In today’s Digest, we cover Empower acquiring Ocean Media, TV Networks rallying in Canberra to scrap broadcast tax, and China enforcing mandatory AI content labelling. 

Empower acquires Ocean Media

Empower Media has acquired performance agency Ocean Media, it exclusively told ADWEEK, forming the Empower Ocean Media Group. The new entity will oversee about USD$1.5bn (£1.14bn) in US billings and employ 400 staff, positioning it as North America’s second-largest independent media shop. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. 

Ocean Media will continue under CEO Jay Langan, while Empower CEO Ashlee Clarke will lead the parent group as co-chair alongside Chris Clarke. Both agencies will retain separate client rosters and cultures but share a unified tech infrastructure, overseen by Ocean’s chief technology officer Annmarie Turpin and Empower’s Matt Fleishman.

Elsewhere, Roqad has acquired Zeotap’s third-party data arm, Zeotap Data. The financial details of this deal were also kept under wraps. Through the acquisition, Roqad aims to expand its business through access to scaled third-party audience segments and Zeotap’s integrations with ad tech partners. 

TV Networks rally to scrap broadcast tax

A number of TV network CEOs, including leaders from Seven, Nine, Ten, WIN, and Free TV Australia, are in Canberra pushing to abolish the Commercial Broadcasting Tax and resist new gambling ad restrictions. They are also lobbying for more support for regional TV.

TV executives argue the tax is unfair since digital platforms like Netflix and YouTube pay nothing to operate in Australia. Critics say the spectrum TV uses is a valuable public resource that must be regulated.

Free TV CEO Bridget Fair told ABC’s Medialand the industry is burdened by outdated rules. “We want to make sure that we are not shackled by outdated  regulations… We want to be in the best position to be able to compete,” she said. Fair added that direct support for regional broadcasters and extending producer offsets to news production would help the sector.

China enforces mandatory AI content labelling 

Chinese social media giants including WeChat and Douyin have rolled out new measures to comply with a law requiring all AI-generated content to be clearly labelled.

The regulation, introduced in March, which mandates both visible labels and embedded digital watermarks on AI-generated text, images, video, and audio came into effect on Monday. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), along with other key ministries, drafted the law as part of its 2025 Qinglang campaign to tighten AI oversight and curb misinformation, copyright infringement, and fraud.