The "Times" is predicting that, as per ITV's announcement yesterday that December ad spending will be down 6% to 8%, after spending big in previous years, advertisers are reining in their tv budgets this Christmas.

M&S is assuring customers that top of the to-do list for its new, incoming chief data officer will be overhauling its confusing Sparks loyalty scheme, "Marketing Week" reports.

Creative Equals has announced it will empower 24 "returners" to enter the workplace via an ad agency bootcamp, "The Drum" reports. The organisation is dedicated to creating a more diverse creative industry. The campaign will coincide with International Women's Week next March. Following the bootcamp, participants will be invited to work with an agency for four to six weeks.

The data watchdog, the ICO, has told MPs it believes Facebook should be transparent and reveal how political parties target votes on its platform, "The Telegraph" writes.

If the Chancellor is hoping the rest of the EU will follow the UK and introduce a Digital Services Tax on the tech giants, he may well be disappointed, "Mobile Marketing" reports. Discussions around a similar tax in the EU are floundering as member countries cannot agree and many fear US retaliation.

Regardless of what many parents think, new research from Oxford University reveals there is not a major direct link between how long children spend on screens and how well they sleep, the BBC reports. However, the site does quote a GP who suggests this finding does not tally with what doctors are seeing in their practices.

The AOP in the UK has been working with The Media Trust in the US to develop a joint classification of cookies so publishers get a much clearer idea of the cookies being dropped via their sites and what they are being used for. According to MarTech Today, this information will empower sites to ensure that pages load more quickly and also block cookies dropped by unknown and unverified entities.

ITV has warned of a "softening" in the tv advertising market that could see revenue down 3% year-on-year in Q4, "Campaign" reports. While November is expected to see a 2% rise, December ad revenue is due to fall between 6% to 8%.

Although the majority of UK consumers have access to a mobile wallet, only 13% of the population will use a mobile phone to pay for goods and services this year, according to eMarketer. The reason is that consumers are already happy using contactless credit and debit cards and so don't see the benefit of using a smartphone for purchases.

Beano Studios has unveiled a "kids-first consultancy," "The Drum" reports. The company reports that there will be a particular focus on making content that children will want to consume.