As the advertising industry continues to flirt with programmatic technologies for linear TV, it must remain flexible and treat the move with respect if it is to prove successful, according to Unilever's Chief Marketing Officer Keith Weed. Speaking to The Drum at the Web Summit in Dublin, Weed speculated that the industry as a whole will eventually make the shift to programmatic TV, but that the change will resemble the rapid progression that brands demonstrated in their use of social media.

Q4 ad spend is likely to reach almost GBP5bn this year thanks to Christmas advertising spend, according to The Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report. With brands fighting for their share of the predicted GBP90.7bn consumer spend Christmas 2014 is predicted to be the biggest to date for advertising with The Expenditure Report showing that Q4 ad spend has increased by almost a quarter (24 percent) over the last five years. Online the Internet will see the highest ad spend, with GBP1.9bn predicted for Q4 2014.

BSkyB has reappointed WCRS to the creative account for its on-demand Now TV service. WCRS beat FCB Inferno in a final shootout. Both shops have an existing relationship with BSkyB. WCRS was first awarded Now TV's ad business in 2013 without a pitch. The shop's debut campaign -- its only TV activity to date -- was called "then and now".

U2 frontman Bono has praised streaming music services as a way for musicians to get their music heard, and defended Spotify from criticism of the amount it pays out to artists and songwriters. "The real enemy is not between digital downloads or streaming -- the real enemy, the real fight is between opacity and transparency. The music business has historically involved itself in quite considerable deceit," he said, speaking at the Web Summit conference in Dublin.

Monty's Den, an in-store experiential campaign, uses innovative technology to tell the stories of the ad's characters -- Sam, Monty and Mabel -- and rolls out in 42 stores from today. Created in partnership with Samsung, it is an Antarctic-themed in-store space, featuring "never-before-seen technology" and educational content. It will feature 'Monty's Goggles', technology created using Google Cardboard, a budget version of Oculus Rift, that enables users to "step into Monty and Sam's world" by creating a virtual world.

Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired mobile agency Fetch for GBP30m. London-based Fetch will retain its own brand identity within the network and continue its aggressive expansion strategy, with a particular focus on Asia and North America. The non-executive shareholders are realising the value of their shares immediately. The remaining shareholders, including the chief executive and co-founder, James Connelly, are believed to be working to incentivised earn-outs. The agency is reportedly on track to double its turnover this year.

Carat has been formally awarded the Government's GBP140 million media buying account, after Mr Justice Akenhead lifted the legal stay preventing the contract from leaving M4C. The WPP-owned M4C has held the business for four years. The review began in March and involved Ebiquity. Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP objected to the way the pitch process was handled by the Crown Commercial Service, which included the media brokering expertise of Ebiquity. WPP has vowed to continue its legal challenge.

Labour will consider banning e-cigarette TV ads if they win the next general election, as one of the party's MPs accused industry regulators of "weakness and navety" in allowing commercials to feature them. Geraint Davies has introduced a private member's bill, which would outlaw all ads for e-cigarettes and prohibit their sale to under-18s. A senior Labour source said: "E-cigarettes are a dilemma for us. They may encourage adults to quit smoking but young people to start. Some of us want to restrict how they are promoted."

BSkyB will have to loosen its grip on the much treasured rights to its Sky Sports channels after coming under fire from the UK competition regulator. The competition appeal tribunal (CAT) on Wednesday granted BT YouView TV customers access to Sky Sports 1 and 2 for the first time ever after four years of legal battles in a bid to make sports broadcasts more accessible to consumers in the UK. This follows a clash in 2010 between the two broadcasters which saw Ofcom insisting Sky drop its wholesale sports prices by 23%.

The budget-hotel chain has contacted agencies directly to invite them to pitch for the brief. CHI & Partners, which was hired in January to launch a brand-repositioning campaign, will repitch for the business. The contract is for a three-year period. CHI & Partners' campaign represented Travelodge's biggest marketing push to date and positioned the brand as "Britain's favourite hotel for value." It also marked the first time that Travelodge had been on TV in four years.