1. In a new multi-year agreement with the NFL, Apple Music is taking over sponsorship duties for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, an announcement from the league said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though prior reports indicated the league was seeking up to $50 million for the rights. This is a big win for Apple Music, and we'll break here.
2.On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 15-7 to advance the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act -- a bill that is supposed to
help newspapers, while in actuality running roughshod over social media companies' ability to moderate content and to make fair use of online material.
The bill, introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), would grant smaller news outlets an antitrust exemption in order to allow them to band together to negotiate with Facebook and Google for payment for links. In other words, it would allow newspapers to form a cartel in order to shake down the platforms that
provide them with the vast majority of their traffic.
There's just one problem: such an arrangement would almost certainly be illegal under existing antitrust law. So instead of carving out an exemption for newspapers, the bill would exempt them from the law entirely. In effect, it would give newspapers a free pass to collude and monopolize the online news landscape.
And that's not all. The bill would also force Facebook and Google to give advance notice of any changes
to their algorithms, on pain of hefty fines. Ostensibly, this is designed to protect consumers from being "manipulated" by the algorithms. But in reality, it would simply give incumbent news organizations a leg up in negotiating with the platforms, while hamstringing innovation and stifling competition.
All told, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is a cynical ploy to prop up a struggling industry at the expense of consumers, competition, and common
sense..
3.In what can only be described as a bold move, CNN has announced a series of sweeping changes to their primetime programming. Starting on October 10th, Jake Tapper will be taking over the 9 pm hour. This is a key timeslot, and it is sure to shake things up. It is unclear whether these changes will be permanent, or if they are just for the midterm elections. Either way, it is a big change, and it will be interesting to
see how it plays out.
4. It's not every day you get tips for using TikTok from an insider. Jorge Ruiz, TikTok's head of global marketing science, caught plenty of attention with his insights on the platform. According to Jorge, the sweet spot for exposure frequency is two to three times per week. This means that seeing an ad or piece of content more than three times in a week might start to annoy users. But if they see it less than
that, they might not remember it. So, marketers should aim for somewhere in the middle to make sure their message gets seen and doesn't become annoying. In addition, Jorge suggests that marketers use humor in their content, as it tends to perform well on TikTok. Humorous content is often shareable, and it can help brands to stand out in a sea of serious competitors. So, if you're looking to use TikTok effectively, keep these insights in mind. Thanks, Jorge!
5. Charlie Collier is a TV veteran who has been tapped by Roku to help the company increase its streaming TV advertising efforts. Collier has been CEO of Fox Entertainment Group since 2018, and he brings a wealth of experience to the role. In addition to his expertise in TV advertising, Collier is also a skilled negotiator. He is known for his tough negotiating style, and he is sure to be an asset to Roku as it looks to increase its share of the streaming TV
market. Collier is a controversial figure, but there is no denying his skill as a TV executive. Roku is lucky to have him on board, and we can expect great things from the company in the future.
6. According to a recent press release, dynamic content platform FindMine has secured new venture capital funding, bringing its total financing to $9.9 million. The round was led by XSeed Capital and Underscore, and it supplements a previous
seed round. With this new infusion of cash, FindMine plans to continue its mission of helping brands deliver more personal and relevant customer experiences. In addition, the company hopes to use the funds to expand its team and grow its customer base. Ultimately, FindMine wants to become the go-to platform for dynamic content, and with this latest round of funding, it appears to be well on its way.
7.According to BIA Advisory Services,
over-the-air (OTA) local TV advertising continues to post gains -- although at a much slower pace -- on its traditional two-year cycle, where major political and Olympics ad buying occurs every other year. Nevertheless, U.S. local TV stations' over-the-top (OTT) advertising continues to grow sharply, estimated to be 57% higher in 2022 at $2.0 billion versus 2021 ($1.3 billion). In other words: OTT is eating into OTA's lunch, with the former's revenues projected to surpass the latter's
in 2023.
8. Bally Sports, formerly Fox Sports, is a behemoth in the world of regional sports networks. Currently, Bally Sports operates 21 different RSNs across the United States. However, according to a recent report, the company may be looking to divest its subsidiary Diamond Sports, which operates the RSNs. This could mean that the MLB, NBA and NHL would have a chance to acquire their own RSNs. The unnamed sources who spoke to the
outlet said that Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns Bally Sports, is slated to begin talks with the three sports leagues about possibly divesting Diamond Sports. This would be a major shakeup in the world of professional sports, and it will be interesting to see how the negotiations play out.
