The Brief – Thursday 27 November – BBC censorship, Meta ad fraud, WPP campus and WB Discovery bids

🔇 Historian Rutger Bregman has accused the BBC of censorship after the Corporation edited a Reith Lecture to remove Bregman’s characterisation of US President Donald Trump as the “most openly corrupt president in American history” before broadcast. (New York Times)

⬇️ The BBC has separately confirmed plans to save at least £100m through a workplace restructure. In a memo to employees, chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva said the Corporation will shrink its workforce in order to invest more in digital resources and content. (Deadline)

🗯️ Channel 4 has confirmed that from 1 March 2026, every new ad and sponsorship ident deliver to the broadcaster, across both linear and streaming, will be required to include closed caption subtitles. (Channel 4)

🙈 Meta likely made more money from fraudulent advertising in the UK last year than the entire UK news industry made from online ads. (Press Gazette)

🏢 WPP has opened its new offices at One Southwark Bridge, the holding group’s third London campus. The building, which was refurbished, received a BREEAM Outstanding rating, a certification in recognition of its sustainable design. (WPP)

📝 Warner Bros Discovery has asked potential acquirers, namely Paramount, Comcast and Netflix, to submit revised bids to buy its business (in whole or in part) by a deadline of 1 December. Afterward, the conglomerate may choose to enter a period of exclusive negotiations with one of them. (Bloomberg)

📽️ Ministers have approved a £750m investment to create Marlow Film Studios, a new production lot in Buckinghamshire supported by director James Cameron. The decision to approve the project overruled a local council decision last year that blocked its development on grounds of environmental concerns. (Bloomberg)