Spotify’s Max Cutler is exiting his role as VP, Head of Talk Creator Content & Partnerships to form a start-up venture. “I’m excited to return to my entrepreneurial roots and build once again,” Cutler tweeted. Julie McNamara, Head of Global Podcast Studios, will oversee licensed podcast exclusives.

In more Spotify news, the company has launched an AI DJ. The feature will deliver a curated selection of music with AI-powered commentary, with a voice based on Spotify’s Xavier “X” Jernigan (“The Get Up”).

Snapchat is launching a feature that enables users to find Sounds to complement a Lens, along with a feature that lets users create montage videos that are in rhythm to the beat of audio tracks from the Sounds library. “By expanding the Sounds experience, Snapchat is making it easier and faster for Snapchatters to discover and share the music they love with friends,” said Manny Adler, Snap’s Head of Music Strategy. “Snapchat has also created a unique opportunity for artists to reach a valuable and engaged audience, while then also leading fans to listen to the full song on streaming services.”

Personalized news reader Artifact has launched to the public, no waitlist or phone number required. The app from Instagram creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger had previously been invite-only.

Blueshift, the AI platform for cross-channel customer engagement, announced the launch of GenAI for Personalization, a capability through its integration with OpenAI. “GenAI for Personalization will empower a new generation of marketers to become data artists, creating content with AI and data to drive unparalleled engagement,” said Manyam Mallela, Co-Founder and Chief AI Officer at Blueshift.

The average global family has 6.1 devices, according to an international study from Kids Industries. The average child owns 3.1 devices, and the average number of TV subscriptions is 5.1. Which may not be a good thing. “There is a risk associated with this,” said Gary Pope, CEO and Co-Founder at KI. “Too much choice, delivered too quickly at too low a quality will struggle to build a supportive and invested fanbase – a community that will invest in merchandise, experiences and more.”

TransUnion is rebranding its global lines of business solutions. Rolling out first in the U.S., the enterprise initiative organizes existing B2B products into seven solution lines, defined by business need. “TransUnion’s rebrand clarifies our product offerings and better demonstrates our expertise in both our heritage and new markets, while also making it easier for customers to find what they need,” said Chris Cartwright, President and CEO of TransUnion. “It’s the next logical step in the company’s evolution.”

Web3 social media platform DSCVR has integrated Bitcoin into its platform, including the ability to drop, transact, and tip with Bitcoin. This integration is made possible through DSCVR’s use of ICP, a cloud infrastructure and blockchain, which runs a Bitcoin node.

Data clean room software company Habu has struck a partnership with Databricks that brings native integration to each company’s platform. The collaboration harnesses Habu’s multi-cloud data clean room orchestration capabilities within the Databricks Lakehouse enabling companies to make business decisions more quickly and at scale.

Data analytics solutions company Ocient announced 171% year-over-year growth. “We’re at the beginning of a paradigm shift driven by data-intensive applications, AI and machine learning, and the continuing digital transformation of entire industries and operating models,” said Ocient CEO Chris Gladwin. “Our phenomenal growth demonstrates the pervasive need for modern data platforms that deliver new levels of price-performance at scale.”

Viant Technology announced an integration with Scope3 to help reduce its carbon footprint and minimize its impact on the environment. Viant will leverage Scope3’s emissions measurement data to further improve the carbon footprint of its supply chain. “The climate realities of today require real action from all of us in the advertising community,” said Tim Vanderhook, co-founder and CEO, Viant. “That is why at Viant we continue to take steps to not only reduce our own carbon footprint, but to support our customers and partners who strive to do the same.”

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ADVERTISING

Yahoo shared the details of a new AR campaign for Toyota’s Crown, a new premium sedan. The campaign lets car shoppers take a 360-degree walk around the vehicle, sit in the driver’s seat, and virtually drive the vehicle. “Toyota’s partnership with Yahoo is an exciting auto-first opportunity, showcasing our all-new 2023 Toyota Crown in an AR experience,” said Angie White, Senior Manager, Media, Toyota Motor North America. “Identifying innovative ways to bring our Digital marketing to life plays a crucial role in our campaign strategies, especially when introducing this new sedan. The Yahoo AR partnership, helps drivers discover the Toyota Crown in a meaningful and interactive way.”

Spectrum Reach, the advertising sales business of Charter Communications, and video startup Waymark introduced an AI-powered platform that allows businesses to produce high-quality TV commercials with AI-generated voiceover, in five minutes or less. Using Waymark’s platform, local businesses across Spectrum Reach’s footprint can create real-time, ready-to-air commercials for their TV and streaming TV advertising campaigns. “We believe that all businesses should be able to tap into the power of TV advertising,” said Michael Guth, SVP, Marketing, Spectrum Reach. “The introduction of the new AI voiceover platform with Waymark underscores our commitment to constantly seek new innovation, products and partnerships that will better position businesses for growth and success.”

DoubleVerify announced they are a badged Measurement Partner with a specialty in Brand Safety & Suitability in the TikTok Marketing Partner Program. TikTok awards the badge to companies that have met their highest standard of work. When using DV’s post-campaign suitability measurement on TikTok, advertisers are able to leverage the same insights across platforms and publishers in order to inform future media planning and buying decisions across the greater media landscape.

