The Brief – Thursday 11 December – ITVX surpassed annual streams record, social media use, audio partnerships and more

📈  ITVX surpassed its total annual streams record in eleven months. The streaming service hit 3.3bn streams on 30 November, beating its 2024 record despite strong viewership last year from Mr Bates vs The Post Office and the men’s Euros. (ITV)

📱Two tech companies now account for more than half of time people spend online in the UK. Brits now average 51 minutes a day on YouTube (not including watching via TV sets), and Meta services Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp are used by more than 90% of adults. (Ofcom)

🌍 Australia’s under-16 social media ban excludes a number of popular social and gaming platforms, including Discord, GitHub, Lego Play, Roblox, Steam, Google Classroom, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids. (Bloomberg)

🎧 Digital audio specialist, Audion, has partnered with global podcast advertising platform, RedCircle, to expand podcast advertising and revenue opportunities for creators and brands. RedCircle and it’s clients will now have easy access to European programmatic podcast demand. The partnership also enables multi-country campaigns of scale across Europe and America. (Audion)

❗The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made a series of rulings banning adverts from supplement retailers which claimed their products can help to “treat or cure” autism spectrum conditions and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). (Marketing Beat)

🗣️ Bauer Media Audio has announced a European expansion of its digital audio advertising network, audioXi, through a partnership with Audiomob, a platform that delivers non-intrusive, in-app audio advertising. This partnerships will bring this fast-growing ad format across eight of the markets where audioXi operates. (Bauer Media Audio)