CYNOPSISDIGITAL
03.30.16

Good morning. It’s Wednesday March 30, 2016, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Viewability is a colossal issue for video advertisers – a fact that hasn’t escaped AOL. The company added two new video ad formats to ONE by AOL: Publishers, its programmatic platform for publishers. The new out-stream player will exist in the body of an article, expanding to reveal itself and beginning to play only when over 50 percent of the player is visible on-screen. (Complex Media and USA Today Sports Media Group are among the first publishers to use the player.) Meanwhile, the new in-line player with SideView, which pins a video to the side of content, enables viewers to continue scrolling through an article while continuing to maintain contact with the video content. “Viewability has long been a challenge for publishers and marketers. Consider that 60% of marketers are only ‘somewhat confident’ in the viewability of their ads,” Robert Leon, Head of AOL Public Product Commercialization and Solutions, told Cynopsis Digital. “Solving fundamental publisher problems, like viewability, is, of course, central to our product roadmap for ONE by AOL: Publishers. It’s also important to remember that, at the end of the day, AOL is a publisher, too, so we’re inherently interested in addressing these industry challenges.”
 
 

Snapchat introduced a slew of new chat features. The app has vastly improved upon its calling features, allowing one user to initiate video or audio calls directly from chats; the person being called will then receive a notification. (Before the update, both users on a call needed to have their chat screen opens ahead of time.) In addition, Snapchat is now allowing users to share brief video and voice clips – or “notes” – within chats. On top of that, the app has added stickers, and introduced new features to make navigating between Stories easier. Snapchat is referring to the update as Chat 2.0. You can learn more here.   
 
Telemundo and AT&T announced a new partnership surrounding the Telemundo series El Señor de los Cielos. Through Telemundo’s Double Accion app, users will be able to engage with the show through social conversation, offer their own live interactions, and access exclusive videos and photos. The show’s latest season debuted March 28.
 
 

NYTVF Productions, the production arm of the New York Television Festival, is launching a new original series in partnership with The Orchard, which funded the production. The Jamz, a four-episode workplace comedy, will premiere April 12 on iTunes, before debuting on other digital platforms, including Netflix, on April 30. “The team behind The Jamz – from the creators, writers and stars, to our partners at The Orchard – are proving that independent TV has arrived,” Terence Gray, Executive Producer of NYTVF Productions, told Cynopsis Digital. “We can’t wait for audiences on iTunes and elsewhere to discover this and future seasons of the series.”
 
 

As part of a partnership between Facebook’s Oculus, Turner Sports, CBS, and the VR tech company Voke, the NCAA March Madness final games will be live-streamed in 180 degree VR. The games will be available free to Samsung Gear VR users through the March Madness Live app in the Oculus Store. It speaks to how quickly the virtual reality field is developing that the live-streaming of VR sports is already a competitive space: Fox Sports and the live VR specialist NextVR recently inked a widely-publicized five year sports streaming pact.
 
 

Last week, Netflix admitted that, for years, it has been throttling data speeds for its service across most mobile providers. There’s at least one FCC member who didn’t take kindly to the revelation. Michael O’Rielly, a Republican, said in a speech that Netflix’s actions merit a government investigation. O’Rielly did, however, acknowledge that Netflix likely hadn’t broken the FCC’s net neutrality rules.
 
 

We’re about to get one of our first major tests as to whether 4K “Ultra HD” video is a significant draw for consumers. Sony’s 4K movie streaming service – called, simply, Ultra – will debut April 4. Consumers will be able to buy 4K movies from the service, which can then be streamed via Sony 4K TV sets. Titles will be priced at $30 apiece. To start, no rentals will be available.
 
 

 
SoundCloud’s new paid subscription service is a go. Dubbed SoundCloud Go, the service enables users to access full albums from indie artists, and to listen to any other SoundCloud content without ads. It will cost $9.99, and initially be available only in the U.S. The music-streaming space is getting more and more crowded; SoundCloud Go will be thrown into the mix with services such as Spotify and Apple Music, not to mention an upcoming Pandora subscription service, set to launch later this year.
 
 

Copyright infringement claims are hitting some new heights. According to an analysis of Google data from Variety, the search giant has received requests to strike 213 million links from its search engine since the beginning of this year, marking a 125% increase over the same period in 2015. ABI Research analyst Sam Rosen tells Variety that the spike in takedown requests stems not from a major increase in piracy or infringement, but from copyright holders’ increasingly sophisticated methods – including the use of automated tools – for tracking infringement.
 
 

The ListenFirst Television Interest (TVI) Rating (TM) is a standardized measurement of the most buzzed-about TV programs on linear TV and streaming services. A complement to ListenFirst’s other syndicated data products (such as the ListenFirst Digital Audience Rating – TV), the metrics included in the rating are the purest form of showing interest digitally, since they’re organic actions that are largely unaffected by paid media. Programs that surface on the TVI leaderboards are the most hashtagged on Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr, as well as most searched for on Wikipedia (used as a proxy for organic search volume).
 
Streaming Only (3/21/16 – 3/27/16)
 
  
Source: ListenFirst. The TVI Rating aggregates metrics that measure organically generated activity by fans of the TV show. The metric includes total volume of official hashtag mentions on Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr, along with Wikipediapage views (as a proxy for organic search volume) for a show as a percentage of the total volume of the same activities for all shows.
 
