The Quarterly Barometer of the Industry Has Arrived!

Download Now: FreeWheel Video Monetization Report: Q2 2017

In “The Power of Premium Video: Driving Change & Innovation” the VMR: Q2 2017 highlights premium video’s evolving landscape. FreeWheel’s insights reveal a growing appetite for premium video as viewers increase expectations of content quality, availability, and ad experience.

FreeWheel's position at the center of the New TV Ecosystem gives unique perspective into the themes that are top of mind for our industry.

Good morning. It’s Monday October 2, 2017 and this is your your first early morning Digital briefing!

TODAY’S CODEBREAKER

Unreserved Fixed Rate: Unreserved fixed rate (sometimes called “preferred deals”) refers to a type of digital ad transaction in which buyers have a first right of refusal – at a fixed price – before an ad impression goes to open auction. Unreserved fixed rate transactions are usually priced at a premium compared to open auction methods.

JUST IN…

TechCrunch reports that Google has been working on its own version of the Amazon Echo Show, a smart speaker with an integrated seven-inch touch screen. Google’s new device will feature access to Google Assistant, as well as Google Photos, YouTube, and video calling. (The device is reportedly code-named “Manhattan”; hopefully the end results will differ substantially from those of that other Manhattan Project.) According to TechCrunch, Google had planned to move up the device’s release once the Echo Show debuted earlier this year; the company is now gunning for the holiday season, instead of 2018. However, it’s not yet clear whether Google will be able to make its new deadline.

Rovio Entertainment’s IPO met a lukewarm reception on Wall Street. The Finnish gaming company, best known for creating the Angry Birds franchise, saw its shares rise by as much as 7% on Friday, peaking at 12.34 euros. That was a temporary bump, however. The company, which traded on the Helsinki stock exchange, had initially priced its shares at 11.50 euros, or about $13.60. And that’s exactly where things wound up: Rovio’s stock closed at 11.50 euros per share on Friday. The company now has a market cap of about $1 billion.

WICT NY EXECUTIVE WOMEN'S LUNCHEON

10/26/17 | 11a-2p | Gotham Hall

The Future IS Female: Grooming the Next Generation for the C-Suite

FreeWheel's Diane Yu named to the Executive Women's Luncheon panel joining HBO's Bernadette Aulestia and Lionsgate TV's Laura Kennedy

Join WICT NY and a powerhouse panel of business leaders as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of ensuring equal representation at the highest levels of leadership.

Reserve your table today!

APPS + PLATFORMS

According to a new report from Digiday, a number of publishers have been thinking beyond Facebook lately, and spending more time on other platforms. Facebook, while still a huge source of referral traffic for publishers, has been declining as a referral source as compared to Google. Some of Digiday’s sources say that Facebook’s monetization models have been lagging in important areas, including video. Other platforms, meanwhile, have reportedly offered publishers better financial reports (Snapchat), more attention (Apple News and Google), or a better user experience (Instagram – though in fairness, Instagram is owned by Facebook). You can check out the story here.

Netflix wants you to build your own personal drug cartel…online, anyway. The streamer has launched Narcos: Cartel Simulator, a new mobile game that users play through Facebook Messenger. Created in partnership with the Vice-owned agency Carrot, the game lets users assume the persona of a small-time drug dealer who tries to make it big. The game is meant to promote the third season of Narcos, which debuted last month.

YouTube made it harder for some creators to make money through Patreon, the widely-used crowd-funding site. In a new update, creators who aren’t part of YouTube’s partnership program can no longer embed links to external sites – such as Patreon – within their videos. Google says that the change is meant to encourage channel owners to partner with YouTube so the company can “evaluate the validity of a channel” and determine whether its content is appropriate.

BRAND INSIDER

Kylie Jenner now has a new YouTube channel. The 20-year-old Keeping Up with the Kardashians star uploaded her first video, in which she and friend Jordyn Woods model new makeup up from Kylie Cosmetics, Jenner’s cosmetics line. Those items - the makeup brand’s autumnal line - will be available October 6.

Check out the 2017 Cynopsis Digital “IT” List Honorees!

Joining us from 38 companies that cover all elements of the industry, digital’s movers and shakers will represent the top brands and innovators in the business at our 5^th Annual Digital Awards Ceremony. Share insights and connect with your peers as we celebrate the honorees at this fabulous awards event on November 10 at Tribeca’s ThreeSixty (NYC). See the full list of honorees, companies and event details here .