9. On Wednesday, the Media Rating Council (MRC) released finalized standards for outcome measurement and data quality. This means that the
advertising industry now has requirements that outcome-based measurement can be evaluated against. Judy Davey, VP of Media Policy and Marketing Capabilities at the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), said that the ACA, along with the U.S.-based Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and 4As, endorsed the standards. The funny thing is, these are the same organizations that have been calling for better measurement standards for years! It's good to see that they're finally taking action
on this issue.
10 On Wednesday, Group Black, a collective that represents 200 Black-owned media publishers, announced a partnership with Magnite to help scale Black-owned inventory by making more of it available programmatically. The move comes as part of a wider effort to address the longstanding issue of underinvestment in black-owned media. "For too long, the digital advertising ecosystem has been leaving black-owned media on the
sidelines," said Group Black co-founder and CEO Cedric Culpepper in a statement. "This partnership will help to level the playing field and ensure that black voices are heard." Under the terms of the deal, Magnite will make available up to $10 million in ad spend to Group Black members over the next year. The move is a welcome one, but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to close the gap.
11. TikTok is quickly becoming one of the
most popular social media platforms, and Obvi is allocating a significant portion of its marketing budget to the app. According to Ashvin Melwani, CMO and co-founder of Obvi, the company is dedicating 25% of its ad dollars to TikTok, with the remaining 70% going to Facebook and 5% to Google search. This spend is fluid, based on TikTok's performance from month to month. However, one thing is certain: TikTok is a powerful marketing tool that Obvi is committed to investing in. With over 1
billion active users worldwide, the potential reach of TikTok marketing is vast. And with Obvi's creative and engaging content, they are well-positioned to take advantage of this growing platform. (digiday)
12. The great streaming slowdown
everyone has been fearing is, it seems, finally beginning to manifest in earnest. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video have seen their subscriber growth rates begin to slip in recent quarters, and it's only going to get worse from here. A business that became accustomed to soaring growth must now adjust to that growth slowing and transform from an ascendant business to a stable, long-term one. Streaming, in other words, is becoming what the cable business used to be —
albeit with a much lower barrier for cancellation should consumers tire of a service. The good news for the streamers is that, unlike the cable companies, they have a lot of room to grow still; the bad news is that they're going to have to work a lot harder to keep people subscribed. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the slower pace of streaming growth. It's here to stay.
13. Amazon's first foray into live NFL broadcasts was a smashing success, at
least in the ratings. The game between the Chargers and Chiefs averaged a 6.4 rating and 13.03 million viewers on Amazon Prime, including local simulcasts in the two teams' home markets. That's impressive enough, but even more so when you consider that Prime alone averaged 11.8 million viewers. So, if you're keeping score at home, that means that around 1.25 million people watched the game on Amazon who weren't even football fans. Of course, it's still early days for Amazon's NFL
experiment, and it remains to be seen whether they can keep up the momentum. But for now, they have to be feeling pretty good about themselves.
14. Canadians can finally get their hands on Pluto TV starting December 1st. The highly anticipated streaming service offers users a unique viewing experience with a wide variety of content ranging from news to entertainment. Although some people may be hesitant to try something new, Pluto TV
is definitely worth checking out – especially since it's free! So what are you waiting for? Curl up on the couch and enjoy your new favorite streaming service.
15. In an age where customers have more choices than ever, being chosen as a default TV service is crucial for providers to avoid churn. Viewers who identify a service as the place they start their viewing are eight times more likely to say that’s the source they would keep if
they had to choose just one, according to Hub Research. Landing the spot as someone’s go-to network has long-term benefits: Not only are these viewers more engaged and less likely to defect to another service, but they’re also more open to rate increases. So how can providers make sure they’re the one chosen as the start button on the remote? By creating compelling original content, driving awareness through marketing and making it easy to sign up and access the service. Once a customer makes
you their go-to network, you’ve won a valuable piece of real estate in their minds—and on their screens.