Roku has announced the launch of five new FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels from ITV Studios, building on the introduction of more than 40 FAST channels to the platform last year. The new additions include The Graham Norton Show, Hell’s Kitchen, Hotel Inspector, River Monsters and British Screen Classics, bringing you the very best of British cinema. They are available now on all Roku TV models and Roku streaming players, fully integrated into The Roku Channel and Live TV Guide for easy discovery. The partnership was led by Jane Dribinskaya, VP FAST & DTC Partnerships, for Zoo 55 and Albert Rabago, Content Acquisition Manager, for Roku.
VIOOH, the global digital out of home (DOOH) supply-side platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Orange Barrel Media (OBM) & IKE Smart City, a pioneer in landmark media and smart city technology, to further expand access to premium DOOH inventory across the United States. The partnership delivers access to 2,281 digital screens, generating approximately 6.3 billion monthly impressions. OBM & IKE Smart City’s network features premium digital spectaculars and interactive digital kiosks across 27 major cities and key neighbourhoods.
Open Media has also announced an exciting programmatic partnership with VIOOH, to provide an enhanced opportunity for brands to connect with diverse audiences across the UK through its growing portfolio of high-quality, premium digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens. Designed to deliver both scale and impact, Open Media’s network enables advertisers to run both static and full-motion campaigns in some of the country’s most sought-after environments. Through this partnership, advertisers can now access 42 strategically positioned premium LED screens via programmatic trading.
Mercurius Media Capital (MMC), the first U.S.-based media-for-equity venture fund, has announced a $1.5 million investment in LifeSafe Technologies. The deal represents MMC’s entry into the fire safety technology sector, a category the fund has identified as one of the largest consumer markets in the U.S. with no established brand leader. MMC invests media capital in exchange for equity, focusing on consumer categories where strong underlying demand exists, but no brand has established dominance. Fire safety is a clear example: a category present in virtually every American household, yet one where no single brand drives purchasing decisions.
Signal AI, a global leader in AI-driven reputation and risk intelligence, has announced its acquisition of Memo, the world’s first and only platform providing readership data directly from publishers. Memo currently serves the world’s leading Fortune 500 customers, including Google, Pepsi, Walmart, Keurig Dr Pepper, and PayPal. This acquisition will integrate real readership metrics into Signal AI’s reputation and risk intelligence platform and services, giving Chief Communications Officers (CCOs) and reputation management teams a clearer, more holistic view of how their stories actually perform, what’s shaping their reputation, and which narratives pose a genuine threat to their brand. This shift will benefit Signal AI’s 800+ global customers, who already rely on compliant coverage across traditional media, social, podcasts, and regulatory filings to protect their brand value. This marks the first time real publisher readership data has been integrated into an AI-powered reputation intelligence platform.
New data from SaleCycle has exposed a hard truth for ecommerce brands: when a shopper leaves a website, the sale is effectively gone. The findings show that just 0.3% of users return and complete their purchase without any form of follow-up. A figure that makes clear that abandoned baskets do not convert by themselves. SaleCycle’s data shows that hesitation begins well before checkout, with the majority of shoppers dropping out at earlier stages of the journey. The largest losses occur at the very start: 60% leave on the product page, 24% abandon in the cart, and 16% exit at checkout. These patterns underline that most buying journeys stall long before the final step. External research provides clarity on why these early exits happen. The most common friction points include hidden costs (48%), forced account creation (26%), and payment-trust issues (25%). These factors erode confidence at crucial decision moments.
According to a new study from Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), an industry-leading provider of social media management and analytics software, social media is now the primary channel for breaking news discovery, overtaking TV, also ahead of podcasts, news apps, and print media. Sprout Social’s Q1 2026 UK Pulse Survey shows this trend is even stronger among Gen Z, with over half (53%) of this generation also wanting news organizations and reporters to be even more active on social. However, the findings reveal a simultaneous rise in skepticism among consumers about the news they see in their feeds. In fact, 90% say AI-generated video tools have eroded their trust in the news they see on social media, with misinformation and “AI slop” (i.e., low-quality AI-generated content) being the top two factors driving skepticism.
At 8.30pm on Saturday 28th March, Out of Home landmarks led by BFI IMAX, Piccadilly Lights and both of London’s Westfield destinations will power down to mark the 20th year of WWF’s Earth Hour, joining millions across the globe in one of the world’s biggest grassroots environmental movements. The outdoor locations will be joined by other prominent UK landmarks including The London Eye, London City Hall, 10 Downing Street, Oxo Tower Wharf, and Scottish monuments including Stirling Castle and Arbroath Abbey. Thousands of businesses and millions of people are expected to switch off their lights for 60 minutes in a moment of global unity for nature restoration, shining a light on the planet, the climate crisis and the need for urgent change. In addition, multiple outdoor screens across both Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City retail and leisure destinations will black out for the hour. All of these OOH locations are managed by Ocean Outdoor.
