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IAB Releases Redefining Media Types Standard for Public Comment

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New Framework, Developed in Partnership With IAB Tech Lab, Establishes Shared Definitions for Digital Video Formats Aligned with Viewer Experiences

In Public Comment Until August 8

NEW YORK, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the leading trade organization for the digital advertising ecosystem, today announced the release of the Redefining Media Types (RMT) Standard for public comment, with IAB Tech Lab setting the technical standards needed for wide adoption. The public comment period will remain open through August 8, 2026 as IAB gathers feedback from brands, agencies, publishers, ad tech partners, networks, and other industry stakeholders.

“As the video marketplace has expanded across platforms, formats, and viewing experiences, the industry needs a more consistent way to define and classify digital video environments,” said Jamie Finstein, VP, Media Center at IAB. “The Redefining Media Types Standard is intended to give buyers, sellers, publishers, and platforms a shared, future-proof language that improves planning, execution, and measurement across the entire ecosystem.”

The RMT Standard is designed to help define the digital video ecosystem by creating comprehensive, standardized definitions for digital video product types and their associated advertising formats, including Connected TV, Online Video, social video, FAST, video podcasting, and retail video. The definitions consider channels, screens, context, and ad formats, with the goal of serving as an authoritative guide for media agencies, publishers, networks, technology partners, and brands.

“Many of the technical systems supporting digital advertising still rely on inconsistent or outdated classifications for video,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “By partnering with IAB on this framework, we can help connect these definitions to the technical standards and infrastructure needed to support adoption across the industry.”

The standard addresses a core problem in video advertising: legacy media classification terms were built to describe distribution technology and business models, not consumer experience.

For brands and agencies, inconsistent definitions can lead to misaligned planning strategies, incomparable measurement across platforms, and media investments that do not reflect the intended viewing environment. For publishers and platforms, inconsistent terminology can create confusion around inventory packaging, monetization, and buyer expectations. For ad tech and measurement providers, the lack of standardized classification makes it more difficult to support interoperability and consistent reporting across systems.

The RMT Standard provides a two-layer classification system designed to support both strategic planning and operational execution.

The first layer organizes video advertising environments into four macro buckets grounded in consumer viewing experience:

Lean Back ViewingPersonal Screen ViewingPassive and Communal Viewing

These buckets are based on how a viewer is cognitively and physically oriented to the screen, rather than the technology delivering the content or the business model funding it.

The second layer applies binary impression-level attributes that allow individual impressions to be classified with precision across platforms and devices, including:

Sound stateSkip-enabled versus completion-requiredFull-screen presentationAddressabilityAvailability of signalsMeasurabilityDeviceAd Formats

This operational layer gives planners, buyers, measurement vendors, and ad tech platforms a shared set of signals that can be used at the point of transaction.

Together, the two layers support both planning and technical execution. The macro buckets give the industry a shared language for strategy and cross-platform planning, while the operational attribute layer provides a framework for impression-level classification that can be encoded into OpenRTB bid requests and Project Eidos taxonomy fields.

The framework is intended to create clearer expectations and more consistent communication across the buy-side, sell-side, and technology ecosystem by:

Helping brands and agencies align media investment with the intended consumer viewing experienceGiving publishers and media owners more consistent ways to package and describe inventorySupporting more interoperable reporting and measurement across platformsProviding ad tech and measurement providers with standardized signals that can be used operationally at the point of transactionCreating a more stable standards foundation as video formats, platforms, and viewing behaviors evolve, and new media types enter the mix

The standard is intended to support everyone from the CMO setting a cross-platform video strategy to the engineer building the infrastructure, and as agentic workflows accelerate, a shared language is no longer optional. Without definitional alignment, agents acting on behalf of advertisers and sellers may produce costly and consequential errors.

“Given the extent of change in the video marketplace, from what and where people watch to how advertisers execute ad campaigns, it was critical to come together as an industry and develop a new, contemporary video marketplace framework,” said Adam Gerber, Head of Strategy, Media.net. “The ambiguity and obsolescence of legacy definitions and ways of working were holding back growth and creating friction in the market. This new standard attempts to fix that and provide a common language for all marketplace participants to apply within the context of their individual businesses.”

