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September Chart of the Month: TV has the broadest cultural footprint
September 14, 2026
The analysis shows that each media channel has a distinct cultural signature. The larger the area represented in the chart, the broader and more holistic its cultural influence. TV has the strongest and most comprehensive cultural signature of the channels studied, with particular strength in affirmation and continuity. This reflects its ability to create shared experiences and build lasting cultural influence over time.
Thinkbox TV
Study: Radio advertising boosts brand awareness, profits
September 14, 2026
A Google study conducted with Tracksuit shows that increasing brand awareness directly correlates with a higher share of search, which eventually leads to greater market share. The findings underscore the importance of maintaining radio ad budgets, especially during economic downturns.
Radio Ink
TV isn’t dying, it’s diversifying
September 14, 2026
Based on more than 15,000 face-to-face interviews across every province and demographic group, the study provides the new population foundation for the BRC of SA’s Total Video Measurement (TVM) currency. The findings suggest the future of video is not about one platform replacing another, but about audiences moving fluidly between them.
The Media Leader
New social media features and updates to know this week
September 14, 2026
Including Instagram, X and Reddit and more.
PR Daily
Publicis Groupe Africa celebrates 100 years of Publicis Groupe
September 14, 2026
The celebration formed part of the global centenary of Publicis Groupe, which began as a small creative agency in Paris in 1926 and has evolved into one of the world's communications, marketing, technology and business transformation organisations, says the company. For Publicis Groupe Africa, the milestone provided an opportunity not only to celebrate the organisation's history, but also to recognise the growing contribution African creativity and innovation are making to both the Groupe and the global industry, adds the company.
Media Update
ARB appoints Justice Sharise Weiner to lead appeals body
September 14, 2026
The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has appointed Justice Sharise Weiner as the organisation’s new Final Appeal Committee (FAC) Chair, succeeding Judge Bernard Ngoepe, who has held the position since the ARB took over the work of the Advertising Standards Authority in 2018.
Bizcommunity
Google tests traditional Search campaigns in AI Mode
September 14, 2026
Google begun testing whether traditional Search campaigns using exact and phrase match keywords can serve text ads in AI Mode, expanding the types of campaigns eligible to appear in its AI-powered search experience. This means advertisers may not need AI Max or Performance Max to get some exposure in AI Mode.
Search Engine Land
AI bots now account for 13% of all web traffic
September 14, 2026
That is according to analysis of more than 3bn website visits from the 12 months up to May 2026 conducted by data and technology company 51Degrees. The data shows a 62.5% increase in bot traffic from AI companies during that timespan.
The Media Leader
Some companies are using ads to influence AI agents
September 14, 2026
Time magazine is advertising directly to agents while maintaining an “allow list” of agents that can access the publication’s site, COO Mark Howard told Marketing Brew.
Marketing Brew
Shein, Temu forced to rethink SA e-commerce playbook
September 14, 2026
SA’s crackdown on low-value imports has significantly slowed the growth of cross-border e-commerce, forcing international platforms such as Shein and Temu to shift their focus from tax arbitrage, towards local fulfilment and supply chains. This is one of the key findings in the Online Retail in South Africa 2026 report, conducted by World Wide Worx, in partnership with Mastercard, Peach Payments and Ask Africa.
IT Web
BRC launches Total Video Measurement in South Africa on 1 January 2027
September 14, 2026
The BRC said the decision follows findings from its 2026 Establishment Survey, which showed that SA increasingly consume video across multiple screens and platforms. As a result, television and online video measurement will launch simultaneously, with no interim TV-only phase and no back-trending to TAMS data.
The Media Online
New bank launching in South Africa in two months
September 14, 2026
Sanlam has announced it will soft-launch its new banking services in South Africa on 1 November 2026, with a broader rollout planned for the first quarter of 2027. The group announced in its latest interim financial results that it had received regulatory approval to introduce transactional services to its offerings.
Business Tech
Disney+ launches new app in South Africa
September 14, 2026
Disney has announced that it will launch a new Disney+ app in South Africa on 9 September 2026 to replace its existing app, with a new subscription available for R49 per month. The app will also add better personalised content recommendations and an updated kids mode with additional parental controls.
Business Tech
South Africa does not want to ban teenagers from social media
September 14, 2026
Communications minister Solly Malatsi said there were no plans to introduce regulations prohibiting access to social media for persons under the age of 16 in South Africa. Recent reports suggested that the bans were not as effective as planned.
MyBroadband
Will removing algorithmic sorting improve social media?
September 14, 2026
The Australian government is moving ahead with a plan to make social media algorithms an opt-in option, which could give users more control over the content presented in their feeds. In theory, this could reduce the amount of angst-inducing, rage-bait style content that confronts social media users every day.
Social Media Today
Anthropic researcher abruptly quits, chillingly warns AI ‘could kill us all’ — and current team leader agrees
September 14, 2026
A researcher for one of the largest and most valuable artificial intelligence companies has publicly quit while raising the alarm that the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Jacob Coxon, who has performed pre-training research at Anthropic and OpenAI for the last three years, posted on a wildly viral X thread that “neither company is acting responsibly.” “They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” he wrote late Tuesday, with others from the company backing his terrifying warning.
