Good morning. It’s Monday, April 22, 2019 and this is your first Media Tech Update. Join us every Monday morning!

IN THE NEWS

 

SiriusXM introduced a new $8/month plan aimed at younger audiences. SiriusXM Essential offers the network’s entire music programming, comedy, news and select sports channels for mobile and at-home listening. Not included: Howard Stern, and the NBA, NHL and NCAA channels.

 

Instagram is exploring the idea of hiding the amount of Likes a post gets, so users don’t have to feel self-conscious about how their counts match up to more popular posters. “We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only the person who shares a post will see the total number of likes it gets,” read a design change test spotted by TechCrunch tipster Jane Manchun Wong.

 

Americans received over 26 billion unwanted robocalls in 2018, and T-Mobile and Comcast have joined forces to combat the problem. The companies have begun authenticating calls made between their networks in order to verify for consumers when the caller is an actual human being. The protocol verifies authentic calls by using digital certificates that help determine where a call is actually being placed; if a real caller is identified, T-Mobile will display “Caller Verified” in the Caller ID.

 

Pinterest began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Shares were priced at $19, and finished the day up 28%, to $24.40. Videoconferencing company Zoom did even better,  rising 72% to $62. “I think the future is so bright and the stock price will follow our execution,” Zoom CEO – and newly-minted billionaire - Eric Yuan told TechCrunch. “Our philosophy remains the same even now that we’ve become a public company.”

 

Amazon and Google announced a range of deals to bring each other’s video apps to each other’s streaming devices. In the months ahead, the pair will launch the official YouTube app on Amazon Fire TV devices and Fire TV Edition smart TVs. The Prime Video app will also receive casting support for Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices. Prime Video will also be available across Android TV device partners, and the YouTube TV and YouTube Kids apps will also come to Fire TV later this year. The YouTube app on Fire TV will support 4K HDR playback at 60fps, and the Amazon Prime app on Chromecast and Android TV will offer Amazon Prime originals and licensed content as well as access to subscription streaming services through Amazon Channels. 

 

In more Amazon news, the company announced the launch of a free, ad-supported music service for Echo speaker owners that has the same two-million-song catalogue as Prime Music. The move offers an incentive for smart speaker buyers to choose Echo, and an opportunity for Amazon to upsell users to its paid subscription services.

 

Apple and Qualcomm ended a legal battle that started in 2017, when Apple accused Qualcomm of overcharging for patent licensing.The settlement includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm and a chipset supply agreement, suggesting Apple will buy Qualcomm chips for future iPhones. “Ultimately Apple realized this was more about two kids fighting in the sandbox and they have bigger issues ahead with 5G and iPhone softness rather than battling Qualcomm in court,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives.

 

The same day of the Apple settlement news, Intel announced it is canceling a line of smartphone 5G chips planned for 2020 launches. Intel became Apple’s only provider of 4G wireless chips during the fight with Qualcomm. “In the smartphone modem business it has become apparent that there is no clear path to profitability and positive returns,” said Intel CEO Bob Swan.

 

Google VR painting app Tilt Brush is headed to the upcoming Oculus Quest standalone headset as a launch title. Google says Oculus Quest will “unlock completely new opportunities” for artists.

  

About 25% of households are familiar with what VR headsets are, according to Parks Associates study, “Virtual Reality: The Evolving Ecosystem,” but only 8% of households own one. “Sixty-two percent of US broadband households play video games, and while gamers are a passionate market segment, they can be limited in scope, which has stalled adoption of VR to a wider audience,” said Billy Nayden, research analyst at Parks Associates. “There has been some notable video content developed for VR…but overall lack of quality, non-gaming content is inhibiting broader adoption.”

 

MARKETING

 

AdStage launched on Google Sheets. The new product enables marketers to get their cross-channel paid search, paid social and web analytics data into Google Sheets with a single query. The solution allows marketers to query blended, cross-channel advertising data from within Google Sheets for advanced analysis, budget pacing, A/B Testing and more.

 

Adswerve announced that it is breaking down marketing silos with Google Cloud. Marketers looking for visibility into all of their marketing channels, including website, social, search and PPC, SalesForce, email and more, can do so using Google Cloud, says the company. Marketers can make predictions based on past buyer behaviors, focus on their most valuable target segments, and personalize their digital campaigns.

 

As the demand for mobile app advertising continues to grow, fraudsters are taking full advantage of new opportunities. New data from DoubleVerify finds that mobile app sophisticated invalid traffic impressions have doubled year-over-year since 2017, while the total number of fraudulent apps has increased 159% from 2017 to 2018. Some 57% of fraudulent mobile apps are categorized as Games and Tools & Utilities.

 

CYN OPSIS SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS BREAKFAST

Thursday, April 25 / New York Athletic Club, NYC

 

This Thursday, we’re honoring industry leaders who have grown their audiences and forged new ways to engage and inspire their followers. Don’t miss this year’s incredible list of honorees! View the Finalists and Luminary Honorees .