“With the constant innovation and increased complexity of our digital ecosystem, it is important for the industry to have consistent guiding principles in place,” said Alex Stone, SVP, Managing Director, Horizon Media. “These IAB standards are our guardrails which we will use as our progression accelerates for years to come.”

“As streaming and cross-platform video consumption continue to evolve, premium video remains one of the most effective environments for brands,” said Michael Reidy, Senior Vice President, Small and Medium Business Growth, Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “As an industry, we have an opportunity to align around clearer, more consistent standards that drive greater media effectiveness and deliver simplicity for our partners across buyers, sellers, and technology platforms.”

“The way people watch video has changed dramatically, but the language the industry uses to describe it hasn’t kept pace,” adds Colt Cheadle, Sr. Manager, Sales Activation, Spectrum Reach. “As video continues to evolve across platforms, screens, and viewing experiences, establishing a common framework is essential to reducing complexity, improving collaboration, and helping buyers and sellers make more informed decisions.”

The RMT Standard arrives as programmatic video investment, CTV spending, and cross-media video planning continue to grow, and as members across the buy-side, sell-side, and technology layer have acknowledged the need for definitional clarity. The framework is also designed to feed into IAB Measurement Center’s Project Eidos taxonomy work and inform IAB Tech Lab’s OpenRTB and AdCOM specifications, allowing it to work seamlessly with technical standards rather than a standalone document.

The public comment period for the RMT Standard is open from July 8, 2026, through August 8, 2026. IAB and IAB Tech Lab will continue working with industry stakeholders, working group participants, and standards contributors to refine the framework and support adoption across the ecosystem.

To learn more about the Redefining Media Types Standard and to provide feedback, click here.

About IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and collaboration of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

 

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SOURCE Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

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U.S. Consumers Received Just Over 4.25 Billion Robocalls in June, According to YouMail Robocall Index

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2026 Volume Down Roughly 13% Year Over Year

IRVINE, Calif., July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. consumers received just over 4.25 billion robocalls in June 2026, according to the Robocall Index from YouMail, the robocall protection app that tracks U.S. robocalling behavior. This volume increased approximately 3.4% from May, but declined 4.6% compared to June 2025.  

June averaged 141.8 million robocalls/day and 1,642 robocalls/second, compared to May’s 132.8 million robocalls/day and 1,537 robocalls/second.

This was the highest monthly robocall volume since July 2025. Despite that, over the past 12 months, total robocalls reached 48.7 billion, continuing the lowest 12-month total recorded since November 2022.

“Monthly robocall volumes have been slowly creeping upward, and we’re now roughly 15% above the lowest levels we saw last October,” said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. “While overall robocall activity remains relatively low compared to historical levels, consumers must continue to stay vigilant and protect themselves with robocall-blocking apps like YouMail.”

These latest figures are provided by YouMail, a totally free app that protects consumers from unwanted or dangerous calls, texts, and voicemails. The figures are based on extrapolated data from robocall traffic targeting YouMail’s active user base.

June’s Robocalls Patterns Remained Similar to May

There was little change in the breakdown of robocall activity from May to June, with payment reminders increasing by 6% and unwanted calls rising slightly.

Type of

Robocall

Estimate June

Robocalls

Percentage June
Robocalls

Notifications

1.60 billion (flat)

38% (flat)

Payment Reminders

0.64 billion (+6%)

15% (+1%)

Telemarketing + Scams

2.02 billion (+1%)

47% (-1%)

Unfortunately, consumers continue to receive roughly 2 billion unwanted robocalls every month.

June 2026’s Most Annoying Robocalls

June’s most problematic robocall campaigns once again centered around pre-approved debt consolidation loans. One particularly large campaign placed calls using the name “Silver Oak Loans.” The campaign delivered substantially similar messages from tens of thousands of phone numbers,  like this one

This is Brittany with Silver Oak Loans. I’m reaching out because based on your credit profile, it looks like you’ve been pre-approved for a debt consolidation loan. This type of loan can be used to pay off credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, collection accounts, or any other outstanding balances you may have, and roll everything into one single monthly payment at a lower interest rate. We’d love to go over the details and your options with you. If you’d like to speak with a representative, press 3 now, or if you prefer not to receive updates, press 7.

