CYNOPSISDIGITAL
05.19.16 Good morning. It’s Thursday May 19, 2016, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.
Device-agnostic: Device-agnosticism refers to the capacity of a computing component to work with various systems without the need for special adaptations. A device-agnostic mobile app, for instance, would be compatible with most operating systems, and might also work on different types of devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.).
TOP NEWS
Netflix has a message for you, and it goes something like this: “If you have a streaming issue, it’s not our doing.” The streaming giant has launched Fast.com, a website with exactly one function: measuring how fast users’ Internet download speeds are. Bottom line: if your stream is faltering, and it’s your broadband provider’s fault, Netflix wants you to know it. Now you can.
Google has taken its next step to move past the Cardboard. The company released a spec sheet (you can see it here) for a new VR headset. Like the Cardboard and the Samsung Gear VR, it will be powered by a mobile device (Android only, naturally). The headset will come equipped with a small remote control, which will feature sensors, buttons, and a touch-sensitive trackpad. Instead of selling the headset directly, Google will make its designs available to hardware developers.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
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The NewFronts have passed, but the Upfronts are ongoing, and they’ve still got some New in them. At Turner’s presentation at NYC’s Madison Square Garden, the company announced a handful of digital developments: For one, Turner has announced that it will be launching apps for its various networks on Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire, and Roku. And Team Coco, the digital-and-social team of TBS late-night host Conan O’Brien, will create Team Coco Digital Studios, a new unit that Turner says will collaborate with brands on original, social-first content.
Turner also broke some new ground, becoming the first company to extol the virtues of eSports at a broadcast TV Upfront. That’s because ELeague, the eSports venture that Turner spearheaded in partnership WME|IMG, is slated to launch on TBS and digital platforms next week.
“Five years ago, maybe even less, we were talking about the linear pillars we have, and what digital extensions, what alternative experiences we could build,” Craig Barry, EVP and Chief Content Officer of Turner Sports, told Cynopsis Digital in an on-site interview. “ESports is basically a one-eighty flip on that. It’s, ‘Okay, people are consuming all of this on digital platforms, the community mainly interacts on those platforms, now there’s a linear platform in TBS that’s a support pillar for the digital platform.’” Barry pointed out that the amount of planned digital ELeague content – 30 hours a week – is significantly greater than what will appear on TBS each week. “[Linear is] a point of entry for a casual fan,” he said.
Still, Turner largely followed in the footsteps of some other Upfront-ers that presented this week, punching back at the companies that championed the reach of digital content during the NewFronts. Turner’s argument was familiar, and it went like this: Unlike TV (or, for that matter, Turner’s own digital platforms), many digital outlets employ misleading metrics that inflate viewership. (“[I]n our world, a view is at least thirty seconds, not three,” said Donna Speciale, President of Turner Ad Sales, during her presentation.)
But the fact remains that Turner, like every other company looking to the future, is expanding its digital footprint. During the presentation, comedian Billy Eichner, who hosts truTV’s Billy On the Street, articulated things well, saying he’d “struggled for 10 years making videos on YouTube, before finally getting a TV show which people watch on YouTube.” (He also joked that, while television isn’t dead, “it has about three years to live.”)
So it’s a fine line to walk: How can a company actively downplay the reach of digital media, while championing its own digital media efforts?
“What they’re saying at the NewFronts is true: The truth is, you need to be on digital distribution outlets to create access to certain eyeballs,” Kevin Reilly, President of TBS and TNT and Chief Creative Officer for Turner Entertainment, told Cynopsis Digital. “I mean, you can see the impact it’s had on, say, Comedy Central. Amy Schumer, Key and Peele, people love them – but they love them on their phone, not on TV. My kids never missed Key and Peele, and they never once tuned in on the air. So it’s a conundrum. With Conan right now, we’re spending a lot of time saying, ‘Okay, his digital audience has exploded, how do we then compact that into our vision of the future, which is that television is a kind of tentpole?’ Because I do believe what everyone said here today, even the guys who started on YouTube: You’re not someone, you’re not premium, you’re not meaningful today and in this universe, until you’ve been on television. Even eSports – that’s a community that could reject this overnight, and they’re saying, ‘This is good for us, this is legitimacy, this is meaningful.’” Reilly likened Turner’s digital ambitions to an effort to successfully create online “tentacles,” which branch off from the company’s linear content. “The profile of our business will look very different in the next 12-24 months,” he said “But, thank god, this year, a lot of advertisers are recognizing they need to be in TV. But it’s a very complex marketplace.” “A lot of clients who moved [to digital],” he went on, “are going to keep their money there. And money’s going to continue to drift in that direction. But a lot of clients have found they moved too quick, and they didn’t get the results. People aren’t putting money in television as a hobby. It’s business.”
