02/26/24: Cynopsis Media Tech Update

Monday February 26, 2024

It’s back to the drawing board for Google’s AI image generation feature, Gemini. After users complained that the tool, formerly known as Bard, was offering inaccurate historical pictures – like people of color wearing Word War II-era German military uniforms – Google said it was pausing image generation of people and would release a new version “soon.”

Video games, online games and subscription streaming services accounted for close to 30% of the $1 billion in ad spend in TikTok in 4Q24, according to MediaRadar. Overall spend on the social media app for the quarter was up 43% from 1Q23.

Apple has introduced a free sports app for the iPhone, offering real-time stats and the ability to tap through for live games on Apple TV. “We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want — an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Services. Apple Sports is available for free in the App Store.

BuzzFeed closed the sale of media company Complex to ecommerce platform Ntwrk for $108.6 million. Buzzfeed, which acquired Complex for $294 million in 2021, is retaining the First We Feast brand. Buzzfeed also announced a new round of layoffs will impact 16% of the workforce. “The sale of Complex represents an important strategic step for BuzzFeed Inc. as we adapt our business to be more profitable, more nimble and more innovative,” BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti said in a statement. “This is also an opportunity to unlock greater value for the Complex brand by combining it with Ntwrk’s expansive, commerce-driven business.”

IAB Tech Lab released Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2, available for public comment until March 23. “With the release of Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines v2.2, IAB Tech Lab reaffirms its commitment to adapting to the dynamic technology and practices in the podcasting industry,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO, IAB Tech Lab. “We urge the entire podcast ecosystem to review the guidelines and actively participate in the feedback process.”

Retail giant Walmart has agreed to buy Vizio in a deal valued at $2.3 billion that could further alter the advertising landscape. Vizio’s SmartCast Operating System has about 18 million active accounts and allows viewers to stream content for free with ads. It also has an ad arm – Platform + business – that accounts for most of its gross profits. “We believe Vizio’s customer-centric operating system provides great viewing experiences at attractive price points,” said Seth Dallaire, EVP and chief revenue officer, Walmart US. “We also believe it enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling. Our media business, Walmart Connect, is helping brands create meaningful connections with the millions of customers who shop with us each week. We believe the combination of these two businesses would be impactful as we redefine the intersection of retail and entertainment.”

Roku revenue beat analysts’ forecasts for 4Q23, hitting $984.4 million, up 14%, with a net loss of $78.3 million, down from $237.1 million the year prior. Roku reported it has over 80 million active accounts, an increase of 10 million for 2023. But the company expects about $370 million in total gross profit for the first quarter, below the $373.4 million expected by analysts. In a letter to shareholders, Roku said, “We remain mindful of near-term challenges in the macro environment and an uneven ad market recovery. While we will face difficult [year over year] growth rate comparisons in streaming services distribution and a challenging M&E environment for the rest of the year, we expect to maintain our Q4 2023 YoY Platform growth rates in Q1.” Shares of Roku dropped 23% on Friday.

Cynopsis Standouts

What do FanDuel, Los Angeles Times, Mindshare, NBCUniversal and Viamedia all have in common?

They have all been recognized for Q4 Cynopsis Standouts! Join us in celebrating the standout performers making waves in the industry!

VIEW FULL LIST OF STANDOUTS

ADVERTISING

Meta is testing a new machine learning-based recommendations feature that uses Instagram data to help brands determine which creators in which areas would be best suited for their campaign goals. Recommendations will note creator accounts that have strong engagement rates in a brand’s area of focus, mentioned the brand in previous posts or have a track record of effective work for a similar business.

Black-owned digital video network Culture Genesis announced a sales partnership with Pixability, which offers brand suitability and contextual targeting solutions for advertisers on YouTube. The partnership is the latest development in Pixablity’s recently announced Inclusive Media Initiative. “Major advertisers want premium partnerships with high-end multicultural creators and the ability to support creators at scale who may not yet be household names,” said Shaun Newsum, co-founder of Culture Genesis. “Our partnership with Pixability gives them both.”

