Meta won an antitrust lawsuit that accused it of illegally maintaining monopoly power through its acquisitions Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. The lawsuit, filed by 48 state attorneys general, also alleges the company gained further power through data policies that harmed app developers. “This case fundamentally mischaracterized the vibrant competitive ecosystem in which we operate,” said a Meta spokesperson. “In affirming the dismissal of this case, the court noted that this enforcement action was ‘odd’ because we compete in an industry that is experiencing ‘rapid growth and innovation with no end in sight.’ Moving forward, Meta will defend itself vigorously against the FTC’s distortion of antitrust laws and attacks on an American success story that are contrary to the interests of people and businesses who value our services.”

Twitter is rolling out a feature that will allow media publishers to charge users on a per-article basis with one click, tweeted CEO Elon Musk on Saturday. “This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per-article price for when they want to read an occasional article,” wrote Musk. “Should be a major win-win for both media orgs & the public.”

Triller has agreed to pay Sony Music Entertainment over $4.5 million to resolve claims that it used songs in breach of a content distribution agreement covering the use of musicians’ material. According to Sony, Triller admitted liability and agreed to pay the amount it owed under their contract plus interest.

GenZ find that the traditional shopping journey is almost twice as complicated as social shopping, according to new research form IPG Mediabrands’ MAGNA/Media Trials, Reprise Commerce and Snapchat. “What Does the Future of Social Commerce Entail?” found that social-commerce tech, like AR lenses, discovery tabs and virtual shopping groups, can enhance the consumer experience. And 92% of people said they would be willing to purchase directly from brands on social-media platforms instead of an online marketplace if offered good deals and discounts, user-friendly apps, real-time customer service, instant shopping capabilities, recommendations for products through ads and timely updates on sales and events. Additional key findings include:
· Openness to making the purchase on social media platforms is universal, but young people are especially willing: Sixty three percent of people most likely to make a purchase via a social shopping journey are GenZ, and 69% are Millennials.
· Investing in social shopping features simplifies product discovery: As far as social shopping features go, 72% of people would use Discover tabs to shop again in the future, followed by Shopping Tabs (70%) and Shoppable Buttons (67%).
· 78% of people said they would look to friends/family on social media for recommendations vs 59% known influencers and celebrities, while 77% look for inspiration on social media from their friends/family, compared to 62% of known influencers and celebrities.
· 79% of people feel the social shopping journey is quick, while 75% find it to be convenient and 65% find it to be seamless.
· 69% of people feel more confident about their online purchases, using virtual experiences, which can lead to fewer returns and benefit sustainability and brand profitability; 64% of respondents claimed they would be less likely to return a product they’d experienced virtually before purchasing.
“As consumers become increasingly open to AR features while social-shopping, brands would be wise to introduce features like try-on lenses for clothing and in-room product placement options to test home-décor items,” said Glen Conybeare, Global President, Reprise Commerce. “Study participants said they were not only open to using AR to purchase clothing and furniture, at 87% and 85% respectively, but also for experience driven purchases like travel and food at 80% and 76%.”

Earnings report roundup: Alphabet reported a 2.6% year-over-year ad sales drop for YouTube in 1Q23 to $6.69 billion, which exceeded analysts’ forecasts of $6.6 billion. In an earnings call, CFO Ruth Porat there are “signs of stabilization” within YouTube’s global advertising business…. Microsoft’s latest quarterly results show cloud gaming is leading the way as hardware sales revenue continues to dip. The company’s quarterly report showed a 30% year-over-year drop in PC and laptop revenue for Microsoft, as did devices revenue and Xbox revenue.…Spotify reports it now has 515 million MAUs, up 5% from the previous quarter, and a 14% year-over-year lift in revenue….Meta beat analyst expectations with an increase in year-over-year revenue, despite the company’s VR and AR division losing nearly $4 billion in the quarter. Not that Meta is throwing in the towel. “A narrative has developed that we’re somehow moving away from focusing on the metaverse vision, so I just want to say up front that that’s not accurate,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We’ve been focusing on AI and the metaverse, and we will continue to.”…Snap revenue dipped 7% to $989 million, but DAUs were up 15% year-over-year, to 383 million, close to estimates of 384 million.