This robocall campaign generated well over 30 million calls in June. Consumers report these calls as spam, saying they get these calls over and over, despite never applying for a loan and never providing consent to be contacted. At best this is illegal telemarketing at scale; at worst this behavior is indicative of a scam.

Consumers who receive these calls should report them to sites like directory.youmail.com or spamreporters.com. Reporting helps reduce harm to others by ensuring these numbers can be immediately blocked not only by the YouMail app, but across a variety of carriers. It also helps aggregate valuable data that can be shared with regulators and law enforcement to support investigative efforts.  

The Source of This Data

These data points are provided by YouMail, a free call protection app for mobile phones. YouMail won the American Business Awards’ Gold Stevie Award for Technical Innovation of the Year, and the YouMail app was named the nation’s best robocall-blocking solution in a competition organized by Geoffrey Fowler formerly of the Washington Post.

YouMail blocks unwanted robocallers by making sure the user’s phone doesn’t ring, and then plays an out-of-service message that leads them to think they dialed an invalid number. YouMail identifies problematic numbers and robocalls using a combination of its recently patented audio fingerprinting technology, call patterns, and consumer feedback.

YouMail provides the YouMail Robocall Index to estimate robocall volume across the country and for specific area codes every month. This estimate is formed by extrapolating from the behavior of the billions of calls YouMail has handled for its users, and these statistics are regularly cited by the FCC as a definitive source for national data trends.  

For a full ranking of cities, states and area codes, as well as details on the behavior of robocallers in each area code, please see http://robocallindex.com. To listen to actual voice messages left by robocallers or report spam calls or texts, please visit the YouMail Directory. To join the YouMail Robocall Index mailing list, please write to RobocallIndex@YouMail.com.

About YouMail, Inc.

YouMail protects consumers, enterprises, and carriers from harmful phone calls. YouMail provides US and UK consumers app-based call protection services through the YouMail, Another Number, and HulloMail apps. These solutions answer over a billion live calls per year from well over 20 million phone numbers, powering America’s most robust telephone sensor network in identifying and providing zero-hour protection against illegal calling campaigns and cyberattacks. YouMail Protective Services leverages this sensor network to protect consumer-facing enterprises by detecting and helping shut down imposter traffic that can lead to financial or brand damage, as well as to protect carriers with robocall mitigation services that detect and help stop bad traffic originating, traversing, or terminating on their networks. This sensor network is also used to provide the YouMail Robocall Index™ is the nation’s definitive source on telephone network activity and attacks. YouMail, Inc. is privately funded and based in Irvine, California. 

Contact:

Gabriella Troiani for YouMail
Lumina Communications
YouMailPR@icrinc.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-consumers-received-just-over-4-25-billion-robocalls-in-june-according-to-youmail-robocall-index-302822123.html

SOURCE YouMail Inc.

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GBS outperforms the higher education sector across all seven themes in National Student Survey 2026

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LONDON, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Global Banking School (GBS) has once again outperformed the UK higher education sector across all seven core themes of the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS), highlighting its continued commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience.

Published today by the Office for Students (OfS), the latest NSS results reflect GBS’s continued focus on high-quality teaching, academic support and student success, with consistently high levels of student satisfaction and strong year-on-year performance.

The 2026 results for GBS are based on 6,488 published student responses – an increase of 1,087 responses compared with 2025, providing an even stronger and more representative picture of the student experience at GBS.

The results come at a particularly significant time for GBS, as it celebrates its 2026 graduation ceremonies this month across Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and London. Six thousand graduates are marking the successful completion of their studies, including in sectors vital to the UK economy, such as construction management, digital technology and health and social care.

GBS outperformed the sector average across all seven NSS themes, with the highest satisfaction scores were achieved in Teaching on my Course and Academic Support, both recording 92.9% student satisfaction.