 

The video advertising platform Innovid announced that it has hired Carolyn Bollaci as Managing Director, APAC. Bollaci previously served as Regional Vice President, ANZ for the ad management platform Sizmek. “The set-top box industry is expected to grow considerably throughout Asia-Pacific over the next several years,” Zvika Netter, co-founder and CEO of Innovid, told Cynopsis Digital. “This device growth will cause audience fragmentation and marketers will need new, innovative ways to engage consumers outside of the traditional TV realm. Because APAC encompasses many different cultures, languages, and infrastructures, we made the strategic decision to bring in Bollaci, a local industry veteran who has a tremendous understanding of the region’s digital uniqueness and can apply that experience to TV and video.”
 
The audio advertising sales company AdLarge Media has named Yvonne Lacey as its new Vice President of Digital Sales Development. Lacey previously served as Media Director for the media marketing agency TWONIL.
 
 

 
Last summer, when 4K video was in its infancy, digital pirates managed to hack through the copy protection of a well-known streaming service, posting an Ultra HD episode of a hit TV series on torrent sites. What service was it, and what series? Find the answer here.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE SHADOW LEAGUE

CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, visit Cynopsis.com

JOB OPENING: LEAD DESIGNER/WE tv/NYC: 5+ yrs exp in web production/interactive design exp. In-depth knowledge of graphics production, Photoshop and Illustrator. Full info/apply HERE (4/6)

JOB OPENING: MGR SOCIAL MEDIA & NATIVE MEDIA BUYING (AUDIENCE SCIENCE DIVISION)/Viacom/NYC: Resp for daily campaign/optimization media buying across Social & Native for Aud Science client campaigns. Mng intense level daily Social & Native media buying & opt for Aud Science client campaigns incl sm platforms. 2-3 years exp. Full info/apply HERE (4/6)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER, DIGITAL PLANNING/NBUC/NYC: Support Sports digital properties. Lead team of Planners & drive revenue & company-wide initiatives. 5+ yrs exp. Full info/Apply HERE (4/5)

JOB OPENING: MANAGER PRIMARY RESEARCH/Bravo/Oxygen NYC: Oversee custom quantitative and qualitative studies on content, talent, brand, and viewers, to guide creative strategy. Full info/apply HERE (4/5)

JOB OPENING: TEMP MANAGER, AD TRAFFIC OPS/Smithsonian Channel/NYC: Schedule ads and sponsorship elements for schedule logs, track/monitor for spot delivery, review daily logs, coord. traffic and spot delivery with agencies. 3-5 yrs ad traffic ops exp. Full info/apply HERE (4/2)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA BUYERS and TRAFFIC MANAGER/ACTIVE INTERNATIONAL/NY: Media Buyers in Local, Unwired TV & National Broadcast. Also, Traffic Manager for all Media’s. Apply [email protected] (4/1)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/TV LAND/NICK @ NITE/CMT/NYC: Collect/analyze & organize Nielsen. Resp for accuracy & timeliness of reports. 1-3 yrs related work exp (can be internships) in data analysis (preferably in TV Rsrch for cable or broadcast). Full info/apply HERE (4/1)

JOB OPENING: VP, PARTNERSHIP DEV/Home Team Sports/LA: Generate new revenue w/broad range of Sr. level partners. Expertise in client direct sales evangelizing Sports value prop for partners/teams/RSNs. Min 8 yrs in BD/Sales; team mgt, proven relationship builder w/innovative strategies to drive revenue. http://bit.ly/1S7ocIx (4/1)

JOB OPENING: VP, ENGINEERING/Fox Sports Digital, LA: Eval/refine strtgy for FS Interactive Media bus unit’s tech needs. Vet overall archit for FSIM properties apps incl. internal, 3rd Party, & SaaS. Resp for tech vision, execution & ops across web, mobile & social plat. & prod. Min 7-10 yrs w/mgmt exp. http://bit.ly/1q31rir (4/1)

JOB OPENING: NATIONAL SALES MGR/FDP Radio Network, home of the FIFA World Cup/Mia or NYC: Min 4 yrs radio sales exp & a proven track record of network sales. Digital sales exp a+ as we look to grow and combine our sales approach. Resume to: [email protected] (3/31)

JOB OPENING: ADVERTISING ACCT EXEC/Cablevision/Brooklyn: Dvlp/svc/maint local clients &/or agencies purchasing ad space & or other media srvcs, to achieve est’d mnthly/qurtrly/annual sales goals. 1-3 yrs selling exp. Acct exec or outside sales exp pref’d. Resumes HERE (3/31)

JOB OPENING: SR INTEGRATED MKTG MANAGER/FUSE/NYC: Strategic dvlpmt & execution of multiplatform integrated mktg solutions for potential/existing Ad Sales clients. Exp: Mktg/Ad Sales/Mgmt/Media/Crtv Writing apply @ fuse.tv (3/31)

CASTING CALL: Companies can showcase their casting notices/casting calls here. For information on rates and specs for posting a casting notice, please email Trish at [email protected]

EXPERT SERVICES ADS: These ads are for companies or people who offer an expertise in the field of media by way of production, voice over artistry, writing, set development, etc. For information on rates and specs for posting an Expertise Service ad email Trish at [email protected]

EXPERT SERVICES: Getting permission from rights holders of video, photos, and music for your project can be expensive and time-consuming. We have the expertise to save you time and money. Call us for your next project. Reasonable rates for any budget. 866-761-9990 or email [email protected] (4/6)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].

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