Vizrt, specialists in real-time graphics and live production solutions for content creators, announced that Coupang Play OTT platform is using Viz Libero for its K League football analysis to give viewers in South Korea a completely different and more engaging fan experience. Launched in December 2020, Coupang Play currently streams a range of other sports events including La Liga, Ligue1, Major League Soccer, Formula 1, and the National Hockey League.

MEASUREMENT

In a letter sent to clients Thursday, Nielsen said it would continue to use its legacy panels-only measurement system as currency during the Upfront season while the company worked to secure full accreditation for a currency informed by big data. Nielsen added it will make its big data plus panels measurement available for clients who want to use that to transact. The move got a thumbs up from the Video Advertising Bureau, which had noted errors in Nielsen’s sampled data. “Nielsen’s decision to delay the currency use of their new Big Data +Panel product until September 2024 gives the buy/sell ad marketplace more time for the necessary basics: to pressure-test this new data set, make important improvements, and build confidence in its accuracy as currency-worthy cross-platform truth set,” said Sean Cunningham, President and CEO, VAB.

Also weighing in on Nielsen’s decision was Comscore. “Comscore joins with Nielsen in support of MRC accreditation and their call for greater trust and transparency in the selling process and for currency that is informed by big data,” said the rival measurement company. “Comscore is aligned with the belief that currency used by the industry should be audited and ultimately accredited as being in compliance with MRC standards and that is why Comscore has committed to that process and is well along in working with the MRC for accreditation, a decision on which we hope to receive in the near future.”

Meanwhile, Allen Media Group has joined the companies certifying VideoAmp as a new trading currency for the 2023-24 Upfront. “Allen Media Group recognizes that the industry is headed towards a multi-currency marketplace, and that innovation needs to continue for today’s media landscape to be reliably measured,” said Chairman-CEO Byron Allen. “Our deal with VideoAmp offers us the ability to not only better measure the AMG audience, but to also deliver best-in-class advanced advertising solutions to our advertising partners.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment sales platform Crackle Connex has turned to Geopath for OOH data on audience targeting, audience measurement, and return on ad spend for more than 2,700 video screens on top of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Redbox kiosks. “Geopath has built the most comprehensive platform for out-of-home audience measurement, which will be a massive asset for our brand partners’ campaigns on our Redbox kiosk video screens,” said Philippe Guelton, chief revenue officer of Crackle Connex. “With a greater understanding of the target audience, we can help ensure the success of these campaigns.”

Who’s leading the charge in audience measurement? Cynopsis Media is showcasing the leaders and changemakers at the inaugural Measure Up! Awards. The awards will be presented at the Measurement & Data Conference in June – you can enter or learn more here.

Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference – June 13th and 14th – NYC

Expose your brand and products to high level executives from leading companies across the media ecosystem at our 8th annual Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference. Contact Albert Nassour, Executive Director of Sales and join sponsors VAB, Spectrum Reach, comScore, iSpot.tv, Premion, NY Interconnect, NCM and more! Limited opportunities available!

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ADVERTISING

Omnicom Group is partnering with Adobe to “reinvent the creation and delivery of creative content” through an enterprise licensing deal of Adobe’s new Content Supply Chain solution. The end-to-end solution is aimed at enabling Omnicom’s agencies to efficiently produce creative content that delivers the most effective customer experiences. “This partnership brings together the most creatively awarded holding company and the leader in creative and marketing tools,” said Paolo Yuvienco, EVP, Chief Technology Officer at Omnicom Group. “The two of us share a goal of providing integrated solutions to brands, and our collaboration brings it to life. Through this offering, our agencies from different disciplines and geographies will remain connected throughout the entirety of the content supply chain, helping to transform our clients’ businesses in a faster, more effective way.”

The Video Advertising Bureau’s new report, The Truth About Ad Fraud, explores what constitutes real fraud, how the viewing environment of a platform impacts both consumer and advertiser trust, and how marketers can minimize their exposure to fraudulent practices. Among the takeaways:
* There are very limited opportunities overall for fraud to exist within premium, professionally-produced TV content.
* While CTV can be vulnerable to some ad fraud, estimate ranges from $6-8 million from advertisers each month, and $144 million from publishers in 2021. Fraudulent digital ads are costing brands at least $23 billion each year.
* Marketers view the premium environment of CTV as less vulnerable to fraud than other digital platforms.
* The quality viewing experience and premium environment creates a distinct trust advantage for TV ads among consumers.“
Real ad fraud is defined by maliciously and intentionally falsifying human engagement, not normal viewing behaviors like falling asleep in front of the TV,” said Jason Wiese, SVP, Director of Strategic Insights, VAB. “Compared to other digital platforms, fraudulent ad activity is much less likely to occur within the premium environment of CTV and it doesn’t impact the viewing experience, which enables greater consumer trust of TV advertising.”