PROGRAMMING

Hulu landed some new content. In a deal with Disney-ABC Television Group, the SVOD service picked up the exclusive streaming rights to three ‘90s sitcoms: Boy Meets World, Tim Allen’s Home Improvement, and the Jim Henson Company’s Dinosaurs. All episodes of the three shows are now available on the service.

Facebook has been testing features that would let users recover their account through facial recognition. “We are testing a new feature for people who want to quickly and easily verify account ownership during the account recovery process,” the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The feature would be similar to Apple’s Face ID. It’s not yet clear when Facebook plans to roll it out.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Media measurement company comScore has settled litigation with Starboard Value LP, one of its biggest shareholders. (Starboard owns a 4.8% stake). Under the settlement, comScore will add four directors to its board, expanding it to nine members. Three of those new directors will be Wesley Nichols, the former SVP of Strategy at Neustar; Bryan Wiener, Executive Chairman of the digital ad agency 360i; and Paul Reilly, the former EVP of Arrow Electronics. A fourth director will be named shortly. As part of its lawsuit, Starboard had initially hoped to force comScore to schedule an annual meeting. ComScore has had a rough go of it lately, struggling with a re-audit relating to accounting irregularities.

UPCOMING DIGITAL PROGRAMMING…

… for the week of Monday, Monday, October 2, through Sunday, October 8

- People Now at People.com, Monday-Friday at 8:30 AM ET and 11:30 AM ET.

- PokerGo: Chasing Hearts, a new unscripted series, debuts Monday, October 2

- Netflix: Rodney Carrington: Here Comes the Truth, a new comedy special, debuts Tuesday, October 3

- Netflix: Bonus Family (Bonusfamiljen), a Swedish dramedy series, makes its U.S. debut on Thursday, October 5

- Crackle: SuperMansion: Drag Me to Halloween, a new special, debuts Thursday, October 5

- Netflix: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a new documentary, debuts Friday, October 6

- Netflix: ID-0, an anime series, debuts Friday, October 6

- Netflix: The animated series Skylanders Academy returns Friday, October 6

- Netflix: Original Italian drama series Suburra debuts Friday, October 6

- Netflix: Family-oriented animated series Word Party debuts Friday, October 6

TRIVIA

Our Last Trivia Question: A legendary female singer-songwriter (and civil rights activist) was the subject of a Netflix documentary, which debuted in June of 2015. Who was the musician, and what was the documentary called? Answer: Nina Simone; the doc was called What Happened, Miss Simone? Kudos to Andrew Bellamy-Producers Guild of America/NY, Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Ken Beck-Eagle Rock Entertainment/FL, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA, and Lorrie Shilling/CA

Follow-up: What longtime documentary filmmaker directed What Happened, Miss Simone? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

Registration is open for the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival

March 7, 2018 | New York City

Screen the winning videos chosen by our expert panel of jurors, and enjoy thought-provoking and idea-rich panel discussions with producers, directors, actors, marketers, and more. Panels will address topics including: Building an effective distribution strategy, Monetization for maximum ROI and more. Interested in submitting for the festival? Submit here.

Buy Tickets

DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT

You know you’re treading on dangerous ground when even Adweek says your ads are going to be annoying. Nonetheless, Outfront Media – the MTA’s longtime out-of-home advertising partner – is proudly trumpeting its next big project. High-def screens will soon drape the walls of New York City subway trains, enabling marketers to target riders with data-driven video ad buys. Outfront posted a video demonstrating just what the new screens will look like; check it out here.

JOB OPENING: PHOTOGRAPHY MGR/AMC & SUNDANCE TV/NYC: 8+ yrs brand, ent or magazine photo editing. Extremely detail oriented. Wide understanding of dig photography & fluent in importance of asset mgmt. Strong knwlg Adobe Creative Suite, file processing & digital cameras. Able to do light-medium retouching. Full info/apply HERE (10/8)

