Comcast Takes Broadcast Ad Hit; App Search Engine Opportunity

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Get Off The Bench

Comcast’s broadcast advertising has been hit hard by cord cutting, with sluggish or nonexistent growth across many properties, but sports investments continue to float legacy TV. The Wall Street Journal’s Steven Perlberg says NBC’s $950M purchase of the English Premier League rights is “starting to look like one of the shrewdest deals in media.” Soccer in particular has drawn a young, coveted audience. In another WSJ article, Nathalie Tadena cites NBC’s Nascar deal as having “helped offset the impact of rating declines across several networks.” More.

Search Engine Apptimization

Google has been hustling to index app pages and link to them in its search results, but many see a big market opening for a search engine for the app world. Conor Dougherty reports for the NYT on Relcy, one of many startups (like Button and URX) that are trying to unearth consumer search and intent for apps. These startups, like their counterparts in measurement and media buying, pitch themselves as neutral partners. (Will Google favor its own video services over Facebook or Hulu? Its own maps over preferred partners?) Read on.

Android vs. iOS

Writing for App Developer Magazine, Stuart Parkerson explores the drivers of app download growth in the Android and iOS environments. He cites App Annie’s Q3 Market Report data finding the Google Play store gets 90% more global downloads, and that gap is extending in Google’s favor. However, even as Google expands its lead in overall users and downloads, Apple’s App Store and in-app revenue is pulling away from Android. More.

Calling Bullshit

Broadcast execs are starting to push back on the credibility of claims of TV-caliber audiences from the likes of Facebook, Google and Snapchat. Joe Marchese has a unique perspective, as he came to 21st Century Fox via the acquisition of his ad tech firm, TrueX, last year. In a Medium post, Marchese identifies some critical flaws in the platform argument. YouTube or Facebook videos may pull in tens of millions of views, but a TV show (he uses the World Series as an example) has a single, simultaneous audience. More at Re/code.

But Wait, There’s More!