Octave is committed to ensuring that an advertiser is able to reach the right listener at the right time in a premium and brand-safe environment.

We represent a variety of brands across broadcast audio and podcasts spanning an array of verticals such as news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle. We manually vet all partner stations and broadcasts to ensure that they meet the standards that our advertisers would expect. The majority of our partners are broadcast radio stations which adhere to Ofcom rules and regulations and maintain the standards expected of a national broadcaster. We have agreements in place with all our partners to ensure these standards are met and we monitor to ensure that this is the case. All of our content is free from adult themes and will never drive false news or hatred. 

We recognise that many advertisers have concerns about appearing directly adjacent to content that may upset or concern listeners. Quite often this takes the form of news content around events such as Covid or war. As a broadcast medium we would seek to assure advertisers that we run ads within a break which would then be followed by station idents before an introduction to the news headlines or any other content. This ensures a gap between the advert and any specific content with the listener making the most connection between your brand and ours. 

We maintain a close group of partners with lists available to advertisers at any time, showing all possible streaming or broadcast platforms that they could appear on. They would never appear outside of these lists.

Contents 

• Hate Speech 
• Brand Safety Technology
• Ad Fraud 
• Editorial Advertising Controls 
• Ad Review and Approval 
• Editorial Review 
• Disclosures 
• Prohibited Content
  • Infringing Content 
  • Deceptive Content 
  • Hateful or Discriminatory Content 
  • Inappropriate Content 
  • Dangerous products or Services 
• Restricted Content
  • Alcohol 
  • Adult Content 
  • Gambling & Games 
  • Financial Products & Services 
  • Political Advertising 
  • Healthcare & Pharmaceutical 
• User Data Collection 
• Take Downs 
• National Events or Crisis

Hate Speech 
Octave and our parent companies embrace diversity and have a zero tolerance policy on hate speech which applies to all of our content and advertising. We have policies that address each aspect of the business and the behavior expected of our employees. We will not run advertising promoting hate nor will we accept advertising that discriminates in targeting based on race, religion or sexuality. 

Technology
Within our live radio we cannot keyword match or scan content for any potentially unsafe key words. We are exploring the use of such technologies within our podcast eco system but we maintain that the standard of our editorial guidelines and adbreak system ensure a brand safe environment for advertisers.

Ad Fraud
Octave works in a fraud free environment, emphasizing the strength of the relationship between the buyer and publisher. This is supported by our transparent approach to reporting. Although current fraud is highly unlikely in the audio market, we will be monitoring the situation around fraud as Audio continues to grow and will work with industry bodies to ensure that fraud is stopped at every opportunity.

Ad Review and Approval
Ads will be passed through a Creative QA process subject for approval. Creatives are reviewed within 24 hours, although in some cases it may take longer. The creative review process consists of reviewing the advert’s content, targeting and positioning, in addition to any actions that may be taken through the ad. Cookie duration and use is also reviewed at this time. The maximum cookie duration we accept is 12 months. Octave reserves the right to reject or remove any advert.

All adverts must be free of any viruses, adware or malware. No advert will cause an adverse effect on the operation of the website. 

Octave may block infringing ads from appearing on its platforms and suspend or terminate your account(s) if your ads breach our Advertising Policy or applicable laws. 

All adverts appearing on Octave stations must be RACC approved.

We understand that we cannot vet programmatic adverts, however we do operate block lists to ensure that they meet the standards set out.

Editorial Review
Advertisements and editorial content must be clearly distinguishable. 

Editorial decisions will not be influenced by current or potential sponsors and advertisers, and will not be influenced by marketing decisions. 

Editorial can request the removal of an advert if it is felt that it contravenes the values or tone of the parent companies stations. 

Octave can also remove ads it feels contrave any of our guidelines.

Disclosures
All required disclosures and mandatory warnings in ads must be clear and conspicuous. Advertiser(s) must be accurately and clearly identified in the ad. 

