The Media Leader

News analysis, opinion and insight for media and advertising professionals

‘Personalisation risks becoming isolation’: Brits increasingly consume commercial media alone

Shared media experiences have become increasingly rare in the smartphone era, IPA’s Making Sense report has found, with substantial gaps emerging between genders and generations.

Making sense of the IPA’s Making Sense 8

Lumen’s Mike Follett takes a first look at the IPA’s Making Sense 8 and reveals behavioural shifts in the data.

AI is ‘supporting rather than disrupting’ increasingly concentrated ad market growth — for now

Madison & Wall’s latest global ad market forecast expects social, commerce and search to grow double-digits this year, as Alphabet, Meta and Amazon benefit from incumbent status.

The perfect partner for investigative journalism and the nodding Beeb

While the BBC’s political editor nodded along to Farage’s claims of a “complainant society”, Channel 4 was about to break the exclusive of the year. Ray Snoddy assesses how it all unfolded.

Adwanted brings direct mail and door drops into regional media planning tool

The initiative is in partnership with JICMAIL and Marketreach, allowing media planners to map, compare and plan mail alongside other media when setting up regional campaigns.

The Media Leader

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Opinion

Bob Wootton

Anyone whose marketing budgets are at stake should firmly resist YouTube’s land grab. But will they? asks Bob Wootton.

Nick Manning

If the legacy extractive media agency business model is dying despite the life-support system of non-transparent revenues, what happens next? asks Nick Manning.

Paul Evans

Paul Evans analyses the gap between YouTube’s claim and conduct.

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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23 Jun 2026

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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

‘Personalisation risks becoming isolation’: Brits increasingly consume commercial media alone

Shared media experiences have become increasingly rare in the smartphone era, IPA’s Making Sense report has found, with substantial gaps emerging between genders and generations.

Making sense of the IPA’s Making Sense 8

Lumen’s Mike Follett takes a first look at the IPA’s Making Sense 8 and reveals behavioural shifts in the data.

AI is ‘supporting rather than disrupting’ increasingly concentrated ad market growth — for now

Madison & Wall’s latest global ad market forecast expects social, commerce and search to grow double-digits this year, as Alphabet, Meta and Amazon benefit from incumbent status.

The perfect partner for investigative journalism and the nodding Beeb

While the BBC’s political editor nodded along to Farage’s claims of a “complainant society”, Channel 4 was about to break the exclusive of the year. Ray Snoddy assesses how it all unfolded.

Adwanted brings direct mail and door drops into regional media planning tool

The initiative is in partnership with JICMAIL and Marketreach, allowing media planners to map, compare and plan mail alongside other media when setting up regional campaigns.

The Media Leader

Opinion

Don’t let YouTube take you to the cleaners

Rinse and repeat? How the new agency business model will accelerate client in-housing

If it looks like a duck: Why YouTube should never be planned and bought as TV

Industry News

MediaKind and Accedo offer joint white-label platform solution for operators

SaaS-enablement could help more channel owners offer MultiView

Server-guided ad insertion helps Belgian pubcaster RTBF monetise live rewind

AI bots now account for 13% of all web traffic

How SPUR is building an economic model for publishers – with technical lead Alex Springer

August box office grows 67% to cap off highest-grossing summer on record

UK OOH reports double-digit revenue growth for second consecutive quarter

Total TV drives 54% share of advertising profit despite increased fragmentation

Data Analysis

Has Origin failed?

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

Data Snapshot

Podcast Ad Promo Position Plays A Part In Perception

The ad-vantages of streaming

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The Future of Media Manchester 2026