 

This event will sell out…there’s only 8 seats left, so register today!

HACKED

 

Facebook adjusted upwards the number of Instagram users affected by a security incident last month – way upwards. Instead of the tens of thousands of users first thought to be affected by passwords stored in a readable format, “We now estimate that this issue impacted millions of Instagram users,” said the company. “We will be notifying these users as we did the others.” An investigation determined the passwords were not internally abused or improperly accessed, said Facebook.

 

Hackers that stole login credentials from a Microsoft customer support agent had access to email accounts from Outlook, MSN and Hotmail from January 1-March 28 and were able to read email content, said Microsoft in an amended statement. At first the company say attackers could not read emails; the statement was corrected to say hackers could read full email content for about 6% of affected Outlook users. Microsoft warned people to watch for phishing emails, and change their password.

 

JOB OF THE DAY

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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Nickelodeon
NY

Review scripts & provide copywriting direction to writer/producers. Must have 5+ years of experience writing on-air promotional/brand content. Must be proficient creating brand content for social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

Full info HERE

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STAFF ACCOUNTANT /A+E/NY: Produce financial tracking, reporting and payment of A+E activities in regard to programming, production, net ops & other contractual obligations. BS/BA in Acctg, strong Excel skills, familiarity w/Acctg software, detailed oriented. Apply HERE (5/3)

MGR, INT’L REVENUE PLANNING & ANALYSIS / A+E/NY: Mgmt of the revenue plng, analysis & acctg processes; database mgmt, trademark acctg & sales admin. BS/BA in Acctg, Min of 7 yrs exp in public or private acctg, knowledge of revenue recognition acctg principles. Apply HERE (5/3)

SR BUSINESS ANALYST, GLOBAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS BUSINESS OPERATIONS /Viacom/NYC: Operate as a domain expert for Consumer Products (CP) financial & contract mngmnt processes, solutions & operations related to current bus. platforms. Biz degree & systems exp a +. 3-5 yrs meaningful CP global licensing ind work exp. Full info HERE   (5/3)

CRASH PRODUCER /NBCU/NYC:  Late show producer for the Today Show. Produce orig news content, primarily brdcst, incl rsrch, conducting interviews, writing/editing scripts, field producing & shooting/overseeing editing. Extensive exp working in edit room & 4+ yrs editorial exp working in prod ntwk level, pref with morning TV. Full info HERE   (5/2)

AD SALES ACCOUNT EXEC /Crown Media Family Networks/LA:  Sell Nat’l advertising time to established and prospective clients. Strong negotiation skills and presentation skills. Strong knowledge of Los Angeles mktplace. Established relationships with automotive and tech clients. BA/BS req & Min 2 yrs exp. Apply HERE (5/2)

EXECUTIVE/PERSONAL ASSISTANT/OFFICE MGR /Two Cats Productions/NYC : Support Sr. Producer and overall office in small prodco. Phones, filing, supplies, calendars, inventory, bookkeeping, shipping, payroll. Some travel. Must be able to drive crew van in NYC. WORD/EXCEL a must. 2+ yrs. exp. Resume and cover letter HERE  (5/2)

SR ANALYST, ANALYTICS & INSIGHTS /Viacom/NYC: Responsible for supporting the data and dvlpmnt of dashboards across the Viacom portfolio. Exp in digital mktg data & an agile dvlpmnt envir. 2-4 yrs media reporting & analytics w/hands-on exp across mult clients, pref from a media agency or ent-based org. Full info HERE (5/2)

SR MEDIA SALES EXEC /United Esports/LA: Exp’d & motivated SR sales person to generate business dvlpmnt opps, from established & prospective clients, by devising/ implementing novel & time-tested sales & mktg strategies. 3-10 yrs exp as an Acct exec in business dvlpmnt, media sales, or advertising sales. Esports knwlg a +. Full info HERE   (5/2)

 

SR ANALYTICS, SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS/Viacom/NYC: Monitor/report/analyze performance of content across VIMN properties on dig. media platforms, primarily social. 3-5 yrs exp providing digital/social rsrch analytics/data to Sr partners. Strong comm skills & understanding of digital metrics & the wider digital industry. Full info HERE (5/1)

MANAGER, RESEARCH & STRATEGY/NBCU/NYC: Highly motivated/pro-active, organized, and detail-oriented candidate w/3+ yrs TV research exp to Report on NBCU and competitive performance to senior management across a variety of metrics – both linear and digital. Tableau a + Full info HERE (5/1)

MULTI PLATFORM RESEARCH ANALYST/NBCU USA & SYFY/NYC: Resp for regular reporting of TV & multiplatform audience metrics to internal stakeholders incl progrmng/scheduling, mktg, press & finance. 2+yrs exp audience rsch for media co. or ad agency (includes internships). Advanced excel/PP skills a must. Full info HERE  (5/1)

