Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here.
Swipe Left On Privacy
Dating apps OKCupid, Grindr and Tinder all shared personal information, including location and dating preferences, with marketing and advertising companies, according to the Oslo-based nonprofit the Norwegian Consumer Council. Grindr sent location data, as well as tracking codes linked to the app’s name – which could expose the sexual orientation of those who use the gay dating app and, per the report, OKCupid circulated a user’s personal answers to profile questions. Subsequently, the Norwegian Consumer Council told The New York Times it had filed complaints, under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, naming not only Grindr but also its ad tech partners, including Xandr’s AppNexus, OpenX and Twitter’s MoPub. Match Group, owner of OKCupid and Tinder, said it complies with privacy laws and claims not to share info with advertising companies. Grindr declined to comment. More.
Get Connected
Nielsen fleshed out its plan to split into two separate public companies later this year with the appointment of David Rawlinson and Linda Zukauckas as CEO and CFO, respectively, of Nielsen Global Connect, the market share analytics and attribution business that serves retail and CPG brands. Rawlinson was formerly president of the global online business at Grainger, an industrial manufacturing supplier, as well as a Nielsen board member. And Zukauckas joins from American Express, where she was deputy financial chief. Read the release. Nielsen needs to build a leadership team for its Connect business, since CEO David Kenny will take over Nielsen Watch, the media metrics and measurement group. Related in AdExchanger: CEO David Kenny Brings Nielsen Back From The Brink
Gray Lady Scores
In 2015, The New York Times set a goal of doubling its digital revenue – which was $400 million at the time – by the end of 2020. The publisher hit that target a year early in 2019, and it also set another record by adding more than a million net digital subscribers last year, CEO Mark Thompson said Tuesday. Read the release. That brings the Time’s total subscriptions to more than 5 million: 3.4 million news subscriptions, 900,000 print subscriptions, more than 300,000 to NYT Cooking, its recipe-based product, and 600,000 to the addictive NYT Crossword. More details coming Feb. 6 when the Times releases its Q4 and 2019 earnings report.
But Wait, There’s More
- Publicis Groupe Is Reviving Razorfish – Adweek
- Amazon’s Audible Settling With Publishers Over New Text Feature – Bloomberg
- Pinterest Passed Snapchat As No. 3 US Social App (And Will Stay Ahead) – eMarketer
- Comcast Creates Accelerator For Sports Media, Marketing And Tech Startups – WSJ
- Barstool Sports In Talks To Sell To A Casino Operator – Vox
- FTC Urged To Investigate AdBlock Plus Whitelist – MediaPost
You’re Hired
- Philadelphia Inquirer Names New Publisher Lisa Hughes – release
- Guardian Media Group Appoints Annette Thomas As Chief Executive – release
- Wpromote Adds Jon Leicht as SVP, Head Of Client Services – release
