Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
Lost And Found
If you’re wondering what happened to all the titles HBO Max just cut, they were rehomed across two other streaming platforms.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it’s making more than 220 canceled titles available on Roku and Tubi on demand and via multiple branded FAST channels, The Verge reports.
This week, Tubi gets content, including “Westworld,” “Cake Boss” and “The Bachelor” (to name just a few), followed by Roku in the spring.
WBD insists that it hasn’t cut any titles that would have, in the words of chief David Zazlav, “helped us in any way.” Perhaps these shows are in a better position to generate viewership elsewhere.
But it’s unusual that WBD, which owns a century’s worth of IP, would agree to license its content to other publishers. What’s even more unusual, though, is that WBD is getting ready to launch a single streaming platform in the spring that combines HBO Max and Discovery+.
When “Max” (yes, really, that’s what they’re calling it) debuts in a couple of months, it’s going to have less exclusive content.
Honey vs. Vinegar
IAB CEO David Cohen’s incendiary keynote at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting took aim at Apple and US lawmakers for “attacking” the advertising industry.
But other prominent trade groups are pushing back against Cohen’s decision to brand the industry’s critics as “extremists,” Ad Age reports.
The ANA and the 4A’s issued a joint statement rejecting what they call “the acerbic tone, texture and prescriptions offered by the IAB.” Rather than chasing the “short-term sugar highs of polarizing political rhetoric,” the statement calls for a more collaborative approach between the industry and its detractors in the name of reaching “balanced, lasting consensus.” Instead of assuming a fighting stance, the trade groups recommend taking proactive, collaborative steps to protect user privacy and deal with problems such as brand safety and ad fraud.
In response to the joint statement, Cohen is now distancing himself from his provocative keynote, claiming it somehow wasn’t his intention to be divisive. But Cohen still says the industry must push back against its negative public perception, or else risk letting its most vocal detractors control the conversation.
Money Tree
Link-in-bio startup Linktree is debuting three monetization options so creators can earn more through its platform, TechCrunch reports.
A “Buy Me a Gift” button allows fans to pick from five emoji gifts to bestow upon creators (a coffee, cake, taco, beer or present) and pay a creator-determined price.
Linktree is also partnering with both SendOwl and Bonfire to allow users to sell items of their choice more easily on Linktree. Creators who sign up for SendOwl can show a carousel displaying up to 10 digital products – including audiobooks, videos, images, events and courses – on their pages for customers to browse. And creators can hawk custom merch if they add a Bonfire storefront to their Linktree.
These monetization features are part of the Australia-based company’s larger efforts to edge away from its freemium roots, diversify its revenue streams and become more profitable. In March 2022, Linktree was valued at $1.3 billion valuation after a Series C round of funding and, in November, it started offering a Payment Lock feature that creators with paid Linktree accounts can use to place certain content behind a paywall.
But Wait, There’s More!
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says he plans to pivot his focus toward increasing the company’s margins this year. [Axios]
SiriusXM sales group SXM Media renewed its US sales deal with SoundCloud through 2024. [Axios]
Penske Media saw a 46% YoY increase in revenue from first-party data. [Adweek]
ServiceNow Ventures expanded its $50 million Series C investment in mobile messaging startup OneSignal. [release]
Amid growing doubts about media quality, the best long-term bet for in-game ad platforms might just be getting acquired by gaming giants. [Digiday]
You’re Hired!
Former Criteo exec Joshua Koran hops to InMarket as chief product officer. [release]