MEASUREMENT

Comscore released an enhancement of its cross-platform audience measurement solution, Comscore Campaign Ratings. Comscore Campaign Ratings Local (CCR Local) gives advertisers access to deduplicated audience measurement at the local market level across linear, digital and social. The top 100 US local markets are now live in CCR Local, along with 29 additional selected markets, with full coverage of all local markets to follow. “Comscore has delivered a true cross-platform solution that measures audiences at the hyper-local level, enabling our clients to advertise nationally and optimize locally,” said Steve Bagdasarian, Comscore Chief Commercial Officer. “We’re building enterprise-level cross-platform measurement that offers advertisers the ability to seamlessly measure and optimize against their intended audiences with speed and accuracy, whether it is programmatically or directly, both nationally, or locally.” The Trade Desk will be the first demand-side platform to integrate CCR Local market reporting.

In-app, CTV, and DOOH advertising platform MobileFuse struck a strategic partnership with attention-based media quality measurement company Adelaide. MobileFuse conducted a supply audit across both its Mobile and CTV networks, leveraging Adelaide’s attention-based metric AU, which assesses any media placement’s probability of capturing attention and driving impact using a machine learning algorithm trained to proxy outcomes. “MobileFuse’s adoption of AU is a great example of how premium, high-impact publishers are using attention metrics to differentiate their products,” said Marc Guldimann, co-founder and CEO at Adelaide. “We’re excited to partner with them to increase the transparency of media quality and move the industry towards a more equitable marketplace.”

STREAMING

Total TV viewing hit a four-year high in January, with usage up 3.7% from December among P2+. January had nine of its highest-volume streaming days, including January 13, when Peacock’s streamed an NFL playoff game that scored 3.9 billion viewing minutes. YouTube maintained the largest share of any streaming platform for the 12th consecutive month, at 8.6%. Netflix remained in second place (7.9%), followed by Prime Video (2.8%) and Hulu (2.7%). Streaming accounted for a 36% share of viewing, up from 32.8% a year ago, while cable had a 27.9% share broadcast viewing had a 24.2%.

Fubo has sued to stop Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery from launching a planned sports streaming channel in the fall. Fubo, which offers a sports-first streaming package, filed suit in US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, and claims that the three companies wouldn’t allow Fubo to carry a small bundle of sports channels they plan to include in their new service. The three announced earlier in the month plans to combine content from Fox Sports, Disney’s ESPN and Warner’s TBS and TNT for the streaming channel. Fubo, which also said in the suit it was being charged above-market prices for sports channels from the three companies, is seeking to either stop the planned streaming sports service, or to impose restrictions on the parties – like economic parity of licensing terms and substantial damages – to proceed.

Nickelodeon’s learning platform for preschoolers, Noggin, is shutting down later this year. The team that runs the subscription service was let go as part of Paramount Global’s layoffs last week.

NBCUniversal’s digital movie service Vudu is being renamed Fandango at Home “in a few weeks,” according to an email sent to customers. “Fandango remains committed to super-serving fans with all their entertainment needs, and we are excited about the opportunities this rebranding brings to deliver a seamless and enjoyable service to our users,” said NBCU’s Cameron Douglas, SVP of OTT/Video Content Streaming, in a statement. Vudu launched with an internet set-top box in 2007, was acquired by Walmart in 2010, and purchased by NBCU-owned Fandango in 2020.

Spotify is launching AUX, an industry-first music agency aimed at helping brands use music in their campaigns and emerging artists reach new audiences. “Spotify is always looking for ways to leverage our music eco-system to deepen the connections between artists, brands, and fans,” said Jeremy Erlich, VP, Head of Music Content at Spotify. “AUX is a natural step for us to help brands strengthen their music strategy and better connect with new audiences through our expert insights and observations from our music team, tailored to meet brands’ needs.”

Amazon said it is not closing its ad-supported streaming service, Freevee, despite a report to the contrary in Adweek that suggested the recent introduction of advertising to Prime Video made Freevee redundant. “There are no changes to Freevee,” said a company spokesperson in a statement. “Amazon Freevee remains an important streaming offering providing both Prime and non-Prime customers thousands of hit movies, shows, and originals, all for free.”

“Oppenheimer” was the most-watched pay movie ever on Peacock, surpassing last year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The acclaimed film dropped on the streamer seven months after its theatrical release.

