Programmatic Blacklists May Not Work; DirecTV Now Gets Broadcast Ads

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Gray Lists

Programmatic “blacklists” may not be very effective. For one thing, they require constant audits to identify sites that cycle domain names. And brands looking for cheap reach and efficiency may not incentivize their agencies and vendors to blacklist. “It’s a position clients knowingly or unknowingly push their agencies into, and agencies don’t always have the time or will to push back,” said Michael Horn, managing director of data science at Huge. The issue may boil down to communication between brand safety and programmatic folks, said John Montgomery, GroupM’s EVP of global brand safety. “I’m sure there are some companies where the communication chain is not organized, and that’s how these things slip through.” More at Digiday.

Ad Breakdown

Ads running on AT&T’s DirecTV Now service will mirror those on the broadcast feed, at least initially, reports Jeanine Poggi at Ad Age. AT&T Adworks President Rick Welday expects dynamic insertion will make its way into live programming by mid-2017, but inventory supply will vary for each of the 64 networks in the package. Welday also plans to experiment with ad formats beyond the traditional 30-second spot, like scheduling ads for certain times and shows. AT&T hopes its proposed Time Warner acquisition will help move traditional broadcasters toward addressable TV models. “There’s an opportunity for siloed business models to work better together for benefit of consumer,” Welday said. More.

What Goes Around

Accenture snapped up London-based creative agency Karmarama on Tuesday. Release. Karmarama, whose clients include BBC, Honda and Unilever, gives Accenture Interactive some digital creative standing as it gobbles its way into agency territory. In recent years Accenture and other big consultants have acquired agencies – mostly creative and design shops – to supplement their management services as digital thinking moves up the chain from CMO to CFO. “This will contribute to further differentiate Accenture Interactive as a new breed of agency – experience architects – which helps brands connect disconnected experiences and shares accountability with clients for their business outcomes,” said Brad Whipple, head of Accenture Interactive. More at WSJ.

Funny Money

The Chinese government is instituting stricter oversight of M&A deals as huge investment outflows this year drag down its currency, the renminbi. “In a terse, three-line statement issued on Tuesday evening, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) said only that it would crack down on ‘fake’ transactions while continuing to clear genuine ones,” reports the Financial Times. More on that. It remains to be seen whether the regulatory pivot has any impact on China’s standing as “The New Ultimate (Opaque) Ad Tech Exit” and the upward of $30 billion it sunk into US tech this year (versus $15 billion in 2015).

Tunnel Vizion

The US smart-TV manufacturer Vizio has attracted a lot of attention due to its scintillating, black-boxed data. Some of that has been great for the business, but it’s also fending off lawsuits about how it collects and deploys its data. A recent suit claims Vizio passes along PII on TV owners, since things like an address and the device’s serial number are unique, even if they aren’t directly attached to an identifiable individual. Roku has had similar cases dismissed, reports MediaPost in a roundup of the most recent case. More.