08/07/17: Amazon planning show featuring click-to-buy products

Good morning. It’s Monday August 7, 2017 and this is your your first early morning Digital briefing!

TODAY’S CODEBREAKER

Serverless Computing: Said to be the future of the cloud computing industry, Serverless Computing doesn’t mean that servers are going away entirely. Just the need for dedicated network servers for specific applications, functions and storage, particularly for infrequently used Internet-of-Things applications.

JUST IN

Call it an inevitable nexus of selling stuff and creating video content. Amazon is planning a home makeover show featuring YouTube stars in which retailers’ products can be purchased by viewers by clicking on them. Amazon is partnering with Kin Community to produce Overhaul, a six-episode show hosted and co-produced by Christiane Lemieux, founder of DwellStudio. The show is scheduled to premiere in September.

The arms race that is news dissemination on smartphones is about to enter another stage, courtesy of Google. The Wall Street Journal cites sources as saying Google is developing technology – right now called Stamp – that would let publishers create visual-oriented media content like Snapchat’s Discover. The story says Google has been in discussions with the likes of Vox Media, CNN, Mic, the Washington Post and Time Inc.

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

Accenture is expanding its ever-growing presence in the advertising space by acquiring marketing and sales capability consultancy Brand Learning. Accenture says the deal strengthens its “ability to drive end-to-end marketing and sales transformation for clients by creating a seamless service spanning marketing and sales strategy, organizational design and industry-specific consulting.”

It pays to graduate from early stage technology incubator Nielsen Innovate, at least for Tel Aviv-based vBrand, a startup with a machine-learning-enabled platform that measures brand exposure in sports programming. Nielsen is acquiring vBrand for an undisclosed sum and will fold it into its Nielsen Sports division, alongside Sport24 and Social24.

WPP’s tenthavenue, the global out-of-home and experiential marketing division, has acquired a stake in New York-based LOOM Media, a start-up company specializing in creating opportunities for brands to sponsor urban innovation. Through sponsorship and marketing programs, LOOM assists with the economic development of “Smart Cities” and other civic innovations.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

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AUDIO

In the same week that podcast startup Gimlet raised $15 million, Entercom is buying 45% of Dgital Media, the podcast producer/network. Entercom, now the fourth-largest U.S. radio broadcaster, will double its size later this year once it scoops up CBS Radio.

PROGRAMMING

Film classic “The Karate Kid” will be recreated as a sequel series on YouTube Red.Called Cobra Kai, the series will reunite original film stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in 10, 30-minute episodes next year.

4KUNIVERSE, the 24/7 4K Ultra HD general entertainment TV channel, announced a new 4K resolution original series TWO TRIBES: The Making of a Band. Premiering on Sept. 24, the new show is said to offer audiences a window into the music business in 2017 in a way that hasn’t been done since Gimme Shelter or “The Last Waltz.

APPS + PLATFORMS

Google is stepping up its efforts to provide good user experiences with apps available for download in Play Store. The company noticed that half of app ratings that garnered just one star were cited by users as lacking app stability. Now Google will promote what it considers the best-performing apps in its store, while the others will rank lower in queries.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association confab, YouTube Red’s Susanne Daniels drew a comparison to her company and Netflix: neither will divulge its subscriber count. She did allow that YouTube Red serves a very young audience and that it wishes to expand that to the 18-49 cohort.

Research firm L2 says brands are uploading to Instagram Stories more than twice as often as they are on Snapchat. L2 tracked 89 brands that have both an Instagram and Snapchat account during July and learned that marketers posted 1,347 Instagram Stories compared to 614 Snapchat stories.

OTT + SVOD

Bounce TV’s SVOD service Brown Sugar is now listed on the Roku Channel Store, which means Brown Sugar now has an app for Roku players and TVs. It costs $3.99 per month following a seven-day, free trial.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

A&T isn’t waiting for the completion of its Time Warner to beef up its technology chops. The telecommunications giant has poached Brian Lesser from GroupM, where he was CEO of North America, so he can build an advertising and analytics platform to leverage data and content assets across the combined companies.

Sophie Kaplan is the new Director of Development at StoryBy Entertainment. She most recently was the sole creative executive at Sony Animation President Michelle Raimo Kouyate’s MRK Productions.

