Special Projects
PA & JCDecaux: Rio 2016 & Euro 2016
First Live Sports Content Partnership for UK Digital-Out-of-Home Screens
In 2016, PA and JCDecaux joined forces to stream live headlines, medal tables, and match scores from the Rio Olympics and UEFA Euro 2016 across JCDecaux’s national digital-screen network, the first real-time sports-content integration ever cleared by UK advertising authorities. It put PA’s brand in front of millions daily and re-positioned JCDecaux as a digital content platform.
Client / Partners
Press Association (PA Media Group) × JCDecaux UK
Event windows: Euro 2016 (June–July 2016) & Rio 2016 (Aug 2016)
Formats: Digital OOH screens; rail, roadside, retail, airport environments
My Role
Originated the concept, architected the commercial model, and secured senior buy-in on both sides.
Led negotiation, creative integration, and operational delivery of the first PA & JCDecaux content-sponsorship deal.
Oversaw clearance with advertising authorities and ensured real-time data feeds performed seamlessly during both tournaments.
The Challenge
JCDecaux was repositioning from a traditional poster business to a digital platform.
PA sought to showcase its live-data capabilities and extend brand visibility beyond B2B news clients.
Major events, such as Rio 2016 and Euro 2016, offered the perfect moment to demonstrate what “live” meant in the OOH age.
No precedent existed for running editorial content (live scores and headlines) at a national scale through DOOH, and approval was secured with the regulated advertising authorities.
The Strategy
- Fuse content and environment: Deliver live sports data ( headlines, scores, medal tables ) directly into JCDecaux’s screen network in real time.
- Create shared equity: Exchange PA’s content and technology for nationwide branding — “PA” logo on every screen, every rotation.
- Mutual re-positioning: Position PA as a leading digital partner; position JCDecaux as a live digital media platform.
- Protect compliance: Work with the Advertising Standards Authority, DOOH bodies and Transport for London to clear live editorial feeds for public display.
The Execution
- Format: Digital OOH screens in rail stations, airports, shopping centres and roadside locations.
- Content: Rolling Olympic medal tables, headline snippets and Euro 2016 scores sourced in real time from PA news feeds.
- Branding: Full PA logo lock-up on all screens throughout the campaign — the largest branding exposure in PA’s history.
- Duration: June – August 2016 (across both tournaments).
- Partners: JCDecaux UK (digital OOH), PA News & Sports Desk (content feeds), Clearance bodies (ASA / TfL).
The Results (specific metrics not publicly disclosed)
- Reach: National audience across tens of thousands of digital panels and billions of impressions (over the tournament period).
- Brand impact: PA logo exposure valued at several million pounds in equivalent media.
- Traffic: Recorded the largest web-traffic spike in PA’s history during the campaign.
- Strategic impact: Defined PA as a leading digital data partner, not just a newswire; helped JCDecaux complete its own digital repositioning.
- Industry first: First UK OOH live-content deal cleared for real-time news feeds and brand co-marketing.
What Made the Difference
- Pioneering model: Turned live editorial data into branded digital inventory for the first time.
- Cross-sector alignment: News agency, OOH media owner, sports event organisers & governing bodies working in real time.
- Risk management: Navigated legal and regulatory hurdles to gain approval for live feeds.
- Mutual gain: JCDecaux evolved from a poster company to a digital publisher; PA gained unprecedented public visibility.
Public References
- PA Media Group – “PA and JCDecaux bring live Olympics updates to UK screens” (2016)
- PA Media Group – “PA partners JCDecaux to provide business & financial updates to London’s commuters” (2016)
- PRWeek – Euro 2016 Campaign Round-up (2016)
PA & Google: UK General Election 2017 Real-Time Results Go Global
The First Data Partnership Between a UK News Agency and Google
In May 2015, the Press Association (“PA”) became Google’s exclusive source for verified real-time UK General Election data. This world-first integration brought PA’s results API into Google Search and Google News for millions of users.
Partners:
Press Association (Media Data & News Division) x Google UK / Global News Partnerships
Event: UK General Election (8 June 2017)
My Role
Originated, structured, and closed the PA and Google partnership.
Developed the commercial and data-licensing framework, secured executive approval on both sides, and led the delivery of PA’s election data integration into Google Search, Google News, and YouTube channels.
Oversaw technical coordination between PA’s data engineering team and Google’s election product team in London and Mountain View.
The Challenge
Google wanted to serve real-time verified UK election results to users at scale, a technical and editorial challenge that required both speed and credibility.
No UK news agency had previously integrated live election data into a global tech platform.
For PA, it was a chance to redefine its reputation from a wire service to a data infrastructure provider.
The Strategy
- License the data, not just the story: Create a bespoke commercial model for real-time API access and branding credit.
