Latest news with #DisneyCompass
Campaign ME
12 hours ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
WPP Media expands Open Intelligence, reveals retail and media partners
WPP Media has expanded its Open Intelligence data solution, offering the industry a large marketing model (LMM) trained to understand and predict audience behaviour and marketing performance based on patterns derived from trillions of signals from datasets that reveal how people engage with content, brands, platforms, and products in real time. Open Intelligence allows brands and marketers to build custom AI models enhanced with their own first-party data and fine-tune them according to their strategic business goals. Retailers connected to Open Intelligence maintain full data sovereignty and platform control, while unlocking new monetisation opportunities through privacy-preserving model collaboration. Simultaneously, WPP Media has also announced partnerships designed to connect both sides of the media ecosystem: commerce and content. Retail media – on the commerce side – has quickly evolved to become central to consumer marketing strategy; while premium media owners and supply-side platforms are reshaping content monetisation through advancements in streaming, audio, digital and TV environments. 'Disney Advertising has led the industry in data collaboration for over a decade, setting a new standard with the launch of Disney Compass – our proprietary data collaboration and measurement platform,' said Dana McGraw, SVP of Data and Measurement Science at Disney. 'As we continue to push the industry forward, collaborations with agencies like WPP Media allow us to scale that vision – connecting the most valuable insights to the most premium inventory, with precision, performance and purpose,' McGraw added. The challenge that needs to be addressed The marketing era of old is evolving: Sequential journeys, broad demographic bets and probabilistic predictions have collapsed under the weight of fragmentation, regulation and rapidly evolving consumer behaviour. Touchpoints are now infinite and fluid, journeys no longer linear, and the funnel has flattened into a loop of constant consideration and immediate action. Brands face a choice: adapt or get outflanked. Retail is no longer just a sales channel – it's become the strategic heartbeat of consumer marketing. And media no longer just distributes content – it shapes the entire commerce experience. With dominant walled gardens, fragmented signals, and rising privacy obligations, marketers and media owners alike need a new way to win. WPP Media Open Intelligence: Solving for both brands and retail partners WPP Media's Open Intelligence aims addresses the most significant issues faced by both retail partners and client-side marketers today. For brands: The proliferation of commerce data providers and the exponential growth of retail media did not come without growing pains. Often finding themselves signal rich and insights poor, brands face extreme fragmentation of data access, metric and measurement inconsistency, and significant lag between insight and activation. As part of its latest announcement, WPP Media has revealed partnerships with premium media platforms and brands such as Disney, Dotdash Meredith, and NBCUniversal, as well as adtech players such as Criteo, Index Exchange, Magnite, PubMatic, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP. 'Harnessing the power of AI-driven insights is revolutionising how brands connect with audiences. Through our collaboration with Open Intelligence, and building on our longstanding partnership with WPP Media and Choreograph, PubMatic is proud to help deliver predictive, privacy-centric solutions that drive real business outcomes and set a new benchmark for innovation in digital advertising,' said Kyle Dozeman, Chief Revenue Officer, Americas, Pubmatic. Open Intelligence aims to empower brands to: Derive business insights quickly, directly, and through a single point of access. Reach retail audiences generated with precision, not probability, across the digital marketing ecosystem. Transition from insight to activation to measurement. For retail partners: The shift away from panel-based and probabilistic data created an opportunity to take control of the wealth of loyalty-anchored purchase data that runs their business to develop new, high-margin revenue streams. However, cementing retail media as the preferred approach for awareness and consideration marketing objectives is still largely uncharted territory; significant resources are required for retailers to evolve into fully-formed media owners and publishers. As part of its latest announcement, WPP Media has revealed the first wave of retail integration partners, including Criteo, DICK's Sporting Goods, and Ocado Ads. Jack Johnson, Head of Retail Media and Data at Ocado, said, 'Our partnership with WPP on Open Intelligence signifies Ocado Ads' commitment to maximizing the potential of our comprehensive customer data. We're excited to partner with WPP to offer the sophisticated targeting, measurement, and personalization capabilities that will enable advertisers to achieve their goals.' Retail partners participating in Open Intelligence will be able to: Meet the expectations of today's consumer brands by making retail insights more readily digestible and actionable to full-funnel marketers Preserve their 'platform sovereignty' and customer trust by using privacy-focused infrastructure to