The NAA Files A Complaint About Ad Blocking; Samsung Takes The Platform Approach With TV

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Ad Block Vs. The FTC?

The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) filed a complaint with the FTC last week alleging certain ad blockers violate the FTC Act as unfair and deceptive trade practices. “Newspapers recognize that ad blocking technology is responding to a consumer demand, and publishers are working diligently to improve the ad experience for consumers. However, some ad blocking firms have implemented ad blocking business models that deceive consumers,” said NAA President and CEO David Chavern. The complaint specifically cites “paid whitelisting,” technology that substitutes an ad blocker’s own ad for the publisher’s and blocks metered subscription services. More at Talking New Media.

TV Shows Its Teeth

Samsung sells far and away more televisions than any other company on Earth, but it’s getting squeezed by low-cost competition and TVs that last longer with updating software. So it’s taking the platform approach. The Wall Street Journal reports on a secretive group within Samsung that manages performance revenue partnerships with streaming players like Netflix and an ad sales group with direct marketer solutions – like home screen tiles and promoted TV app placement – “working to expand its pool of advertising clients.” Analysts expect consumer and regulatory blowback (the same model would never fly for smartphone manufacturers). More.

Up Your Standards

The Media Ratings Council (MRC) will issue mobile viewability standards by mid-June, MediaPost reports. Standards will address page latency, in-feed ad exposure, and user interaction with ads on mobile. The MRC will also continue its work on an audience-based digital ad currency. “Viewability offers the foundation to enable us to do the audience currency piece of of our work,” said David Gunzerath, SVP at the accreditor. “We had to establish viewability first and whether impressions were served to a human being or not.” More.

Capricious Commerce

To trust in platforms is to trust in the wind. Since last year, Stripe has been selling a product allowing retailers to sell directly through social media and content apps, but key partner Twitter is taking big backward steps away from the buy button. From Stripe’s point of view, “imagine the challenge convincing potential retail partners that they should invest in a program whose biggest platform partner no longer appears to be interested,” writes Re/code’s Jason Del Rey. Just another reminder that platforms can bring you a long way and then you leave in the doldrums. More.

But Wait, There’s More!