Iliad is to recover the No. 2 spot on the French broadband market, behind France Télécom’s Orange, after acquiring Alice, ending Telecom Italia’s ill fated five-year French venture
VMO2’s fixed business faced significant pressure in Q3, with ARPU declining by 1% in spite of an in-contract price-increase boost, and there is evidence of competitive intensity worsening since then.
The completion of Telefónica’s strategic review provides some clarity on VMO2’s priorities, with ownership changes at VMO2 and a NetCo sale unlikely.
Uncertainty around timing of altnet M&A and other opportunities for VMO2 is creating a lull in its growth profile, but there is reason to believe that clarity on at least some fronts will emerge fairly soon.
The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) sets out the best practices to ensure the independence of Public Service Media providers (PSMs), though it is toothless.
PSMs play a unique democracy-sustaining role in the digital age by providing the population with balanced news coverage, thus combatting misinformation.
The UK’s BBC is the blueprint for the EMFA and the comparison with Czechia and France demonstrates how political forces challenge independence.
Advertising is in a structural shift due to AI and the video boom. AI tools are growing the reach and capabilities of smaller advertisers, fuelling robust demand.
WPP must challenge Publicis’s dominance in 2026 and show it is positioned to benefit from AI even as Omnicom and IPG combine to create a new global behemoth.
Amazon is taking the fight to adtech by strengthening its connected TV and retail media positions. Adtech is building partnerships and becoming more end-to-end in response.