The Tech Revolution Will Be Televised
Every business considers itself a tech company these days. Remember Allbirds sneakers pivoting to AI?
In the entertainment industry, the line between tech and media is growing especially murky. Legacy entertainment studios own streaming platforms, and tech companies produce their own films and shows.
Unfortunately, a showdown between Hollywood and Big Tech seems all but inevitable, The Hollywood Reporter suggests.
Amazon, Meta and YouTube (which also happen to be some of the biggest ad sellers in the world) have been creeping further and further into the TV space with new apps, content and creator partnerships. Meanwhile, legacy media players are using acquisitions and megadeals to scale up and compete, as with the recent Fox-Roku deal or the pending Paramount Skydance-WBD merger.
As THR notes, there’s already been a clash between creative and corporate interests in this environment, with way more to come. But given that both sides are ultimately competing for attention and ad revenue, it stands to reason that marketers will have a huge impact as well.
The winner is likely to be whoever can demonstrate better and more effective TV ad performance, regardless of what else they bring to the table.
Take The Suggestion
One important difference between traditional search engines and AI-based search bots? Old-school engines present buffets of options to choose from, whereas generative AI responses tend to assert a claim as fact.
Which is why it’s interesting that the traditional Google search experience has tilted toward AI-esque assertions of fact presented with an air of authority, rather than the familiar array of humble links and responses.
Google is now testing “Strongest match” or “Strong match” tags on certain search ads. Google Ads liaison Ginny Marvin attempted to preempt outcries over the new search feature before people started spotting it in the wild.
Marvin says the goal is “to help people instantly identify the most relevant information for their query, and help advertisers connect more effectively with high-intent audiences.”
Per Google support, an advertiser cannot bid more to improve its quality and relevance assessment for the new badges. It’s not even clear if the label is something an advertiser pays for or if they earn it sometimes if Google’s system deems their sponsored link to be the most suitable.
But it isn’t the only way Google Search is increasingly putting its thumb on the scale. Earlier this month, people began spotting Google shopping searches with a small “Good price” tag appended to certain products.
News You Can Use
Publishers might be losing search and web traffic to AI chatbots at an alarming rate, but, hey, it could be worse!
A new Gallup poll suggests that the majority of Americans (57%) don’t rely on AI tools “at all” for getting news and information. In contrast, only 7% say they rely on AI “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
When respondents were asked where they got their information about events in their community and the US over the previous seven days, only 2% said they obtained news from an AI chatbot or assistant.
But that doesn’t mean news outlets are in the clear.
Although news websites were the second most common news source among respondents at 44%, social media platforms came in first, leading by 10 points.
Furthermore, more than a third of US adults polled (39%) said that they would lose trust in information reported by news organizations using AI in their production process. Which is bad news for institutions like The New York Times, Condé Nast and The Washington Post – which have signed content licensing agreements with AI companies and have also gotten flack for running fake quotes in their stories.
But Wait! There’s More!
Publishers, including Time, Axios and The Washington Post, share how they’re creating sponsored content specifically for AI bot scrapers. [Press Gazette]
Paramount partners with Omnicom to offer specialized ad units for sequential storytelling during the premiere week of its new streaming shows. [Digiday]
Leaked audio from consultancy Accenture reveals that many of its clients are seeing AI token costs soar and are trying to reduce spending on automating nonspecialized tasks. [404 Media]
Albertsons partners with Criteo for ads within its AI shopping bot response feed. [Adweek]
