Monday December 20, 2021

Apple’s App Privacy Report is now available on iOS 15.2 – an update to the iOS 15 operating system released in September – and iPadOS 15.2. The feature enables users to see which apps are accessing the data and sensors on their phones, and what data is being shared.

Google announced “Notes from Google Play,” a series celebrating the creativity of users, as well as sharing key insights and best practices. The goal: “to inspire you to be bolder, go further, and build even more innovative apps and games,” said Google in a blog post.

Twitter rolled out auto-generated captions on videos, to make videos more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Auto captions will be available on web, iOS and Android in over 30 languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Thai, Chinese, Hindi and more.

Reddit has filed with the SEC for a proposed public offering. The discussion platform declined to offer additional information, saying, “We are in a quiet period, and for regulatory reasons, we cannot say anything further.”

Mobile video is on the rise as consumers go hybrid, according to IAS’ 2022 Industry Pulse Report, based on feedback from digital media experts. The report notes 86% of respondents see mobile video streaming as a key opportunity in the year ahead, while 77% agree that ad fraud will be a greater concern across mobile environments. Seventy-nine percent of respondents said that ad fraud is a top concern for their campaigns, while 60% cited eroding consumer trust as a key factor in adjusting spending for 2022.

Visual processing solutions company Pixelworks announced the launch of an end-to-end platform for motion imaging. TrueCut Motion offers directors advanced mastering tools to control how motion is visualized in their films, new streaming and theatrical distribution tools as well as device certification to solve motion issues. The platform will allow viewers to experience motion, consistently presented across every screen.

Creators have received more than $250 million in payouts from Snap Inc.’s Spotlight monetization program, which the social platform introduced last November. Snap says since the program’s debut, creators are posting three times as often, with 65 percent of submissions using one of Snapchat’s creative tools.

Search.io, an AI-powered e-commerce site search platform, has launched an instant AI search platform, Neuralsearch, powered by a new artificial intelligence algorithm. Neural hashing, which combines the power of vector search with fast speed and self-learning capabilities, is intended to help brands increase conversions, revenue, and repeat customers while improving customer experience online.

DEALS & PARTNERSHIPS

Spotify has acquired Australia-based technology platform Whooskaa, which enables radio broadcasters to convert their audio content into on-demand podcasts. “Through the addition of these new tools as well as the innovative team behind them, we are reinforcing our commitment to helping creators, publishers and advertisers realize the value of this opportunity,” said Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content and Advertising Business Officer for Spotify. “With Whooshkaa, we will strengthen our efforts to help audio publishers of all kinds grow their podcast business and scale our ability to help advertisers reach their audiences.”

Theta Labs and Jukin Media have struck an entertainment partnership that will encompass video content, video delivery infrastructure, and fan engagement. As part of the agreement, Jukin Media properties FailArmy and The Pet Collective will implement the Theta Network infrastructure, video player and peer-to-peer bandwidth relaying. Theta will also license content from Jukin Media, and the companies will work together to launch exclusive NFTs for FailArmy and The Pet Collective on the ThetaDrop NFT platform.

Comscore has closed a deal to acquire social media analytics company Shareablee. The move is aimed at helping Comscore expand its Media Matrix and Video Matrix currencies. “The future of measurement would not be complete without including the impressions delivered by the social media platforms,” said Comscore CEO Bill Livek. “For marketers, this inclusion into our currencies will present great opportunity to maximize their outcomes on advertising investments. We see many opportunities to help our clients grow their viewing audiences and maximize their impact using social platforms.”

LiveXLive and Super League Gaming have formed a strategic partnership to create experiences within the metaverse tied to LiveOne’s music, lifestyle and pay-per-views in events. The companies plan to offer fans and gamers immersive 3D environments featuring exclusive content, unique virtual goods, NFTs, and gamified activities intended to drive increased affinity and socially-connected engagement.

Data platform Advocado announced $10 million in new capital, including a $7.5 million investment from institutional investment firm, Crescent Cove Advisors. The funds are aimed a helping the company continue to drive innovation in ad verification across all screens and touchpoints.

Redbox signed a distribution agreement with LG Electronics to include its branded FAST channels as part of LG Channels, available on 2016-2021 LG Smart TVs. Redbox Free Movies is live now on LG Channels, and will be joined by Redbox Free Movies, Redbox War and Westerns, Redbox Holiday, Redbox Rewind and Redbox Romance.

Stay tuned as Cynopsis releases its 2022 events calendar! Here’s what’s already been confirmed for next year: OTT Virtual Conference – March 8th, Sports Media Awards, April 19th, Big TV Conference – Sept 20-21st, Esports Business Summit – Nov 1-3rd

VISIT THE OTT CONFERENCE

Samsung Ads has established the Samsung Onboarding Partner Program. Starting in the first quarter of 2022, marketers can access their curated audiences from Acxiom, Adobe, Experian, LiveRamp, Merkle, and Oracle to both plan and execute campaigns throughout the Samsung Ads network. More partners will be added to the Onboarding Partner Program in 2022.

Pixalate released its Ad Trust & Safety API suite, a set of self-service APIs and SDKs that give app developers the ability to secure their apps against ad fraud from the beginning of the development process. App developers and small companies will have self-service access to the tools necessary to bake fraud prevention into their apps from the ground up.

Talon America and Havas Media Group unveiled a new digital OOH campaign for PUMA to promote the launch of the co-creation of a signature basketball sneaker with NBA star LaMelo Ball. The OOH campaign will feature augmented reality experiences on strategically located digital bus shelters in NYC and laser projections in Charlotte, North Carolina.