Basis Technologies has added to its cookieless data offerings through the addition of location- based data partners Peer39. Basis’ programmatic advertising customers can now utilize audience solutions from Experian, Goldfish Ads, and other providers, and connect to locations that have a high concentration of people that fit in various customer segments. Advertisers can then use these insights to reach those customers across digital channels.

DirecTV Advertising and Dish Media are implementing new standardized products that aim to simplify addressable linear TV for programmers. “In the past, the programmer enablement process has been custom and often quite manual, slowing down the adoption of addressable and the benefits that it brings,” said Kevin Arrix, SVP of Dish Media. “By offering these standardized and consistent solutions that improve programmer operations, we’re making it easier for media owners to light up more of their inventory for addressable targeting across out platforms.” The options include: direct integration through the INVIDI Conexus consolidated campaign management platform; a plug-and-play product from Adcuratio for broadcast or broadcast and cable networks; and unified workflows across multiple distribution endpoints via Canoe Service Assurance.

VIZIO announced the addition of new partners, features, and analytics to its Household Connect cross-device advertising solution, helping marketers extend TV-first campaigns to additional devices within the VIZIO household. “In addition to building out our in-house ad tech team and proprietary ad tech solutions, another big focus for us right now is expanding our ecosystem of best-in-class data partners,” said Travis Hockersmith, Group Vice President of VIZIO’s Platform+ business. “This helps marketers to optimize and better understand the full-funnel impact of campaigns.”

Revry, the LGBTQ-first media network, is launching PrismRiot™, a multi-minority certified LGBTQ+ advertising network. PrismRiot will enable brands, agencies and advertisers to purchase premium programmatic ad inventory for LGBTQ+ content and audiences, and as a certified minority-owned company, sales will satisfy diversity budget spend requirements. “It builds upon our dedicated audience, viewership insights and highly curated advertising inventory available from Revry and our publisher partners,” said Damian Pelliccione, CEO and Co-Founder of Revry. “With this ad network, brands can align with our mission of celebrating and empowering the LGBTQ community, while also tapping into the immense loyalty and purchasing power of this influential audience.”

The new attention metric will change video advertising forever, says Marika Roque, Chief Innovation and Chief Operating Officer at KERV Interactive. Find out why she’s convinced attention is such an asset, in Cynsiders.

STREAMING

TelevisaUnivision is unifying its ViX and ViX+ streaming offerings under the ViX name. “One of our main learnings from the past couple quarters relates to brand efficiency and customer confusion around the marketing of these two tiers as separate brands,” said CEO Wade Davis during an earnings call. “Separate campaigns and separate brands for two different tiers inside of the same service ended up being confusing to the consumer and expensive for us.”

Netflix plans to spend $2.5 billion through 2027 on content made in South Korea. After a D.C. meeting between Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and South Korean President Yook Suk Yeo, Sarandos said, “We were able to make this decision because of our great confidence in the Korean content industry, and we’ll continue to make great stories. I have no doubt that our investment will strengthen our long-term partnership with Korea and Korea’s creative ecosystem.”

Netflix’s new “Basics with Ads” option includes about five minutes per hour of programming, comparable to other services. Yet 49% of the streamer’s new customers believe that’s “a bit too much” or “far too much.” That’s according to a study by Aluma Research. Existing Netflix subscribers, who switched from an ad-free tier, are another matter, with only 28% saying the ad load is too heavy. Overall, about 40% of those who made the switch from Netflix’s standard ad-free service to the cheaper $6.99-a-month service say the advertising is “about right.”

Xfinity has integrated 20+ FAST channels from Xumo Play, NBC and Sky into the Xfinity Stream app. The channels are seamlessly integrated into Stream’s channel guide, enabling customers to surf between their subscribed and FAST channels to find something to watch, without having to toggle between apps.

Cynopsis Team