DIRECTOR  PUBLIC RELATIONS/AMC/LA : Resp for helping dvlp/implement various comms strategies to support the network’s ratings, business & branding goals. Working daily w/ full PR teams NY & LA to increase brand awareness & drive tune-in through the creation of comprehensive comms strategies/strategic promotions/partnerships. Full info HERE   (4/30)

MGR, GLOBAL CONSUMER INSIGHTS /Viacom/NYC:  Lead certain consumer insights projects and support others on behalf of Viacom’s suite of brands Help support the team’s responsibility for providing consumer-driven insights on the rapidly changing, complex media and entertainment landscape. 4+yrs consumer insights exp, media landscape a + Full info HERE (4/30)

SR MANAGER PUBLICITY /A + E Networks/NYC:  Responsible for the development and implementation of public relations campaigns resulting in positive media placement. Candidate will be responsible for all aspects of a project launch and on-going publicity support. Min 7 yrs experience in entertainment publicity. Full info HERE   (4/30)

SYSTEMS ENGINEER, BROADCAST MEDIA TECHNOLOGY/Fox News/NYC: Resp for providing top-layer support & maintenance to our large infrastructure of media & brdcst systems. 3+ yrs of system maintenance exp w/proven expertise in media & systems support. Admin support Window 10, Windows Server 2012 & 2016 platforms Full info HERE (4/27)

MGR, MARKETING & MEDIA INSIGHTS/Viacom/NYC: Conduct rsrch & dvlpg aud insights through a variety of qualitative/quantitative methodologies, incl Nielsen data analytics for Comedy Central, Paramount Ntwk & TV Land. 3-5 yrs related rsrch exp incl mktg & creative & Content Rsrch, preferably at a TV brand. Full info HERE (4/27)

PUBLICITY & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/The Jim Henson Company/LA: Create/execute dynamic & impactful traditional publicity plans as well as cross-platform social media initiatives that support the Company’s productions, corp comm and bus. Exceptional writing, organization skills, and attention to details a must. Full info HERE (4/26)

ACCOUNT SERVICES REP/NCM/NYC: Asst acct directors w/all aspects the sales process and responsibilities as needed. Exc presentation, computer, written/verbal skills. Knwldg of the nat’l video and digital ad sales marketplaces. Exp 3 - 5 yrs of working within a sales and mktg envir or an agency. Full info HERE (4/26)

WRITER/PRODUCER/YES Network/Stamford: Responsible for writing and producing daily topical promo and image spots for the NY Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, New York City FC, & episodic promotion for other prgrmng. 5+ yrs exp in On-Air Promotions or similar agency/prod co. Full info HERE (4/26)

MGR, INTEGRATED MARKETING/AMC/NY: Solutions based account manager for cross platform sponsorships; manage RFPs, executions and communication with sales, clients and internal departments. Create pitch materials to monetize our original series and branded franchise offerings. Full info HERE (4/26)

STRATEGIST, VIDEO MONETIZATION/A + E/NYC: Oversee all rev driven AVOD content creation & release strategy across YouTube, Daily Motion, FB watch, Twitter & Snapchat. Partner w/Preditor to strategically greenlight content to max rev & support linear priorities. 4-6 yrs exp working w/digital video strategies at brand/publishing level. Full info HERE (4/26)

SENIOR DESIGNER/REELZ/Albuquerque: Design and execute on-air graphics, digital/social media and print. Must have 3-5 yrs experience with AE, Photoshop, Illustrator. C4D and InDesign a plus. Strong design sense is essential. Relocation package. Full info HERE (4/25)

STRATEGIST VIDEO MONETIZATION/History/NYC: Oversee all rev driven AVOD content creation & release strategy across YouTube, Daily Motion, FB watch, Twitter & Snapchat. Partner w/Preditor to strategically greenlight content to max rev & support linear priorities. 4-6 yrs exp working w/digital video strategies at brand/publishing level. Full info HERE (4/25)

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/Nickelodeon/NY: Review scripts & provide copywriting direction to writer/producers. Must have 5+ years of experience writing on-air promotional/brand content. Must be proficient creating brand content for social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Full info HERE (4/25)

SALES RESEARCH ANALYST/Ion Media/NYC: responsible for supporting Sales organization. 3-8 yrs work exp in media or advertising analytics, i.e. TV network, advertising agency or client experience positioning data for ad sales teams and clients; ability to "tell a story" with data. Full info HERE (4/25)

DIRECTOR, MARKETING INSIGHTS (Primary Research)/Viacom/NYC: Join the Marketing & Media Insights team for Viacom. Conceptualize and conduct proprietary quantitative and qualitative studies resulting in strategic reports and actionable insights for key stakeholders. 5-7 yrs exp. Full info HERE (4/25)