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- Friday 6th January: GDPR finally bites Meta
Friday 6th January: GDPR finally bites Meta
Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Esther. We're aware some email providers are disabling the URL cards so we'll link the headlines in the meantime so you can still click through. Thanks for being patient!
You'll all know by now that GDPR regulations require explicit 'opt-in' consent for personalised advertising. You also may have noticed that Facebook and Instagram bypassed the consent requirement by adding a clause to their T&Cs for advertising.
Complaints filed on the day GDPR became applicable have been decided this week, and they have huge ramifications for Meta. The European Data Protection Board's final decision is that Meta cannot rely on a claim of contractual necessity to run behavioural ads, and will have to ask users for their consent.
Oh, and the company is being hit with a €390 million fine. Meta is expected to appeal and may use legitimate interest as their primary justification. If they have to abide by this, it'll make Apple's dent in their revenues from opt-ins look pretty small.
From ongoing changes in advertising markets, pressures on consumer spending due to inflation and the cost of living crisis, and evolving media habits and preferences, 2023 is certainly not set to be an easy year for the industry. Damian Radcliffe pulls together the biggest challenges and trends facing media and publishing companies today, as well as some thoughts on how to address them.
If you haven't had chance to read the Reuters Institute's 'Changing Newsrooms' report, this piece by Jacob Granger pulls out some of the most interesting findings. I'm a huge advocate of flexible working as it is vital to keeping talented parents and caregivers in work, but there are also complexities which many publishers are still trying to navigate.
2022 saw publishers working to convince customers they’re worth the money. From content bundles to exclusive newsletters and podcasts, the subscription market is having to evolve. Peter Houston rounds up the year in subscriptions as part of our Media Moments 2022 report.
Throwback podcast
We'll be back mid-Jan with a new season of the podcast. If you haven't had chance to listen to our end-of-year review featuring BuzzFeed's Caroline Fenner, AdWeek's Stephen Lepitak and Poool's Ludivine Paquet then here's your chance!
