01/06/20: Cynopsis Media Tech Update

January 6, 2020

The California Consumer Privacy Act is officially in effect. The state law requires companies to notify users about the data they are collecting, what their business purpose is for the information, and any third parties they share data with. Consumers can opt out of having their data monetized, and ask to have their personal data deleted. Following a six-month grace period, violations of the law will be fined. Which means 2020 will be another significant year for data privacy and the implementation of browser cookie tracking policies. Omar Abdala, Chief Data Scientist at Lotame, predicts two industry changes – what he calls Data Quality Against the Ropes, and Data Pricing Dust Up. “With more teams able to do predictive modeling on their own and so much third party data readily available, third party data will be forced to prove its veracity rather than to continue to purport to represent truth without any justification. Verification of data even beyond demographics will begin in earnest in 2020,” said Abdala. As for pricing, “The accelerating volume of data and greater tools available to evaluate which of that data truly impacts advertising will test the limits of a pure data CPM (cost per volume),” he predicts. “It will have to give way to something closer to CPQ (cost per data quality and volume), which will disincentivize the data stuffing the industry has suffered from.”

Apple heavily restricting consumer tracking options will “fundamentally change attribution as we know it,” says Iris Shoor, CEO/Founder of web analytics firm Oribi. “Keep in mind, over 193 million people in the US currently have an iPhone. Add in other privacy-focused browser changes from companies like Mozilla and Google and the problem is even more complicated,” Shoor notes. “While attribution is the key to understanding user flow and how to allocate budgets, the current methodology is broken. In 2020, we should expect to see and build different models and technologies for attribution.” (For more, go here.)

Verance announced the availability of video watermark technology as part of its Aspect platform. The Aspect video watermark brings enhanced capabilities to the Aspect audio watermark that has already been deployed by Fox, NBC and PBS. Both the audio and video watermarks support multiple standards and work in the ATSC 1.0 broadcast environment. Both watermarks allow the information required for DAI activation in a television set to pass through any distribution environment seamlessly, including over HDMI links and through existing distribution equipment and set-top boxes. Without watermarking, viewers receiving television service via cable, satellite and over-the-top distribution paths (over 80% of current U.S. households) will be unable to receive dynamically addressable advertising. “The pairing of Aspect audio and video watermarks provides our programming and ecosystem partners with an accelerated path to capture revenue from addressable advertising,” said Joe Winograd, EVP & Chief Technology Officer for Verance. “Together, they provide superior reach, reliability and performance capabilities, which is precisely why the ATSC and HbbTV standards include specifications for both watermarks.”

Instagram continues to refine its ecommerce strategy, including creating hashtags and curated feeds designed to spotlight particular product and service categories. The platform’s curated shopping account, @shop, has begun pushing astrology with #AstroWeek2020. @shop will feature small businesses in feeds and stories, with products being shoppable on Instagram.

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Startup TypingDNA closed on a $7 million Series A funding for AI-driven technology that can recognize people based on the way they type, according to an SEC filing discovered. TypingDNA cofounder and CEO Raul Popa told TechCrunch the company works with banks, financial and payment apps, online education platforms, government apps and more concerned with identity and fraud protection.

The facial recognition market will hit $9 billion by 2024, from $4.5 billion in 2018, according to a study by Mordor Intelligence. Smartphones with fingerprint sensors will drop from 94% to 90%, says Mordor, while technologies like 3D facial recognition will become standard.

Speaking of, TechFreedom is siding with Facebook on a ruling that allows Illinois residents to bring a class-action suit against the social media giant over its facial recognition technology. The court’s decision could “discourage innovative newcomers and dampen the relentless cycle by which past internet giants have seen their dominance disrupted,” said libertarian group TechFreedom in a friend-of-the-court brief filed Friday, supporting Facebook’s request that the Supreme Court intervene. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act requires companies to obtain a written release before collecting face mapping data; Facebook says charges should be dismissed since Illinois residents suffered no injury from the alleged violation.

Xumo has new enterprise deals in place with Sony and Panasonic. The company will build custom video streaming apps that will be integrated with both Sony and Panasonic smart TVs. Xumo already does something similar with LG Channels, an AVOD streaming service, offered on LG smart TVs. “As the leading free OTT service in the U.S., Xumo is eager to join forces and work through providing audiences their favorite streaming or local over-the-air channels through one intuitive experience,” said Xumo CEO Colin Petrie-Norris.

Nielsen announced Gracenote’s expansion into Europe positions it as the leading OTT guide provider in the world with coverage of more than 200 catalogs in 13 markets across North America, Europe, Latin America and APAC. Gracenote’s OTT guide offering is aimed at making video content searchable across multiple services, platforms and devices, allowing OTT services to elevate content visibility while enabling Smart TV makers and cable and satellite operators to increase ease of use. Gracenote IDs and metadata provide common links between TV series, seasons and episodes, as well as related TV and movie genres, celebrities, and other descriptive information. “While much of the focus in the ‘Streaming Wars’ conversation has been on the largest catalogs and original content, the winners will also understand how to successfully integrate with a diverse set of video platforms,” said Simon Adams, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote. “As this new generation of Video providers emerges, Gracenote is playing to its long-standing role providing the critical metadata, unique IDs and rich imagery that power killer user experiences and drive tune-in and engagement.”

Snap is launching Bitmoji TV, a full-motion cartoon series starring users’ customizable avatars and those of their friends, for Discover. The Snapchat Show page for Bitmoji TV says it will debut globally in February.

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