1. It's been five months since CNN+ was killed off by new owner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and now the company is adding a CNN Originals hub to its Discover+ streaming service in the US. The hub will include more than 800 episodes of nonfiction series from CNN Original Series, CNN Films and HLN Original Series, including shows like "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" and "United Shades of America with W.
Kamau Bell." The move is likely to appease fans of CNN's more news-oriented content who were disappointed by the death of CNN+, but it remains to be seen how many people will actually sign up for Discover+ just for the CNN Originals hub.
2. On Tuesday, Amazon filed a lawsuit against a man and his company for selling fake reviews to third-party retailers. This is the first time Amazon has taken
legal action against someone for this type of activity. Trey King and his company, AuctionSentinel.com, are accused of selling fake "verified feedback" to retailers who sell products on Amazon.com. This feedback is meant to bolster the seller's feedback and give the impression that the products are more popular than they actually are. Amazon is seeking damages from King and his company, as well as an injunction to stop them from selling fake reviews. In the meantime, if you're considering
purchasing a product from a third-party retailer on Amazon, be sure to do your research first and check out the seller's feedback carefully. And if you see a five-star review that seems too good to be true, it probably is!
3. The mobile shopping trend is not just restricted to developed markets. In fact, many consumers in developing countries are also turning to their mobile phones to make purchases. For instance, in
China, 57% of online shoppers make cross-border purchases, with most of them buying from merchants in the US. This trend is being driven by the growing availability of mobile devices and the increase in Internet penetration. Moreover, with the proliferation of mobile payment systems, such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, consumers are now able to make payments using their mobile phones with ease. This has made it much easier for Chinese consumers to buy products from US merchants. As a result, we are
seeing a growing number of Chinese consumers making cross-border purchases using their mobile phones.
4.Say It Now, the voice assistant adtech firm, has partnered with Pizza Hut, the pizza chain with 18,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries, and Navigate Digital, the performance marketing agency, to create a new smart speaker advertising campaign that enables customers to claim a discount via the Alexa voice
assistant.
Amazon smart speaker listeners who hear the Pizza Hut advert on digital radio station Absolute Radio will be able to say "Alexa, ask Pizza Hut for a discount" to claim a 2-for-1 deal on medium or large pizzas. The offer will be valid for one week after the advert airs.
This is the first time that a UK radio station has offered a discount via a voice assistant and it is hoped that the campaign will encourage more people to try out smart
speakers. Pizza Hut and Navigate Digital are both long-standing clients of Say It Now. This latest campaign is part of Say It Now's ongoing efforts to help brands reach consumers through innovative use of voice technology.
5. Cara Pratt is optimistic about the retailer’s chances during the ad slowdown. After all, here’s a business built on the back of on-site search and product listing ads within search results on Kroger.com and the
mobile app — i.e channels with strong commercial intent. So chances are this slowdown is more of a blip than anything else for Kroger. Pratt points out that, in addition to its digital marketing chops, Kroger has other arrows in its quiver when it comes to advertising, such as its in-store TV network and loyalty program reach. All told, she believes the company is well-positioned to weather the current storm. So there you have it: even during tough times, there are some brands that just
keep on truckin’.
6. It's no secret that salaries in the creative industries have been on the rise in recent years. But according to a new survey from job platform Creatively, there is one group of creatives who are really raking in the dough: those with the coveted new skill of working within the metaverse or Web3 environments. The survey, which polled 500 respondents involved in hiring talent across the tech, fashion, arts and media
industries, found that salaries for creatives working in these cutting-edge fields have increased by an average of 20% over the last year. And it's not just top-level executives who are cashing in – entry-level employees are also seeing their paychecks swell thanks to the demand for these skills. So if you're thinking about making a career change, consider dusting off that old copy of Second Life – it could pay off big time!
7. When it
comes to the metaverse, we're still in the early stages of development. But already, we can see how it's going to change the way we interact with media. Right now, most of our media is what we call "flat." That is, it's two-dimensional and we experience it from a third-person perspective. We're outsiders looking in. But with the advent of virtual reality and other immersive technologies, that's all changing. The metaverse is a term for the shift from flat media to immersive media, where
we experience things in the first person. And this shift has some pretty significant consequences. For one thing, it means we're no longer limited by the physical world. We can visit virtual worlds that are impossible to create in the real world. And because we're experiencing these worlds firsthand, they can be much more persuasive and persuasive than anything we've experienced before. Additionally, the metaverse will give rise to new social interactions and communities that are based around
shared experiences instead of physical location. So, overall, the metaverse is going to be a pretty big deal. And even though we're still in the early stages, it's not too late to start getting involved.
8. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple could integrate ads into Maps as early as next year. Gurman says the company's engineering team has already begun preparing the software to support search ads. Consumers will
reportedly see Apple begin integrating that work starting sometime in 2023. If this comes to fruition, it would be a monumental shift for Apple, which has long avoided showing ads in its first-party apps. It's not clear how exactly the company would integrate ads into Maps, but Gurman says they would likely appear when users search for specific locations or businesses. Whether or not people will be receptive to this change remains to be seen, but it's sure to generate a lot of buzz (and revenue)
for Apple.
9. Prime Video has announced that it will be dropping the Amazon name from its streaming moniker. This change comes as part of a larger rebranding effort by the company, which also includes changes to the user interface on the Prime Video platform. While some have speculated that this move is intended to distance Prime Video from its parent company, Amazon, it is more likely that the streaming service is simply trying to
establish itself as a separate brand. In any case, the change is sure to be welcomed by many users who have been unhappy with Amazon's recent decisions regarding its Prime Video platform.
10. As anyone who has ever been stuck on a long plane ride with nothing to watch knows, the ability to download shows and movies for offline viewing is one of the best things about Netflix. However, it looks like the company's new ad-supported tier
will not include this feature. According to code found inside the Netflix iPhone app, users of the ad-supported tier will only be able to stream content, not download it. This is not surprising, as giving users the ability to download content would make it much easier for them to skip the ads. However, it is still possible that Netflix could change its plans between now and the launch of the ad-supported tier. If it does, we hope that offline viewing will become a feature you can pay extra for,
as it would be one distinguishing factor between the two tiers.
