Biden Is Assembling a Big Tech Antitrust All-Star Team

Appointing Lina Khan to the FTC would add an anti-monopoly crusader to a crucial position—as does Tim Wu’s installment at the National Economic Council.

IAB Releases New Guidelines for AI’s Use in Digital Advertising

As ad-tech companies consider AI alternatives to cookies and other third-party trackers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is releasing new guidelines and best practices for the use of machine learning at every level of digital advertising production. The guide draws on experiences from various publishers, agencies and ad-tech companies to outline nine uses ranging from…

Disney+ Clears 100 Million Global Paid Subscribers in Only 16 Months

Disney+ has cleared 100 million paid subscribers just 16 months into its debut, reaching another streaming milestone. The figure, which CEO Bob Chapek disclosed at today’s annual shareholders meeting, means Disney+ has added just over 5 million subscribers since the beginning of the year. Last month, the company reported that the service had 94.9 million…

BuzzFeed Lays Off Dozens at Recently Acquired HuffPost

Among the few certainties in this world are death, taxes and industry consolidation in the news business. On Tuesday, BuzzFeed laid off dozens of employees at HuffPost, the news outlet they acquired weeks ago. (The acquisition was announced on Nov. 19 and closed on Feb. 16.) In the U.S., 47 HuffPost staffers lost their jobs,…

Evian Selects Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam as Global Creative Agency of Record

Bottled water brand Evian has switched allegiances, naming Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam as its global agency of record. BETC, an agency headquartered in Paris, previously handled global creative duties for the brand. According to a BETC spokesperson, the agency, which created Evian’s iconic babies, will continue to work with the brand in the French market. Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam…

For Centennial, Lowe’s Funds 100 Community Projects Across the US

The first Lowe’s hardware store opened in North Carolina in 1921, and this year marks the brand’s 100th in business. But rather than focusing exclusively on that achievement, the brand–now an international home improvement retailer–is using the anniversary to launch a new community support initiative: 100 Hometowns. This will be alongside a new brand campaign,…

Cadbury’s Virtual Easter Hunt Lets You Hide Eggs on Google Maps

LONDON–Easter egg hunts are pretty much confined to people’s backyards this year–but Cadbury has created a lockdown solution for those who want to go further afield. The Mondelez-owned chocolate brand, with the help of agency VCCP, has created a virtual Easter egg hunt using Google Maps. Consumers can “hide” an egg anywhere on a map…

Quartz Unveils 3 New Editorial Products

Everything in media is cyclical. When CEO and cofounder Zach Seward helped launch Quartz in 2012, the shadow of the 2008 Recession loomed large in the identity of the new publication. Now, nine years later, Quartz has found itself beginning anew once more, this time in the aftermath of a global pandemic. With a slate…

CBS Breaks Post-Super Bowl Curse for New Shows, Renews The Equalizer

For new shows in the past decade, debuting after the Super Bowl–which seemingly would be one of the year’s best time slots–has turned into a death sentence. But The Equalizer broke that curse, as CBS renewed the Queen Latifah series for a second season. Top line After four episodes, The Equalizer is the season’s No….