The Good Wife may have concluded, but don’t say goodbye just yet. At the CBS Upfront, President and CEO Les Moonves confirmed a new series order for an upcoming Good Wife spinoff. The new series, which will center on Christine Baranski’s Diane Lockhart, will be available exclusively on the CBS All Access streaming service.
At this week’s “Datafront” event, Viacom announced Vantage Intent Powered by Amex, an ad-targeting product slated to launch in partnership American Express. In general, the company took the opportunity to tout the work being done by Viacom Vantage, the data-driven ad unit the company launched last year. Viacom’s data operations, its executives argued, enable the company to do something crucial: Break down people’s most basic prototypical conceptions of large groups, and precisely target specific segments of the population without overlooking anyone. For example, the company cited statistics demonstrating that, contrary to the perceptions of most media professional, huge numbers of college-going Americans went to non-competitive schools, didn’t live in dorms, and pursued diplomas other than Bachelor’s degrees.
Viacom’s message was clear: Advertisers, network execs, and other media professionals – like any other subset of humanity – let their personal pre-conceptions color the way they go about their business. And as a result, their campaigns run the risk of overlooking vast swaths American consumers. Kodi Foster, Viacom’s VP Data of Strategy, shared his thoughts with Cynopsis Digital in an on-site interview. “If you’re trying to get down to a smarter, more thoughtful way of activating the people most relevant to your product or brand, and you ask yourself, ‘How do you do that in a way that’s authentic?’ Well, then I think that’s where we have to go beyond just, ‘Millennials are all like this, and Gen Xers are all like that, and Baby Boomers are all like this,’” he said. “And I think that’s something that needs to infiltrate not just the data science side of what we do in the industry as a whole, but really it has to start from a whole philosophical shift.” And as for a media establishment that overlooks segments of American consumers who don’t fit into the preconceived notions of media professionals? “Trust me – those [consumers] are aware of it,” said Foster. “And what they end up doing – and this is just my POV on the subject – is they become adversarial to what we in the industry are doing. How would you feel about someone who’s constantly ignoring you?”
The digital video advertising company YuMe announced a partnership with Integral Ad Science, the company focused on brand protection, ad verification and viewability data in digital advertising. Under the new partnership, YuMe for Advertisers, the company’s programmatic video advertising platform, will integrate IAS’s Bid Expert, which features suspicious activity detection technology. YuMe says the integration will allow YuMe buyers to collect page, user and delivery channel information in order to detect suspicious traffic.
Advertising Age has a fascinating report on ESPN, which has been getting significant lifts in viewership from out-of-home viewing (think sports bars) according to Nielsen data. You can check out the article here.
Speaking of out-of-home: If you’re not up-to-date on the latest in OOH, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to effectively market to consumers. This Tuesday, May 24, hear from Starz, Kinetic Worldwide, Boingo and Billups on how to craft attention-grabbing cross-platform OOH marketing campaigns. You can register for the newest Cynopsis Digital Webinar here: http://www.cynopsis.com/?p=59401
The Amazon Echo has just met its stiffest competition. A the Google I/O Developer Conference, Google announced the Google Home, a smart loudspeaker that can be used to control devices and ask Google for information. Among other features, the device comes with Google Cast support, making it compatible with audio apps such as Spotify and Pandora.
Comcast lead a $3 million funding round in Spaces, a virtual reality startup focused on developing VR and mixed-reality experiences. Spaces was founded by Shiraz Akmal (CEO) and Brad Herman (CTO), who formerly worked to develop VR experiences at DreamWorks Animation. Other investors in the round included Boost VC, Canyon Creek Capital, Colopl VR Fund, and others.
PROGRAMMING + CONTENT ACQUISITIONS
The Anglophile-friendly streaming service Acorn TV announced four new acquisitions. Series 3 and 4 of the detective series Suspects debuts June 6; the biopic Cilia debuts June 13; series one of the comedy Raised by Wolves debuts June 20; and series 2 of the comedy Very British Problems debuts June 27.
Were you unable to meet yesterdays deadline for the Cynopsis Kids !magination Awards? Don’t worry, we have a late deadline of May 25! Choose from over 50 categories and complete your entry today.
