Andrew Benett, Arnold Worldwide Global CEO, has been appointed to the new role of Global President at Havas Worldwide, the agency confirmed Tuesday. Benett will assume responsibility for leading the day-to-day management of the global network, previously handled by David Jones, who is also head of the parent company Havas. Benett will report to Jones, who will remain Global CEO of the Havas Worldwide network. Succeeding Benett at Arnold is Robert LePlae, previously the shop's Global President. LePlae will also report to Jones. Jones stated: "This is an incredibly exciting time for our industry, presenting fantastic opportunities for big talents …

They've always been referred to as worldwide travelers, but thanks to a deal with China's Tencent, the Harlem Globetrotters will be about as global as any basketball team possibly could be. The deal with Tencent, an Internet service provider whose QQ browser reaches 5.1 billion users, the Globetrotters will have global reach via a series of promotions and featuring the teams star basketball players, as well as team mascot Globie.

ESPN big Bowl Championship Series title game between Alabama and Notre Dame did well in ratings -- even though Crimson Tide crushed the Irish, 42-12, and the game was decided early on. Ratings grew 14% to a Nielsen preliminary 15.7 TV household rating over a year ago in January 2012 when ESPN aired the Alabama-LSU game -- another rout, 21-0 -- which gave Alabama the college football title.  Analysts say ratings were muted this time around -- especially because the game had no real drama throughout its duration. Still, the two big storied …

AT&T enjoyed a strong holiday season, selling 10 million smartphones in the fourth quarter. That topped the record 9.4 million units sold in the year-earlier period. The carrier also had its best ever quarter for Android phone and iPhone sales. “We had another incredible quarter of smartphone sales as the mobile Internet continues to drive strong growth in wireless,” said Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T Mobility, in a statement. “These are the industry’s most valuable postpaid subscribers with average revenues twice that of non-smartphone subscribers. He added the company sold an average of 110,000 smartphones a day, …

Online audience measurement firm Quantcast has acquired MakeGood, a software company focusing on reconciliation and reporting of digital ad campaigns.

Mobile advertising company InMobi on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Overlay Media, a U.K.-based startup focused on context aware mobile technology. The team of data scientists behind the company has developed a platform called the Context Engine designed to deliver personalized content to mobile users, according to the inMobi release. The technology can automatically detect different mobile device attributes and other data such as batter power and user location in order to deliver an application or to tailor how data is presented to users, according to a TechCrunch report. "We are excited to add amazing talent …

Facebook has added a feature that lets brands create new page posts directly from its self-serve ad tool. According to Inside Facebook, advertisers now have the option to create a new page post from the ad dashboard when selecting “promote page posts.” Before, users could only to choose have prior posts or its latest posts automatically promoted. With the change, brands can post a status or photo update to their page without having to leave the ad tool. Inside Facebook noted that many third-party ad tools have this feature, but it’s the first time Facebook has provided …

San Francisco-based Omnicom shop Goodby Silverstein & Partners is opening its first New York office. The Big Apple unit will be co-led by Executive Creative Director Christian Haas, who becomes a Partner, and Associate Partner Nancy Reyes, who becomes Managing Director. The NYC office will handle assignments from Google, YouTube and Comcast, to start.

Yahoo and CBS have teamed up to launch a combined version of Yahoo’s omg! celebrity gossip site and the network’s “Insider” entertainment news TV show. Starting Monday night, that show will be known as “omg! Insider,” featuring a new set and new talent including Yahoo’s Michael Yo and Kristen Aldridge. The omg! site on Yahoo has also gotten a facelift, with more video and breaking news, and an improved mobile version. The omg! Now section, hosted by Aldridge, has also been renamed “omg! Insider. In addition, Yahoo IntoNow app will sync with “omg! Insider” to offer users more in-depth …

Former Yahoo and Thrillist executive Adam Chandler has joined mobile ad network Jumptap as senior vice president for sales, overseeing brand sales and reporting to COO Frank Weishaupt. He will be based in Jumptap’s New York office. Chandler most recently served as executive-in-residence at venture capital firm Lerer Ventures. Previously, he spent eight years at Yahoo in various positions including leading the company U.S. Hispanic ad division, and managing Yahoo U.S. revenue and advertising display partnerships. Chandler has also served as chief revenue officer at Martini Media, and president and chief revenue officer at men’s lifestyle site Thrillist. Chandler …