STREAMING

Disney and YouTube TV reached a carriage deal after a two-day blackout. “We appreciate Google’s collaboration to reach fair terms that are consistent with the market,” said Disney in a statement. YouTube TV had lowered its monthly subscription price by $15 to reflect the loss of Disney networks, but gave affected users a one-time discount despite the restored service.

discovery+ is now available to VIZIO SmartCast users. As part of the launch, a dedicated carousel, “Discover More on discovery+,” will showcase the content portfolio and introduce users to discovery+ with the top shows and fan favorites.

Polaris, the Black-owned television, digital and social media platform, is launching an ad-supported streaming TV channel on Vizio’s SmartCast platform. Polaris will uncover and share stories created by BIPOC creators and share hip-hop and Black culture.

Disney+ updated its Apple app suite, adding support for Apple’s SharePlay feature that enables subscribers to watch content with friends and family while connected via FaceTime. Disney+ subscribers with an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV can watch content together with up to 32 other subscribers to the streaming service.

Insight TV has launched Insight TV 4K across Comcast’s entertainment platforms. The service, which is accessible by saying “Insight TV 4K” into each device’s voice remote, will feature some of Insight TV’s most popular titles including “Close Proximity,” “Epic Exploring” and “King of the Hammers.”

Peacock’s premium tier is available at no extra cost for 12 months for most Spectrum TV customers and for 90 days for Spectrum Internet customers starting this week. The offer was announced by Charter Communications and NBCU.

Nordic streaming service Viaplay will launch in the US on Wednesday, December 15. Viaplay offers a lineup of original fare plus acquired Nordic films and series. The service initially will be available on Comcast devices including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TV as an add-on subscription, priced at $4.99 per month.

FORECAST: 2022

“As businesses are required to focus on purpose and not just profit, the digital ecosystem will rise to support meaningful efforts, and there are a number of meaningful, purpose driven topics that will be in focus in 2022. First off, the current supply chain disruption will force businesses to look at the scope of their production, which will be an opportunity to adopt a carbon-neutral footprint, particularly as it relates to ecommerce, packaging, distribution, and recycling. Secondly, consumers will be thinking through the impact of carbon emissions released by the creation of NFTs and other digital tokens. Next, as The Great Resignation has demonstrated, employees are looking for purpose and meaning, which means in order to retain talent, businesses must focus on employee satisfaction by investing in training, development, and D&I efforts.” – Libby Morgan, SVP, Chief Strategy Officer, IAB

“2022 will be a year when OTT providers zero in on two pandemic issues: cleaning up metadata to enable more targeted, robust consumer experiences, and leveraging the cloud to clean up inefficient production and distribution systems. Providers who gathered low hanging subscriber fruit over the past two years now are tackling the challenge of retaining that audience as consumers app-hop to other services and return to leisure options outside the home. A focus in the coming year will be on metadata – the capture, cleanup and standardization required to enable recommendation engines, advanced search capabilities, editorial input and other engagement tools.” – Paul Pastor, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder, Firstlight Media

“Data and Insights will continue to be made more accessible to business users through a combination of new and maturing technologies. This will include:
· Greater proportion of insights identified and communicated to users automatically via algorithms
· Greater consumption of data and insights via non-traditional means
· Greater use of contextual embedding to ensure appropriate insights are available directly in the users’ workflow
· Simpler techniques for non-data specialists to create new queries.” – Brad Scarff, CTO, Yellowfin

“2021 has been defined by the race to solve for cookieless identifiers but in 2022, Machine Learning-Driven Contextual (or what we call Contextual 3.0) will win that race. Of course, contextual targeting is not a new concept, but the level of detail we can reach today using machine learning makes contextual intelligence the perfect solution in a privacy-centric world. Brands that can offer privacy and data transparency will win consumers’ trust next year, incentivizing them to continue engaging with the brand and ultimately future-proofing advertising in the post-cookie world.” – Mel Behassa, SVP of Demand, Connatix

“There’s a growing issue in CTV when the TV is turned off and ad campaigns continue to run. We tested this ourselves, opening the most popular streaming apps to see what happens when you turn the TV screen off. In many cases, for a considerable amount of time, the app continues to play and to generate impressions – not just minutes, but frequently for hours and sometimes even days. This occurs when the TV screen is turned off but the third-party CTV device (e.g., Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, etc.) remains on. This is a growing issue that can have a dramatic effect on campaign performance, spend and measurement. To be clear, it isn’t ad fraud or a reflection of anything nefarious, rather, it’s just a common technological problem across CTV. Today, most advertisers aren’t aware of this problem. In 2022, we expect that to change.” – John Ross, Director of Product Strategy, DoubleVerify

“Meta (Facebook) will fall flat on its face, around its efforts to go into virtual reality. While innovative on the surface, consumers and the market aren’t at a place to drive strong adoption rates. Strong adoption rates around innovative prodigy stem from new solutions advancing/replacing old solutions. For example, iPods replaced records, tapes, and CDs, etc. VR stands to replace the physical experience of “being,” and the dependencies of that are somewhat far-fetched. As a result of this, Facebook will acquire one of the biggest content producers; they’ll want to go into CTV to recoup potential losses from ‘Meta’ efforts.” – Ken Harlan, CEO, MobileFuse

“The difference from 2021 to 2022 in CTV and OTT streaming is that we’re going to see a lot more options for free channels that are ad-supported – and so a lot more advertising inventory will surface that hadn’t before. This additional inventory will not only give advertisers more opportunities to advertise on CTV, it will also have a profound effect on how they relate to advertising. The ‘C’ in CTV is allowing TV advertising to shift from branding into a key performance marketing channel. The analytics that advertisers are now being offered through – for example, OneView with Roku – are going to allow them to have a much different level of insight and bend their campaigns from brand awareness to brand experience and increasingly also direct response.” – Gijsbert Pols, Ph.D., Lead Strategist, Adjust