Crunchyroll has launched on LG smart TVs internationally. The anime app offers more than 18,000 hours, 46,000 episodes and films, and 3,300 Japanese music videos and concert specials.

TCLtv+, the streaming service offered by consumer electronics company, TCL, announced a new content deal with FOX that brings FOX Weather to the slate of FOX programming recently added to the TCLtv+ streaming app. Content is currently available on TCL Google TV and coming to other TCL Connected TVs in the US.

The Design Network, a lifestyle network featuring home and design programming, is now available on DirecTV. TDN was founded a decade ago by Jason Harris, the co-owner of home furnishings retailer, Furnitureland South.

Cynopsis Team

Robbie Caploe
VP/Group Publisher
[email protected]

Lynn Leahey
Editorial Director
[email protected]

Kerry Smith
Division President
Access Intelligence

Albert Nassour
Executive Director of Sales
917-545-3129
[email protected]

Stephanie Cronk
Senior Marketing Director
[email protected]

Cynopsis Job Listings Sales
Rob Hudgins

Cynopsis General Inquiries
[email protected]

CynopsisJobs
Check out more jobs in Cynopsis Classifieds »

Job of the day

MANAGER, CONSUMER MARKETING
TV One
SILVER SPRING, MD – HYBRID REMOTE
Contribute strategic thinking and new ideas to the building and development of consumers promotions and marketing campaigns and work on marketing strategies, in partnership with the internal research team and media agency, for programming initiatives to inform our understanding of the target audience. Full info HERE

MOTION GRAPHIC DESIGNER
TV One
SILVER SPRING, MD – HYBRID REMOTE
Conceptualize, develop, design and animate digital & social videos across various content verticals including entertainment, lifestyle, fashion/beauty and TV One Networks’ show extensions and develop designs for promo campaigns, original movies, and original and acquired series, original movies, and all network and branding initiatives. Full info HERE

PRODUCER/WRITER
TV One
SILVER SPRING, MD – HYBRID REMOTE
Responsible for writing, producing and supervising edit sessions for assigned on-air promos and cross department promotional initiatives and develop and execute ideas for image and brand campaigns. Manage shoots as necessary. Full info HERE

SR. PROJECT MANAGER
TV One
SILVER SPRING, MD – HYBRID REMOTE
Coordinate off-channel marketing and creative services projects, timing, administrative coordination, and processes to ensure that our projects are delivered on time, budget and produce the desired results. You will be the go-to person for everything involving a project’s organization, client communication, planning, and timeline. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, CUSTONER ACQUISITION
GOLDEN HIPPO
WOODLAND HILLS, CA (Hybrid)
Golden Hippo is hiring a Director, Customer Acquisition to be responsible for leading a direct response marketing team to test, optimize, and scale new product campaigns. This role will help to identify opportunities and the strategy for overall Customer Acquisition initiatives. Anticipated Salary Range is $131.6k – $175.5k + bonuses. Full info HERE

SR. YOUTUBE ADS SPECIALIST
GOLDEN HIPPO
REMOTE
Golden Hippo is hiring a Sr. YouTube Ads Specialist to lead YouTube media buying. This role is involved in the entire campaign cycle, including creating and testing new ads and targeting options, launching and overseeing campaigns, and scaling budgets while maintaining KPI’s. Anticipated Salary Range is $86.4k – $115.2k + bonuses. Full info HERE

FACEBOOK ADS SPECIALIST
GOLDEN HIPPO
REMOTE
Golden Hippo is hiring a Facebook Ads Specialist to manage Facebook ad campaigns and craft highly converting ad creatives. This role is involved in the entire campaign cycle, including creating and testing new ads and targeting options, launching and overseeing campaigns, and scaling budget. Anticipated Salary Range is $75.7k – $101k + bonuses. Full info HERE

SR. DIRECTOR, DISTRIBUTION COUNSEL
A+E NETWORKS
(Remote)
Partner with distribution attorneys/distribution team to achieve maximum value and rights from strategic deal development through drafting. Negotiate legal distribution deal terms and rights for the linear networks, TVE, VOD, OTT, SVOD, FAST and digital across all platforms. Min. 10 years relevant television/cable network legal distribution exp. Full info HERE