James Kennedy, CEO of GBS, said: “We are incredibly proud of these results and what they represent. They reflect the dedication of our students, the commitment of our academic and professional services colleagues, and our shared focus on providing an outstanding student experience.

“As we celebrate our graduation ceremonies across Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and London this month, it is particularly rewarding to see our students recognise the quality of their experience at GBS. While these results are something to celebrate, they also inspire us to keep listening to our students and continually enhancing every aspect of the education and support we provide.”

GBS offers flexible, career-focused higher education programmes designed to meet the needs of today’s learners, many of whom balance their studies alongside jobs, family responsibilities and running their own businesses. Through industry-relevant courses delivered across its campuses in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, GBS continues to widen participation to higher education while equipping students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in their chosen careers.

The 2026 NSS results underline GBS’s commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience and to continually enhancing teaching, learning and student support.

Notes to Editors

The National Student Survey (NSS) is an annual survey that gathers feedback from eligible students across UK higher education providers on the quality of their academic experience.The 2026 GBS results are based on 6,488 published student responses, with a publication response rate of 81.2%.Global Banking School (GBS) is a higher education provider with campuses in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, delivering career-focused programmes in partnership with respected UK universities.

Infographic – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3005236/GBS_2026.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/gbs-outperforms-the-higher-education-sector-across-all-seven-themes-in-national-student-survey-2026-302822127.html

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Closed Dollar Volume Increases Across Markets in First Half of 2026, According to New Market Report by William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

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Strong sales momentum in the second quarter brings markets ahead in volume year to date compared to first half of last year, as inventory improves and median prices continue to rise

STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sales improvements in single family home sales in the second quarter of 2026 were strong enough that many markets finished the first half of 2026 ahead of the first six months of 2025 in closed dollar volume, according to a new report just released by William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. The report details annual market results in Fairfield, Litchfield and Hartford Counties and the Shoreline in Connecticut, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, and Westchester, Putnam, Columbia, Dutchess and Ulster Counties, New York.

The report stated that the closed volume increases represented a positive turnaround from the more sluggish performance of the first quarter. While closed volume rose year over year, unit sales were still lower than this time last year in most markets served by the firm.

Virtually every market is seeing a disparity between closed volume and units, with the percentage change for dollar volume always an improvement over the percentage change in units, whether it is increasing year over year at a higher rate than units or decreasing at a lower one. The reason for this spread is that the product mix selling continues to favor higher priced properties, while at the same time median sale prices continue to move ever upward in nearly every market.

In addition, properties are typically trading for higher than their asking prices, the report found. The ratio of list to closing price is especially high in mid-tier price ranges. In Fairfield County, for example, properties overall averaged a sale price 3.2% above their initial asking price, but property sales between $1.5 and $2 million saw a list to ask ratio increase of 7.8%. In Westchester these stats were even higher. County-wide, properties sold for an average of 5.3% over their listing price, but that percentage elevated to 9.7% in the $1 to $2 million price bracket.

Competition is the driving force behind this dynamic as the balance of supply and demand remains heavily weighted toward the benefit of sellers. Housing markets remain challenged by an ongoing lack of inventory amidst a backdrop of heightened buyer demand. In a positive sign for buyers and a reversal of the trend from the first quarter this year, total standing inventory rose in the second quarter over the same time last year in most counties.

“The increase in total inventory gives us reason to feel bullish on strong sales momentum in the coming months,” said Paul Breunich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. “Economic factors at the macro level remain points of uncertainty, but we do not expect to see much effect on the pace of our markets any time soon. Demand is continuing at a very consistent pace, and inventory increasing again to meet that demand will further facilitate robust sales activity.

The First Half 2026 Market Watch is available on the firm’s website at williampitt.com.

About William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty
Founded in 1949, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty manages a $5.5 billion portfolio with more than 1,100 sales associates in 29 brokerages spanning Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. The company is one of the largest Sotheby’s International Realty(R) affiliates globally and the 34th-largest real estate company by sales volume in the United States. For more information, visit the website at williampitt.com.

Sotheby’s International Realty’s worldwide network includes 1,075 offices throughout 81 countries and territories on six continents.

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SOURCE William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

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