Check out the latest posts from AGM Leaders

TL;DR

• YouTube has pulled out of the UK’s Barb TV audience measurement comparison, triggering backlash across the UK TV/advertising ecosystem. (Financial Times)

• The EU opened a formal investigation into X over Grok-generated deepfakes, under the Digital Services Act. (AP)

• Apple TV+ shared a first look at “Ted Lasso” Season 4 and confirmed a Summer 2026 window, with Ted coaching a women’s team. (Entertainment Weekly)

Agency updates

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  Our Brand Experience team has secured an exciting new business win with Nine Entertainment Co.’s Stan Sport, partnering on the Australian Premier League Trophy Tour in March. Following a competitive pitch process, Allied was selected for the creativity and depth of our thinking, bringing the English Premier League trophy on a multi-city national tour, accompanied by a Premier League legend. The program will showcase the trophy through a mix of media appearances, grassroots content moments, select sports bar takeovers, and a major fan fest designed to drive fan excitement and cultural buzz. Delivered in collaboration between our Dublin and Sydney BXP teams, this marks our first work for Stan Sport and a strong start to the relationship.

Interesting campaigns / creative

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  Michelob Ultra revealed details of its Super Bowl LX spot “The ULTRA Instructor,” directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Kurt Russell and Lewis Pullman (plus athlete cameos). (People)

• Dr Pepper took a fan-made TikTok jingle from creator Romeo Bingham and turned it into a polished national spot. (Creative BBQ)

Audiences

• Nielsen’s December 2025 “Media Distributor Gauge” found holiday movies and football drove viewership gains for Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hallmark, Netflix and Amazon. (Nielsen)

• YouTube’s move to halt participation in UK TV audience comparison/measurement work has triggered fresh debate over cross-platform transparency and what gets counted as “TV.” (Financial Times)

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  Nielsen’s The Gauge reported that streaming hit a record 47.5% of total TV viewing in December 2025 (with Christmas Day the most-streamed day ever), highlighting how audiences are moving away from traditional nightly broadcast viewing. (Nielsen)

Platforms

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  Paramount+ is reportedly prepping a TikTok-style short-form video feature to boost daily engagement and discovery inside the streaming app. (Business Insider)

• TikTok’s U.S. service continued stabilizing after its data center outage, underscoring how platform reliability can hinge on infrastructure issues during high-scrutiny moments. (Tech Crunch)

• As TikTok’s U.S. divestment/ownership-change deal moved forward, U.S. users began bailing app uninstalls jumped about 130% (Jan 22–26). (AP)

Content

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  The 2026 BAFTA Film Awards nominations were announced, setting the stage for a major awards-season conversation across UK/US film communities and campaigns. (Variety)

• Netflix postponed its Alex Honnold “Skyscraper Live” event (set at Taipei 101) due to safety concerns. (Yahoo News)

• 'Wonder Man' sets new MCU record with audience Rotten Tomatoes Score at 90% on the Tomatometer. (Movie Web)

Tech & AI

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  Microsoft announced its Maia 200 AI accelerator and plans to scale it inside Azure, reinforcing the cloud arms race for in-house AI compute. (Microsoft News)

• Reporting indicates Apple is planning to add Google’s Gemini as an option alongside other models for Apple Intelligence and Siri, reflecting a multi-model strategy rather than a single-vendor AI stack. (CNBC)

• A new survey of CEOs suggests AI ROI expectations are sharpening, with leaders prioritizing concrete productivity and revenue outcomes over experimentation. (PWC Survey)

Location-based entertainment

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  The Traitors” is getting a West End stage adaptation for 2027, the hit unscripted IP being repackaged into a ticketed live experience. (The Guardian)

• Disney spotlights the “Imagineers” behind its latest multibillion-dollar bet on new cruises, rides and character experiences. (The Wall Street Journal)

• London’s “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will switch from a two-part epic to a single, shorter show in October 2026, making the experience easier to attend in one visit. (The Guardian)

Travel & hospitality

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  Six Senses is bringing its wellness-first hotel model to London with a major Whiteley redevelopment opening in March 2026. (Financial Times)

• Airlines are suspending or adjusting service to parts of the Middle East (including Dubai, Iran, and Israel) as risk guidance tightens, creating knock-on disruption for international travelers. (Conde Nast)

• Southwest’s assigned seating rollout hit a key milestone on January 27, marking a high-profile shift away from its signature open-boarding identity and reshaping expectations for its leisure-heavy flyers. (Southwest Media)

Gaming

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  Microsoft’s latest Xbox Cloud Gaming UI is being positioned as a “preview” of the broader Xbox future, hinting at how streaming-first surfaces may converge with next-gen console UX. (The Verge)

• Capcom is shipping another “Monster Hunter Wilds” PC optimization patch after sustained performance complaints. (PC Gamer)

• “Highguard,” the new fantasy-themed online shooter from ex-Respawn devs, is drawing mixed-to-negative early reaction after a poorly received Game Awards reveal and a rocky launch marked by performance issues and Steam backlash, leaving it fighting an uphill battle to win players over. (The Guardian)

Mental health

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  Mental Health UK released its Burnout Report 2026, highlighting persistent high stress and mental-health-related sick leave across the UK workforce. (Mental Health UK)

• The Sleep Foundation summarized evidence on the anxiety–sleep loop and practical levers (like routine and wind-down behaviors) that can help break the cycle. (Sleep Foundation)