effectively govern proprietary retailer data Reach the largest global network of CPG and FMCG advertisers when and where they plan and activate their full-funnel advertising to capture that demand These initial partners represent several key players in global retail and retail media. They, and others, will help to power Open Intelligence with signals and commerce data that are: Deterministic – Tied to real transactions. – Tied to real transactions. Diverse – Spanning purchase, sales channel, demographic, brand-and-category loyalty, operational data. – Spanning purchase, sales channel, demographic, brand-and-category loyalty, operational data. Accountable – With closed-loop measurement to prove ROI. Collectively, these organisations play a central role in the way content is distributed and monetised across streaming, audio, television and programmatic channels. WPP Media Open Intelligence: Benefits for advertisers and media owners The addition of these partners further strengthens the power of WPP Media's Premium Supply offer and AI-data solution, allowing advertisers to leverage predictive intelligence based on high quality publisher data. Clients leveraging Open Intelligence will now be able to: Reach audiences before their competitors, based on early intent signals Connect with audiences in trusted environments and mutually beneficial contexts Improve campaign performance with custom AI models optimized to drive specific business outcomes Reduce reliance on third-party data and identity-based targeting Marketers will also be able to realise the predictive intelligence benefits of Open Intelligence across channels. For example, predicting which connected TV viewers will be most likely to visit a car dealership after seeing an ad; identifying podcast listeners actively shopping in specific categories; surfacing high-intent audiences in premium editorial environments; and enabling real-time bidding based on purchase probability. Because this data is connected within secure, decentralised environments enabled by WPP Open and InfoSum's multi-party technology, both advertisers and publishers maintain control over their data without sacrificing signal quality or being forced to choose between privacy and performance. Similarly, Open Intelligence also enables connected media owners to maximise the value of their first-party data and inventory by: Building predictive audience segments from real-time behavioral patterns Connecting multiple data sets in real time without sharing data Packaging inventory based on intent, relevance, and performance potential Enhancing campaign performance, while preserving platform control and user privacy These capabilities offer a new way for publishers to maximise the value of their inventory by offering advertisers performance-based media products, not just reach-based inventory. Open Intelligence will roll out to WPP Media clients in a phased approach over the course of 2025.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney vs. Warner Bros. Discovery: Which Media Titan is a Stronger Pick?
The entertainment landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with streaming wars intensifying and traditional media companies adapting their business models. Two giants at the forefront of this transformation are The Walt Disney Company DIS and Warner Bros. Discovery WBD, both commanding significant market presence through their diverse content portfolios and distribution stands as a century-old entertainment powerhouse with unmatched brand recognition, operating theme parks, streaming services, film studios, and television networks globally. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery emerged from the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, combining HBO Max with Discovery's reality programming and CNN's news operations to create a content behemoth with substantial streaming companies face similar challenges, including cord-cutting pressures, streaming profitability concerns, and evolving consumer preferences. However, their strategic approaches and financial fundamentals reveal distinct investment opportunities. Let's delve deep and closely compare the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which one is a better investment now. Disney demonstrates remarkable resilience and growth momentum across its diversified business segments. The company's second-quarter fiscal 2025 results showcased exceptional performance with adjusted earnings per share surging 20% year over year, driven by strong execution across streaming, parks, and content creation. The Experiences segment continues delivering robust results, with domestic parks maintaining solid attendance and guest spending, while international locations show steady streaming business represents a compelling growth driver, with Disney+ reaching 126 million subscribers and the broader streaming portfolio generating substantial operating income improvements. Content remains Disney's crown jewel, with upcoming releases, including highly anticipated sequels and franchise extensions that leverage beloved intellectual properties. The company's content strategy efficiently creates value across multiple touchpoints, from theatrical releases to streaming exclusives to theme park international expansion accelerates with the announced seventh theme park destination in Abu Dhabi, positioning the company to capture growing tourism demand in emerging markets. The partnership with Miral demonstrates Disney's