Quadrangle Group

ZDF to Air Kabul Miniseries Over Three Nights

ZDF announced it will broadcast the six-part international drama series "Kabul - Flucht aus der Hölle" in three consecutive late‑night evenings starting Monday, 27 July 2026. The broadcaster will air the first two episodes each evening at 22:15 on the first night, and the production — announced previously as a European Alliance coproduction with New8 — features an international cast including Jonathan Zaccaï, Jeanne Goursaud, Gianmarco Saurino and others. The series was produced by Cinétévé and 24 25 Films (Mediawan) with Panache Production, La Compagnie Cinématographique and Blonde Productions, and involved partner broadcasters across Europe. ZDF will also air a companion Auslandsjournal Frontlines episode on 29 July 2026 produced by Nordend‑Film.

GroupM Thrives as WPP Struggles: Brands Embrace Breakups

AdExchanger’s Friday roundup analyzes WPP’s 2024 results, noting revenue (excluding pass-through costs) declined to 11.4 billion pounds from 11.8 billion in 2023, with like-for-like revenue down 1% and Q4 down 2.3%. WPP shares fell to a four-year low per Reuters. GroupM, WPP’s media arm, grew 2.4% in Q4 and 2.7% for the full year, potentially aided by new leadership. WPP plans to boost investment in AI, data and technology, highlighting its own WPP Open operating system as “critical” to new business wins. The roundup also touches marketing trends around sponsored breakups used to drive virality. Separately, Quad and its Rise agency will adopt Adalytics’ log-file analytics for campaigns, with Adalytics serving only brand marketers/agencies and not ad-tech vendors. The piece closes with leadership moves at UM Worldwide and Check My Ads and a broader note on Big Tech regulatory dynamics.

Grocery Retail Media Networks: The Future of Advertising

Grocery retailers are expanding and evolving their retail media networks (RMNs), leveraging first-party shopper data to offer advertisers targeted, in-store, digital, and out-of-home opportunities. The trend aims to improve advertiser reach while helping grocers grow profit without raising prices. Projections show US RMN revenue reaching $129.9 billion by 2028, with grocery RMNs expected to reach $8.5 billion last year. The ecosystem features in-house efforts (Kroger Precision Marketing, Hy-Vee RedMedia, Target Roundel, Albertsons Media Collective) and partnerships with RMN tech providers (Save Mart with Quad and Swiftly). Industry co-ops like Rippl (Bridg/Cardlytics) are expanding, with Giant Eagle joining, while standardization efforts via IAB and leadership moves (e.g., Kristi Argyilan to Uber) shape the landscape. Growth drivers include programmatic, personalization, generative AI, nonendemic ads, and connected TV opportunities.