Google outlined the “reasons to love” Android 13, including a new look and style that allows users to customize non-Google apps to match their phone’s wallpaper theme and colors; language settings that can be set on an app level; improved privacy controls; and the ability to copy text and media from one Android device and paste it to another with a click. Android 13 is rolling out to Pixel devices now, and will reach other devices later this year.

Apple is targeting September 7 as the date to unveil the iPhone 14, according to Bloomberg. The company usually releases a new iPhone in stores about a week and a half after it’s introduced. The plan is to stream the event online.

HBO Max and Snap partnered for a new selfie and worldview Lens timed to the launch of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” The selfie Lens turns users into fire-breathing dragons.

Universal Studios is also using AR as a promotion tool, for “Jurassic World Dominion.” The Dinotracker AR app, built by Trigger XR and Niantic Labs, places 10 dinosaurs in a user’s environment, which the user tries to find.

TokTok’s iOS app is injecting code that could enable it monitor keyboard inputs, warned developer Felix Krause in a blog post. “TikTok iOS subscribes to every keystroke (text inputs) happening on third party websites rendered inside the TikTok app. This can include passwords, credit card information and other sensitive user data,” he wrote. Krause noted that his finding doesn’t necessarily mean TikTok is doing “anything malicious” with the access. Responded the company in a statement, “Contrary to the report’s claims, we do not collect keystroke or text inputs through this code, which is solely used for debugging, troubleshooting, and performance monitoring.”

Chalk up a legal victory for Google. A high Australian court found that Google cannot be liable for defamatory content that readers can access through a hyperlink in search results because it cannot be considered a publisher of material on other websites. The decision differed from lower courts, which found Google could be considered publisher. In a decision it appealed, Google had been ordered to pay damages to a lawyer who alleged a Google search of his name led to a link to a defamatory newspaper article.

Researchers at NYU have launched a searchable database of Facebook digital ads, despite Meta’s 2020 threat to sue over a similar initiative. Ad Observatory, part of NYU’s Cybersecurity for Democracy, attempts to bring transparency to digital political advertising by providing access to political advertising across Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. They might have better luck this time. In May, Meta started allowing academics and researchers registered with the Facebook Open Research and Transparency project to see data on how political ads were used to target people.

Professional Bull Riders and SmartMedia Technologies have debuted a new series of digital NFT trading cards to coincide with the launch of the new PBR Team Series. With this drop, fans can take part in the sport’s first ever fantasy league, where they can create a personalized team that will award them points based on the performance of their selected riders throughout the PBR Team Series season.

Trioscope announced the launch of Trioscope Platform to license proprietary technology to third-party content creators. The Platform offers a suite of production tools and software that marries human performance with computer-generated environments. It will provide filmmakers with the opportunity to forge final pictures that boast an array of looks, including graphic novel, painterly imagery and more.

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TikTok is testing three new Shopping Ads formats: Video Shopping Ads, which combines its current Dynamic Showcase Ads and Collection Ads solutions; Catalog Listing Ads, promoting an advertiser’s product catalog at scale with new placements across TikTok; and LIVE Shopping Ads, allowing advertisers to direct users from the For Your page toward their LIVE Shopping event

Most companies are paying more than they have to for their media supply chain, noted ANA CEO Bob Liodice in a statement released with the Association of National Advertisers’ report, “The CMO’s Guide To Programmatic Transparency.” “This is due to factors such as the rapid development of programmatic ad buying, a lack of transparency, the overlap of many providers and services, and the complexity of the process itself,” said Liodice. A guide to help marketers reduce their programmatic costs includes the following recommendations:
* Gather all existing bills associated with the media supply chain.
* Break down the expenses to the most granular level possible, aligning the bill items to the programmatic cost items.
* Reach out to suppliers to understand the line items that are not broken down to a granular level.
* Create a process to get access to this data on an ongoing basis.
* Make formal requests for the data that is not broken down.
* Prioritize the things that can be addressed first, such as agency and platform fees.
* Establish a process for tracking all progress.

IRIS-enabled streaming, FAST, and CTV publishers can now utilize IRIS’ integration with Amazon Publisher Services Connections Marketplace to drive revenue from contextual advertising. CTV advertisers will have an enhanced campaign with APS with IRIS-enabled contextual and brand safety segments.

