and purchase-based targeting capabilities, connecting CTV experiences to digital moments to drive measurable outcomes. 

UK Betting Companies Under Scrutiny for Ad Targeting

The advertising practices of UK betting companies are currently under major scrutiny following a lawsuit which ruled that Sky Betting & Gambling unlawfully targeted a problem gambler with more than 1,300 marketing emails over two years. In a high court ruling, the firm was found to have sent a gambler personalised targeting without proper consent after gathering thousands of pieces of data about him and his gambling habits, reports The Guardian.

The company’s customer protection measures failed to cut off marketing to customers deemed high-risk as they are supposed to. Instead, it categorised him as a “high-value” customer who they were keen to win back once he had stopped using the platform. The judge found that although he had not opted out of receiving the company’s marketing, he had not understood how his data would be used. Taking into consideration his gambling problem, the judge stated that his ability to give consent was impaired, and consequently, that the ad targeting was unlawful. It has been suggested that the ruling could cause ramifications for the wider gambling industry, which relies heavily on carrying out marketing, online tracking, and profiling. As a result of the ruling, betting companies in the UK could be forced to make significant changes to their advertising practices. 

Nielsen and Paramount Strike Measurement Deal 

Nielsen and Paramount have struck a new measurement deal which will reinstate Paramount’s access to Nielsen's audience ratings. The new deal wraps up the months-long dispute between both companies which saw Paramount utilising other audience measurement solutions in an attempt to draw attention to Nielsen’s perceived shortcomings. During this time, Paramount could not utilise Nielsen’s audience data, and was unable to share figures regarding how certain shows were performing against rivals based on the measurement company’s services.