Observed Signal · Jun 8, 2026 · Hiring · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
The Independent Names Chris Anthony North America President
The Independent has appointed Chris Anthony as president of its North American operations, effective June 8, 2026. In the role he will oversee the region’s full profit & loss across both content and commercial businesses and will report to global CEO Christian Broughton. Anthony joins from Gallery Media Group, where he spent four years as chief revenue officer of GMG and chief client officer of Tamara Group (under VaynerX), and previously held roles at Group Nine, PopSugar and The Walt Disney Company. He succeeds Zach Schwartz, who is moving into a philanthropy-focused position. Anthony said he will pursue untapped commercial opportunities — including vertical-led products (finance, travel, tech), experiential events, creator-led journalism and stronger social-format strategies across Shorts, TikTok and Reels.
Leadership hire at a major news publisher with commercial remit may influence the publisher’s monetization, events and creator strategies — relevant to advertisers, agencies and media partners but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Independent appointed Chris Anthony as president of North American operations, effective 2026-06-08.
- Anthony will oversee the region’s full P&L, covering both content and commercial businesses, and will report to CEO Christian Broughton.
- Anthony previously spent four years at Gallery Media Group as chief revenue officer of GMG and chief client officer of Tamara Group (a VaynerX agency).
- He succeeds Zach Schwartz, who is transitioning into a role focused on the company’s philanthropy work.
- Anthony plans to pursue new revenue streams (verticals like finance, travel, tech), experiential events, creator-led journalism, and stronger social-format strategies (YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels).
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
ATTN: Appoints Edgar Hernandez as First CCO
Social influence publisher ATTN: has appointed Edgar Hernandez, a former BuzzFeed and Complex Networks executive, as its first chief commercial officer. Hernandez started on Feb. 17 and will oversee ATTN:'s sales organization and lead go-to-market strategy across branded content, agency services, intellectual property and social media partnerships. The hire comes as ATTN: seeks to accelerate growth following its return to independent ownership. Hernandez told Adweek that many publishers have struggled to transition into social and creative agencies, and said ATTN: integrates creative work and audience strategy together as part of its commercial approach.
Nextdoor Appoints Anthony Di Muccio as Sales VP
Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. appointed Anthony Di Muccio as Vice President of North America Sales, effective March 10. Di Muccio will report to Chief Revenue Officer Michael Kiernan and lead Nextdoor’s North America sales organization, covering U.S. regional teams and the Canadian advertising market. He joins from T-Mobile Advertising Solutions, where he was Head of National Sales, and previously held senior sales and vertical leadership roles at Snap Inc.; earlier career stops include Vessel, Verizon Media and Hulu. Nextdoor highlighted concurrent investments in its ads platform — including first-party Verified Location Identity data, AI-powered click optimization (reported 134% lift in CTR in U.S. tests), conversion optimization (median 35% CPA improvement), expanded video ad formats across the U.S., Canada and UK, and expanded self-serve Ads Manager availability — positioning the company to grow local ad revenue and agency relationships.
Streaming Price Hikes Drive Ad-Supported Tiers
A recent Statista survey among 4,781 German consumers reveals that 51% use free ad-supported streaming services, while 46% pay for ad-supported subscriptions like Netflix's. The article analyzes ad loads across major streaming platforms in Germany, noting that Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, and RTL Plus all offer ad-supported tiers, often as a cheaper entry point. Amazon Prime Video has doubled its ad load since launch to up to six minutes per hour, according to Adweek, though not officially confirmed. Paramount Plus shows up to nine minutes of ads per hour in the US, per Ampere Analysis. Apple TV Plus remains the only major service without an ad-supported tier, but still shows trailers and ads during live sports. The article also highlights that even premium tiers on some services may include promotional content.
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