Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
Tunnel Vizio-n
Vizio will remove many DSPs from its Inscape smart TV data service, Business Insider reports. Inscape was a popular way to retarget CTV audiences using online advertising IDs, working with DSPs such as The Trade Desk, VideoAmp, Engine Group, MediaMath and Cadent. The notable exception is Verizon Media. A few months ago, Vizio and Verizon announced a partnership to exclusively integrate the Vizio Smart TV ID beginning in January 2022. Business Insider’s sources speculate that Vizio is reigning in Inscape’s lucrative targeting partnerships because the company plans to develop its own nascent programmatic services platform. Roku and Samsung have both shown how an ad business improves margins for hardware manufacturing (i.e., it can sell TVs for less or bake in more profit per TV sold without charging more) and placates investors who like to see diverse revenue streams.
Ad-Free, The Way To Be?
Ad-free subscription streaming services are all the rage – Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and ad-free tiers for Paramount Plus and NBCUniversal’s Peacock, to name a few. But is the ad-free craze causing programmers to miss out on the opportunity in, well, advertising? For instance, YouTube is on pace to cross Netflix’s wake this year and become a higher-earning overall business, after years of being out-earned and out-growthed by the subscription-only service, according to The Wrap. Roku, another beneficiary of ad-free players leaving the CTV market clear, tripled its market cap in the past year.
Played Out
Almost two months ago, Google announced that in July it would zero out the Android Advertising ID and replace it with an identifier that could only be used for analytics and fraud detection, not for advertising purposes. (AdExchanger had that news at the time.) And Google just got in under the bell. The company notified developers that the Android ad ID will indeed be phased out within about a month, to be replaced with an ID for analytics and fraud or security. Ads personalization and measurement are explicitly barred for the new ID. And the Play Store will update its user policy so that no developer may link persistent identifiers to either personal data or resettable identifiers. Android will also have a user data control center where apps they download must disclose what data is collected, sold and shared. H/t to Jackie Singh, @hackingbutlegal, who had a worthwhile thread on the news.
But Wait, There’s More!
Prebid can give buyers a false sense of security when it comes to brand safety. [AiThority]
Teads delays its IPO plans. [Adweek]
SOCi acquired location-based digital marketing platform Brandify. [release]
Gannett will relaunch its CTV streaming channels. [Digiday]
Ad industry groups call to nix a California rule that requires companies to honor universal opt-outs. [MediaPost]
It’s not just you. Streaming the Olympics is a mess. [The Verge]
You’re Hired
Verizon hired Tony Wells as senior VP and chief media officer, and Jennifer Gardner as VP of media platforms. [Ad Age]
Drive Named Ash Parikh its chief marketing officer. [release]
WideOrbit made a number of executive promotions. [release]
Ed Kim to lead MRM’s commerce division. [Campaign]
BBH names new promotions. [release]
