The chief executive of News Corp. has written to the European Commission, calling Google a "platform for piracy" and demanding action. In the strongly worded letter to competition commissioner Joaqun Almunia, News Corp.'s Robert Thomson calls Google a "platform for piracy and the spread of malicious networks" whose power "increases with each passing day." Earlier this month, the European commission reopened its four-year antitrust investigation into Google's search and advertising business.

ITV's new free-to-air lifestyle and entertainment channel, ITVBe, launches on October 8th with Diet Coke as its main sponsor. The sponsorship package, which was negotiated by MediaCom on behalf of Coca-Cola, will include broadcast, online, mobile and licensing aspects. As part of the deal, Diet Coke will sponsor several programmes across the ITVBe schedule. The channel will focus predominately on reality TV-style programming. It will be the home of The Only Way Is Essex and a number of new shows.

Trendy fashion retailer Jack Wills has appointed Havas Work Club as its digital agency in the UK without a competitive pitch. The agency will be tasked with handling strategic and creative work for the brand. Activity will span a variety of platforms but there will be a focus on mobile. This is the first time Jack Wills has appointed a retained digital agency in the UK. The company last held a pitch for a creative shop in 2012.

The Government's planned move of its GBP140m media-buying business to Carat has been held up by a legal challenge from WPP, owner of the incumbent M4C. A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "The Government's media buying contract has not yet been awarded. The procurement is subject to a legal challenge, which we are working to resolve as soon as possible. We have followed robust procedures throughout the process, including engaging fully with suppliers, customers, trade bodies and private-sector organisations."

The Lebedev family's hopes of turning around their struggling London TV channel have suffered a blow after the broadcasting regulator refused to allow it to cut back on local programming. Ofcom yesterday said that it had rejected London Live's request to scale back the quota of local shows that it has to run as a condition of its licence, which came only four months after it began broadcasting. Ofcom's refusal to vary the quotas will cast fresh doubt on the channel's future.

The revenue decline for the newspaper industry will end next year, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Fortunes will vary significantly across the world, however. The Asia-Pacific market is set to grow while North America and Western Europe -- the UK, France and Germany -- will also see continued decline over the next five years despite digital innovation because, says the report, publishers will be "unable to fully monetise their readers' migration to online and mobile news."

An IAB report has found that smartphones are now where the majority of people play games, although more time is spent on consoles. Surprisingly, women now account for the majority of gamers, driven by an older demographic favouring trivia and word puzzles, taking them up to 52 percent of all gamers over the last six months. These demographic shifts have not been adversely affected by a rise in in-game advertising however, with six in ten happy for adverts to subsidise free games.

Around 52 percent of UK millennials think that brands have the potential to be a force for good, although 40 percent have a negative attitude toward the way brands communicate with them, according to new research by Initiative (an Interpublic Group agency). Over half of millennials said they would be more loyal to brands that helped improve societal or ecological issues (54 percent), while 59 percent feel brands should actively participate to improve causes.

Barclays has launched a contactless payment wristband to help London commuters speed up their journeys without fear of "card clash." TfL is rolling out contactless payment across its entire network today. The bPay band allows users to make contactless payments across the London transport network using just a wave of their wrist. Any UK Visa or MasterCard debit holder can link up to the service, and Barclaycard is today inviting Londoners to sign up for one of 10,000 free wearable bands.

Nike-owned trainers brand Converse has created a browser extension that uses adblock technology for consumers' to replace other brands' digital ads -- which it says form the "boring parts of the internet" -- with its own branded content. The new online platform -- dubbed The Ticket -- will showcase invitations to 70 live shows across Europe and content such as films, games, GIFs and images for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox users.