Google sent a message to publishers on Friday warning they could be demonetized if they produce content that “exploits, dismisses, or condones” the war in Ukraine. That includes “claims that imply victims are responsible for their own tragedy or similar instances of victim blaming, such as claims that Ukraine is committing genocide or deliberately attacking its own citizens.”

Google Search is adding a “highly cited” label to help users determine what information is credible and what isn’t. The label, appearing on Top Stories, will direct users to anything on a story – an investigative article, an interview, an announcement, a press release or a local news story – that other publishers have indicated is relevant by linking to it.

Snap announced its annual partner summit will take place Thursday, April 28 at 9a PDT. The virtual event will feature a keynote address by Snap Inc. co-founders Evan Spiegel, CEO, and Bobby Murphy, Chief Technology Officer. “We’re so excited to celebrate our partners and all of the work they are doing to transform the world through augmented reality,” said Spiegel. “We can’t wait to share all of the new tools and capabilities that creators, developers, and partners can use to grow their businesses, on and off Snapchat.”

TikTok has partnered with GIPHY for TikTok Library, an in-app creation tool aimed at making it easier for creators to access entertainment content. The Library will launch with content including GIPHY Clips, with support for categories Reactions, Quotes, People and Iconic Moments.

An update to Apple’s App Store Review guidelines enables developers of reader apps (apps designed to provide access to digital content) to request access to the External Link Account Entitlement. This entitlement lets reader apps link to a website that is owned or maintained by the developer, so that users can create or manage their account outside of the app.

An antitrust bill that would prohibit large tech companies from favoring their own
products or services has won the support of the Justice Department. “The Department views the rise of dominant platforms as presenting a threat to open markets and competition, with risks for consumers, businesses, innovation, resiliency, global competitiveness, and our democracy,” wrote Peter Hyun, an acting assistant attorney general, in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill passed in the committee and will be voted on by the full Senate.

President Biden’s proposed 2023 budget includes $600 million in additional spending for the ReConnect program, to build high-speed internet access in rural communities. To be eligible for funding, applicants must serve an area without broadband service at speeds of 100 megabits per second downstream and 20 Mbps upstream, and commit to building facilities capable of providing broadband service at speeds of 100 Mbps (downstream and upstream) to every location in its proposed service area.

After numerous delays, India’s Tata Group plans to unveil its “super app,” TataNeu, on April 7. The app includes online grocer BigBasket, retail chain Croma, entertainment service Tata Play and flight ticketing from Air Asia, among other services, as well as shopping rewards. Users can also pay utility bills and secure loans through the app, which was originally intended to launch early last year,

MContent, the tokenized content ecosystem, has partnered with PwC Middle East to premiere its first original film, “Ripple vs SEC Sagea,” in the metaverse. MContent’s Cineverse, a virtual theater within the metaverse, was created in collaboration with PwC Middle East’s emerging technology teams. Produced by MContent and Insight TV in partnership with Villain Studios, the documentary film explores the case the Securities Exchange Commission brought against Ripple in 2020.

The Library of Congress is accepting applications for the 2022 Library of Congress Innovator in Residence. Through May 2, the Library is inviting researchers, artists, and bold thinkers to propose imaginative new experiments designed to connect the Library’s digital collections with Congress and the public. The Innovator in Residence will work with the Library’s Digital Innovation Lab (LC Labs) to bring his or her proposal to life.

As the industry grapples with the full-scale disruption of legacy marketing methods, thought leaders will offer actionable insights on how to prepare for what’s to come during the Cynopsis Sports CMO Exchange, taking place virtually on May 24. From groundbreaking technologies, to sustainability, to diversity and more, you’ll learn how the best thinkers in sports marketing are reshaping their businesses. Register here.

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ADVERTISING

Twitter is testing three new ad formats. Interactive Text Ads will appear with a larger, bolder typeface than the standard Twitter font in the timeline. “Advertisers can highlight up to three words in their ad copy that, when clicked, will drive consumers to landing pages chosen by the brand,” said the company. Product Explorer Ads will present products in 3D within a promoted tweet; users can swipe and rotate the item. And with Collection Ads, brands can display a primary hero image with up to five smaller thumbnail visuals below. “The primary image remains static while consumers can browse through the thumbnails via a horizontal scrolling experience,” said Twitter.

IAB Tech Lab has updated its ad format guidelines to include Digital Video and CTV formats for public comment until April 29. The update accounts for higher resolution, wider screens, and the opportunities for ad interactions in CTV. The guidelines are aimed at helping publishers, ad networks, exchanges and SSAI platforms communicate a baseline technical standard for the creative files needed to serve ads on their platforms. The CTV and Digital Video ad guidelines include:
· Creative file submission: Defines communicating general submission guidelines for the creative such as ad duration, aspect ratio, and details of any engagement events.
· Mezzanine file: Guidelines for the raw source file such as bitrate, frame rate, color space, and audio settings to drive the most consistent output for transcoding smaller, ready-to-serve files.
· Ready-to-serve files: Since the mezzanine file is too big to serve, guidelines are provided for transcoding smaller, ready-to-serve files at low, medium, and high resolutions to match to environments where screen size or connection speeds may be limited.
· Nonlinear and companion ads: Guidelines for dimensions and placement, duration, engagement, and controls are provided. Similar guidelines are provided for companion ads that display outside the player, such as when the player is embedded in a webpage.