JOB OPENING: DIR, SALES RESEARCH/CW Network/NYC: Tracking/trending analysis on all bcst & cable nets linear/VOD/Digital. Presentation, strategy dev. Social metrics dev. Oversee linear/dig sales estimates Ntwk TV exp (linear & digital Min 6yrs) Full info HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: SR AD SALES PLANNER/SBGTV/NYC: Provide support for all aspects of the ad sales process. A team-player mentality & ability to work under pressure meeting deadlines for clients a must. BA deg & min 2-3yrs Sales exp related field or industry req’d. Media math skills a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: JR SALES PLANNER/SBGTV/NYC: Det oriented entry-level Sales Asst w/strong written/oral comm skills to support the Sinclair Ntwk sales team mult areas, incl admin asst. Admin support/1-2 yrs exp pref’d. Profic in PP, Word, Excel a must. Brdcst/media buying or agency sales exp a +. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PRICING AND PLANNING/FUSE MEDIA/NY: Oversee Planning dept, manage On-Air and Digital proposals process. Oversee Pricing, inventory Utilization and Ad Hoc Reports. Strong analytical skills & media math. apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXEC/Machinima/Burbank: Resp for driving ad sales efforts & reaching ad sales targets for Machinima, the premiere digital video programmer of gamer & fandom-focused content. 3-4 yrs exp digital media sales w/in a content-driven publisher, ent/media co. or ad agency. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER CREATIVE SERVICES/SpectrumNetworksNY1/NYC: Produce on-air promo spots & campaigns, from initial concept to finished prod. 3yrs media exp,producing on-air promo spots, media sales billboards & tagged spots.TV news exp pref’d. Exp working with cross functional teams. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: SCHEDULING COORDINATOR/GSN/Santa Monica: Dist prog. Schedule grids, Monthly VOD planners, artwork & folder structures, coord. & maintaining schedule & databases & admin duties; online rsrch. Excellent attention to details; Knwldg of Excel & all Microsoft applications; College deg req; Send Res/CL: HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/WMAQ TV/Chicago: Dynamic Account Executive to join the Local Sales team. Own, manage, and develop relationships with clients, agencies and advertisers through day-day interaction. Min 5 yrs exp sales and/or mktg roles. Full info/apply HERE (10/6)

JOB OPENING: VP CONTENT/FlyQuest/LA: Out of the box thinker who thinks strategically and sets directions aligned to company’s strategy, applying external perspective to meet business needs. 8+ yrs’ exp working in a content strategy & editorial function, pref in the gaming, digital or ent space. Full info/apply HERE (10/5)

JOB OPENING: SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR/FlyQuest/LA: Execute SM strategy ensuring goals are met by team and content is continuously optimized for key aud segments. Min 6 yrs of exp in custom social media content creation, digital Exp w/pd search & pd social a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/5)

JOB OPENING: DIR CONTENT PRODUCTION/NYC/Eko: Pioneer of interactive serial video entertainment. Manage creative dev and prod for all scripted interactive series. Define processes and manage team to achieve goals. More details http://bit.ly/2fLBlhq. Resume to melanie@helloeko.com (10/5)

JOB OPENING: NEWS DIRECTOR/KUVN 23/Dallas: Forward thinking, creative and exp’d candidate to lead news operation in fast-paced media mkt. High level of news judgment, journalistic integrity & people mngmnt skills. Digital knwldg a must. 10yrs exp facets of TV news prod, writing, editing, camera ops & reporting. Full info/apply HERE (10/4)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASSISTANT/GSN/NY: Deal maintenance, traffic, mtg. prep., and admin duties; Excellent math skills; Knowledge of gen media terms; Strong knowledge of Microsoft programs incl. Excel, PP, MS Word and Outlook is req.; College deg req; Send Res and CL to tvcareers@gsn.com (10/4)

JOB OPENING: CFO/NYC Production Co: Direct financial planning & analysis. Corporate & production operating review, forecast & budgets. Manage systems, provide leadership & expertise to accounting dept. Must understand fast paced TV prod. 10+ yrs exp. Resume/cover & for full info: HERE (10/4)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR JAVA SCRIPT ENGINEER/Fox News Channel/NYC: Lead dvlpmnt of high traffic JavaScript apps and implement front end user design defining behavior of visual element. Develop new software applications from concept to finish. 3+ year of expert level JavaScript dvlpmnt. Full info/apply HERE (10/3)

JOB OPENING: DIR, DIGITAL ANALYTICS/A+E Networks/NY: Oversee reporting & analysis for A+E Networks’ portfolio, drive growth in Digital business by delivering recommendations that influence content, prod. & distribution strategy across the organization. Full Info/Apply HERE (9/30)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASSOCIATE PROGRAM/NBCU/NYC: Accelerated development exp for early-career sales professionals. This highly competitive program identifies outstanding aspiring media sales professionals who bring diverse backgrounds to the org. Min 1-5 yrs exp work exp, sales related pref’d. Full info: HERE (10/3)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER, AD SALES/Outdoor Channel/CHI: 2 yrs exp. sales asst or media plan’r/buyer. Resp for dvlpmnt/fulfillment of integrated media plans, all platforms. Monitor/steward accounts, support Account Execs w/mktg, rsrch projects. Solid understanding of media math. Wide Orit exp a +. Full info/apply HERE (10/3)