Ny Post
Media Agency automation arms race risks creating a strategic monoculture
September 14, 2026
Media Agency's automation arms race promises faster and smarter buying. But as algorithms increasingly dictate where advertising runs, marketers risk trading human judgement and strategic difference for "efficient" yet bland sameness.
Mi3
Where does CTV belong in advertisers’ strategies? We surveyed marketers to find out
September 14, 2026
However, a survey of Marketing Brew readers found a lack of consensus and conflicting viewpoints on the channel. Marketers agree that CTV is growing, with 38% of respondents expecting it to be a larger share of their marketing mix in the next 12 months. But questions remain around the channel and its effectiveness.
Marketing Brew
Her Collective mentorship programme shows the power of women lifting women
September 14, 2026
In every industry, careers are shaped by opportunity. More often than not, however, they’re transformed by people. If there’s one lesson we’ve learned from our inaugural cohort, it’s this: when women lift women, extraordinary things happen.
The Media Online
Field Force launches FieldIQ, a brand new market intelligence division
September 14, 2026
FieldIQ, a brand new offering from Field Force, makes it possible for brands to know not only what’s on their customer’s minds right now, but also what competitors are doing differently, and whether the measures they’ve implemented in store are really pushing sales.
Bizcommunity
Raffaele Annecchino, who led Paramount’s Africa push, dies at 55
September 14, 2026
Raffaele Annecchino, the former President and CEO of Paramount International and a prominent figure in global media, has died suddenly at the age of 55.
Bizcommunity
Omnicom Media launches Hearts United from Hearts & Science and Mediahub merger
September 7, 2026
Headquartered within Omnicom Media's global network, Hearts United will operate across 40 markets and represents approximately US$9.1 billion in 2025 billings. The agency is led by Nicole Estebanell in the US and Ross Jenkins across EMEA, with leadership for APAC and LATAM expected to be announced in Q4.
Marketing Interactive
Total DStv overhaul in South Africa
September 7, 2026
DStv’s operating company in South Africa will soon unveil a completely restructured lineup of packages, which will roll out to customers on 17 September 2026. Among the changes are a brand-new standalone package for movies and series, called DStv Movies & Series, and an overhaul of DStv Compact into a standalone sports package called DStv Sports.
MyBroadband
Southpaw launches from Slightly Dangerous Co.
September 7, 2026
Southpaw, a specialist agency focused on sport and culture, has officially launched as the latest business to emerge from independent group Slightly Dangerous Co.
Bizcommunity
Study: Americans Spend More Time Watching YouTube Than Live TV
September 7, 2026
On weekdays, Americans also spend more time engaging with creator content than they spend watching streaming services and live TV.
TV Technology
Publicis takes PepsiCo global media role from Omnicom’s OMD
September 7, 2026
The appointment makes Publicis PepsiCo’s exclusive lead global media partner across more than 200 markets, with the new model bringing media strategy, planning, activation, connected identity and technology under one structure, supported by AI and data.
Bizcommunity
Social media updates and new features to know this week
September 7, 2026
Including X, Facebook, TikTok and more.
PR Daily
New channel for DStv rival in South Africa
September 7, 2026
eMedia has announced the addition of eXplore to the Openview channel offering, effective Tuesday, 1 September 2026, to replace a channel it is dropping from the platform. According to the broadcaster, eXplore will provide viewers with a new source of wildlife, survival, real-life mystery, and true-crime programming.
MyBroadband
September Chart of the Month: TV has the broadest cultural footprint
September 14, 2026
The analysis shows that each media channel has a distinct cultural signature. The larger the area represented in the chart, the broader and more holistic its cultural influence. TV has the strongest and most comprehensive cultural signature of the channels studied, with particular strength in affirmation and continuity. This reflects its ability to create shared experiences and build lasting cultural influence over time.
Thinkbox TV
Study: Radio advertising boosts brand awareness, profits
September 14, 2026
A Google study conducted with Tracksuit shows that increasing brand awareness directly correlates with a higher share of search, which eventually leads to greater market share. The findings underscore the importance of maintaining radio ad budgets, especially during economic downturns.
Radio Ink
TV isn’t dying, it’s diversifying
September 14, 2026
Based on more than 15,000 face-to-face interviews across every province and demographic group, the study provides the new population foundation for the BRC of SA’s Total Video Measurement (TVM) currency. The findings suggest the future of video is not about one platform replacing another, but about audiences moving fluidly between them.
The Media Leader
New social media features and updates to know this week
September 14, 2026
Including Instagram, X and Reddit and more.
PR Daily
Publicis Groupe Africa celebrates 100 years of Publicis Groupe
September 14, 2026
The celebration formed part of the global centenary of Publicis Groupe, which began as a small creative agency in Paris in 1926 and has evolved into one of the world's communications, marketing, technology and business transformation organisations, says the company. For Publicis Groupe Africa, the milestone provided an opportunity not only to celebrate the organisation's history, but also to recognise the growing contribution African creativity and innovation are making to both the Groupe and the global industry, adds the company.
Media Update

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