Ben Grad, the former Executive Director, Content Strategy & Acquisition at Verizon, is the new Head of Content Strategy & Acquisition at sports-oriented, virtual MVPD fuboTV.

Katie Ford is leaving Publicis Media’s Spark Foundry, where she was President & Managing Director, to become Chief Client Officer at marketing platform Amobee.

TRIVIA

Netflix is working on a new comedy called Ibiza. Who will star as the DJ in the feature being produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Kevin J. Messick? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

Our Last Trivia Question: This actor who gained prominence on Guiding Light co-stars in a new Amazon original based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Answer: Matt Bomer. Kudos to Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Louis Lewow-Lewow Media Group/GA, Shree Swaminarayan-NBCUniversal/NY, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, Christine Allen-McGee Media/NY, Mathew Tombers-Intermat, Inc./NY.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

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DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT

Waiting patiently for the Next Big Thing in smartphones? Then you might enjoy this sneak peek at the RED Hydrogen One. Although it may sound like something that escaped from an arsenal, this gadget from camera maker RED has cool features like a 5.7-inch, hydrogen holographic display.

David Teich
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CYNOPSISJOBS – For More jobs, please visit Cynopsis.com

JOB OPENING: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, MEDIA SALES/SIMMONS RESEARCH/West Coast Based (remote): Drive synd and custom business across new media accounts, 5-7 yrs min exp, proven track record in new biz roles. Media experience a must. Resume/cover letter HERE (8/11)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST/AD SALES SYSTEMS/A+E Networks/NY: Sr. Business Analyst for Ad Sales Systems will be responsible for managing all Digital & CRM Systems for the Ad Sales group. This is a high growth opportunity in A+E Networks Global Technology Group. Full Info/Apply HERE (8/11)

JOB OPENING: BROADCAST PRODUCER/World Surf League/Santa Monica: Responsible for producing Championship Tour Broadcasts & integrated prods. Ensure efficient, timely & cost-effective prod of WSL marquee events & studio content. Min 3 yrs prod exp w/in sports environment pref’d. Resume HERE (8/11)

JOB OPENING: MGR, PROGRAMMING RESEARCH/IFC TV/NY: 5+ yrs TV rsrch exp. Prod in-depth aud analyses to help IFC create the most compelling scheduling & promo strategy. Identify effective platforms/prgrms for promo placement (incl cross-ntwrk barter), leveraging ratings, demographic, etc. Full info/apply HERE (8/11)

JOB OPENING: PROJECT MGR/CORP MKTG/A+E/NY: Manage job initiations across company & responsible for overseeing project dev from inception to release. 5+ yrs exp in Mktg/Advertising within a project mgmt environment. Apply: HERE (8/11)

JOB OPENING: COPYWRITER/ON-AIR CREATIVE/A+E/NY: Transform ideas into words & cohesive text for on-air promos, mktg campaigns, websites, etc. 3+ yrs exp writing copy for an ad agency, publishing house, cable/brdcst TV. Apply HERE (8/10)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER/EDITOR-ON AIR PROMO/REELZ/Albuquerque: Write, produce & edit high impact promo spots for national network series & documentaries. Excellent opportunity for fresh, talented On-Air Promo Preditor on the rise. Relocation offered to Albuquerque, NM. Apply HERE (8/10)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA SALES PLANNER/Z LIVING/NYC: Asst in daily maint of media schedules. Strong math, written & comm skills. Knowledge of media math, including CPM calculations a must. Ability to work w/sales plan’g system Wide Orbit Network. Resumes: HERE (8/10)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASST/Z LIVING/NYC: Detail oriented, flex & independent worker w/exc orgnztn, comm & interpersonal skills. BA deg & ability to multi task a must. Proficient in PP Excel, Word. Wide Orbit a +. Working w/mult depts such as sales acct to keep deals on track thru finance & billing. Resume HERE (8/9)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES RESEARCH MGR/Z LIVING/NYC: Work closely w/team’s SVP & sales staff to create strategic & customized research presentations. Min 5 yrs in media rsrch w/a cable network. Solid knwlg Nielsen ratings & understanding of ad sales process and needs. Resumes HERE (8/9)