Interviews, insight & analysis on digital media & marketing

What you need to read today: NYT picks up Wordle, Ryan Reynolds, big boys forced to pay up, and more

New Digital Age highlights some of the best stories you should read across the media, marketing, and advertising press.

Tech giants 

The Times

Tech giants face being forced to pay for news

Google and Facebook would be forced to agree to a price with newspapers for using their stories under new laws being drawn up by the government.

Mediatel

Expect Google and Facebook to tell very different stories this week

Google and Facebook never were really a digital media ‘duopoly’, writes the editor, but their divergent destinies could become much clearer this week.

Streaming

CNBC

Streaming video no longer impresses investors, so media companies need a next act

For the past two years, media and entertainment companies have been dead-set on showing Wall Street that they have a strong streaming video strategy to counter traditional pay-TV declines.

Mental health

Campaign

Users cutting back on Instagram to improve mental health

A study from Opinium Research found that 17% believe platforms are responsible for users’ mental health.

Media

Reuters

What Olympics? Advertisers lie low ahead of Beijing Winter Games

Unlike any Games in recent memory, the nearly 20 official international and national Olympic sponsors have laid low.

Ryan Reynolds

The Drum

Ryan Reynolds’s Maximum Effort clicks with Bolt’s one-step payments

Hollywood superstar turned celebrity marketer Ryan Reynolds has broken his latest video campaign, with a little help from Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan.

Fraud

City A.M.

Fraud warning: WhatsApp scams surge more than 2000 per cent

WhatsApp scams are now the fastest growing form of impersonation fraud, according to new analysis by Lloyds Bank.

Tech

City A.M.

Big tech may be forced to pay for UK journalism as Dorries pushes new laws

Tech giants may be forced to pay British newspapers for their stories as Westminster draws up new plans to clamp down on the likes of Google and Meta.

Metaverse

Mediatel

Metaverse 2022: we ain’t seen nothing yet

Planning for brand activations in the virtual worlds of the future requires better use cases, a more vivid imagination and best practice learned from in-game advertising today, argues OMD.

Apps/Gaming

CNBC

The New York Times is buying Wordle, the game that exploded in popularity this month

The New York Times is acquiring Wordle, an online game that shot up to popularity seemingly overnight. The move highlights the importance of the company’s Games unit, which hosts things like crosswords and Spelling Bee, as a way to attract new subscribers.

Super Bowl

The Drum

Domino’s offers $3 tip to consumers who become self-delivery drivers

Domino’s, which forged its reputation on reliable and fast pizza delivery, is now rewarding customers who pick up carryout orders. In two new ads, arriving before the Super Bowl, the chain dangles a $3 coupon for those who ‘serve as their own delivery drivers.’

Third-party cookies

AdExchanger

ShowHeroes Buys Smartclip To Bring Contextual-First Tech To US And LATAM Markets

With cookies (finally) cooling off, contextual targeting tech is starting to heat up.