Prohibited Content
Our Advertising Policy prohibits some content that we consider to be either illegal, harmful to our listeners or inappropriate for the brands we work with. No advert may contain any of the following content:

• Promotion of illegal activity or dishonest behaviour

• Promotion of religious views or services 

• Drug use 

• Violence or depict hyper-realistic violence 

• Dangerous behaviours 

• Cigarettes, cigars or other tobacco 

• Firearms, weapons or ammunition 

• Illegal wildlife trade, and products and services derived from endangered or threatened species 

• Content that is intended to appeal specifically to children

• Alcohol abuse

• Profanity

• Overtly Sexual content

• Hate Speech

• Unlicensed music content

Restricted Content
Certain advertising content is subject to stricter advertising and regulatory rules or can be otherwise sensitive. We may allow the promotion of the content below, but subject to certain restrictions. These categories include:

• Alcohol

• Sexual wellbeing and health

• Gambling

• Vaping

• Healthcare

• Political advertising

• Financial services

Octave reserves the right to refuse any advert without explanation. If there are any doubts about how an advert should be categorised please communicate with the Octave Ops Team.

User Data Collection
Ads may not collect sensitive information including about racial or ethnic origin, political opinion, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, health or sex life without our prior permission and obtaining consent from our readers. 

The advertiser’s privacy policy must be made available when any personal information is collected. 

Personal information must be collected and processed securely. Adverts must not state or imply knowledge of personal data, sensitive information, online activity or the precise whereabouts of a user. 

Take Downs
If an advert is deemed to be serving in an unsafe brand environment or is regarded as unsuitable to run on our platforms, please report this to our Ad Operations team (operations@octaveip.com). We will require the station the ad is appearing on, the advertiser and details on why it is deemed unsafe.

National Events or Crisis
In the case of a national tragedy, stations may pull all advertising at source. This would be an editorially led decision although Octave can also make this decision if required. This decision would be taken as events unfold. This ensures that advertisers are kept away from any catastrophic events.

A key incident would be the death of a head of state. In the event of the death of the King we will pull all advertising for 24 hours. Further to this we will also be looking to enforce a similar ad-free period around the funeral of the monarch.

This code of conduct outlines the expected behaviours and practices of Octave and the podcast content creators with whom we partner. Our aim is to create a safe and transparent space for all parties including staff, creators, Octave and our advertisers. 

1. Content creators must ensure that the content they produce is accurate, informative, and entertaining and that it is suitable for the intended audience.

2. Content creators must not use hate speech and must refrain from making derogatory comments about any individual or group based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.

3. Content creators must disclose any conflicts of interest, including any financial or personal relationships that may influence their content, and must avoid promoting products or services in a manner that could be perceived as deceptive or misleading.

4. Content creators must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including those related to copyright and intellectual property, and must obtain all necessary permissions and licences before using any third-party content.

5. Content creators must respect the privacy of individuals and must not disclose any confidential or sensitive information without their explicit consent.

6. Content creators must ensure that their content does not infringe on the rights of any third party, including but not limited to intellectual property, privacy, and publicity rights.

7. Content creators must not engage in any behaviour that could harm the reputation of the company or its partners, including but not limited to engaging in unethical or illegal practices.

8. Content creators must be responsive to feedback from the company and its partners, and must make any necessary changes to their content to ensure that it meets the required standards.

9. Content creators must maintain professional conduct at all times and must treat others with respect and courtesy, including other content creators, the company and its employees.

10. Content creators must not misrepresent their affiliation with the company or its partners.

11. Content creators must give Octave a minimum of 4 weeks notice of any sponsorships that they are booking directly with brands. This is to allow Octave to forecast, plan and monetise upcoming availability effectively.

This code of conduct is meant to provide a framework for content creators to produce high-quality, ethical content that aligns with the company’s brand values and guidelines, while also ensuring that the content creators are treated with respect and professionalism.

Octave IP Limited, known as Octave Audio (‘We’, ‘Us’, ‘Our’), is a joint venture between publishers News UK’s Wireless & Bauer Media (the ‘Publishers’) that provides personalised audio advertising to their users across digital streams for radio and podcasts. 

We are a Digital Audio Sales & Tech company, offering targeted Digital Audio advertising across major Audio brands in the UK including talkSPORT, KISS, Absolute Radio, Virgin Radio, Magic Radio, Hits and Greatest Hits Radio. 