SVP-DIGITAL REVENUE DEVELOPMENT >>
NEXSTAR/IRVING, TX: Work collaboratively with the Broadcast Leadership Team to lead sales strategies across all stations, divisions, and platforms. The role will work with station leadership, the National Sales Organization, and directly with clients to drive optimal revenue opportunities for all of Nexstar’s digital channels. Full info HERE

CLIENT SOLUTIONS COORDINATOR
UP ENTERTAINMENT
NEW YORK, NY
Play a pivotal role in providing project management and administrative oversight for the UP & Aspire Client Solutions Ad Sales team as well as develope and execution of linear and digital sponsorships, ensuring all elements related to the sponsorships are coordinated, scheduled, and executed correctly. Full info HERE

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF AD SALES >>
HAYSTACK NEWS/NYNY, LA, CHICAGO: Responsible for developing large, meaningful partnerships to drive strategic and creative solutions for clients. You relish the opportunity to help advertisers build their brands by supporting the world’s most premium news publishers. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
INTERSECTION
LOS ANGELES, CA
Drive new revenue for our media around Los Angeles and beyond as well as building relationships with prospects and clients. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/NY(REMOTE/HYBRID): Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: required: BA Degree, Min 2 yrs DR Experience. Bilingual (English/Spanish) Wide Orbit Exp a +. Full info HERE

MEDIA COORDIATOR DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/NY(REMOTE/HYBRID): Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: required: BA Degree, Bilingual (English/Spanish) Wide Orbit Exp a +. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
INTERSECTION
SEATTLE, WA
Grow in billings, income, and experience on a team that continues to lead our industry. Take your career to the next level with a company that is transforming cities and delivering on our promises to our clients and to our long-standing Municipal and Transit Authority partners. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
INTERSECTION
PORTLAND, OR
Grow in billings, income, and experience on a team that continues to lead our industry. Take your career to the next level with a company that is transforming cities and delivering on our promises to our clients and to our long-standing Municipal and Transit Authority partners. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, AD SALES >>
FUSE MEDIA/NEW YORK, NY: Support the Ad Sales team by prospecting, selling and expanding the Company’s advertising revenue base. The candidate will have a strong media sales background with a network of industry clients and prospects as well as establish a book of business and exceed pre-established activity and sales quota utilizing CRM tools to document sales activity. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, EAST COAST ADVERTISING SALES
THE ALLEN MEDIA GROUP
NYC (Hybrid)
Responsible for coverage of assigned advertising agencies and clients specifically dedicated to representing AMG linear, digital and streaming platforms. Also grow and maintain existing clients as well as prospect and close new business. Work closely with clients and advertising holding companies ensuring AMG is a ‘must-buy’ for advertisers. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
TV ONE NETWORK
(Remote, Hybrid)
Communicate the value and brand strength of the Network to advertisers and agencies as well as create compelling presentations that convey the benefits and features of TV One programming and the TV One viewing audience. Full info HERE

COPY COORDINATOR
TV ONE NETWORK
(Remote, Hybrid)
Manage the delivery and arrival of commercial content working closely with Manager of Commercial Operations to resolve conflicting traffic instructions as well as oversee maintenance of E-faxes and storage of client files. Responsible for entering original account data and revisions into the traffic system. Full info HERE

AD SALES COORDINATOR
TV ONE NETWORK
(Remote, Hybrid)
Establish business relationships with agency counterparts and internal departments including: Pricing and planning, inventory management, marketing, traffic and billing, also fulfill advertiser allocations requests, ensure stewardship delivery in accordance to deal guarantees, send commercial airing times, and update clients of programming. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
FUTURE TODAY
CHICAGO
Represent Future Today, selling an expansive portfolio of O&O CTV apps, inclusive of HappyKids, Fawesome, The LEGO Channel, FilmRise, Blippi. 5+years selling linear/streaming/OLV exp req. Biz dev position inclusive of direct, pmp/pg. Solid relationships; agency & client. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
TV ONE
NYC, Hybrid, Remote
Communicate the value & brand strength of Urban One Networks to advertisers & agencies. Create compelling presentations that convey the benefits & features of our programming and the viewing audiences. Proactively keep clients informed of pertinent account and network information. Min. 4+ yrs national advertising sales or equivalent sales exp. Full info HERE

