The Brief – Thursday 5 March – Meta and News Corp sign deal, Nabs launches initiative for young adlanders and more

🤖 Meta and News Corp have signed a multiyear AI content licensing deal which will see the publisher being paid up to $50m per year. The deal will allow Meta to use the media company’s content from the US and the UK for retrieving new information for AI users, along with using other content such as story archives for training its models. (Wall Street Journal)

🙌 Industry charity Nabs has launched its first-ever Next Gen Board, which will aim to bring together talented young adlanders to represent the cohort on projects designed to have a positive impact on the industry. The board will be chaired by Dara Nasr and DCM’s Davina Barker and will recruit up to 15 people. Applications are open until 27 March. (Nabs)

🎙️ Amazon is shutting down its podcast app Wondery, along with its Wondery+ subscription service. Some Wondery+ shows will be available on Audible. The move comes after Amazon reorganised the Wondery division last year, moving narrative-driven programming under the Audible brand and laying off around 100 staff. (Variety)

📱 TikTok will not introduce end-to-end encryption in messaging, a privacy feature used by nearly all of its rivals. The platform has said it makes users less safe as tech firms and law enforcement have no way of viewing any material sent in direct messages, but privacy advocates have warned against using unencrypted messaging platforms. (BBC)

👀 Lumen Research has partnered with Netflix to launch a new attention measurement solution for advertisers running campaigns across Netflix’s TV, desktop and mobile inventory. The solution is available to clients in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. (Lumen)

📈 Independent challenger network VCCP topped $1bn in new business billings for the first time in 2025. The milestone was driven by business wins including Spectrum in the US, British Gas and Direct Line in the UK, as well as the global remit for Barclays. (VCCP)