The Federal Communications Commission is proceeding with a proposal to require telecoms to notify consumers, federal law-enforcement agencies and the FCC about all data breaches. “This new proceeding will take a much-needed, fresh look at our data breach reporting rules to better protect consumers, increase security, and reduce the impact of future breaches,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Friday of the rules, which were last updated in 2007.

YouTube is testing suggesting relevant hashtags that creators can add to their Shorts during the uploading process, to help boost viewership. The suggested hashtags will be based primarily on the content creators have previously uploaded. A small number of Shorts creators in the US will be included in the initial test.

TikTok is licensing data from film and IMDb for a new feature enabling users to easily tag TV shows and movies in their uploads, with links to IMDb for more info. Viewers will have the option to click the link and discover cast notes and release dates in another IMDb-powered page, as well as other TikTok videos that have tagged the same movie or show.

Pinterest has partnered with LiveRamp to implement data clean rooms for selected Pinterest ad partners, enabling brands to utilize their first-party data for ad targeting while keeping it private. “Pinterest’s integration with LiveRamp provides a protected, third-party space where brands like Albertsons can join their first-party data and Pinterest platform data in a secure environment,” said Pinterest. “The clean room keeps data private, and provides aggregated insight into ad performance. Because the neutral clean room environment offers advanced privacy controls, neither party’s personally identifiable sales and campaign data is visible to the other party.”

European Union regulators ruled that Meta illegally forced users to accept personalized ads, fining the company $414 million. The decision follows the enactment of EU’s data privacy law in 2018, which restricts the ability of companies from collecting information about users without their consent. Meta was given three months to outline how it will comply with the ruling.

Amazon plans to lay off 18,000 employees, revealed CEO Andy Jassy in a message to staff that cited the uncertain economy. “We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted,” wrote Jassy. “However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me.” Impacted employees are expected to be informed starting January 18. The majority of eliminations will be in Amazon Stores and PXT organizations. Amazon also secured an $8 billion loan, according to a filing with the SEC, to hedge against the economy.

Also implementing layoffs is video hosting platform Vimeo, which is cutting its staff by 11%. “This was a very hard decision that impacts each of us deeply,” wrote CEO Anjali Sud in a blog post. “It is also the right thing to do to enable Vimeo to be a more focused and successful company, operating with the necessary discipline in an uncertain economic environment.” The company eliminated 6% of its jobs back in July.

Xumo, a streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter, and Element Electronics are launching a new line of 4K Ultra HD smart TVs in 2023. The new Element Xumo TVs will offer consumers an affordable and innovative smart TV with an integrated interface and voice remote. “Element and Xumo share a common vision of delivering consumers premium, innovative entertainment experiences at a tremendous value,” said Marcien Jenckes, President, Xumo. “With the addition of Element to the lineup of Xumo-powered streaming devices and smart TVs later this year, we will provide consumers across the country another great, affordable way to enjoy all their favorite entertainment.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group has completed a live, in-vehicle, demonstration of the practical application of NextGen Broadcast automotive services. The demon showcased the synergy between NextGen Broadcast and 5G, highlighting in-vehicle video entertainment with enhanced geo-targeting capabilities, including location based targeted ad insertions. The live feed was delivered directly to the vehicle, a Hyundai Palisade, through ATSC 3.0-enabled spectrum from WIAV, Sinclair’s local broadcast station in Washington, DC. and SK Telecom’s Media Edge Platform.

Google has developed a free moderation tool for smaller websites, using technology intended to identify and remove material related to terrorism. Google’s business unit, Jigsaw, and with the UN-backed initiative Tech Against Terrorism, which helps tech companies police online terrorism, were involved in the project.

Banning TikTok is a “natural next step in our efforts to secure communication networks,” FCC commissioner Brendan Carr told India’s Economic Times. Carr explained that his concern is that China could use data from the app for the purposes of “blackmail, espionage, foreign influence campaigns and surveillance.” Carr’s preaching to the choir – India banned TikTok in 2020.

Meta has acquired Netherlands-based Luxexcel. The smart eyewear company, founded in 2009 as a prescription lens manufacturer, has since moved on to the metaverse with AR products, and is expected to help Meta achieve its goal of building AR glasses.

Nextologies Limited, specializing in full-time video delivery to cable and streaming platforms, is expanding its remote production division with the acquisition of the businesses of The Video Call Center. The new division will retain the VCC brand and continue serving its entire client portfolio.

Flowics, creator a cloud-native platform for powering remote and in-studio production of live graphics and interactive content, announced an update to its HTML5-based broadcast graphics solution, Flowics Graphics, with a revitalized control interface. Available now in the form of a public beta version for all clients, the final release for the improved graphics control interface is scheduled for later this month. One of the key capabilities of the updated platform is Rundown Control, offering graphics operators the ability to sort, rename, duplicate, and create multiple instances of overlays based on the graphics templates available without loading all the existing overlays on a given package.

Amino has struck a long-term partnership with Xperi to support its operator customers on the TiVo Managed IPTV Service (formerly MobiTV). Amino has integrated its certified Android TV operator tier set-top box with the TiVo service to offer a managed device alternative and support for its North American customers.

