STREAMING
Streaming offers “by far the biggest opportunity” for CBS Corp., said acting CEO Joe Ianiello at the Credit Suisse communications conference last week. While CBS has forecast 25 million streaming subscribers by 2022 for Showtime and CBS All Access in the US, that’s just the beginning. “There’s a whole lot more people in the rest of the world,” Ianiello said.
On a related note, revenue from OTT platforms will rise over the next four years at a 10.3% compounded annual rate, to $23.7 billion in 2023, while global OTT will rise 15%, according to PwC. The biggest growth for OTT will come from subscription video-on-demand, expected to see 12.3% annual growth, to $17.8 billion in 2023, estimates PwC.
Netflix is testing a new feed in its mobile app called Extras, with trailers and photos for upcoming shows. The goal is “to help fans connect more deeply with the titles they love and discover new ones to watch,” a spokesperson told Variety. “These tests typically vary in length of time and by region, and may not become permanent.”
UPDATES
Yext Inc., a platform for brand verified answers in search, launched the next generation of the its platform including new enhancements that businesses to answer questions consumers ask about them in search, using voice assistants and chatbots, and on their own websites. Yext enables businesses to create and connect all the facts about themselves in an answers-ready format, so they can power their own sites and services and sync with search, voice assistants, and chatbots. New custom entities and fields make the platform adaptable to any business.
Simulmedia announced new capabilities for its D2Cx.com beta. “When we launched D2Cx.com in beta back in October 2018, we designed it to help TV advertisers get on the air quickly and affordably, learn what combination of networks, dayparts and programs produce the optimal mix for customer acquisition, and scale accordingly,” said Simulmedia CEO and founder Dave Morgan. “We’ve improved on this foundation with new features that advance the cause of democratizing access to TV advertising, inviting more direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketers onto TV at lower costs, while improving usability and speed.” Among the changes: Campaign minimums have been removed; new, near real-time measurement and attribution tools; new, automated creative diagnostic tools; new, automated bid management tools, and a redesigned D2Cx.com application interface.
Among the announcements at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday: AppleTV will be compatible with Xbox One and Playstation Dualshock controllers, so they can be used with Apple’s upcoming gaming service; users in a family will each be able to have their own profile on AppleTV for recommendations; iTunes is being replaced after 18 years by three separate apps, Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts; iPhones, iPads and the iPod touch will have an optional dark mode in iOS 13; a new login platform, Sign in with Apple, will allow users to log in to outside apps with FaceID; and the Mac Pro desktop is returning to its traditional tower shape.
MEASUREMENT
Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings capabilities will expand on YouTube’s mobile app to 26 new markets, including Hong Kong, India, Greece, Spain, Israel and Puerto Rico. Marketers had been able to measure YouTube audiences on web browsers globally, but not the mobile app everywhere. “Providing marketers with independent measurement of YouTube’s mobile audiences globally is a major step forward for the industry,” saidAmanda Tarpey, SVP of Digital Product Leadership. “With the expansion of Digital Ad Ratings to measure audiences inclusive of YouTube’s sizeable mobile footprint, advertisers in more than 30 markets will have the comparability, coverage and transparency they need to maximize the impact of their digital media around the world.”
The IAB released its first Data-Driven Video Best Practice Guide, a resource to educate the marketplace on what is possible, benefits of a data-driven video strategy, key considerations, potential challenges, and more. When it comes to measurement, the guide advises:
Go beyond the click: Traditional KPIs like video completion rate and clicks should be balanced against more accurate determinations of success, like conversions for performance-based campaigns, and time-spent, for branding and awareness campaigns.
Establish benchmarks: Marketers can create benchmarks by conducting A/B testing. For example, run a generic version of the video first to establish benchmark for drop off and conversion rates. Then run the optimized video to understand how it performs against the benchmark.
Test and iterate: Check campaign performance on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and adjust your strategy based on performance.
GAMES
Ellen DeGeneres’ The Ellen Fund, which supports global conservation efforts for endangered species and Krikey, an augmented reality gaming app, partnered to launch an immersive gaming experience in support of The Ellen Fund’s efforts to raise awareness for mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
A special 10th anniversary interactive map of the Minecraft, created by Blockworks, is available for players free of charge, and provides a brief history pf the hit game and its various incarnations through the years.
SOCIAL MEDIA
A white paper offering details on Facebook’s cryptocurrency plans (code name: Libra) is scheduled for June 18, reports TechCrunch. The cryptocurrency will be a stablecoin, designed to keep prices stable during the payment or negotiation process, and be transferable with no fee via Facebook products.
In more Facebook news, the social media giant launched Avatars in Australia, allowing users to customize lookalikes of themselves for stickers in chats and comments. The Bitmoji-like feature is slated to be introduced globally in late 2019 or 2020.
In the ongoing battle against fake news, Twitter has acquired London-based start-up Fabula AI, which uses machine learning to identify the authenticity of information spread on social media. The Fabula AI team will join Twitter’s machine learning Cortex unit. The deal “will be a key driver as we work to help people feel safe on Twitter and help them see relevant information,” Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal wrote in a blog post.