The digital production company New Form Digital has made some new hires. Sarah Malkin, most recently of Maker Studios, will serve as Vice President, Head of Programming. Jodi Flicker, previously an Executive Marketing Consultant for Warner Bros., will serve as Vice President, Head of Marketing. And Jessica Kantor, most recently Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Legendary, will serve as General Counsel.
PushSpring, an app-based mobile audience targeting platform, has made a new hire. Darren Van Norman will now serve as Director of Product, a newly created position. He has previsously held positions at Dimension4 and aQuantive.
The mobile programmatic DSP CrossInstall has named Anuj Kucheria is its new VP of Business Development. Kucheria most recently served as Head of Advertising Sales, Americas at Chartboost.
Conan O’Brien recently made a guest appearance on the Korean drama One More Happy Ending. The series then made its Western debut on what streaming service? You can find the answer in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Yesterday’s trivia question: The digital media company Fullscreen Media owns a production company known for titles such as RWBY, Red vs. Blue, and Lazer Team. What’s it called? Answer: Rooster Teeth.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
HOW SHOULD YOU LEVERAGE IT? Join Cynopsis on Tuesday, May 24 for an Out-of-Home Marketing webinar to learn how to craft cross-platform marketing campaigns that combine OOH and digital to drive awareness, tune-in, and social amplification.
Featured speakers include Dawn Callahan, CMO for Boingo Wireless; Alison Hoffman, EVP of Marketing for Starz Entertainment; David Krupp, CEO of Kinetic North America; and Rick Robinson, COO for Billups.
At its Upfront, CBS released a first look teaser for its upcoming Star Trek series helmed by showrunner Bryan Fuller (NBC’s Hannibal). The show’s premiere will debut linearly in 2017 – but the series will move to the CBS All Access streaming service for all subsequent episodes. You can check out the teaser here.
See you tomorrow,
David Teich
05.19.16
Roberta Caploe: Publisher @robertacaploe
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JOB OPENING: MARKETING MGR/truTV/NYC: Identify, plan & execute lrg-scale truTV events & targeted client events. Dvlp innovative creative campaigns for priority shows to drive awareness. 5+ yrs mktg exp BA deg req’d. Temp position Jul-Nov 2016. Resume to: [email protected] (5/26)
JOB OPENING: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST/Michael Page/NYC: Entry-level sales role for ambitious, driven & passionate sales professionals that are career-minded to join global, publicly traded co. BA Degree req’d. 0-3 yrs of Sales/Mktg exp. Uncapped earning potential. Resumes HERE (5/26)
JOB OPENING: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/BUSINESS ANALYST-VIDEO/McClatchy/DC: Work closely w/Dir of Video Business Ops to mng third party partner relationships & optimize rev opportunities. Bus Deg pref’d Min 3 yrs digital and/or media bus. exp. Full info/apply HERE (5/26)
JOB OPENING: MANAGER, CONSUMER MARKETING (FREELANCE)/VH1 & LOGO/NYC: Manage planning & execution of all media plans for programming & brand initiatives. 3-5 years television marketing exp. Media agency & Dig. Mtkg exp, preferred. Full info/apply HERE (5/26)
JOB OPENING: MANAGER, CONSUMER INSIGHTS & RESEARCH/NFL/NY: Mng mkt, audience, fan, & media research info for all divisions w/in the co. Analyze & interpret data for NFL ratings & media perf. Identify fan behv/media usge @ all lvls. 3-5 yrs rsrch exp.More info/apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: FREELANCE DIGITAL ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/HBO/NYC: Support dig content/mktg for HBO Sports Orig Programming. Execute strgy, adhere to publishing process, scope dvlmt, proj mgmt, status reprting. 2+ yrs web/mobile/tablet exp. Apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASST/FUSE Media/NY: Recent grad w/previous ad sales/adv internship exp. to asst ad sales dept. Strong Excel & multi-tasking a +. Good comm, interpersonal & organzt’l skills. Full info/Apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: SR. DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AD SALES/Fuse Media/NY: Leader for WC Digital Sales role, TV, Digital, Mobile, Bus. Dev. 8+ yr media exp in TV, advertising. Full info/Apply HERE http://www.fuse.tv/ (5/25)