This Privacy Policy describes how Octave Audio processes your personal data when you use this website, complete online contact forms or engage with us in relation to our products and services. It also describes how Octave Audio processes your personal data within the Octave Audio Platform when you visit the Publishers’ websites or apps and consent to Octave Audio receiving your personal data through the Publishers’ consent management platforms. Information on how to opt out of the Octave Platform can also be found in our Cookie FAQ below.  

We are the controller of your personal data for the purpose of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation. 

You can contact us by email at dp@octaveip.com if you have any questions related to this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy was last updated in September 2021. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page and we may notify you of any important changes by email.

What this Privacy Policy covers

This Privacy Policy sets out:

• the nature of the personal data that we collect about you;
• how and why we collect and use your personal data;
• how long we keep your personal data for;
• why and with whom we will share your personal data;
• the legal bases we have for using your personal data;
• the effect of refusing to provide the personal data requested;
• the different rights you have in respect of your personal data; and
• how you can contact us.

The types of personal information we collect 

Information we may collect from you directly from our website or otherwise may include contact details, marketing preferences, biographical information and any additional information about yourself that you may choose to provide us directly.

We may also collect information from your device automatically when you visit our website, such as your IP address, operating system and browser.

When you provide consent via the Publishers’ properties, Octave Audio collects information about you from the Publishers’ websites and apps. This information includes contact details, biographical details (such as gender and age), engagement information, declared data from surveys and polls, online identifiers (such as IP address), geo-location information, behavioural data (also known as clickstream data) and inferences such as audience segments based on engagement data. It also includes technical information such as information about the device you use to interact with the Publishers (including unique device identifier, hardware model, operating system and version, mobile network information and the type of browser and operating system you use), and information from your visits to the Publishers’ properties (including access times, pages viewed, URLs clicked on and the page(s) you visited before navigating to Publisher properties).

How we collect your personal information 

We collect information about you when you provide it to us; for example, when you fill out our online forms, call or enquire about our products and services, or do business with us. We may also collect information from you in face to face meetings.

We process personal information when it is provided to us during the sales process or in our online callback form.

When you provide consent via the Publishers’ properties, we collect your personal information directly from your browser or device when you browse the Publishers’ website or apps. 

In addition, we may receive information about you from advertisers, agencies and third party data partners who help us to match you across sites or learn about your likes and dislikes so that the personalised audio advertising you receive is more tailored to you. 

How we use your personal data

We use your personal information to provide you with the products and services you have asked for, respond to requests for information, to manage our relationship with you, to provide you with marketing, and to understand who visits our website. 

When you provide consent via the Publishers’ properties, we use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To enable advertisers to serve adverts relevant to you, and enable the Publishers to sell advertising space on their sites. When you visit the Publishers’ properties, we provide the data we collect about you from their properties to companies that may want to serve adverts relevant to you. We allocate you a unique ID on our database, and match and/or combine this with the databases of our trusted partners (such as the Publishers, advertisers and other third party suppliers that we work with in order to gain audience insights and create a more rounded view of your lifestyle, demographic, likes and dislikes. We may also associate your unique ID with one or more advertising segments or groups by making assumptions about your interests and preferences based on the way you interact with the Publishers, advertisers and other third parties and based on the information we obtain about you.  Providers of data management platform services help us to carry out these activities.
• To operate our business, including for internal purposes such as auditing, data analysis and research to help us deliver and improve our technologies, processes and services. It also includes processing to detect fraud and illegitimate activity and to comply with applicable laws and regulations. 

Who we share your information with

We share certain elements of your personal information with the Publishers, advertisers or other third party data partners or suppliers including data management platform providers and advertising technology vendors such as Nielsen, Permutive and AdsWizz. 

Your personal information will be disclosed where we are obliged by law to do so. We may also disclose your information where we are allowed to by law to protect or enforce our rights or the rights of others and for the prevention and detection of crime, such as fraud. Your information may also be disclosed to our processors, such as our customer database provider. 

If we sell all or part of our business, customer information may be one of the transferred business assets. If this happens, your information will be disclosed to any successors of our business for them to use for the purposes set out in this Policy.

