Morning Bulletin: DJ free radio, Chinese surveillance fears & new digital ad standard
Radio listeners irritated by interruptions to their music can rejoice this morning with the launch of a new DJ-free station, but watch your back when walking down the street as China might be watching. We also report on a new digital ad standard which has the backing of a host of industry heavyweights.
Social has become the new TV advert according to Darren Rajanah, commercial chief at multi-website online retailer Hut Group, as he spoke to Retail Week about the singular importance of the sector when seeking expansion into international markets.
A new grouping of industry trade bodies has come together to form the Coalition for Better Ads with the stated aim of establishing a formal set of digital ad standards to improve the user experience. Its numbers include the IAB and has support from the likes of Google, Facebook and GroupM.
Ad Week has high hopes for the future of aerial drones as it looks to the future of an industry which is already making an impact by lowering the cost of sweeping aerial footage of cities and countryside, although its impact on advertising remains limited.
Absolute Radio have launched a new DJ-Free nationwide radio station called Union Jack which will hand playlist responsibilities to its listeners who can choose from a limited range of British artists from an accompanying app.
Meanwhile The Telegraph is running a live blog as queues begin to form outside Apple stores as diehard fans stake out a place to lay claim to one of the first iPhone 7’s to go on sale amidst reports of supply shortages.
The Times is warning of Chinese domination of Britain’s CCTV industry with a Beijing run company now the country’s largest provider of surveillance equipment. Hikvision has dispensed over 1m cameras and recorders with no official oversight.
Business Insider claims that London could be the latest city to launch an Airbnb crackdown after the UK government invited mayor Sadiq Khan to investigate whether the model was a contributory factor in driving up house prices.
Apple has denied being interested in a takeover of rival music streaming service Tidal, fronted by rapper Jay Z, after it racked up a $28m loss for the year, scotching reports that the technology giant had been ‘in talks’ about a potential acquisition.
Controversy surrounding a decision by Bake Off producers to jump ship from the BBC to Channel 4 appears to have done little to dent the popularity of the format with audiences jumping to 10.3m for the fourth episode of the current series, just shy of the 10.4m record ratings for series 7.