As the summer months quickly approach and our series of egtabites takes a well-deserved break until September, we are happy to put the spotlight on egta’s newly-elected President.
The Statutory session at egta’s CEOs & Top Execs’ Summit on 9-10 June, marked the transfer of egta’s presidency, with outgoing President Laurent Bliaut, Deputy General Director, Marketing, Strategy & Innovation at TF1 PUB, handing leadership of the association to Walter Zinggl, Chief Executive Officer, IP Österreich.
The entire egta team would like to warmly thank Laurent for all his work during his presidency and the many outstanding initiatives and events we had the opportunity to work on together. Especially during this demanding period impacted by the pandemic.
Walter was kind enough to share his thoughts on egta, his presidency, and the future of our industry in the years to come in a short interview.
Can you tell us what made you decide to run for egta President?
Since 2002 – only interrupted by three years between 2010 and 2013, when I was at the head of Maxus Austria – I have had the distinct honour of serving on egta’s Board.
Having been in the communications industry since 1981, I felt I could contribute to the association by bringing my experience and know-how to the Board. On top: I love the egta spirit, and even more, adore being part of it! To be elected by valued sales house colleagues from 43 countries and 163 organisations around the world is both flattering and a real challenge.
After the tumultuous period of Covid-19 and in a rapidly-changing global advertising market, I’m more convinced than ever of the vital role of our association.
What are your short and medium-term priorities as a broadcaster and as the association’s President?
I will endeavour to help shape the current topics in the global discussion between clients, agencies and media representatives at all levels: measurement solutions, brand safety, challenges faced by individual channels and even more so those faced specifically by radio and TV sales houses.
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities for our industry in the next few years?
We must remember that our GRPs and the media value they bring are precious: sales houses have what the markets want – the only thing to agree on is the price. But negotiating is part of the game, and we are used to it.
Our members with their local knowledge are also better equipped to respond to changes in the market, than any of the GAFAs. With video in our DNA, we are in the perfect position to navigate the linear/non-linear landscape, adapting our portfolio to meet national and international demands. But it requires hard work and we need to prove ourselves every single day.
To become increasingly successful, sales houses should share know-how and intensify their positioning vis-à-vis the global players. The help of national trade associations can be valuable here, as well as the vital role that The Global TV Group plays, with egta as its coordinator.
And the association should also become the logical discussion partner for all agency associations, advertisers’ associations and cross-national legal institutions. Sharing insights across the industry and continents remains vital.
What message would you like to share with egta’s members?
The future is always unknown, so the best way to predict it is to create it. But don’t forget to have fun along the way!
OTHER CASE STUDIES
A BIG-SCREEN STUDY FINDS STRONGER ATTENTION ON TV4 PLAY THAN ON YOUTUBE
24. 4. 2026TV4 just launched its third attention study, comparing the viewing experience on its streaming service (TV4 Play) with YouTube’s big screen experience at home. It confirms once again the assumption that the streaming environment provided by a qualitative TV network (BVOD) delivers a much bigger attention than UGC platforms, such as YouTube. An at-home test… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
THE TV ADVERTISING PARADOX, A THINKTV NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY (1/2)
24. 4. 2026In late 2024, ThinkTV New Zealand, under the leadership of Jacqueline Freeman, GM Communications, undertook a full market review to understand how television was being perceived, valued, and used across the New Zealand marketing ecosystem. This was a broad diagnostic rather than a simple pulse check. It drew on perspectives from CMOs, CFOs, insights people,… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
AD EMISSIONS MEASUREMENT: LESSONS FROM THE FINNISH MARKET
31. 3. 2026Finland’s commercial TV broadcasters spent the past year developing a carbon emissions measurement framework for linear TV advertising, starting with no local methodology and ending with a validated model owned by an industry body. For markets facing the same challenge, the experience offers a useful reference point. Start narrow, then scale The project focused exclusively… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
