The Media Leader

News analysis, opinion and insight for media and advertising professionals

Farage versus the media: Nigel’s last stand. Or is it?

Nigel Farage may be at personal loggerheads with Sky News and Times Newspapers, but by potentially causing a tsunami of media interest in Reform UK, who knows where the biggest waves may land.

Cannes reflections: Judging Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport

A jury member for the Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport category reflects on three trends to emerge from this year’s entries.

When it comes to the attention debate, enough is enough

The most difficult task for any planner is buying precisely enough attention to achieve the desired result – and not a second more. Lumen’s Mike Follett explores the objective of ‘enough’.

Is Sky’s acquisition of ITV necessary to compete with global platforms?

Analysis: The acquisition is likely to draw close scrutiny from regulators. TV ad buyers favour the deal as a way to simplify TV planning and measurement, but downstream effects could compound.

‘It’s not like we knowingly have bad ads’: Meta on ad fraud, teen safety, and why AI will not replace agencies

Meta’s Derya Matras discusses her reaction to social media bans for under-16s and answers questions relating to harmful platform design, ad fraud, automating media and creative work, and the future of smart glasses.

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Opinion

Ian Whittaker

Comcast, ITV and RTL are not isolated stories. They are all manifestations of the same underlying trend, writes analyst Ian Whittaker.

Paul Evans

The agencies that move first under LLM-mediated selection won’t be the ones with the cleanest schema markup. They’ll be the ones who have taken a clear, distinct position, writes Paul Evans.

Sue Frogley

OOH was everywhere at Cannes Lions, but also almost invisible. Talon’s global CEO Sue Frogley argues that the sector needs to shout louder about its capabilities.

Data Snapshot

Data-led charts from across the UK media landscape

Find out more about the UK's most comprehensive aggregator of media data.

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The Future of Media Manchester 2026 is the region's premier event bringing together media planners, strategists, and buyers to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities shaping the commercial media landscape. Hosted by The Media Leader, the event features expert speakers, thought-provoking debates and research-led sessions designed to spark honest conversations about where the industry is heading. Taking place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on 17 September, the event will bring together 600+ industry professionals and 40+ speakers for a full day of insight, discussion and networking. Attendees can expect sharp debates, fresh perspectives and valuable connections with senior leaders across the media ecosystem — making it a must-attend for anyone looking to stay ahead of the industry’s next chapter.
17 September 2026

News analysis, opinion and insight for media and advertising professionals

Farage versus the media: Nigel’s last stand. Or is it?

Nigel Farage may be at personal loggerheads with Sky News and Times Newspapers, but by potentially causing a tsunami of media interest in Reform UK, who knows where the biggest waves may land.

Cannes reflections: Judging Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport

A jury member for the Cannes Lions Entertainment for Sport category reflects on three trends to emerge from this year’s entries.

When it comes to the attention debate, enough is enough

The most difficult task for any planner is buying precisely enough attention to achieve the desired result – and not a second more. Lumen’s Mike Follett explores the objective of ‘enough’.

Is Sky’s acquisition of ITV necessary to compete with global platforms?

Analysis: The acquisition is likely to draw close scrutiny from regulators. TV ad buyers favour the deal as a way to simplify TV planning and measurement, but downstream effects could compound.

‘It’s not like we knowingly have bad ads’: Meta on ad fraud, teen safety, and why AI will not replace agencies

Meta’s Derya Matras discusses her reaction to social media bans for under-16s and answers questions relating to harmful platform design, ad fraud, automating media and creative work, and the future of smart glasses.

The Media Leader

Opinion

The market has already decided the future of broadcasting

Efficiency has built holdco sameness. AI will make that an expensive choice.

Cannes reflections: OOH at Cannes – nothing or everything?

Industry News

Jellyfish CEO Nick Emery: ‘Traditional agencies are finished’

Adelaide links creative measurement to media buying with partner ecosystem

Audiotrack at 10: AI can create an audio ad in 30 seconds. It just can’t tell you if it’s any good

European Media Marketplace aims to grow budget share for trusted media

When it comes to the TV user interface, less could be more

Almost 5% of inventory sold as CTV is not on a television set, study claims

Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment in deal worth up to £1.6bn

UK box office up 14% in H1 as Toy Story 5 leads big June

Data Analysis

Mapping the UK agency landscape

The industry is calling it cross-media. It’s not

Campaign ROI is maximised when audio gets 25% of spend, finds Radiocentre report

Tech firms must enforce tougher age checks for social media platforms, regulator says

Data Snapshot

The ad-vantages of streaming

World Cup Wonders

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