• Havas Takes Major Stake In Victors & Spoils by Steve McClellan

    Havas today confirmed it has acquired a majority stake in crowdsourcing agency Victors & Spoils, the Boulder, Colo. shop that was founded in 2009 by former Crispin Porter + Bogusky vice presidents Evan Fry and John Winsor and Claudia Batten, a co-founder of gaming platform Massive. V&S will be folded into Havas Worldwide, the holding company's flagship agency, but will retain the V&S branding. ...Read the whole story

  • WPP Launches GroupM Next, Copeland Heads Innovation Unit by Steve McClellan

    WPP's GroupM has created a new innovations unit called GroupM Next that will be overseen by Chris Copeland, the CEO of GroupM Search. The unit is designed to help clients at the company's media shops -- Mindshare, MediaCom, MEC and Maxus -- better navigate the evolving digital sector. ...Read the whole story

  • Local TV's Online Revs Up 25% by Wayne Friedman

    Borrell Associates says there will be a 25% increase to some $2.7 billion in 2012 over 2011. In 2011, a 41% growth rate was witnessed -- to $1.97 billion. At present, TV stations have a 12% share of the overall local online media market. Independent operators have the largest, with a 46.2% share. By contrast, newspapers are at a 24.7% share. ...Read the whole story

  • Philadelphia Media Network Sold For $55 Million by Erik Sass

    The changing fortunes of the publisher of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" and "Philadelphia Daily News" encapsulate the long-term decline in the newspaper industry. Philadelphia Media Network's buying price plunged to just $55 million in the latest transaction. ...Read the whole story

  • 'WSJ' Endorses Publicis' Levy For French President by Steve McClellan

    "The Wall Street Journal" has endorsed an ad man for president. Not for the U.S., but for France -- and the paper's nominee is Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy. French elections are set for May. ...Read the whole story

  • MDC Takes Position In Detroit Indie Doner by Joe Mandese

    Cash-rich MDC Partners continues one of the most aggressive acquisitions campaigns Madison Avenue has seen since the early days of the Saatchis and WPP Group, announcing yet another significant stake this morning -- this one in one of America's oldest and most fiercely independent agencies, Detroit-based Doner. MDC did not disclose terms of the deal, but described it as "significant minority interest, with the option to increase its stake to a majority interest at any time." ...Read the whole story

  • 52 Magazines Launched In Early 2012 by Erik Sass

    More magazines launched than closed in the first quarter of the year, which saw the debut of 52 titles, versus just 12 titles shuttered, according to MediaFinder.com. The top category for new launches was restaurants, thanks to five new DiningOut guides from Pearl Publishing. ...Read the whole story

  • Online Radio Moving Up The Charts by Mark Walsh

    Online radio is the fastest-growing music-listening category among U.S. consumers, according to new findings from NPD Group. The market research firm found 43% of U.S. Web users in 2011 chose to listen to music via Pandora, Slacker, Yahoo Music and other online radio services, up nine percentage points from 2010. Traditional AM/FM radio remained steady. ...Read the whole story

  • TV Viewers Use Social Media To Support Favorite Shows by Wayne Friedman

    According to a new study from TVGuide.com, 76% of people say the primary reason for their social media activity is to "keep my favorites on the air." ...Read the whole story

  • ACTV8 Powers Fox Show Apps by David Goetzl

    ACTV8.me, which powers second-screen interactivity synced with TV content, will launch apps linked with Fox shows such as "New Girl." Fox has also taken an undisclosed stake in the company. ...Read the whole story

  • Tech, Food Ads Top Q1 Charts by David Goetzl

    A pair of Samsung ads were among the most effective during the first quarter, according to Ace Metrix. A spot for the Galaxy Note smartphone topped the charts, while an ad for TVs finished fifth. ...Read the whole story

  • McLuhan Was 20% Right by Mike Bloxham

    If content is king, then context is the power that lies behind the throne. But context is about more than medium; it's a multifaceted real ... ...More

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