ability to expand globally while maintaining operational oversight and brand standards. Additionally, ESPN's upcoming direct-to-consumer offering addresses the sports streaming opportunity, potentially unlocking significant subscription company's advertising capabilities continue strengthening, reaching 164 million global ad-supported users across platforms. Strategic partnerships and technological innovations, including Disney Experience Composer and Disney Compass, enhance advertiser value propositions. Disney's integrated ecosystem allows for cross-platform promotional synergies, maximizing content investment returns while building sustainable competitive advantages through unparalleled brand equity and customer Zacks Consensus Estimate projects fiscal 2025 revenues of $94.84 billion, indicating 3.8% year-over-year growth, with earnings expected to increase 15.09% to $5.72 per share. These projections suggest steady growth ahead. The Walt Disney Company price-consensus-chart | The Walt Disney Company Quote Find the latest earnings estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar. Warner Bros. Discovery exhibits strong streaming momentum with impressive subscriber additions and content performance. The company added 5.3 million streaming subscribers in the first quarter of 2025, bringing the total to 122.3 million while generating substantial adjusted EBITDA of $339 million. This growth trajectory positions WBD favorably toward its goal of surpassing 150 million subscribers by late creation remains WBD's core strength, with recent successes, including The White Lotus third season, averaging more than 25 million global viewers, and The Pitt demonstrating strong audience engagement across international markets. The Studios division shows improved profitability despite a lighter theatrical slate, while motion pictures like A Minecraft Movie achieved significant global box office success, grossing nearly $900 million company's strategic initiatives include launching NEO, an innovative advertising platform providing buyers direct access to WBD's entire premium video inventory across streaming, linear, and syndication channels. This technological advancement could enhance advertiser relationships and revenue optimization. Additionally, WBD Storyverse leverages the company's extensive intellectual property catalog to create branded content opportunities, potentially generating new revenue expansion continues with Max launching in Australia and Turkey, among other markets targeted for 2025. The platform's global footprint expansion to more than 85 markets by year-end demonstrates geographic diversification efforts. WBD's corporate restructuring into distinct operating divisions enhances strategic flexibility, potentially unlocking shareholder value through improved operational focus. However, the company faces ongoing challenges, including debt management concerns with net leverage remaining at 3.8x, and the need to balance investment in growth initiatives while maintaining financial stability in a challenging macro Zacks Consensus Estimate projects 2025 revenues of $37.8 billion, indicating 3.88% year-over-year decline, with Zacks consensus estimates for earnings pegged at a loss of 15 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Quote Both Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery trade at discounted valuations relative to their historical averages, presenting potential value opportunities for investors. Disney's forward P/S of 2.03x is higher than WBD's 0.58x. However, Disney offers superior fundamental metrics despite similar valuation compression. Disney's diversified revenue streams provide greater stability during economic uncertainty, while WBD's heavy reliance on advertising-dependent linear networks creates cyclical vulnerability. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Disney's enterprise value reflects stronger cash generation capabilities and more predictable earnings streams. The company's theme parks and experiences segment provides recession-resistant revenues that streaming-pure-play competitors cannot replicate. While both stocks have faced pressure from cord-cutting trends and streaming investment costs, Disney's integrated business model demonstrates better resilience and recovery potential. Shares of Disney have lost 0.8% year to date compared with WBD's decline of 16.1%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Disney emerges as the superior investment choice, combining stronger financial performance, diversified revenue streams, and superior brand equity. The company's global theme park expansion, robust streaming growth, and unmatched content franchise portfolio provide multiple growth catalysts. Disney's integrated ecosystem creates sustainable competitive advantages through cross-platform synergies and customer loyalty that Warner Bros. Discovery's content-focused model cannot easily replicate. While WBD shows streaming promise, Disney's diversification reduces risk and enhances long-term stability. Investors should consider buying DIS stock now while monitoring WBD for better entry points, as Disney's superior fundamentals and growth prospects position it for stronger upside potential in the evolving entertainment landscape. DIS currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), whereas WBD has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Walt Disney Company (DIS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
