03/11/24: Cynopsis Media Tech Update

Monday March 11, 2024

Apple was hit with a $2 billion fine by the European Union for violating antitrust rules. “Apple’s conduct, which lasted for almost ten years, may have led many iOS users to pay significantly higher prices for music streaming subscriptions,” said the European Commission. Spotify, which filed a complaint in 2019 about Apple’s restrictions on payment options and 30% fees, reacted with a statement saying the decision “marks an important moment in the fight for a more open internet for consumers. The European Commission (EC) has made its conclusion clear: Apple’s behaviour limiting communications to consumers is unlawful.” Apple said it plans to appeal the decision, asserting it was reached despite the failure to uncover “any credible evidence of consumer harm.”

Two days after terminating Epic Games’ developer account for Sweden over the company’s “egregious breach of its contractual obligations,” Apple restored the account, enabling Epic to resume its plans to launch the Epic Games Store in European countries. “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable,” said Epic. “We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe. Onward!”.

The US House Energy and Commerce committee unanimously voted to approve a bill giving China’s ByteDance 165 days to divest its ownership of TikTok or have its apps, including TikTok, banned from Apple and Google app stores and web hosting services in the US. Responded TikTok, “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”

Comcast announced two new features on X1 for the upcoming Players Championship. Through a new integration with DraftKings, X1 will offer live odds directly on the TV, side-by-side with the coverage. Xfinity Odds Zone will be available for most major sporting events throughout the year, including the upcoming men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, NBA and NHL playoffs, and for the start of the NFL and MLB seasons. In addition, The Players App brings all live coverage from Players as well as a host of interactive features like a course tour, and live leaderboards into one place.

OpenAI announced three new members to its Board of Directors: Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellman, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, former EVP and General Counsel at Sony Corporation; and Fidji Simo, CEO and Chair of Instacart. Additionally, briefly ousted CEO Sam Altman will rejoin the OpenAI Board of Directors.

Microsoft Advertising is adopting Google Privacy Sandbox for its privacy standards. Microsoft said it has given “preliminary support” to Google Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox APIs across Microsoft Advertising products, and will work to integrate the new standards and minimize disruption.

Marilyn Monroe fans can “talk” to their idol, who died in 1962, via an interactive experience from Soul Machines. An AI-generated chatbot “lets you interact in real-time using advanced natural language processing, deep learning and GPT 3.5,” said Soul Machines in announcing the project last week, claiming, “Mimicking the human nervous system, this technology allows Digital Marilyn to respond with realistic emotions and nuanced expressions, creating a deeply personal and memorable experience.”

Comscore has expanded its measurement coverage of YouTube to include YouTube Shorts and In-Feed inventory. The increased reporting capability, leveraging Google’s Ads Data Hub for Measurement Partners, gives advertisers a holistic view of impressions, reach, and unique audiences across all YouTube inventory.

Team “Parabellum Group” of the University of Denver earned the $3,000 Grand Prize and $4,500 in total winnings at the 17th Annual Media+Tech Collective Innovation challenge competition held in Denver on Friday, March 8. It was the event’s 17th year.

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Global total advertising and marketing spending rose 4% in 2023, to $1.631 trillion, and is projected to rise 7.7% in 2024, according to PQ Media’s global forecast for 2024-2028. The US will account for 39.7% of global spend. “Early 2024 pacing data shows that brands continue to increase their budgets, as more consumers are shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, driving more miles in automobiles and attending events after years of being sequestered by the pandemic,” noted PQ CEO Patrick Quinn. “If the 2024 Super Bowl audience is an indication of consumer viewing habits, we believe brands will spend top dollar to be included in the over-the-air, digital and streaming coverage of the Paris Summer Olympics as well.”

Advertiser Perceptions announced the launch of subscription offering AP Ad Insights Hub. Subscribers will have access to forecasts for ad spending, and reports covering CTV, trust in advertising, AI/ML in advertising, the creator economy, demand- and supply-side platforms. “By offering the full breadth of our reports in a single package, we are enabling subscribers to utilize a wealth of up-to-date data and insights and to share them with colleagues throughout their organizations,” said Randy Cohen, CEO at Advertiser Perceptions.

Audigent announced an integration with Direct Digital Holdings, bringing together Audigent’s data activation capabilities with Direct Digital Holdings’ Colossus SSP. “As the industry moves away from third-party cookies, alternative identity solutions are critical in future-proofing programmatic efforts,” said Mark D. Walker, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chairman at Direct Digital Holdings. “Audigent’s combination of data-driven advertiser demand will provide Colossus SSP’s publishers with high-performing data-driven campaigns.”

Advertiser surge in AI-powered dynamic creative optimization is expected in 2024. According to a Yahoo poll of over 300 advertisers, 82% are deeply committed to DCO in 2024, and 33% of that group plan to increase spending on DCO, while 49% will maintain their investment from 2023. “With advancements in AI, DCO has the ability to become even more effective and efficient,” said Tony Gemma, VP, Head of Global Ad Creative at Yahoo. “The cookieless landscape puts more importance on creative, and our findings show that advertisers recognize the opportunity that DCO has to offer.”

