Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.
Twitter Power
Software developers use Twitter’s Answer analytics tool to power 5 billion sessions a day, Wired reports. The tool, which competes with Flurry and Google Analytics, allows developers to learn how consumers use the product and track audience growth. Though only seven months old, the tool gives Twitter a foothold into apps beyond those it already owns. More diverse advertising options may follow. Read more. And in other Twitter-related news, Digiday’s John McDermott responds to The Atlantic’s Monday story claiming that Twitter didn’t drive visits to publisher sites. Without refuting the publisher-centric criticisms, McDermott points out, “For all the hand-wringing, there is one undoubtedly positive trend taking place on Twitter: The world’s most notable brands are deriving more value from it.” Read it on Digiday.
Snapchat Snaps Up Cash
Shortly after the launch of Snapchat’s publisher platform, Discover, Bloomberg reports that the app, which traffics highly ephemeral messages, is raising $500 million against a $16 billion to $19 billion valuation. That range would put Snapchat behind just two other startups: Uber and Xiaomi. In 2013, Snapchat turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook and raised money last year under a $10 billion valuation. Read more.
Taming the Ecosystem
Facebook has formally updated its partner program, implementing changes first reported by AdExchanger back in October. Among the notable alterations: the new classification system creates categories for “ad tech” and “media buying” and does away with the “strategic PMD.” Over time the sPMD badge had become an “opaque signal,” in Facebook’s words. Peruse the new menu.
Mandarin Mobile Video
Google launched a YouTube channel for Chinese-speaking developers as part of an effort to open up its Android platform to more Mandarin-speaking mobile devs. The channel features original content in Mandarin and curated English content with subtitles. It’s a smart move considering the growing Android saturation in China, where mobile ad spend is on the serious uptick. (Tidbit from the AdExchanger vault.) Google’s relationship with China hasn’t always been smooth – the search giant has tussled with the Chinese government over the issue of online censorship – but in November Google brought its Google Play store to China, thereby allowing developers in China to make money off of apps listed there. More from MediaPost.
Raising Tags
Tag-management solutions provider Tealium raised $30.7 million in Series D financing from Georgian Partners and Bain Capital Ventures, bringing its total fundraising count close to $60 million. Tealium will use the fresh injection to expand its team in the US and internationally and to execute product strategy. Like other companies that began in tag management, Tealium is looking to expand beyond its origins. Many tag-management companies bristle when referred to as such, and their current capabilities have been compared to attribution, analytics and data-management platforms. The release.
You’re Hired!
- Nativo Appoints comScore CEO Serge Matta To Board of Directors – press release
- Affectv Adds Pascal Zähner (COO), Joanne Patterson (CMO) For Global Expansion – press release
- Videa Hires Cox Vets To Expand Platform Adoption – press release
- AnyClip Media Hires Assaf Benjamin As SVP Of Sales And Biz Dev – press release
But Wait! There’s More!
- Apple Orders Over 5 Million Watches For Initial Run – WSJ
- Drawbridge Creates Universal Cross-Device Opt Out, Joins NAI – press release
- Applicaster, A Cross-Screen TV App, Raised $10.5 Million In Series B – Globes
- Top Ten Myths And Misunderstandings In Programmatic – Improve Digital
- IPG Media Lab Publishes 2015 Outlook – IPG Media Lab
- Zealot Acquires Digital Agencies – press release