VP/HEAD OF ADVERTISING SALES
FREEBEE
FL/NYC Remote
Lead, manage, develop, and grow Ad Sales teams. Attract and retain the best talent. Work with leadership team to set, achieve, and grow revenue targets across OOH, Digital and Experiential. Instrumental in driving the team to exceed all expectations and goals. 15+ years’ experience in advertising, media, and relevant sales management roles. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
FREEBEE
MIAMI
Achieve revenue and growth targets across linear and digital. Identify and execute strategies which result in exceeding revenue targets. Develop and execute effective sales strategies that showcase as well as maximize overall revenues for the overarching National Sales division. 7-10 yrs exp. in advertising, media & relevant sales management roles. Full info HERE

SENIOR AUDIO/VIDEO PROMOTION PRODUCER >>
WHYY/PHILADELPHIA: Produce best-in-class promotional spots, accurately reflecting WHYY’s brand mission, from strategy through management approvals. Write killer scripts for audio and video to engage audiences. Organize promotional spot production schedule for video and audio spots needed for TV, FM, digital and social platforms. 10-15+ years’ experience. Full info HERE

DIGITAL DIRECTOR, NEWS >>
WHYY/PHILADELPHIA: Develop a cogent strategy for developing and publishing WHYY news content across social media and emerging digital platforms. Convey and create SEO, social media and digital best practices in concert with the digital staff with the focus of informing and developing the newsroom’s digital muscles. Five or more years of journalism experience. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TV
NYC
Represent FETV & FMC to media community via ongoing communications & relationship building. Maintain & develop strong working relationships w/both agencies & internal departments in support of sales efforts. Work w/sales management, pricing & planning to achieve quarterly revenue goals. 5+ yrs media sales exp. preferably in cable TV- agency exp. +. Full info HERE

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Proactively identify, research, and develop new opportunities for our family-friendly programming blocks on ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW, Telemundo, & other media & digital/social outlets. Support creation and present strategic, cross-media concepts to multiple stakeholder groups that meet our client’s business objectives. 8 + yrs of business dev. exp. Full info HERE

TV/VIDEO SPONSORSHIP-PRODUCT INTEGRATION SALES REPRESENTATIVE >>
GAME ON MEDIA SOLUTIONS/Remote: Game On Media Solutions is looking for an independent business development oriented sponsorship sales representative. Focus will be on TV/Streaming project opportunities for brands that include product integration and placement. This is an Independent Contractor performance compensated opening. Attractive fees can be earned for closed deals. Full info HERE

BRAND ASSISTANT >>
THE LEDE COMPANY/NYC: Full-service communication, strategy, and social impact consulting firm, specializing in corporate, brand, entertainment, and nonprofit sectors, is seeking a Brand Assistant to join the Brand team in our New York office. The Assistant will play an integral role in supporting accounts for a wide variety of Fashion, Beauty, CPG and Lifestyle clients. Full info HERE

TALENT ASSISTANT >>
THE LEDE COMPANY/LA: Full-service strategy, communications and social impact consulting firm, specializing in corporate, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. We are looking for a Talent Assistant to a Talent Publicist in Los Angeles. We are seeking enthusiastic candidates who can work in a fast-paced environment, are driven & have strong communication and writing skills. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR NATIONAL POLITICAL SHOW >>
BAHAKEL COMMUNICATIONS/CHARLOTTE NC: Develop and oversee the production of a daily or weekly national political show that covers the most important political news and events of the day. Develop and execute strategies to increase the show’s audience and engagement. At least 5 years of experience as an executive producer for a political show or similar program. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT >>
BAHAKEL COMMUNICATIONS/CHARLOTTE NC: Oversee all editorial and entertainment content, news production and presentation. Responsible for day-to-day operations of the show: producing, writing, and guiding creative. Develop content for the News @ TEN, plan, assign and create production schedules. 7 years of experience as executive producer or show producer. Network experience preferred. Full info HERE