Crackle Connex has signed an agreement with Infillion for the 2024 upfront purchase of advertising inventory across its AVOD. The inventory will run across inventory within Redbox, Crackle, and Chicken Soup for the Soul properties. Crackle Connex will also be able to sell the interactive ad inventory alongside Infillion. “Crackle Connex’s long-form streaming content draws the kind of high-quality attention advertisers crave, and is a great match for Infillion’s unique ad products,” said Infillion’s Mick Danahy. “We’re continuing to look for partnerships like this as upfront season kicks off.”

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said that ads running on TV screens are generally less disruptive than ads on mobile devices, according to a new study from VAB. The Consumer Connection: Understanding the Effect of Quality Across Media Platforms found that ads on the big stream had 2.2x higher recall and 1.3x higher purchase intent than those in a mobile environment.

Compulse, a marketing technology and managed services company built for local media and agencies, Smart Marketing solutions provider TapClicks announced a strategic partnership to help their clients accelerate and manage advertising campaigns. The partnership integrates software and services from both companies to streamline and optimize omnichannel advertising campaigns. “Local media companies and agencies need a better way to manage their rapidly growing digital business,” said Martin Kristiseter, Managing Director at Compulse. “Our joint customers no longer need costly point systems for media planning, proposal generation and omnichannel fulfillment. Our unified solution greatly enhances our customers’ ability to generate more revenue, improve profit margins, and increase operational efficiencies to future-proof their businesses.”

Integral Ad Science has expanded its Made for Advertising AI-driven solution to enable advertisers to measure and optimize against both MFA and Ad Clutter sites. IAS uses advanced machine learning technology and additional signals built into IAS’s core platform to identify MFA sites (which are built to conduct ad arbitrage and feature spam sites) and Ad Clutter sites (which feature high ad density and high ad-to-content ratio). “With the proliferation of MFA, global advertisers need safeguards to avoid ad arbitrage and low performing, high ad density sites while optimizing for media quality and performance,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS. “We’re proud to offer the industry’s first pressure-tested solution for detecting and avoiding MFA and Ad Clutter sites at scale while also preserving the flexibility to reach audiences across a diverse range of publishers.”

Utiq, the European adtech company delivering a telco-powered Authentic Consent Service, has selected Compliant to provide independent verification of its privacy and consent mechanisms. The partnership will integrate Compliant’s advanced, AI-driven auditing and measurement capabilities to provide independent verification of Utiq’s Authentic Consent Service.

SUSTAINABILITY

Captify announced an expansion of its sustainability efforts through the introduction of a new Green Media Product designed to reduce carbon emissions. Marketers can measure the carbon footprint of their ad campaign, including the sites and devices that an ad appears on as well as the creative activation, data that Captify can utilize to identify and remove high-emissions inventory without compromising performance of the campaign. “Over the last year, Captify has made great progress in helping to build a more sustainable ecosystem by ensuring we have the right data in place,” said Fiona Salmon, Global Sustainability Lead at Captify. “Using that data, we have now developed new product offerings to support our clients in delivering against their own sustainability goals by helping them to understand, and most importantly, reduce the environmental impact of their campaigns.”

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Job of the day

DIGITAL SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
OUTLAWS ENTERTAINMENT/Remote: Looking for a senior level digital seller to drive national, regional and local O&O and 3rd Party Revenue for our Gen-Z targeted video content and entertainment division. Will have access to influencers, a strong creative services team and a multitude of media assets to leverage. Full info HERE

VP OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING >>
PBS DISTRIBUTION/ARLINGTON, VA (HYBRID): Responsible for strategic financial oversight of the company’s growth and profitability, including all finance, accounting, and treasury operations as well as lead the long-term financial planning process, provide content investment guidance and collaborate with the executive management team to set the vision and achieve goals for revenue. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT REP: MPT NATIONAL CORPORATE SALES
MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION FOUNDATION
REMOTE
Call on current and prospective sponsors, providing high-quality customer service, in a manner consistent with standard industry practice, for the customer/client accounts for which they have cultivated or have been assigned as well as build sustainable, long-lasting relationships with existing clients. Full info HERE

PAID SEARCH SPECIALIST
AKA NYC
NEW YORK
Responsible for managing and optimizing paid search campaigns to drive targeted traffic and achieve business objectives. The ideal candidate should possess a strong understanding of search engine marketing (SEM), excellent data analytical skills, and the ability to stay updated on industry trends. Full info HERE

PAID SOCIAL SPECIALIST
AKA NYC
NEW YORK
Responsible for developing, implementing, and optimizing paid social media campaigns to drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of social media platforms and data analytics and has a proven track record of delivering measurable results through paid social channels. Full info HERE

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 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

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