A NEW WAY FOR FRANCETV PUBLICITÉ TO SELL CONTEXTUAL VIDEO ADVERTISING
27. 3. 2026FranceTV Publicité (FTP), the advertising sales house for French public television, has introduced Context.IA into its digital video offer. The solution uses programme context to decide when an ad should appear, instead of relying only on fixed scheduling. That makes Context.IA a new commercial tool inside FranceTV Publicité’s own video inventory. Context.IA links programme cues… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
BUILDING A SHOPPABLE, ATTENTION-READY CTV OFFER: THE BIG BROTHER CONTEXTUAL CASE
26. 3. 2026In 2025, Paramount Australia, in partnership with FreeWheel and egta, hosted a webinar outlining a forward-looking view of the evolving advertising market. One key topic explored the industry’s shift to pull-based discovery, experience-driven engagement, and frictionless content-commerce integration. Paramount Australia’s Contextual Advertising Suite directly responds to these trends, reinforcing the company’s leadership in premium CTV… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
GLOBO CREATES HOME SCREEN PROMINENCE FOR FREE-TO-AIR TV ON SMART TVS
26. 2. 2026Globo, Brazil’s largest commercial TV group, is rolling out DTV+, a next-generation free-to-air TV standard designed for connected TVs. It brings broadcast channels into the TV operating system, with app-like navigation, login and interactive layers placed directly on top of live programming. The move fits Brazil’s viewing reality. Linear TV accounts for 57.9% of total… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
THE VISUAL TRANSFER EFFECT: HOW SOUND BUILDS BRANDS
24. 2. 2026In collaboration with neuro-marketing agency Unravel, Talpa Media has produced the scientific proof that audio does not just complement TV. It actively reactivates it, reconstructing visual brand memories in the consumer’s mind through sound. The findings carry significant implications for how audio is planned, sold, and valued within the wider media mix. Context Talpa Media… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
RMB TURNS QR CODE VOTING INTO A SHARED VIEWING MOMENT THAT STRENGTHS BRAND IMAGE FOR SPRITE AND DELI CHOC
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives The chocolate snack Deli Choc and soft drink Sprite brands worked with RMB to reach younger audiences by becoming part of Belgian hip-hop show “PLAYGROUND”, supporting new rap talent through a live QR vote and cross-platform content. This helps the brands appear as enablers of the format rather than separate ads. For RMB… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
CANADIAN SUPERSTAR ANDREW PHUNG HELPS VIA RAIL CHALLENGE CAR CONVENIENCE ASSUMPTIONS WITH LONG-FORM STORYTELLING ACROSS CBC’S TV ECOSYSTEM
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives VIA Rail, the company operating Canada’s national passenger rail service, combined a new product launch with brand building, using long-form content to tackle misconceptions that tend to block conversion in travel: comfort, ease, and whether rail feels like a realistic alternative to driving for intercity trips. The objectives behind this campaign were to… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
HOW L’ORÉAL PARIS AND RTL MADE STREET HARASSMENT HARD TO IGNORE
24. 2. 2026Context Sexual harassment in public spaces is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence in the world. Two figures frame the issue: 80% of women have experienced street harassment, but 85% of people say they lack training on how to intervene. Ad Alliance and L’Oréal created a campaign to respond to this problem… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
HOW AD ALLIANCE USED VIRTUAL SET GRAPHICS TO RESKIN THE LET’S DANCE STAGE FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES
24. 2. 2026Context This campaign promotes a film by changing the look of a well-known TV studio during the ad break, so the show setting becomes part of the idea. Universal Pictures International Germany supported the live-action version (made with real actors) of How to Train Your Dragon, based on a well-known animated franchise. The ad special… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
CHANNEL 4 SHOWS HOW PUTTING ACCESSIBILITY FIRST BENEFITS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND COMMERCIAL WITH CURRYS’
24. 2. 2026Context Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award 2025 set its brief under the theme “Inclusive by Design”. It asked brands to embed inclusive practices into the creative, rather than at the end of production. The initiative linked that ambition to airtime: £1m of advertising space across Channel 4’s portfolio sat behind the winning campaign. The… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL