Good morning. It’s Monday, March 18, 2019 and this is your first Media Tech Update. Join us every Monday morning!

Google blocked 2.3 billion ads in 2018 – roughly 6 million a day – to stop scams, malware and abuse. The company took down 1 million advertiser accounts – double compared to the prior year, and terminated 734,000 publishers and app developers from its ad network, while removing ads completely  from about 1.5 million apps. In a blog post, Scott Spencer, Google’s director of sustainable ads, broke out some of the types of ads, explaining that Google removed about 207,000 ads for ticket resellers, 531,000 ads for bail bonds and 58.8 million phishing ads.

 

Spotify asked EU regulators to investigate Apple and its control over the music streaming industry. “After trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issues directly with Apple, we’re now requesting the EC (European Commission) take action,” Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek said in a blog post. Ek noted that Apple “has introduced rules to the App Store that purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the expense of the user experience… essentially acting as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers.” EK also took issue with Apple requiring Spotify and other digital services to pay a 30% tax on purchases made through its payment system.”

 

NVIDIA is acquiring chipmaker Mellanox for $6.9 billion, in a deal expected to close by year’s end. There have been reports that Microsoft and Intel were also interested in the company. NVIDIA, which collaborated with Mellanox on building supercomputers for the U.S. Dept. of Energy,  said it is interested in Mellanox to “optimize datacenter-scale workloads across the entire computing, networking and storage stack to achieve higher performance, greater utilization and lower operating cost for customers.”

 

Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards

Featured Category: Distinguished Companies

 

In addition to honoring the contributions of outstanding women if every facet of the media industry, we’re also recognizing companies that support and encourage women to positions of prominence. These companies implement policies and programs thoughtfully crafted to create a culture of inclusion, diversity, equal opportunity and to amplify women’s voices at every level of the media landscape.

 

[ NOMINATE BY APRIL 16 ]

ADVERTISING

 

“Project OAR” (as in Open Addressable Ready) is a new consortium with the goal of putting together a technology platform and media partners capable of delivering targeted advertising in linear and on-demand on smart TVs – by 2020. Count in AMC Networks,Disney Media Networks, NBCUniversal, Discovery, CBS, AT&T, Xander, Turner and Hearst Television. Vizio’s Inscape will develop OAR’s enabling technology. “TV programmers reach a massive and passionate audience, but have lacked the precision targeting of digital,” said Mike Dean, SVP of advanced advertising and automation at CBS. “Through OAR, CBS will combine relevance with our reach to deliver a better experience to our viewers and better ROI for our advertisers.”

Facebook is phasing out its Ad Relevance Score, launched in 2015 to offer advertisers insight into ad performance. Instead of measuring relevance in one metric, the social media giant will introduce three more specific ad relevance diagnostic metrics. “We think this will offer reporting that’s more actionable for businesses,” said Facebook.

  

Drive-to-store platform  S4M is releasing a new ad format, the Pass-to-Store, offering advertisers a method to increase incremental in-store visits with smart proximity-based push notification retargeting. Shoppers download a card with a promotion or invitation offered by an advertiser, which is then saved to their mobile phone wallet. Then the Pass-to-Store ad can trigger a location-based notification to remind consumers of their available offer as they enter into a designated proximity of a store location or an event venue.

 

Ad intelligence and sales enablement platform  MediaRadar has introduced “RFP Predictor” to its suite of solutions. RFP Predictor reveals which brands will be reviewing proposals, to help ad sales teams anticipate the average 1,000+ RFPs issued per quarter. “One of the most frustrating things for any publisher is learning that you only have a few days to complete a lengthy RFP,” said  Todd Krizelman, CEO of  MediaRadar. “Our RFP Predictor solves this problem, empowering sales teams to be one step ahead.”

 

STREAM, BABY, STREAM

 

Disney’s upcoming streaming service, Disney+, will “enjoy early strong demand,” according to The Diffusion Group President Michael Greeson. “The amount of high-quality content being packed into the offering will make it not only appealing, but very sticky.” TDG research found half of U.S. adults will consider the service, while a quarter of them are moderately to highly likely to subscribe. Legacy pay-TV subscribers showed more interest than cord-nevers and cord-cutters.

