Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
No90
Verizon’s ad-supported mobile streaming service Go90 is overhyped in the media and isn’t seeing significant traction, said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam at a JP Morgan telco event this week. “We believe Go90 will be hard-pressed to mount a meaningful challenge to mobile video and social networking leaders YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Netflix and Hulu,” says UBS analyst John Hodulik in the broadcast trade Home Media Magazine. On paper, Go90 seemed like the perfect way to leverage AOL’s ad tech. After all, Verizon formed a joint venture with Hearst and laid out major stakes in media companies to fill out Go90’s content library. But that hasn’t gotten consumers to download the app, which is “around No. 300” on iTunes.
In a play to attract broadcasters, Facebook Live will allow continuous 24-hour streams and connect with high-grade cameras, mixing boards and effects suites, TechCrunch reports. The API, called Continuous Live Video, has led 100 broadcasting networks to partner with the platform, which previously only hosted streams up to 90 minutes long. Broadcasters can geotag videos to control who sees them based on location relevance or limited broadcast rights. They can also set a video to expire and age-gate their audience. These longer streams can’t be replayed or downloaded, however, to save Facebook on associated hosting costs. Bleacher Report, Disney and CSPAN are a few big names already on board. More.
Tightening Borders
The European Union’s Court of Justice will review one of the last legal methods of storing its citizens’ data on US servers, the Financial Times reports. Under question is the legality of backup contractual language from Facebook and many other companies allowing personal information to be sent to the US. Its removal would put economic pressure on companies located in the EU but which house data on US servers. This comes just months after the EU came to an uncertain agreement on a new data-sharing deal [AdExchanger coverage].
Merger Slowdown
There’s an air of caution when closing M&A deals across the media and entertainment industry, MediaPost reports. According to Ernst & Young’s 14th Media & Entertainment Global Capital Confidence Barometer, 80% of respondents walked away from a planned merger or acquisition in the past 12 months. Only 37% of executives said they planned to close an M&A deal within the next year, down from 44% in October. But media companies are still looking to expand both their traditional capabilities and global scale, with 48% seeing the impact of digital elevated in the boardroom agenda in the past six months. Many (78%) will look overseas to find new ways to expand. More.
But Wait, There’s More!
- Advertising Will Always Be Alphabet’s Biggest Revenue Driver – CNBC
- The New Pitch: Save Journalism From Facebook’s Death Grip – Mashable
- Demandbase To Acquire Data Science Company Spiderbook – release
- Amobee Expands Its Mobile Advertising Suite – release
- Microsoft’s Bet On Smartphones Is Officially A Bust – Recode
- NBC News Group Teams With Taboola On Native Products – release
- Google Puts Pressure On Partners Slow To Update Android – Ad Age
- Mintigo Partners With Madison Logic On B2B Targeting – release
- Financial Services Will Make Up 12.2% Of US Digital Ad Spend this Year – eMarketer
- Uber Is The Newest Addition To Foursquare’s Data Supply Biz – release
- Mobile Advertising In Australia Surpasses US and UK – Mumbrella
You’re Hired!
- Former Sizmek Exec Joe Girling Named UK GM Of ConvertMedia – release
- Rubicon Project CFO Retires, David Day Steps In As Interim – release
