Rock Content

GCHQ Strikes Deal With AWS; FaZe Clan to go Public - ExchangeWire.com

ExchangeWire reports three major moves in tech: A reported deal where GCHQ and its sister agencies MI5 and MI6 championed a three‑agency contract with Amazon Web Services to host classified material in a high‑security cloud. The arrangement, reportedly signed this year, could be worth £500m to £1bn over the next decade, with AWS not granted access to the data according to Privacy International. FaZe Clan is on track to become publicly traded through a SPAC merger with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp, valuing FaZe Holdings Inc. at about USD 1bn and aiming for gross proceeds around USD 291m (including USD 118m from PIPE). FaZe CEO Lee Trink says the deal will provide capital and access to public markets to accelerate expansion of their multi‑platform strategy. Separately, Rock Content raised USD 30m in a Series B led by Unbox Capital, with Provence Capital, BTG High Growth Opportunities Fund, and Crescera Capital participating; eight million monthly website visits.

High Expectations for E-commerce During Black Friday in Brazil; Tassinari Leaves Criteo & Joins Taboola - ExchangeWire.com

Brazilian e-commerce is forecasting strong Black Friday results, with ABComm estimating R$2.5m in sales and 10 million purchases between November 20–24, up 18% year over year, and an average ticket of R$240. Mobile is gaining ground, expected to account for 31% of online purchases (up from 22% in 2016), and 87% of Brazilian internet users plan to buy online during the period. Criteo reports mobile already represents about 44% of Brazil's online retail market, with apps at 16%. Last year's Black Friday saw a 302% rise in online transactions and a 103% traffic increase in November; RTB House anticipates similar patterns and notes 2016's conversion rate was higher by 70% over 2015. Separately, leadership changes include Walter Longo leaving the presidency of Grupo Abril; Fernando Tassinari leaving Criteo Brazil to join Taboola as country manager; Alessander Firmino becoming Criteo Latin America's head; and Arnaldo Figueiredo being nominated president of Grupo Abril.

Digital Agencies Grew by 50% in Brazil Last Year; Predicta Aims for 80% growth in 2017 - ExchangeWire.com

This LATAM roundup highlights activity in Brazil’s digital advertising market. A Digital Agencies Panorama 2017 study by Rock Content and Resultados Digitais shows Brazil’s digital agencies grew about 50% last year, with 34.5% offering marketing automation and 23.3% providing sales consultancy. The main services cited are social media management (73.7%), digital media buying via Google AdWords and Facebook Ads (72%), and digital content creation (68.8%). Predicta grew revenues by 20% in 2016 and targets 80% growth in 2017, driven by new adserver contracts with TIM, Vivo, BRF, McDonald’s, and Volvo, and by expanding end-to-end capabilities across channels. In leadership news, Twitter Brazil appointed Fiamma Zarife as general manager; Guilherme Ribenboim leaves his role as vice president for Twitter Latin America. Lastly, Clear Channel will be regularly audited by the Brazilian Institute IVC, with monthly reports in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba through ABOOH.