 

Streaming service NBC News Now will launch in early May with eight hours of programming, announced NBC News President Noah Oppenheim. The free, ad-supported offering will include live updates every hour. “We will be doing original work that will be specific for the streaming service,” as well as drawing from the reporting on other NBC News properties like E! News and sports, said Oppenheim.

 

DirecTV Now is cutting its subscriber packages from five to two: DirecTV Now Plus, which offers 40+ channels for $50/month, and DirecTV Max, with 50+ channels for $70/month. Both options include HBO, but drop some cable entertainment channels. Existing customers can keep their packages for an increase of $10/month. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said in December that the company would be refining the offerings and raising the price.

 

[ FREE CYNOPSIS WEBINAR ]

 

Mobile Video: How to Create a User Experience that Drives Revenue

Tuesday, March 26 | 1:30-2:30PM ET

 

Well implemented video download can enhance the audience experience and in turn boost the bottom line — but only if it’s done correctly. Otherwise, it can cause more frustration for viewers. Reserve your team’s spot today!

 

View Speakers                              Learn More                                     Register your team

TOOL TIME

 

Google announced a suite of tools aimed at helping mobile game developers grow their business, and encompasses pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. Included are Ad Campaigns for App Engagement, to help brands find and retain users who have the app installed on their phone but have not been using it, and Smart Segmentation, which uses machine learning to segment players based on their likelihood to spend on an in-app purchase.

 

Twitter is rolling out a new camera feature that makes sharing photos and videos easier. Swipe left, and a camera allows users to snap a photo or take a looping video by tapping or holding a capture button, and tap a “live” button to broadcast a stream.

 

Funimation, the global anime content provider and a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television, licensed the Search, Recommendations and Insight modules of TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform. The use of PCD platform’s integrated reporting and analytics insights module enables Funimation to test, manage and fine tune search and recommendation performance in real time.

 

Univision’s Uforia and Napstar partnered to drive and discover ways to deliver audio across digital platforms. Through the deal, Uforia unveiled its enhanced and redesigned app “Powered by Napster.”  

 

Slomo.tv, producer of SSD-based video record and replay systems, is launching its second generation Fulcrum AT/12G 4K instant replay server. The new version offers broadcast production companies 10 channels in replay mode at 4K resolution and up to 16 channels in replay mode for 3G/HD/SD, with a compact 4K server system that enables advanced slow motion and instant replay capabilities as well as direct recording of NLE Native video files for editing on site. The automatic creation of clips during instant replays is a Slomo.tv proprietary feature, which allows the operator to quickly create highlights/summary packages while working in instant replay mode.

 

 

COMING SOON

 

Apple is expected to announce its magazine subscription service at a March 25 press event, possibly unveiling a TV streaming service to compete directly with Netflix and Hulu. Apple News Magazines will allow subscribers download and store publications for offline reading, and readers can receive pop-up notification when publishers post their latest issues.

 

DIRECTOR, LEGAL & BUSINESS AFFAIRS/TV One/NYC: As secondary mgr, you are responsible for providing business and legal support to all departments of TV On. Structure, negotiate and draft a variety of content acquisition agreements minimum of 7 years of television industry experience pref’d. Full info HERE (3/29)

PRODUCER, DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA/TV One/Silver Spring MD: Build promotional & original digital content to build the TV One digital brand.Dvlp/prod promotional content (incl articles, videos & any other media) to support our orig. 3+ yrs exp in building, managing, and growing a website for a medium/​large size org. Full info HERE (3/29)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, MEDIA BUYING & PLANNING/Spero Media/NYC: Organized, detail-oriented team player w/min 1yr of media buying/plan’g exp, interested in actively participating in media buying & plan’g/promotion for variety of sports/ent clients incl: US Open Tennis, NY Jets, Blue Man Group, NY Mets + Full info HERE (3/29)

DIRECTOR of MEDIA, SOCIAL & EMERGING/Ad Council/San Francisco: Manage daily responsibilities with existing social & digital media partners. 5+ yrs digital & traditional media/cross-platform sales experience with a track record of developing and executing successful strategic partnerships. Full info HERE (3/27)

DIGITAL ACCOUNT SPECIALIST /Discovery/NYC: Resp for all aspects of digital media plan’g & acts as key point of contact with ad agency and internal constituents Min 1+ yr professional exp/or equivalent internship exp preferably within the digital media, advertising sales/agency fields. Full info HERE (3/26)

