CYNOPSISDIGITAL
10.19.16

Good morning. It’s Wednesday October 19, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

In the not-too-distant past, the Yahoo acquisition saga finally seemed over. But ever since the revelation that hackers had stolen info on half a billion user accounts, things have seemed a bit more up in the air. First came a New York Post story that Verizon is trying to shave a billion dollars off its initial $4.83 billion deal. Verizon quickly pushed back on that report, but its general counsel later confirmed that the telco believes the impact of the breach to be “material.” The latest update: Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer says the company is still “very confident” in the company’s value. The better question is, is Verizon confident?
 
Yahoo also posted its third quarter revenue numbers. The company took in $1.305 billion in the third quarter, which was about Wall Street had expected. Its adjusted earnings per share came in at 20 cents. The latter result came in beyond Wall Street expectations; analysts had expected earnings per share of 14 cents.
 
At Mipcom, Vimeo officially launched its global TV storefront. Lionsgate will make TV shows and movies available for rental through the new Vimeo store, which will is now available in more than 150 countries. Vimeo also announced that Starz has been added as a content partner as well – not surprising, since the premium cable net is currently in the process of being acquired by Lionsgate.
 
 

On November 4 in New York City, Cynopsis will honor the most innovative execs in digital media. Read the full roster of pros who made our “It List” and come see them get their awards  – and network to your heart’s content – by registering here.
 
 

Facebook just unveiled some new features for live-streamers – or, at least, for the ones prominent enough to boast a little blue check mark. As the new tools roll out in the coming weeks, verified users will be able to:
·         Schedule their live videos up to a week in advance, which will trigger a News Feed post giving users the option to receive a notification that reminds them when the live-stream is beginning.
·         Post links to their upcoming scheduled live-streams on other social media channels ahead of time, instead of during a broadcast.
·         Gather users in “lobbies” up to three minutes ahead of a broadcast, instead of opening their videos in time-killing mode, waiting for viewers to show up.
 
 

THX, the audio company originally founded by George Lucas in 1983, has a new owner – and an expanded sense of purpose.  Razer, a maker of gaming accessories, bought the company for an undisclosed amount. Both companies say that THX will operate as an independent subsidiary. One reason this makes sense for THX: Razer’s backing (and coffers) will help the company expand overseas, especially in China. And THX will also likely expand to new devices, including VR headsets, according to CEO Ty-Ahmad Taylor. “We will be exceptionally capitalized moving forward,” he told Variety.
 
 

When it comes to scaling the VR industry, one obstacle arguably stands above the rest: There’s just not enough compelling content yet. Baobab Studios, a VR startup best known for the for the animated VR short Invasion!, is trying to change that. And the studio just raised $25 million in Series B funding. Investors included Twentieth Century Fox, Horizon Ventures, Evolution Media Partners, and others. Existing investors Comcast Ventures, Samsung, and HTC were also on-board. 
 

Looks like Univision Communications wants a little help with its YouTube channels. The company has inked a deal with BroadbandTV, a company that provides management and tech solutions for YouTube clients. BroadbandTV will provide content-management services for the 16 Univision Digital channels, with the goal of boosting Univision’s audience engagement and video views.
 
 

 
To determine the TV ads generating the most digital response, iSpot.tv measures digital actions across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all major search engines. Here, a look at the brands that have been backing Sunday Night Football on NBC so far this season.
“The top industry sector advertising during SNF games? Automakers (with wireless carriers and auto insurance close behind). And in terms of digital buzz generated by ads airing during Sunday Night Football, two of the top five brands ­ Kia, GEICO, Apple iPhone, Toyota and Bud Light ­ are of the four-wheeled variety. To grab the No. 1 position, Kia has been playing right to the audience with funny Tecmo Bowl-themed spots starring Bo Jackson.” -iSpot.tv
 
 
 
The ListenFirst Television Interest (TVI) Rating (TM) is a standardized measurement of the most buzzed-about TV programs on linear TV and streaming services. A complement to ListenFirst’s other syndicated data products (such as the ListenFirst Digital Audience Rating – TV), the metrics included in the rating capture organic actions that are largely unaffected by paid media. Programs that surface on the TVI leaderboards are the most hashtagged on Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr, as well as most searched for on Wikipedia (used as a proxy for organic search volume).

Streaming Series (10/10/16 – 10/16/16)
 
 
Source: ListenFirst. The TVI Rating aggregates metrics that measure organically generated activity by fans of the TV show. The metric includes total volume of official hashtag mentions on Facebook, Google+, and Tumblr, along with Wikipedia page views (as a proxy for organic search volume) for a show as a percentage of the total volume of the same activities for all shows.
 
 

 
Our Last Trivia Question: Back in 2000, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings offered a major company the chance to buy Netflix for $50 million. The company ultimately declined, and boy did it live to regret it. Which company was it? Answer: Blockbuster. Kudos to Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Jerry A. Kapner-Kapner Group/NJ, Halter Cunningham-IMG/NY, Harvey Seslowsky-Transmedia Corp., Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-Generate/CA, Tony Miller-NBCUniversal/CT, Luke Watson-Roker Labs/NY, Les Garland-AfterPlay Entertainment/FL, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, Sam States-Viacom/NY, Name: Marty Jastrebsky-Adtaxi/CA, and Aaron Paquette-MARU/VCR&C/TX
 
Follow-up question: After Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010, it was acquired by which company in 2011? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

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JOB OPENING: MGR PARTNERSHIPS MARKETING SERVICES/World Surf League/NYC: Dvlp creative 360 integration ideas and global, regional, and media sales pitches. Mng coord to maintain all materials. 3-5 yrs integrated media/mktg exp. Sports exp a +. Exc PP/key note skills req’d. Resume HERE (10/20)

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