Weekly Roundup – June 10th, 2025

"ESPN will use this year’s NBA Finals to tee up its big bet on direct-to-consumer.
The sports giant will debut a new brand campaign with the tagline “Sports Forever” during the series,
leaning into its heritage on TV, and setting the stage for its “next era” on whatever device viewers choose.
The spot, which you can watch below, features a clip from ESPN’s first ever broadcast on Sept. 7, 1979,
with anchor Lee Leonard introducing viewers to “sports heaven.” In the background, as clips of Leonard
are interspersed with current athletes, teams and games, an anthemic version of ESPN’s “dadada,
dadada” sound plays in the background."

"The Democratic National Committee is launching its first-ever live, daily show on YouTube, Axios has
learned.
Why it matters: The party has been reeling since its losses in the 2024 elections, but it's counting on
growing discontent with President Trump to help fuel interest in the show.
Party officials say the show, which will be called the "Daily Blueprint" and kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. ET,
is aimed at focusing Democrats' messaging and highlighting how Democrats are countering Trump's
moves.
Zoom in: The show is launching as Trump and his allies have made new forms of media a focus — on the
campaign trail and in the White House — through interviews with popular podcasters and briefings for
social media influencers."

"Little is yet known about the impact that growing up with technology, particularly social media, has had
on Generation Z.
Studies are still being done on the long-term effects of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram now that
those born between 1997 and 2012 grow older. But several sources have already highlighted the link
between worsening mental health and social media usage.
One Gen Zer took matters into her own hands to try to discover what a life without social media could look
like—a life she had hardly ever known.
Quynh Van, 26, a UX designer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, told Newsweek about what she learned
from going cold turkey on all social media for four years.
...
"The first thing I noticed was that I just became my most-authentic self," she said. "You're just a much
more interesting person because you're not consuming what other people are thinking, doing, wearing or
saying.
"You have much more space for your own thoughts, learning new hobbies, reading new books, reading
articles," Van added.
...
Van was surprised by her TikTok post's viral reach, especially so early in her return to social media.
"Going viral was a surprise, especially since I'd just come back online and created the account," Van said,
"but also incredibly affirming.
"I'm grateful my words resonate and offer clarity and comfort to others."
Encouraged by the response, Van said she plans to continue creating emotionally honest and thoughtful
content on the platform."

"From using motion capture tech to allow the Indian cricketing star Rahul Dravid to give personalised
coaching tips for children to an algorithm trained on Shakespeare’s handwriting powering a robotic arm to
rewrite Romeo and Juliet, artificial intelligence is rapidly revolutionising the global advertising industry.
Those AI-created adverts, for the Cadbury’s drink brand Bournvita and the pen maker Bic, were produced
by agency group WPP, which is spending £300m annually on data, tech and machine learning to remain
competitive.
Mark Read, the chief executive of the London-listed marketing services group, has said AI is
“fundamental” to the future of its business, while admitting that it will drastically reshape the ad industry
workforce.
Now Read has announced he is to leave at the end of this year, after almost seven years as chief
executive and more than 30 at WPP, as the company struggles to keep pace with its peers and also
counter moves by big tech to muscle in to the AI-driven future of advertising.
For ad agencies, the upheaval originates from a familiar source. Over more than a decade, Google
and the Facebook owner, Meta, successfully built tech tools for publishers and ad buyers that
helped them to dominate online. Big tech hoovered up almost two-thirds of the £45bn spent by
advertisers in the UK this year. Now, Mark Zuckerberg wants to take over making the ads, too."

"Warner Bros. Discovery has announced plans to split itself into
two companies, separating its streaming and studios divisions
from its linear television businesses. The split is expected to be
completed by mid-2026 and is supposed to help “maximize the
potential” of its portfolio of brands, according to the company.
Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC
Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, alongside their respective film and
television libraries, will fall under a new “Streaming and Studios”
company. Another company, described as “Global Networks,” will
run entertainment, sports, and news television brands, including
CNN, Bleacher Report, the Discovery Plus streaming service,
TNT Sports in the US, and Discovery TV channels across
Europe."