DIGITAL PRODUCER /Spectrum News/NYC: Produce new & innovative content series for non-linear platforms. Proficiency at multi-tasking and must have the ability to prioritize, work independently and meet strict deadlines. 3+ yr TV new exp. Full info HERE (3/26)

DIRECTOR, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/GSN/Santa Monica: 2-4 yrs. w/law firm or TV exp. Member of CA bar or eligible for registration. Structuring, negotiating & closing a heavy volume of acquisition deals. Day-to-day legal support. Drafting & negotiating documents & agreements. Reviewing & approving advertising/marketing materials. Full info HERE (3/23)

ACCOUNT EXEC/SR ACCOUNT EXEC/starpower LLC/NYC: Provide support to the SVP, incl drafting/managing correspondence/communications, project mngmnt & coordinating special events. Strong passion for pop-culture/ent. Exp interacting w/brands & agencies. Strong orgnz’l skills. Dig & SM savvy. Full info HERE (3/23)

DIRECTOR, TALENT PARTNERSHIPS & INFLUENCER STRATEGY/starpower LLC/NYC: Acct Management Attend (and lead) regularly scheduled client conference calls, in person meetings. Mng relationships, timelines, budgets. 7-10 yrs in digital space w/proven exp delivering successful programs across channels. Full info HERE (3/23)

ANALYST, INFLUENCER MKTG GROUP/starpower LLC/LA: Identify potential social influencers (incl global) for a campaign based on client brief incl rsrch, leveraging tools & ntwrk. 1-2 yrs of social influencer & digital exp. Exp interacting w/brands, social influencer representation agencies, Full info HERE (3/23)

SALES PLANNER/TENNIS CHANNEL TV/NYC: Work closely with acct exec & pricing/planning team to maximize revenue. Handle daily acct maintenance for numerous advertisers. 2-4+ yrs brdcst cable exp. & ability to interact professionally w/all levels of personnel. Full info HERE (3/21)

DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR/Discovery Inc/NYC: Lead dvlment/execution/analysis of Motor Trend, GOLFTV & TV Everywhere paid acquisition campaigns that primarily run across SEM, paid social & programmatic.6+ yrs exp relevant field (dig media buying, performance media/mkt, DR). Digital media agency exp strongly pref’d. Full info HERE (3/21)

MEDIA STRATEGIST, PAID DIGITAL/Discovery Inc/NYC: Asst in dvlpmt of digital media plans that are strategic & data-driven, with the goal of efficiently acquiring subscribers/users to GOLFTV, Motor Trend, and Discovery's TV Everywhere platforms. 2+ yrs of paid digital media exp; media agency exp strongly pref’d. Full info HERE (3/21)

ANALYST, PROGRAM RESEARCH/CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ: Resp for reg reporting of TV aud metrics to internal stakeholders including Prgrmng/Scheduling, Mktg, Public Relations & Finance. 2+ yrs exp (includes internships) in audience research for a media company or advertising agency. Full info HERE (3/21)

 

MGR, MEDIA RESEARCH & STRATEGY/Spectrum Networks/NYC: Resp for providing support with Media Rsrch, Plan’g & Strategy functions within the Audience Insights Dept across traditional and digital media. 3-5 yrs of Media rsrch exp, agency, publisher and/or client side. Full info HERE (3/20)

AD SALES ACCOUNT EXEC/Crown Media Family Networks/LA: Sell Nat’l advertising time to established and prospective clients. Strong negotiation skills and presentation skills. Strong knowledge of Los Angeles mktplace. Established relationships with automotive and tech clients. BA/BS req & Min 2 yrs exp. Apply HERE (3/19)

DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT/MY Entertainment/NYC: Create unscripted content for broadcast, cable and OTT. 8 years of development and/or production of factual series, specials formats and documentaries. Full info HERE (3/19)

VP SYNDICATED SALES, Northeastern Region/Sony Pictures/NYC: Focus on selling programing to TV stations, building/maintaining strong customer relationships while also creating dvlpmnt strategy. Exc comm/interpersonal/negotiation skills are critical to achieving success in this role. 4+ yrs VP role or similar in ent; 5+ yrs of ent exp and knwldg in TV ind. Full info HERE (3/19)