09/19/17: Microsoft teases mysterious mixed reality event

Good morning. It’s Tuesday September 19, 2017 and this is your your first early morning Digital briefing!

TODAY’S CODEBREAKER

Compression Artifact: A compression artifact is a noticeable distortion of media – including images, audio or video – that can be caused by the application of “lossy” compression (i.e., compression that uses inexact approximations and partial data discarding to represent content). A compression artifact frequently takes the form of a fuzzy spot on a piece of content.

JUST IN…

Is Roku looking to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home? Variety reported on a number of clues, including recent hires and job postings, which seem to indicate that the service has been trying to fill audio-centric roles. At the very least, it seems clear that the company is looking to improve its audio features. In theory, Roku may be doing nothing more than improving voice control capabilities for its connected TV devices. Whatever the company is planning, we’ll probably know soon: Roku plans to go public in the coming months, and it will likely want to announce any major new products before it does.

Speaking of which, a new amendment to Roku’s original S-1 filing shows that the company plans to price its shares between $12 and $14 when it goes public. All told, the IPO could potentially raise up to $252 million. But not all of that money is going to Roku. For instance, investor Menlo Ventures to sell 6 million shares after the IPO. Another investor, Sky Ventures, plans to sell 668,000. And other shares are being reserved for the company’s underwriters. On the lower end, it’s possible that Roku’s share of the money could be closer to $108 million.

ADVERTISING

Audience data provider Eyeota announced a new partnership with Neustar, a neutral provider of real-time information services. The companies say they’ll work together to provide an extensive database of consumer audience profiles to marketers and advertisers, with the goal of helping them amplify data data-driven marketing strategies. The Neustar AdAdvisor product, designed to help advertisers find the best potential prospects online and at scale, is now available through the Eyeota Data Marketplace.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Who doesn’t love a good video?

The Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival & Conference | March 7, 2018

Honoring outstanding work in this emerging space, the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival will showcase fresh and surprising storytelling across platforms. We define short form video as content that runs from 5 seconds to 10 minutes. Content on any platform is eligible. Watch our sizzle reel + start your submissions (deadline is 10/20)!

Submit your videos here!

APPS + PLATFORMS

Facebook’s Instagram tweaked the way auto-play videos appear on its platform. Previously, all auto-play videos on Instagram played without sound by default, no matter what the settings were on the device they were being viewed on. (Instagram Stories was an exception; it always followed a device’s default settings.) Now, if an Instagram user chooses to turn the sound on for a video, the sound will stay on for all subsequent videos they view during that session. That includes videos in the Instagram feed, the Explore tab, Instagram Stories, or users’ profiles. It also includes both organic video and ads. Users can still turn audio off by tapping the speaker icon in the bottom left of videos. And new sessions will once again default to no audio.

VIRTUAL + AUGMENTED REALITY

Well that’s tantalizing. Microsoft sent out invites to a small number of journalists, beckoning them to an October 3 event in San Francisco. All that’s really known at the moment is that the event will focus on the company’s next efforts in mixed reality technology. “This event is an opportunity to hear where Microsoft is headed next – and to experience Windows Mixed Reality for yourself,” the invitation reads. According to Mashable, Microsoft won’t use the event to unveil a new HoloLens mixed reality headset. But that doesn’t mean the company won’t roll out new hardware of some sort. It’s all a bit mysterious at the moment; we’ll know more on October 3.

PROGRAMMING

Volume 5 of RWBY, the anime series from the Fullscreen-owned digital entertainment company Rooster Teeth, is hitting theaters – for one night, anyway. On Thursday, October 12, the first chapter of the new installment will be screened theatrically in almost 500 locations. Rooster Teeth has partnered with the cinema-event distributor Fathom Events to help put on the screenings, which will run at 7:30 pm ET. Audiences will also get to see an exclusive featurette, which includes interviews with the show’s talent and crew. Volume 5 officially premieres on October 14; it’ll be available on First, the company’s SVOD service.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Variety reports that Sanjay Sharma is leaving All Def Digital, Russell Simmons’ hip-hop-oriented digital media startup. Sharma had served as the company’s CEO for the past three years. He reportedly plans to launch his own digital media venture.

Shareablee is expanding its team as it prepares to launch a new advertising category, Social Addressable Advertising, using social behavioral data to develop media plans across platforms. Pat Ruta joins the company as Chief Business Officer and Jack Flanagan joins as Executive Vice President of U.S. Sales. Ruta spent 17 years with television ad tech provider Visible World, leading it and its subsidiary, AudienceXpress, to an acquisition by Comcast. Flanagan led Timeline Labs to its acquisition in 2015.

Branded Entertainment Network announced a new hire. The company has named Kristin Glushon as EVP of Client Development. She’ll be tasked with driving BEN’s growth, with a focus on developing relationships with domestic and global brands, as well as with media agencies. She’ll report directly to CEO Gary Shenk. Glushon joins the company from Orion Worldwide, where she most recently served as SVP of New Business for the company’s Client Strategy Group.

TRIVIA

San Junipero, the much-lauded installment of Netflix’s Black Mirror, won big at the Emmys on Sunday. Which actresses played the younger versions of Yorkie and Kelly, the episode’s main characters? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

Our Last Trivia Question: This singer-songwriter whose full name includes Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel irked some people recently with his negative comments about the music industry. Answer: Seal. Kudos to Andrew Bellamy-Producers Guild of America/NY, Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Holly Hearn-H2 Concierge Marketing/FL, Joel Dearing-Virtual News Center/IN, Susan Nessanbaum Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, and Lorrie Shilling CA

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Harnessing the Power of the New Hispanic Demo

Thursday, October 12 @ 1:30 pm ET

In Cynopsis’ newest live online event, we’re examining the major shift in both what’s being watched and where with this demo that represents 18% of the country’s population. With buying power topping $1.5 trillion in 2017, it is critical for media industry players to craft programming that reaches this growing and influential group. Check out our expert panel here!

DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT

Earlier this year, Netflix peeled Jerry Seinfeld – and his series, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee – away from Sony’s Crackle. He’ll also headline standup specials for the service, including the new Jerry Before Seinfeld, which premieres today. Netflix released a quick new promo in which Seinfeld talks the ear off of Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood, the sinister protagonist of Netflix’s House of Cards. It’s pretty funny stuff – check it out here.

David Teich
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