Disney Upfront Dazzles; Twitter Data Leaks

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Mouse Money

Disney’s 2019-2020 upfront was the biggest in the company’s history, with sales up 5% thanks in part to its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Digital revenue and revenue from addressable TV were both up 50%, a sign of a growing appetite among marketers to add data to their TV buys and follow consumer attention as it shifts away from linear. But even the legacy business remains strong. Disney saw double-digit CPM increases across all dayparts in broadcast and low double digits in cable and sports – partially a result of price inflation as network TV audiences shrink. And live sports continues to thrive with double-digit CPM and volume gains in NBA and NFL broadcasts, respectively. Related: Disney Throws Down Gauntlet With Planned $12.99 Streaming Bundle

Leaky Tweets

Twitter said it inadvertently shared user data with third parties without its users’ permission. People who have clicked an ad in the Twitter app since May 2018 may have had data like their “likes,” “retweets” and country codes shared with third-party measurement and advertising partners. While not exactly a Cambridge Analytica moment, it’s yet another example of how big tech platforms remain vulnerable to data snafus. “We take these issues seriously and whenever an issue arises, we conduct a review to ensure that we make changes to prevent these types of issues recurring,” a Twitter spokesperson said. More. Related: Similar to Facebook, Twitter will remove third-party data sources from its ad buying system over privacy concerns. More at WSJ.

Enter Pods

Radio broadcast giant Entercom bought the podcast studio Pineapple Street Media and took full ownership of podcast network Cadence13 on Wednesday as it wades deeper into the emerging audio space. Entercom paid $18 million for Pineapple Street Media. It bought a minority stake in Cadence13 in 2017 for $9.7 million, and Wednesday’s investment values the platform at $50 million, The Wall Street Journal reports. Entercom, which acquired CBS Radio in 2017, owns 235 broadcast radio stations and reaches 170 million listeners per month. Similar to iHeartMedia, which acquired podcast network HowStuffWorks in 2018, Entercom plans to use its terrestrial radio footprint to promote and launch new podcasts and retain audiences as the AM/FM station numbers dwindle. “It’s important for us to live everywhere consumers want to consume audio,” said J.D. Crowley, Entercom’s chief digital officer. More

Trade War Tremors

As the US-China trade war expands, it’s natural to wonder if the fearful business climate might reduce overall marketing and media investment. As NYU Stern professor of economics Thomas Pugel told AdExchanger last year, tariffs reduce trade volumes and can lead CFOs to suspend budgets. “One of the main challenges here is uncertainty, a shift toward caution and some amount of risk aversion,” he said. On the other hand, cutting budgets during a period of weak sales – brought on by tariff-related price hikes, for instance – can lead to permanently reduced market share, as competitors and emerging companies rush to fill the vacuum. Read the original story.

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