Seen at CES: Among the highlights in Las Vegas last week were a flying car from Aska. With FAA approval possibly happening within weeks, the company is taking preorders for the vehicle. Price tag: $789,000….Candela’s $390,000 C8 EV fully electric boat skims above the water, is made from carbon fiber, and can stick to a set course….Sony and Honda are partnering for a new EV called Afeela. Deliveries of the sedan in North America are expected to start in spring of 2026… The Yoga Book 9i from Lenova features two screens and multiple configuration options, with an origami-style stand and active pen….LG unveiled a wireless version of its 97-inch TV, the biggest OLED TV in the world. LG will also release its wireless OLED, called the M3 series, in 83- and 77-inch sizes.

Esports Business Summit

Ready? Break!

Do you have your game plan for 2023? Join industry leaders for an elite, three-day experience of networking, thought-leadership discussion, and outright fun on a level like never before. With new revamped content, speakers, and an agenda that delivers, you can’t miss this year’s EBS.

REGISTER NOW

ADVERTISING

Ampersand has launched addressable automation for buyers. Fueled by aggregated data, the standardization proposes to streamline workflow between buyers and sellers, and increase the speed of execution for addressable TV inventory across the company’s supply partners, including Charter Communications, Comcast and Verizon.

Eighty-six percent of advertisers say addressable played an essential role in 2022 Upfront negotiations, according to a report from DirecTV on the rise of addressable. Other findings include:
· 64% of respondents say economic conditions will have the greatest impact on media spending over the next two years
· 55% say inconsistent measurement and lack of reliable third-party measurement validation will impact their media spending over the next two years
· 80% of advertisers are satisfied with results from their addressable TV initiatives
· 83% say buying addressable has increased their ability to meet campaign objectives
“Addressable offers the best of TV and digital across screens and services,” says the report. “Distributors like DirecTV, programmers like Paramount, and digital video suppliers like YouTube all made it possible for advertisers to reach audiences whenever and wherever they are watching across linear and CTV.”

Ad spend on Twitter fell almost 50% year-over-year in November, after Elon Musk acquired the company, according to Standard Media Index. Spend that had previously been prebooked for Twitter was pulled back out in November, mainly from commitments that were meant to run in November and December 2022. For November, those dollars pulled back out amounted to almost 31% of the total dollars that came in for Twitter in November.

Speaking of, Fidelity funds cut the value of their Twitter stake by 56%, to $8.63 million as of November. Fidelity was one of the outside investors that helped Elon Musk finance the $44 billion takeover of Twitter. While economic trends that have slammed tech stocks are partly to blame, Musk’s chaotic reign and advertiser flight has contributed to the steep drop.

MEASUREMENT

Warner Bros. Discovery has enlisted VideoAmp to “better represent its audiences for advertisers looking to transact on linear, streaming video and large digital and social media services through a unified, cross-platform currency.” VideoAmp uses smart TV automatic content recognition data to deduplicate audience reach and frequency across streaming and linear channels.

Nielsen ONE Ads will roll out on January 11. The new system for measuring campaigns, allowing advertisers and publishers to transact on a standard set of metrics, will feature an Alpha version, measuring how many people consume content across various platforms and devices. Noted SVP of Product Management Kim Gilberti, “Whether you’re a publisher, whether you’re an advertiser, whether you’re a brand, you really need to be able to understand your audience across all these different sources in a way that’s truly comparable.”

DoubleVerify has won accreditation from Media Ratings Council for DV Authentic Attention. The attention-based advertising analytics and performance product includes an engagement index, which analyzes user-initiated events that happen while a creative ad is displayed; an exposure index, which evaluates an ad’s presentation, quantifying intensity and prominence; and attention benchmarks that allow advertisers to understand, measure and optimize campaigns against others in the industry.

STREAMING

Roku has passed 70 million accounts globally in 2022, up from 60.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to preliminary data from the company. Streaming hours hit 23.9 billion in 4Q22. “Roku is laser-focused on delivering affordable, easy-to-use products and an operating system that makes streaming accessible to all,” said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood in a release announcing the numbers. “We look forward to continuing to bring innovative and delightful experiences to more and more viewers this year.” Roku also announced the launch of Roku Select and Roku Plus Series televisions, the first to be designed and made by Roku.

Kartoon Channel is flying high. In addition to Genius Brands International expanding distribution of a dedicated application and channel on the Vizio Smart TV platform, the company has partnered with Spafax Inflight Entertainment to add British Airways, Qatar Airways and International Airline Group’s partner airlines, Aer Lingus and Iberia, to in-air offerings.

Paramount+ and Delta have struck an exclusive partnership to bring the streamer to Delta SkyMiles Members. Starting this spring, Delta loyalty members on planes originating in the US will have access to a free trial of the Paramount+ Premium service.

Amazon consolidated Prime Video, MGM+ and FreeVee under one unit. Andrew Bennett will lead the latest revamp as VP and head of global video partnerships, further enabling the company to leverage the streaming services across device partners.

Cynopsis Team