Morning Bulletin: Luck runs out for gambling firms, The Grand Tour trailer & poo pointers
This morning’s bulletin takes a scatological turn with the release of a viral video dispensing advice on how to poop at a party. We also look at a hardening of the government’s stance on daytime TV gambling ads and take a peak at the first official trailer for Clarkson’s big budget Amazon show, The Grand Tour.
Business confidence in the UK has bounced back to pre-Brexit levels, according to the latest survey results by YouGov. The figures indicate that companies are now as optimistic about their prospects today as they were before the decision was taken to leave the EU.
The government is set to pull the plug on daytime TV gambling adverts according to The Times, which says ministers are determined to reduce the number of children exposed to commercials – particularly during football matches.
Adweek dispenses advice on how to poop at a party, courtesy of a viral video created by Poo-Pourri. The YouTube clip has already garnered 2.4m views, boding well for the launch of its online film division – Number 2 Productions.
The first full trailer for The Grand Tour, Amazon’s hotly anticipated reunion of former Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, has been released to keep the hype machine chugging through to the show’s 18 November debut.
London’s underground network is to benefit from the addition of ultra-HD screens and new escalator ad formats reports Campaign - after Exterion Media teamed up with Transport for London to launch Hello London.
Snap (formerly known as Snapchat) is reportedly eyeing up an IPO in March that could value the firm at $25bn. Business Insider couches this by noting that the situation is still ‘fluid’ meaning that any such deal, if it even happens, remains far from certain.
The Verge reports on what could be ‘the next great leap’ for VR in the form of a wireless prototype of the Oculus Rift. Dubbed the Santa Cruz, it can offer ‘inside-out tracking’ allowing wearers to navigate digital space without requiring external cameras or towers.
The New York Times has introduced a new breed of Flex Frame ads capable of modifying their appearance in accordance with screen type and page environment. Developed in tandem with Google the technology can double the click through rate versus standard banner ads.
Volkswagen has been forced to deny that it was planning a fire sale of any of its brands in order to raise capital to fund the fallout from an ongoing emissions scandal. Supervisory board Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch insists that his company remains ‘financially solid’.
Verizon is reportedly seeking a $1bn discount on its pending acquisition of Yahoo following a spate of torrid revelations pertaining to hacking and spying. The $4.8bn sale is still being finalised but Tech Crunch reports Verizon is now hoping to seal the deal at just $3.8bn.