Octave Audio stores data on Google Cloud Platforms based in the UK and Ireland. Where our third party suppliers may have access to your personal data from countries outside of the UK or EEA, such as the US, we implement appropriate measures to ensure that your personal information remains protected, such as standard contractual clauses. If you would like further information on these safeguards, you can email us on dp@octaveip.com.

Legal bases for processing

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information is:

• Because you have given your consent. For the advertising purposes described above, we will ask for your consent via the Publishers’ properties. Where we rely on your consent to process personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Information on how to opt out of the Octave Platform can be found in our Cookie FAQ below.
• For legitimate business purposes. We may use your information where there is a legitimate reason to do so. For example, we may use your information where it would help achieve our business objectives or to facilitate contacting you to provide you with information you have requested. Similarly we may have a legitimate interest to understand who is visiting our website and accessing our services. 
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations. In some cases, we may have a legal obligation to use or keep your personal information.
• To perform a contract that we have with you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract. 

Updating your information

You can update your personal information or tell us if it changes or is inaccurate by emailing us using the contact details below.

How we store your personal information

We will retain your personal information while it is required to provide you with the product, service or information you have requested. We will then securely remove your information from our database, unless there are other purposes for which we are required to retain your information, such as marketing suppression purposes. 

To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements.

We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

When you provide consent via the Publishers’ properties, your cookie data will be stored for 90 days and audience segments will be regularly refreshed for accuracy. 

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.

Your right to rectification

You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.

Your right to erasure

You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to restriction of processing

You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to object to processing

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. Information on how to opt out of the Octave Platform can be found in our Cookie FAQ below. 

If you object to the processing of your personal information, or if you have provided your consent to processing and you later choose to withdraw it, we will respect that choice in accordance with our legal obligations.

This could mean that we are unable to perform the actions necessary to achieve the purposes of processing described. After you have chosen to opt out, Octave Audio may be able to continue to process your personal information to the extent required or otherwise permitted by law.

Your right to data portability

You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us using the details below, if you wish to make a request. Please include the reference ‘Data Protection Request’ when you get in touch. 

Our contact details

Octave Audio 
Address: Level 2, 236 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8HB
E-mail: dp@octaveip.com 

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of your personal information, you can contact us on the details above. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office by visiting their website: ico.org.uk

Cookie Policy

What is Octave Audio?

Octave Audio is a joint venture business between publishers News UK & Bauer Media (the ‘Publishers’) that provides personalised audio advertising to their users across digital streams for radio and podcasts. This includes brands such as Absolute, talkSport, Virgin Radio and Kiss. Octave Audio collects information from publishers websites such as The Times & Sunday Times, The Sun, talkSport, Virgin Radio etc.   

Managing Cookie Preferences

Publisher websites use technology called cookies which allow this website to recognise and respond to you as an individual. 

A cookie is a unique numeric code that is transferred to your computer’s browser to track your interests and preferences and to recognise you as a return visitor.  Information may be collected automatically by cookies and other technologies. 

You can choose to accept or decline cookies, e.g. by visiting youronlinechoices.com or clicking on the AdChoices logo that you will see in the corner of advertisements that carry behavioural targeting cookies.

You can also manage your browser cookie preferences (depending on the browser you are using) at:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Windows
• Safari

If you do choose to decline cookies, please note that not all elements of this website may function as intended, so your website experience may be affected.

Opting Out of Octave Audio

You are able to opt out of the use of your data from Octave Audio by visiting publishers websites and clicking on the cookie settings. If it is the first time you have visited the website, you will normally see the consent modal window before entering the website as per the screen grab below. 

By clicking on the Show Vendors option (located at the bottom of the modal window) you will be able to see a list of all vendors including Octave Audio. You are then able to opt out as per the screengrab below. 

If you are a frequent user of the website and do not receive the consent modal window upon your first visit to the website, you can access these settings by the ‘Cookie settings’ link in the footer of the website. 

Contact Us

If you have questions or requests about the processing of your personal information or need additional information, you can contact us at dp@octaveip.com and dataprotection@news.co.uk