The Brief – Tuesday 31 March: Australia U16 ban non-compliance, BBC accused of making ‘propaganda films’ for Saudi Arabia, and more

📱 The Australian government has accused Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google of disobeying the ban on under-16s using social media in the country. According to a survey conducted by Australia’s online safety office, 70% of under-16 Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok users have retained access after the ban. (The Guardian)

🙉 The BBC has been accused of creating “propaganda films” for Saudi Arabia after a joint investigation by DeSmog and The Guardian found the broadcaster accepted money to produce a series of “glossy” films on behalf of the country’s sovereign wealth fund. The content was made by BBC StoryWorks. (DeSmog)

👁️ Thomson Reuters, the owner of Reuters and a data broker, has reportedly provided underlying personal data for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) tools. There are also indications its data is part of the Palantir system ICE has used to determine which neighbourhoods to target. (404 Media)

🚗 Bauer Media Audio has launched a native Android Automotive version of Rayo in the UK and Portugal. In support of the initiative, BMW Group has joined as a launch partner OEM. (Bauer Media)

🏈 Netflix is reportedly interested in expanding its current two-game NFL rights package to four games. The streaming giant is particularly interested in adding the league’s new Thanksgiving Eve game and an international game. (Wall Street Journal)

🤠 Roku has launched a standalone mobile app for its $2.99/month US-only streaming service Howdy. (Roku)

🗞️ Hearst UK has made three appointments to its commercial team following the arrival of Alex Unitt as chief commercial officer in January. Sarah Newtom Boyd has been named head of partnership solutions, Joe Grimsdale has been named head of global solutions in the UK, and Sylvain Foucat has been named head of revenue optimisation. (Hearst UK)

➡️ Prospect CEO Mark Beard is stepping down after three years to join Ireland’s Business Post as its CEO. A successor has not been announced. It comes just three months after former editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger likewise left the magazine. (Press Gazette)