Enterprise software platform Whip Media has partnered with Vault AI, a predictive research company that delivers AI-powered consumer insights. Vault AI will use global audience engagement data from Whip Media’s TV Time app to provide AI-powered content and character insights for its entertainment industry clients. “Our cross-platform TV Time viewer data is an ideal and wholly additive asset that complements Vault AI’s consumer behavior insights – a combination that will offer Vault AI’s clients new dimensions for worldwide content insights,” said Whip Media’s Vincent Muscarella, Vice President of Sales.

In-content advertising not only delivers better outcomes for brands than TV spots alone, it is also preferred by viewers, according to research from Kantar and Mirriad. Asked about their perceptions of in-content ad placements, seven times as many people said they prefer in-content ad placement over traditional TV spots. “In-content advertising is an exciting new ad format for brands looking for differentiated ways to reach their audience at scale,” said Sparsh Pandya, client director at Kantar. “Not only do people like the experience of branding and product placement within video, the placements also drive higher performance across key metrics including awareness and purchase intent.”

Ad management company Mediavine announced its integration with The Trade Desk’s OpenPath via a direct server to server OpenRTB connection. “OpenPath represents another route for our advertiser clients to connect with our publisher partners to ensure they have transparent and objective access to the best available digital advertising inventory,” said Will Doherty, VP of Inventory Development, The Trade Desk. “We are firm believers in offering the most direct paths possible, and this server-to-server integration will create a more efficient connection to Mediavine’s inventory and preserve the free flow of premium media on the open internet.”

STREAMING

In the second quarter of 2022, 55% of consumers reported using at least one FAST channel, an increase of almost 10 since the end of 2021, according to Hub’s “TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction.” Most TV consumers (56%) said they’d rather watch ads and pay $4-$5 less per month for a streaming service. Subscribers to the ad-supported tiers of streaming services were, for the most part, equally likely to feel they get “excellent” or “good” value from the service as those who subscribe to the ad free versions, according to the study.

Walmart has added Paramount+’s ad-supported plan to its premium membership offer. Starting next month, Walmart+ customers will have access to the streaming service’s Essential subscription at no extra cost. “With the addition of Paramount+, we are demonstrating our unique ability to help members save even more and live better by delivering entertainment for less, too,” said Chris Cracchiolo, SVP and general manager of Walmart.

NBCUniversal Local announced that three more NBC local news channels are now available on The Roku Channel: NBC Bay Area News, NBC Boston News and NBC San Diego News. “Since launching our local news category earlier this summer, we have seen users come to The Roku Channel to engage with this programming category in a meaningful way,” said Ashley Hovey, Head of The Roku Channel AVOD. “We’re proud to offer a convenient way for millions of streamers to stay informed on important local topics and current events.”

Firstlight Media announced its collaboration with Google Cloud has led to developments including:
· Personalized FAST channels running on Google Cloud and ready for scalable CTV monetization via pre-integration with Google Ad Manager across client, and server side environments.
· Analytics dashboards built on a proprietary, unified data model, bringing together user engagement, content performance, and quality of experience metrics.
· Linear streaming through HLS and DASH on Google Cloud Media CDN, with an early version of low latency streaming using the LL-DASH protocol.
“As we’ve plunged more deeply into our R&D collaboration with Google Cloud, two things have stood out,” said Juan Martin, CTO and Co-Founder of Firstlight Media. “First, our innovation velocity has dramatically increased with Google Cloud, which will be transformational for the media industry. Second, a tight integration with leading CTV focused services like Google Ad Manager and Google Cloud Media CDN will have a direct impact on the bottom lines of OTT providers.”

About three out of four viewers of streaming programming watch the top shows within the first two weeks – which means streamers might want to reevaluate their strategies for rolling out highly anticipated content, says a report from Samba TV. According to “The State of Viewership,” by the 30th day top tier titles were available, they had drawn 86% of their 50-day viewership. With the introduction of ad-supported offerings, “It could foreshadow the future of an AVOD model that ‘windows’ original content in SVOD for 15 to 30 days before being released to ad-supported ties,” said the report.

It appears Netflix will not be allowing users of its upcoming ad-supported tier to download content for offline viewing. Text inside Netflix’s iPhone app, found by developer Steve Moser and reported in Bloomberg, stated, “Downloads available on all plans except Netflix with ads.”

Love Stories TV FAST Channel, featuring real wedding films, is now available on Allen Media Group’s Local Now and theGrio Streaming App. Local Now, theGrio and AMG’s Sports.TV will also carry Asian entertainment channels from NEW ID.

Libsyn announced the acquisition Julep Media MmbH, Germany’s largest independent platform for podcast advertising. The deal represents the first step in Libsyn’s expansion to become the global destination.

Cynopsis Team