Microsoft took down over 3 billion ads in 2021, up from 1.6 billion the year before. Credit advancements in machine learning, multilingual models, and human moderation for the increase, said the company. “Microsoft Advertising witnessed an increased number of threats and varied attack patterns in 2021,” wrote Neha Garg, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, in a post. “In our commitment towards offering our users safe and trusted experiences, we invested in product, algorithm, and process-based enhancement and improvements.”

Tightened privacy rules worldwide continued to lessen behavioral targeting abilities for media experts, according to Integral Ad Science’s latest Media Quality Report, yet ad buyers who adopted sophisticated contextual strategy methods and transitioned away from traditional media quality assurance practices gained an advantage in their bids for ad impressions that appeared next to suitable content to drive stronger favorability and create a better user experience. Powered by the growing adoption of sophisticated contextual solutions, worldwide brand risk averaged less than 3% across all environments and formats, with mobile web video remaining the most at-risk despite a 5.9 percentage point year-over-year improvement.

VIZIO has introduced a beta program for a new cross-platform viewing solution called Jump Ads, designed to bridge the gap between linear TV and streaming services. Jump Ads give programmers and brands the ability to present an interactive overlay at the conclusion of linear TV programs, directing viewers into a supporting app on VIZIO’s operating system to continue their viewing experience. “As the provider of both the TV hardware and software, VIZIO is in a unique position to create an environment that reduces friction and increases usability,” said Adam Bergman, VP of Sales at VIZIO Ads. “Jump Ads represent yet another step in VIZIO’s ongoing mission to unify the smart TV experience with features that benefit viewers, content providers and advertisers.”

Live local streaming platform LocalBTV is now delivering integrated dynamic ad insertion and replacement across its 21-market footprint. The LocalBTV virtual over-the-air streaming app secures permission from local broadcasters to include them in its authenticated, geo-fenced, antenna-less service, which uses GPS and Radio Frequency Identification tracking, and is accessible through standard web browsers.

Ocient, the hyperscale data analytics solutions company, has been selected as the campaign forecasting, inventory analysis, and bid shading solution by Basis Technologies, provider of cloud-based workflow automation and business intelligence software for marketing and advertising functions within enterprises.

TV ad serving platform SpringServe announced a strategic integration with FFalcon to power the TCL Channel inventory. Through the integration, SpringServe can power direct-sold and programmatic campaigns. “SpringServe’s platform is specifically designed to support video publishers and working with leading OEMs such as FFalcon is a natural next step as we continue to expand our global footprint,” said Leon Siotis, Head of International, SpringServe. “This will bring more inventory options for content owners and video creators to power CTV campaigns in streaming environments.”

Enterprise software platform and data provider Whip Media announced the commercial launch of the Whip Media Exchange, a global licensing and research platform for film and TV content. The Whip Media Exchange predicts demand across hundreds of thousands of film and TV titles while enabling buyers and sellers to distribute and acquire content rights. Buyers and sellers on the Whip Media Exchange include Lionsgate, Pluto TV, Globo, TelevisaUnivision’s ViX, AMC Networks International Latin America, Vodafone Hungary, Tastemade, and Keshet International, among others.

Software-as-a-Service platform Burt Intelligence announced the launch of Burt Advisor, an AI-powered tool that generates a daily, prioritized list of actionable steps that address revenue and operational issues across all media and campaigns. Unlike background alerts, Burt Advisor’s single, daily email is precise in guidance, the time-frame to take action, and the contextual impact.

Ad spend on Digital Audio (Audio Streaming and Podcasts), is approaching parity with investment on Terrestrial Radio, after being just a third of the market three years ago. According to Standard Media Index’s new Digital Audio Advertising Spend and Pricing Solution, the increase is being driven largely by ad spend on podcasts, which grew 68% year-over-year in 2021 and that now account for 8% of all Digital Audio spend. “Podcasts are not a new format, but over the last several years and especially during the pandemic, consumer consumption has accelerated and advertisers are following their audiences to the channel” said Ben Tatta, President, SMI. “Due to their highly-contextual ad formats, such as custom/native spots and host read-ads, Podcasts are commanding heavy premium CPMs.”

Edison Interactive, the content management system for connected screens in golf cars, rental vehicles, hotel rooms and more, has launched its first DOOH self-serve platform in partnership with DanAds, provider of self-serve advertising technology. EI’s self-serve platform will allow brands to access exclusive DOOH inventory, including ad placements on Shark Experience presented by Verizon with plans to expand into hotel rooms, ski resorts and rental vehicles later this year.

STREAMING

TelevisaUnivision streaming service ViX is now available to all users in the US, Mexico and most of Spanish-speaking Latin America. The free AVOD tier is accessible across all major mobile platforms, connected TV devices and via web on vix.com. ViX is a two-tier service in one app, comprised of the free AVOD product and an SVOD option, ViX+, coming in the second half of 2022 with 10,000 additional hours on its first year.

Cinedigm announced its service The Dove Channel surpassed an estimated 663,000 paid subscribers in February, up over 1,133% year-over-year. Viewers of free on-demand and linear versions of the channel grew to 5.4 million in February, up 47% year over year. “Given the challenges of these trying times over the last few years, the appetite for uplifting, wholesome movies and shows that families can watch together has dramatically expanded,” said Erick Opeka, Cinedigm’s Chief Strategy Officer, and President of Cinedigm Networks. “The Dove Channel has rapidly risen to become our most successful subscription service and is among the top three of all ad-supported services in our portfolio.”

Cynopsis Team