1.Pinterest has now officially launched real-time analytics elements within Pin Analytics on mobile, which will provide more data on exactly how your Pins are performing at any given time. This is a major update for the platform, and one that should help businesses and individuals to better understand the impact of their content. The new real-time analytics will show things like the number of views, repins, and clicks on a Pin, as well as the average
engagement rate. This data will be updated every few minutes, so you can always see how your Pins are performing. In addition, Pinterest has also added some new features to Pin Analytics, such as the ability to track the performance of Pins over time, and to compare the performance of different Pins. These new features will be extremely useful for businesses and individuals who use Pinterest to drive traffic to their websites or blog.
2. Ad spending in the second half of the year is expected to increase by 7% compared to initial projections, according to a new survey from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The survey, which polled media decision-makers, found that marketers are bullish on the economy and are planning to increase their ad spend in order to take advantage of increased consumer spending. The IAB expects that total ad spending for the year will reach $250
billion, a 5% increase over last year. This uptick in ad spending is good news for the economy, as it indicates that businesses are confident in their ability to sell their products and services. It also means that more money will flow into the pockets of consumers, who can then use that money to buy more goods and services, stimulating economic growth.
3. Capital Region Independent Media LLC, a publisher in the Albany, New York area, has joined the massive lawsuits filed by newspapers alleging monopolistic conduct by Google and Facebook. The company filed a complaint against Google LLC and Meta Platforms Inc. last Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. The complaint alleges that Google and MetaPlatforms "engaged in a conspiratorial scheme" to reduce
competition in the online advertising market. This scheme, the complaint alleges, has resulted in reduced revenue for Capital Region Independent Media and other publishers. The company is seeking unspecified damages.
4. According to the latest figures from SensorTower, around of third (34%) of Snapchat users in the US open the app every day. Although Snapchat trails TikTok for engagement globally, in the US the app is as popular as Instagram when it comes to power users. The figures show that Snapchat is still a strong force in the social media landscape, despite recent challenges. The app has a highly engaged user base, which is regularly using the app to
communicate with friends and family. Snapchat’s popularity among younger users also means that it has a bright future ahead. As more people come of age and begin using social media, Snapchat is likely to continue growing in popularity. With a strong user base and a bright future, Snapchat is poised to remain a key player in the social media landscape.
5. Facebook is no longer paying publishers to have their content appear on the social media site's News Tab, according to multiple reports.
The move is a big blow to news organizations, as Facebook has been a major source of revenue for them in recent years. CNN, for example, has received more than $3 million from the social media giant in 2019, while the Wall Street Journal has raked in more than $10 million. Publishers are still free to publish content on Facebook, but they will not be paid for it. The change is part of Facebook's efforts to overhaul its News Tab, which has been criticized for featuring too much content from
left-leaning outlets and not enough from conservative ones. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company is "working with our publishing partners to create a sustainable product and business model" for the News Tab.
6. COO Vanessa Pappas announced in a blog post that TikTok will soon grant researchers access to the framework behind the platform and its moderation system. Pappas says TikTok will soon provide access to the “public and anonymized data” on the platform so “selected researchers” can “assess the impacts of our product.” She adds that TikTok is also working on a set of protocols that will outline how researchers can access and use the data. The
goal is to create a system that is “transparent, responsible, and fair.” This move comes as TikTok continues to face scrutiny over its data-handling practices. Earlier this year, the company was fined $5.7 million by the FTC for violating child privacy laws. And last month, a report found that TikTok was sharing user data with Chinese companies. It is hoped that by providing researchers with access to its inner workings, TikTok will be able to quell some of the concerns about its business
practices.
7. The proliferation of smart TVs in American homes is continuing apace, according to new research from Hub Entertainment Research.
The study, which looked at TV homes in the US, found that 74% now have a smart TV, up from 61% in 2020.That growth is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing affordability of smart TVs and the growing availability of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu."As streaming services become more ubiquitous and as hardware prices decline, we're seeing more and more consumers make the jump to smart TVs," said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub Entertainment Research. "That's
good news for the industry overall, since viewers are increasingly using their TVs as their primary gateway to streaming content."
8. As the smart TV market grows increasingly competitive, manufacturers are ramping up their content and ad offerings in ways that puts competitive pressure on providers of streaming media devices like Roku, Google, Apple and Amazon. LG Channels is one example of this trend. Introduced to LG's webOS platform in 2016, LG Channels has grown into one of the top six apps on webOS in the U.S. in terms of streaming hours. In fact, it averages
approximately 40% daily growth compared to other top apps on the platform. What makes LG Channels so popular? For starters, it offers a robust lineup of content, including live and on-demand TV, movies, sports, news and more. In addition, the app provides a personalized viewing experience that's tailored to each user's interests. This means that LG Channels can recommend new content based on what you've previously watched. LG Channels is also well-integrated with other LG webOS apps and
services. For example, users can easily access their favorite channels and shows from within the app's intuitive interface. Plus, they can share what they're watching with friends and family members via social media or email with just a few taps.
9. TikTok is making it easier for users to filter videos that could be deemed unsafe for younger audiences. Addressing criticism over security and user exposure to potentially harmful content, the company has already added parental controls. But the latest addition means users themselves can decide if recommended content is suitable for them or not. While the For You feed was designed to enable users to explore a range of content, they can now
choose to hide videos from the feed that are recommended to them based on their age. This means that even if a video is recommended to a user based on their interests, it won’t appear in the For You feed if it’s deemed unsuitable. TikTok says this latest change is in direct response to feedback from users who want more control over the type of content they see.
10. Outbrain, the world's leading discovery and native advertising platform, today announced a partnership with Google that will enable direct programmatic integrations with premium publishers via Google Open Bidding on the Outbrain platform. This partnership will significantly improve publishers' yield and allow them to better monetize their inventory. Google Open Bidding is a server-to-server solution that enables demand partners to bid
on publisher inventory in real time, directly through the ad server. With this partnership, Outbrain's publisher partners will be able to open up their inventory to Google's vast pool of demand partners and realize greater yields. The Outbrain platform will continue to support all major programmatic buying platforms, including DoubleClick Ad Exchange and AppNexus, as well as direct sales.
11. Twitter is currently conducting a live test of its new Status feature with some users in Australia and the US. This new feature allows users to share their current status with others on the platform. You are limited to 17 options, which are pre-determined by Twitter. You cannot add your own custom status marker at this stage of the test.