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL SALES PLANNER/NBCU/LA: Digital Sales Planner w/Entertainment group to build & implement campaigns, handle client services & partner closely w/AEs. 2+ yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: SR SOFTWARE ENGINEER, BIG DATA SYSTEMS/AppNexus/NYC: Optimize software to utilize Hadoop, HBase, and Vertica resources efficiently, ensuring data consistency and accuracy across geos. Full info/apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER, AD SERVING/TubeMogul/Emeryville CA: 5+ yr’s experience in Java or other OOP languages like C++ and Scala. Full info/apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: SENIOR MANAGER, AD OPERATIONS/Yume/Redwood City CA: Manage, mentor, and nurture YuMe’s global Ad Operations team. Full info/apply HERE (5/25)
JOB OPENING: DIGITAL ANALYST/Warner Bros/LA: Exp’d digital analytics rock star to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s newly launched Ellen Digital Ventures. Serve as go to person resp for analytics & insights across The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s dig. properties. 2 yrs dig. analytics exp. Resume to: [email protected] (5/24)
JOB OPENING: SALES OPERATIONS ANALYST/AT&T AdWorks/NYC: Ad Sales exp a must!! Support users of the DealMaker sales system. Create system test plans, conduct system testing, & monitoring vendor release schedules. Liaison w/Sales Planning, Finance, Traffic, Rsrch & IT teams as necessary. http://attlinks.com/1TKyi2G (5/24)
JOB OPENING: DIR, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & CONTENT ACQUISITION/AT&T Ent Group/El Segundo: Negotiate prgrm acquisition deals for Orig Content team. Partner w/sr leaders to est/execute bus. strategy. Must be able to monetize our content thru dist partners. Represent the Aud Ntwk to TV comm. Full info/apply HERE (5/24)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SALES OPS/NBC/NYC: Lead team of Mgrs & Campaign Sp. Resp for setup, traffic & opt of ad sales campaigns across apps, websites, mobile, set-top box, & emerging platforms. 7+ yrs Ad Ops exp; ad serving/ad tech exp req w/strong background in digital video. Full info/apply HERE (5/24)
JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST/NBCU/East Coast: Work closely with VP, PR to manage internal/external communications and press efforts for Business News. Minimum 3 years of Public Relations experience. Full info/apply HERE (5/21)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR-PUBLICITY/TLC/LA: Talented PR professional to create buzz for TLC’s relatable real-life prgrmming. Create/implement publicity campaigns for series/specials, execute nat’l, local mkt & trade branding/comms initiatives. Work closely across depts & serve as LA Comms lead. 7 yrs exp. Full info/apply HERE (5/21)
JOB OPENING: SALES MANAGER/Inside Sales Radio: Resp ad sales, mgmt ad inv, client rel. FT Work-from-home reports to PUB/GM. 3-5 yrs ad sales prof radio sales/digital media. Radio sales/mgmt exp pref’d. Proven ability to meet and exceed sales quotas. Resume HERE (5/20)
JOB OPENING: DIR, INTEGRATED SALES MKTG/ION/NYC: Provide mktg support for the Network Sales Team to help achieve addit’l rev. Mng the RFP process by coord/brainstorming meetings. Min 5 yrs mktg exp. Exc written/verbal skills & sense of urgency. Full info/apply HERE [email protected] (5/20)
JOB OPENING: SR WEB DEVELOPER/AMC Networks/NYC: 5+ yrs exp building within a LAMP stack env and proficient with PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript libraries/frameworks. Exp w/API & SDK development is a big plus. Exp with Angular, Backbone, and React is also a plus. Full info/apply HERE (5/20)
JOB OPENING: SR STRATEGY MARKETING MGR/USATODAY NETWORK/NY: Seeking a talented, creative Sr Strat Marketing Manager. Must have 8-10 years of experience in digital marketing ideally with advertising agency experience. Please send resumes to Sydney Murphy at [email protected] (5/20)
JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/History/NY: Manage the development of unscripted series & specials; oversee current series. 5+ yrs exp as a developer/show runner at a cable/brdcst network. A think out of the box type. Apply HERE (5/20)
JOB OPENING: MGR, PUBLICITY/History/NY: Responsible for the development & implementation of PR strategies & campaigns. 5+ yrs exp in TV/entertainment publicity on non-fiction prgmng. Apply HERE (5/20)
JOB OPENING: MANAGER, GROWTH STRATEGY/Telemundo/Southeast FL: The purpose of this position is to grow & diversify the revenue streams of Telemundo Enterprises. Maximize the revenue capability. Self-starter, ability to mng projects in a timely manner. 5-7 yrs Media exp. Full info/apply HERE (5/20)
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