VideoAmp To Test Alt Currency For TV Ratings; Google Entering The FAST Game

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Amped Up

In the wake of Nielsen losing its Media Rating Council accreditation for National and Local TV ratings, measurement companies like Comscore and VideoAmp are maneuvering to take advantage. But when it comes to cross-platform measurement as an alternative currency, VideoAmp has the most promise, Campaign reports. VideoAmp will test cross-channel video ratings with a pilot program consisting of five of the six major holding companies, with the goal of becoming a viable currency in 2022-23. Networks have clamored for solutions to linear, streaming and digital ratings disparities – and to gain a unified view across ad performing. But they’re still reliant on Nielsen, for the most part, and its ratings are still used to set upfront and scatter market pricing. “This is the first time there’s been a three-way test between agencies, networks and a data provider all saying, ‘We want to trade on this currency,’ and getting everyone on board,” said Mike Law, US president of Dentsu Amplifi.

FAST TV

Google is cozying up to free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) companies to add more channels to Google TV, Protocol reports. The move is meant to boost the appeal of the Chromecast streaming device to cord-cutters. Some better-known FAST apps include Tubi and Pluto TV. Google appears to be taking a page from LG and Samsung’s playbook after they added FAST channels and gained inventory visibility. FAST is a growing component of AVOD as tech and hardware companies build up original programming and content libraries, Samsung Ads global head of marketing and analytics Cathy Oh told AdExchanger. “In 2021, these ‘channels’ will become household names just as AVOD has,” she said. AMC Networks has multiple FAST channels, which helped it build a strong direct sales business, according to Evan Adlman, SVP of advanced advertising and digital partnerships at AMC Networks.

Email Hiding In Plain Sight

Newsletter businesses are a hot commodity. MailChimp just sold to Intuit for $12 billion; the Substack newsletter platform attracted major writers and investments; Twitter acquired the newsletter monetization company Revue earlier this year. Apple’s new “Hide My Email” feature is an opt-in tool that presents fake addresses for newsletters or purchases and disables email-tracking data, such as whether a message was opened. For users, open-rate tracking can feel like snooping. But open rates are important for newsletter ad sales as a proxy for true readers and not dud accounts. Hide My Email only applies to Apple device owners with the latest iOS who are logged into iCloud and use the native Apple Mail email app. But it still may be a wrench in the gears of newsletter monetization. For individual publishers, newsletter ads could shift to a flat rate based on the email list size or per click sales, Digiday reports. Even if Hide My Email applies to a slice of the audience, it’s a particularly tasty slice: new Apple device owners, a proxy for high-value consumers. Without Apple email data, newsletter sales may fold more nuanced sales packages. AdExchanger has more.

But Wait, There’s More!

Google urges agency holding co’s to buy analytics firms to acquire talent. [Ad Age]

Chrome engineer Emily Stark: Splitting up trust in web browsers. [blog]

Anti-vaxxers undermined Facebook’s efforts to get 50 million people vaccinated. [WSJ]