Supporters are tired of being patronised by adverts for companies which often work against their interests How was Euro 2024 for you? Exciting, disappointing, fun, all right, intriguing tactically, a waste of environmental resources? There is a whole world of valid responses to that rather banal question. Though for those football fans you see in adverts, for whom the Euros was a busy time, what with ads for TVs, betting, specs, hybrid vehicles, Scottish fizzy drinks, sportswear, holidays, razors and – with Sir Geoff Hurst leading the charge in the no-nonsense style that made his name – beer ..read more

Media group controlled by Vincent Bolloré to break up, with advertising company Havas to list in Amsterdam Business live – latest updates Vivendi plans to float its French TV business Canal+ in London, providing a shot in the arm for the capital’s stock exchange after a number of high-profile companies opted for rival international financial centres such as New York. The move is part of a drive to break up the media conglomerate controlled by the billionaire Vincent Bolloré to realise value from its different operations ..read more

Tech firm will require global telemedicine services to register with Portland, Oregon-based certifications company LegitScript Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast The Australian abortion and contraception provider MSI says Google is forcing the organisation to pay thousands of dollars a year to a third-party US company to keep advertising its telehealth services in Google search. Under a new health and medicines policy introduced by Google in May, providers offering telemedicine services globally mus ..read more

Advertising to children is strictly regulated – but household brands are flooding the gaming platform Roblox with interactive marketing. Is this a danger to young users? In the blocky world of Chipotle Burrito Builder, players don the uniform of the Tex-Mex restaurant chain to make burritos for virtual customers. The available toppings are taken from Chipotle’s real-world menu. Your shirt and cap are emblazoned with the Chipotle logo. And when the game launched two years ago, the first 100,000 players could earn “Burrito Bucks” to exchange for a prize on Chipotle’s website. Then there’s Hyunda ..read more

They used to call paralympians ‘superhumans’ – and were accused of language rooted in Victorian freak shows. This year, the broadcaster is determined to tackle its own past A woman and her friend are sitting at a bus stop, watching Paralympic sport on a phone. “She’s doing so well, considering,” says the woman. There is a pause before her companion replies: “Considering what?” This conversation is the gut-punch moment in Channel 4’s new trailer for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Like the rest of the advert, it’s designed to “turn the lens” on the viewer, Channel 4 says, after a survey it con ..read more

Exclusive: Personalised marketing is ‘cynically targeting’ problem gamblers, the Alliance for Gambling Reform says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Strategic inducements such as “bonus bets” and cashback offers are luring Australians into problem gambling, an anti-gambling lobby has warned as it called on the government to outlaw the practice. The Alliance for Gambling Reform blamed weak advertising and consumer protection laws for the promotions it says are carefully designed to make customers be ..read more

Digital campaigning gets round media blackout rule restricting broadcasters’ coverage while polls are open UK election live – latest updates The UK’s political parties are on track to spend more than a million pounds on online adverts on Thursday, circumventing a media blackout rule that forces television and radio stations to stop their election coverage when polls open. British parties have traditionally ceased top-level campaign activity when voting began as they had no way to get out their message out. This is because of a longstanding broadcasting rule, enforced by the media regulator O ..read more

David Pocock urges government to fix gap in the law after 28 complaints, but Labor says it will not support amendment Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Independent senator David Pocock is urging the government to fix a gap in the law that allows alcohol to be advertised during children’s television programs when streamed rather than using a traditional TV aerial. Pocock has identified 28 complaints about alcohol being advertised during programs including Lego Masters, Australian Idol and The Voice and during the broadcast of Carols in the Domain around ..read more

Exclusive: Saatchi ‘Tell Sid’-style marketing blitz was planned before Rishi Sunak called general election A “Tell Sid”-style ad campaign featuring Sir Trevor McDonald was filmed to promote the government’s now shelved plan to sell state-owned NatWest shares to the public, the Guardian can reveal. The nationwide campaign – which included TV ads featuring the veteran newsreader and presenter popping up around the UK asking the public “Are you in?” – is understood to have been backed by a large-scale media budget in excess of £10m ..read more

GambleAware says government has ‘overlooked’ the problem and calls for pre-watershed advertising ban The UK’s leading gambling charity has called on the next government to ban betting advertising at sports events and on pre-watershed television, citing research that indicates strong public support for stricter controls. The survey, for GambleAware, which comes amid the usual marketing frenzy that accompanies a major football tournament such as Euro 2024, found that two-thirds of people in the UK think there are too many betting adverts ..read more