ADVERTISING
Just over two weeks ago, AMC started looking for a brand to purchase six-second ads during season eight of The Walking Dead. Long popular on digital platforms like YouTube, six-second ads had never appeared in a linear scripted show before. But AMC has now found a buyer: Microsoft’s Xbox. The company has picked up the six-second spots that were available for The Walking Dead’s second and third episodes. Those episodes will debut on October 29 and November 5, respectively. The company had previously purchased a sixty-second spot, promoting the Xbox One X console, which aired during yesterday’s premiere. Xbox is also sponsoring the “next on Walking Dead” previews for the eight episodes making up the first half of the new season.
Democratic senators Amy Klobuchar and Mark Warner unveiled new legislation that would require online political ads to follow the same disclosure rules as those that run on TV, radio, or satellite platforms. The proposal comes in the wake of revelations that Facebook, Twitter and Google ran Russian-bought political ads during the 2016 election. The bill, dubbed the Honest Ads Act, was also co-sponsored by Republican John McCain. Under the bill, online platforms with over fifty million monthly views would have to keep a public file of the digital copy of any political ad; a description of the audience that the ad is targeting; the number of views that the ad generates; the rates charged; the dates and times of publication; and, perhaps most importantly, the ad-buyer’s contact info. The bill would apply to any entity that bought more than $500 worth of political ads during a given cycle. The Senate Intelligence committee has planned a November 1 hearing on the issue; reps from Facebook, Twitter and Google have been invited to testify.
OTT + SVOD
According to a report from Android Authority, AT&T has partnered with Motorola to create a new smartphone-controlled device that can stream the DirecTV Now live television service directly to a TV. The new device – a dongle that plugs into a TV – comes as part of Moto Mods, Motorola’s phone accessories program. The new DirecTV Now product reportedly won’t require a Wi-Fi connection.
APPS + PLATFORMS
The Amazon Echo and Google Home have another smart speaker to compete with. The newest entry into the space, called the Invoke, uses Microsoft’s Cortana assistant. The speaker comes from Harman Kardon, the audio electronics company owned by Samsung. The new device costs $199.
For a 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday, The Weather Channel’s digital properties (weather.com and the Weather Channel app and) devoted all of their editorial space to the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is still reeling from Hurricane Maria, which struck over a month ago. The headlines blanketing The Weather Channel’s digital properties included “America, This is Still Happening,” “People Still Desperate for Drinking Water,” and dozens of others. The company said it was trying to highlight “how much still needs to be done.”
Facebook’s Messenger now lets users send and receive payments to friends using PayPal. The update will also include a new customer service bot, which PayPal will use to handle questions and requests for help. Since last year, Messenger users had already been able to use PayPal in transactions with merchants (as opposed to friends). PayPal says that About 2.5 million users have linked their PayPal accounts with Messenger so far; with the new updates, the company says it expects that number to grow.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Yet another media figure has been fired for sexual harassment. Lockhart Steele, the Editorial Director of Vox Media, faced allegations from a former Vox employee. Vox CEO Jim Bankoff announced Steele’s termination – effective immediately – in a staff memo. According to Bankoff, Steele admitted to the conduct that he was fired for. Steele joined Vox in 2013, as part of the company’s acquisition of the real-estate blog Curbed Network. Steele had been Curbed’s founder and CEO.
UPCOMING DIGITAL PROGRAMMING…
… for the week of Monday, October 23, through Sunday, October 29
- People Now at People.com, Monday-Friday at 8:30 AM ET and 11:30 AM ET. Guests include actor Taylor Kitsch (Paramount Network’s Waco), actress JoAnna Garcia Swisher (ABC’s Kevin (Probably) Saves the World), and comedian Lisa Lampanelli (Stuffed, an off-Broadway show) - Netflix: Jack Whitehall: At Large, a new comedy special, debuts Tuesday, October 24
- Netflix: Both seasons of Wanted, an Australian crime drama, make their U.S. debut on Tuesday, October 24
- Amazon Video: Fearless, a six-episode British legal thriller, debuts Friday, October 27
- Netflix: Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, a new documentary, debuts Friday, October 27
- Netflix: Season 2 of Stranger Things debuts Friday, October 27
TRIVIA
Who plays Dylan Maxwell, the teenager accused of vandalism, in the recently-released Netflix mockumentary American Vandal? (Hint: He’s the creator and star of the LifeAccordingToJimmy YouTube channel.) (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)
Our Last Trivia Question: Raven-Symoné had a one-episode cameo in the latest season of a Netflix series. Her character – a fictionalized version of herself – gave the third-degree to a TV chef who’d been accused of harassing women. What was the series? Answer: Master of None. Kudos to Andrew Bellamy-Producers Guild of America/NY, Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Angela Taylor-Inspiration Ministries/SC, Stephanie Ann-Inside Lacrosse/MD, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA-Federal Credit Union/CA, Curtis Smith-Stage 3 Productions/PA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA, Lorrie Shilling/CA, and David Grossman-Twitter/NY
