The Week Kick-off: BBC Three, Spotify, and The Washington Post lead us into the week

There were big announcements from the streaming sector last week, as BBC Three and Spotify announced expansions. Meanwhile, two titans from the publishing side of the industry bring us insights, as Meredith looks at ‘post’ pandemic shopping habits, and The Washington Post speaks to us exclusively about Zeus Prime…    

BBC Three returning to TV

UK regulator Ofcom has confirmed that BBC Three will return as a fully-fledged TV channel in February. The service, which has operated in an online-only capacity for the last six years after its initial stint on the airwaves, will be available across Freeview, Sky, Virgin and Freesat. 

BBC Three controller, Fiona Campbell, said: “This is a big moment, with the new channel providing a destination for young audiences to discover more content on the BBC. We will work hand in hand with iPlayer to provide a broad offering that is representative of the whole of the UK, and we will continue to back new talent and bold ideas.” Full story here

Spotify roles out ‘subscriber-only’ content in 33 global markets

There was also expansion news from Spotify last week, as the music-streaming platform announced that the subscription service it launched for US creators in August will now also be available in key markets across the globe. The service, which allows creators to mark episodes as ‘subscriber-only’ content and charge a monthly fee for access to them, will now become available in 33 new markets worldwide. Full story here

The Washington Post on Zeus Prime, first-party publishing… and NFTs! 

In an exclusive interview for FIPP, The Washington Post’s Head of Commercial Product, Jeffrey Turner, last week provided us with a deep-dive insight into the company’s newly launched ad-buying network, Zeus Prime. He also spoke to us candidly about industry collaboration more broadly, the shift towards first-party data, and it turns out has his finger very much on the pulse when it comes to NFTs… you can read the full story here.

Shopping habits see significant change

A joint study by Meredith Corporation and The Harris Poll has found that more than 8 in 10 women say their shopping habits have permanently changed since the pandemic. The survey also showed that women are intentionally directing spending to brands that support their values and community, and that modern window shopping is being fuelled by digital wish lists, social media, influencers, and editors/experts. Nearly 6 in 10 Gen Z women (59%) find out about new products from social media advertising. Full story here

As for FIPP…

Tomorrow, we’ll be hosting a webinar with Nicola Murphy, CEO of the River Group of companies, who joins us to discuss the launch of Reflect, a new non-profit focused on finding, developing, and managing diverse talent. The webinar will take place from 2-3 pm UK time, it’s free to attend, and you can find out more here.

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