Roku to launch in-house branded content: The streaming-first branded ad studio is Roku’s latest move to ramp up its advertising segment as marketer interest in CTV booms.
Microsoft wants to buy Discord: It’s the tech giant’s third attempt at tapping into a younger user base, but the third time could be the charm—Discord has a lot of synergies with Microsoft’s existing communications and gaming services.
Once relegated to the children’s market, virtual characters are entering the mainstream in China. Fictional as these digitally rendered avatars may be, they hold real jobs, from pop star to influencer, to even news anchor. And they’re becoming increasingly interactive and humanlike, thanks to improvements in technologies such as AI, motion capture, and virtual reality (VR). Recent advancements in augmented reality (AR), in particular, have enabled virtual avatars to step out of social media and make live appearances alongside flesh-and-blood celebrities.
Pandora outpaces Spotify for brand recognition in US
On today's episode, we look at how awards shows are doing and hand out some pretend awards of our own: "Must-Pay-Attention-To Video Streaming Platform," "Traditional Media Dark Horse," "Standout Brand/Company/Advertiser of the Year," and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analysts at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman, Nicole Perrin, Jillian Ryan, and Debra Aho Williamson.
Where is all the diversity on TV?
On today's episode, we discuss Facebook and Apple's next virtual and augmented reality moves, Netflix cracking down on password sharing, whether Google and Facebook killed the concept of "free," what Americans will do with their stimulus checks, how ESPN+ will do on Hulu, where in the world there is a giant plughole in the ocean, and more. Tune in to listen to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst Rini Mukhopadhyay, senior analyst Sara M. Watson, analyst Blake Droesch, and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman.
Peacock wants to charge TV premiums for streaming: While streaming viewership continues to grow, NBCU's ambitious goal of pulling in equal ad pricing for its platform will likely face pushback.
Facebook strikes News Corp. deal: The social giant is the latest to concede to Australia's new law requiring platforms to pay publishers. More deals are likely to come soon, as the News Corp. deal opens the negotiation floodgates.
The Grammys flopped, but ad revenues soared: Despite historical low ratings, this year's Grammy Awards brought in $80 million in ad spending—a trend seen in many major live TV events. But as TV viewership keeps dropping, the bubble will likely burst soon.
Netflix originals may come to TV: The streaming giant is in talks to license its original content to ViacomCBS and NBCUniversal—likely a marketing tactic and a way to finance even more originals.
On today's episode, we discuss what an out-of-home (OOH) advertising comeback will look like and which areas are driving growth. We also examine how OOH movie theater advertising could recover, the significance of March Madness's return, when people will want to attend sporting events again, and replacing "primetime" with something more personal. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst Nazmul Islam and senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Ross Benes.
Digital audio has undoubtedly benefited from the UK lockdowns. Even with reduced commuting likely eating into their time spent with mobile audio, UK listeners still tuned in to digital audio elsewhere and will continue doing so.
On today's episode, we discuss whether sports are the key to moving viewers from TVs to streaming platforms, if online audiences can ever rival TV viewership, and whether people will want to watch user-generated or professionally made content online. We then talk about the most interesting part of The Walt Disney Co.'s streaming endeavors, how HBO Max stacks up so far, and how this second year of virtual upfronts might be different. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Ross Benes.
Facebook’s reality check: The company has 10,000 employees working on its 10-year plan for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). It’ll be a while before Facebook reaches its lofty goals, but marketers could see benefits soon in the form of new AR ad tools.
Big Tech may pay US news publishers: If the US joins France and Australia in passing a bill that lets publishers collectively bargain with tech companies, it could cause a ripple effect worldwide.