Data technology company Versum has released File Hasher, a free tool that hashes and saves first-party data to ensure privacy when working with third-party vendors. Versium’s File Hasher is a privacy-forward approach to working with customer data that optimizes for identity resolution outside and inside of data clean rooms.

Clinch, creator of Flight Control, the Omnichannel Campaign Activation Platform, announced a certification with Samsung Ads to serve, run, and optimize personalized and dynamic programmatic campaigns across Samsung North America’s Samsung TV Plus and Audience Extension inventory suite, which includes CTV, online video, display, and mobile, through the Samsung DSP. Clinch will be available globally to Samsung Ads clients later this year.

Basis Technologies, a provider of workflow automation and business intelligence software for marketing and advertising, has attained SOC 2 compliance. SOC 2 is a voluntary auditing program designed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to establish criteria for how organizations manage customer data.

Advertising groups are pushing the Federal Trade Commission to reject a law professor’s petition to have the FTC regulate some programmatic ads as it considers issuing privacy regulations. “The reasonable use of data provides tremendous benefits to consumers, the economy, and society as whole, and helps assure our nation’s current competitive position globally,” said the Interactive Advertising Bureau. “Were the petition to be granted, the unreasonable restrictions on the data-driven digital advertising ecosystem would significantly impede innovation, reduce consumer choice and increase consumer costs, as well as create barriers to entry for new market participants.” Brooklyn Law School professor Jonathan Askin maintains people shouldn’t have to bear the burden of reading a privacy policy, rather, “the burden to be compliant and respectful of privacy should be placed on those who have the knowledge, expertise, ability, and resources to do so — the ad tech companies themselves.”

Almost 90 percent of diverse/multicultural consumers report taking action because of a company investing in their community, according to a whitepaper from Direct Digital Holdings, “Dollars & DEI: Multicultural Consumers’ Insights on Brands’ Media Buying and Marketing Practices.” Other insights include:
· 8 out of 10 diverse consumers said they feel more positively about brands that live up to promises to make a concerted effort of support to their communities, and alternatively, 8 in 10 say they feel negatively about brands that don’t live up to their promises.
· About 8 in 10 feel more positively about brands that advertise in targeted diverse/multicultural media.
· Nearly 7 out of 10 said that purposely investing ad dollars with media that is owned or focused on their respective communities strongly demonstrates support.
· 4 out of 10 of respondents said they notice ads more when they appear on targeted diverse/multicultural media channels versus mainstream media.
“Given this compelling data for a growing U.S. economic market segment, there should be no more reason for brands to move slowly in diversifying their media allocations,” said Mark D. Walker, CEO and Co-Founder of Direct Digital Holdings. “If we put aside all the rhetoric and platitudes, this is an industry that has always been and should still be about reaching customers and driving revenue.”

STREAMING

STARZ has teamed with Amazon to bundle MGM+ on Prime Video in the U.S. The subscription bundle, set to launch in the coming weeks, will have a price tag of $11.99/month, a 20% discount vs. the combined price of both standalone subscriptions. “STARZ is a complementary service to general entertainment offerings, so we’re thrilled to see that bundling is now here and believe there will be many more bundling opportunities to come,” said Alison Hoffman, President, Domestic Networks for STARZ.

FAST Apps captured more share of time spent in the second half of 2022 compared to the first half of the year, according to TVision’s “The State of CTV Advertising report. But viewers were significantly older, and paid less attention than average CTV viewers. Additional highlights include:
* YouTube (16%) supplanted Netflix (15.3%) for the first time, as the top app for Share of Time Spent Viewing. While Netflix’s Household Reach dropped to 61% in H2 2022, from 66% in H1 2022, it still reaching more households than any other app, including YouTube.
* Disney+ and Netflix present new opportunities to advertise and connect with hard-to-reach audiences. Advertisers can best extend their reach by pairing Disney+ with Peacock (only 48.4% audience overlap) and Netflix with The Roku Channel (only 41.9% audience overlap).
* The Entertainment, Legal, Health and Retail industries are responsible for the largest share of CTV ad volume. The Government sector, spurred by election-cycle spending, and automotive advertisers, confident that inventory supply issues were subsiding, dramatically increased their investments in H2 2022.

QVC+ is launching a 24/7 gardening channel, “Outdoor Escape.” In addition to showcasing QVC and HSN’s lifestyle shows, the channel will, of course, enable viewers to purchase featured products.

Seventy percent of viewers who pay for live and streaming VOD services subscribe to four VOD streaming services, according to a new tune-in report from DirecTV that looks at how consumers determine when, where and what to tune into amid content overload. Insights include:
· 75% of respondents said seeing an ad for a show on TV makes them more likely to watch.
· 78% said seeing a show featured on the home screen of their streaming service will influence them to watch the next episode.
· 1-in-3 advertisers consider addressable advertising across linear and streaming to be a must-buy and nearly 9-in-10 are satisfied with the results from these campaigns.

Speedvision has struck a carriage deal with FuboTV. Subscribers to Fubo’s Pro base plan now can stream titles from Speedvision’s library of more than 500 content hours , including “Graveyard Carz,” “Stacey David’s Gearz,” and “Two Guys Garage,” as well as motorcycle and aviation series.

Cynopsis Team