- Integrate directly into Google’s consumer products: Ensure PA attribution appeared on Search results pages, Google News, and interactive maps.
- Guarantee reliability under load: Build redundancy and 24/7 engineering support to handle tens of millions of requests per hour.
- Amplify visibility: Secure PA logo and credit across Google’s platforms and press communications around Election Night.
The Execution
- Timeline: Deal finalised Q1 2017; integration and testing completed by April 2017.
Technology: PA Election Data (delivering constituency results, turnout data, swing, and party majorities in real time). - Distribution: Live feeds into Google Search, Google News, and YouTube election pages; syndicated through Google Trends visualisations.
- Attribution: “Data provided by Press Association” on every results card and map view seen by millions of users on election night.
- Compliance: PA data certified as the official source by the Electoral Commission for press use, ensuring trust and accuracy.
The Results (metrics not disclosed)
- Global reach: Hundreds of millions of impressions across Google Search and News during election week.
- Brand impact: PA logo and attribution featured on every result viewed, a historic moment for agency visibility.
- Industry first: First time a UK news agency’s real-time data feed powered a global search platform.
- Strategic value: Cemented PA as a trusted data and partner for tech companies, leading to subsequent collaborations with Facebook, Amazon and Google News Initiative projects.
What Made the Difference
- Pioneering commercial thinking: Reframed editorial content as licensable structured data.
- Cross-industry execution: Bridged traditional news operations and Silicon Valley engineering culture.
- Brand leverage: Turned a back-end feed into front-end visibility for PA.
- Proof of concept: Set a template for how news agencies could monetise and scale their data assets globally.
Public References
Amazon × Press Association x Alexa
Bringing Trusted News to Voice: The First UK Newswire Partnership Powering Alexa
In 2018, Amazon chose the Press Association as its first news partner in the UK for Alexa. This partnership integrated verified news and sports updates from the Press Association into Amazon's voice assistant ecosystem. This deal was both innovative and expertly negotiated to deliver valuable content to users.
Partners
Press Association (PA Media Group) × Amazon UK / Amazon Alexa News Team
Launch year: 2018
Territory: United Kingdom
Scope: Daily news, sport, weather, and breaking news content for Alexa Flash Briefing and “Alexa News Update”
My Role
- Originated and sold the partnership following strategic discussions with Amazon’s Alexa Content and Voice Teams.
- Architected the data-licensing and attribution model that enabled PA’s multimedia content to be distributed via Alexa Flash Briefings and skill integrations.
- Led delivery between PA’s digital product, engineering, and editorial teams and Amazon’s UK Alexa News group.
- Managed compliance, tone, and branding, ensuring PA’s impartial news standards were preserved in the voice-assistant environment.
The Challenge
Voice assistants were emerging as a dominant news-consumption channel, but accuracy and credibility were still unproven.
Amazon wanted to ensure Alexa’s UK news output was fact-checked, impartial, and consistently updated.
PA needed to position itself at the forefront of this new medium while monetising its content as structured data rather than text feeds.
The Strategy
- Convert traditional content into machine-readable feeds: Adapt PA’s existing APIs for Amazon’s Flash Briefing and audio layers.
- Protect editorial standards: Ensure PA’s rigorous verification process underpinned every update delivered via Alexa.
- Secure attribution and reach: Guarantee “From Press Association” credit on every Alexa news output.
- Extend PA’s brand footprint: Enter households through voice interaction — a new daily touchpoint for millions.
The Execution
- Integration: PA supplied audio and text feeds directly to Amazon’s Flash Briefing API, enabling Alexa to deliver real-time UK news, sport, and weather bulletins.
- Launch: Rolled out nationally with Alexa device updates and Amazon’s UK marketing push for “What’s in the news today?” features.
- Content cadence: Updates delivered multiple times per day, including breaking-news pushes from PA’s live desk.
- Branding: Every briefing opened with a “From the Press Association” tag, introducing PA to millions of households.
The Results (metrics not publicly disclosed)
- Scale: PA content reached millions of UK Alexa users daily.
- Brand impact: Extended PA’s presence from newsrooms and web feeds into the voice interface of Amazon devices.
- Industry first: First UK news agency to power a major voice-assistant ecosystem.
- Strategic shift: Reinforced PA’s position as a digital data partner for platforms — completing a continuum of innovation spanning Google (2015), Facebook (2017), and Amazon (2018).
What Made the Difference
- Forward vision: Anticipated the rise of voice and moved PA from text feeds to spoken interfaces.
- Cross-functional execution: Unified editorial integrity with engineering discipline.
- Commercial innovation: Developed a licensing model that monetised content usage within emerging AI ecosystems.
- Reputation building: Cemented PA as the go-to provider of trusted news for global tech companies.
Public Records
Reviews
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