Meta Platforms has agreed to sell Giphy to Shutterstock for $53 million in net cash, winding down a yearslong legal battle with the UK Competition and Markets Authority, which ordered the divestiture. Shutterstock, which licenses photos and other image content, said Giphy adds 1.7 billion in daily mobile users and global partners that include Meta’s own Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp in addition to Microsoft, Samsung, Twitter, TikTok, Slack and Discord. Meta acquired Giphy in 2020 for $315 million and was one year later ordered by the UK CMA to unwind the deal, citing antitrust issues. Continue reading Meta Platforms Is Selling Giphy to Shutterstock for $53 Million

About 60 percent of Americans who have used Twitter in the past year report taking a break from the platform during that time, with 25 percent of them predicting they are unlikely to be using the service a year from now, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The survey of adult Twitter users was conducted March 13-19, approximately five months after billionaire Elon Musk purchased the site in October. The findings come amidst media debates as to whether Twitter is “dying,” according to Pew, which notes some high-level celebrity defections since Musk took over the social site. Continue reading Twitter Usage Decline Could Indicate a Trend Moving Forward

Netflix, which turns 26 years old this year, is looking to advertising, live events and password sharing crackdowns to power its next growth phase. The company’s 232.5 million global subscriber base makes it the world’s No. 1 paid streaming platform, a position it wants to hold, and expand, as it shifts into an era of new management under co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. At a virtual presentation at Netflix’s first Upfront Wednesday, Sarandos admitted that “we have a long way to go to build scale in advertising,” but said the company intends to focus on improving that share. Continue reading Netflix Plans for Future Growth Include a Focus on Advertising

At its Brandcast Upfront event, YouTube introduced the concept of 30-second unskippable ads for top-performing YouTube content on TVs, drawing comparisons to the linear commercials of old. The company is also starting to test “Pause Experiences,” which are commercials that play on TV screens when viewers pause content. YouTube touted its massive television reach, citing December Nielsen data indicating more than 150 million unique viewers of YouTube and YouTube TV on television sets in the U.S. That data allowed YouTube to claim title to America’s No. 1 most-watched streaming service on TVs. Continue reading YouTube Unveils ‘Unskippable’ 30-Second TV Ads at Upfront

Telly, the TV hardware startup led by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin, is shaking up industry business models by offering 500,000 smart TVs free to consumers willing to watch 24/7 ads on a split screen with streaming TV shows and movies. The ad-subsidized sets feature a dual-screen that includes a 55-inch 4K HDR display with a nine-inch “smart screen” mounted beneath. The smaller screen is where the ads will appear, running alongside feeds featuring information such as weather, stock reports, and sports scores. Powered by TellyOS, the sets also have a built-in five-driver soundbar. Continue reading Telly Offers Free Smart TVs Featuring Ads on Second Screen

Vice Media, the digital company once valued at nearly $6 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. After launching as a magazine 29 years ago in Montreal, the startup expanded, launching a flagship website and acquiring the Virtue ad agency, Pulse Films and the women-focused Refinery29. Vice’s businesses will continue operations throughout the bankruptcy process, which includes a sale to take place within 55 days. Vice lenders including Fortress Investment Group and Soros Fund Management have joined forces to acquire the company, submitting a bid of $225 million and agreeing to assume “substantial debt.” Continue reading Vice Media Files Chapter 11 with Sale Set for Within 55 Days

Streamers will have a major presence at the TV Upfront presentations to advertisers in New York this week. Research firm Antenna says nearly 25 percent of domestic customers of Disney+, Netflix and Max opted for reduced-price, ad-supported subscriptions in February, while more than half the customers for Hulu+ and Peacock opted for the same. Antenna CEO Jonathan Carson said that “given the choice, Americans are choosing ads,” which is good news for marketers, who were initially concerned that the shift from cable to a la carte subscription streaming would edge out advertising. Continue reading Ad-Supported Streaming Tiers Vie for Piece of the Upfront Pie

Twitter 2.0 is ready for takeoff, now that former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino has been appointed the social media giant’s new CEO. Yaccarino has extensive experience in advertising and has long been one of Madison Avenue’s major power brokers. Twitter, which relies primarily on ad revenue, is still trying to recover from stumbling after Elon Musk alienated sponsors in a series of erratic moves immediately after acquiring the company for $44 billion in October. Musk says he will now focus on product design and technology while Yaccarino concentrates on business development. Continue reading Advertising Exec Linda Yaccarino Named New CEO of Twitter

Streaming platforms are the destination of choice for Gen Zers when it comes to content consumption, with mobile devices also playing a crucial role in their television viewing choices, according to a new study by analytics provider Samba TV. That inevitably raises the stock of streaming platforms with advertisers striving to reach the elusive 18-26 demographic now known as the streaming-first generation. A diverse and multicultural generation with unique values and behaviors, including frequently shopping online while viewing, Gen Z offers an opportunity for advertisers that want omniscreen outcomes. Continue reading Samba TV Report Reveals Advertiser Path to Reaching Gen Z

Disney will soon be incorporating Hulu content on Disney+ in the U.S. said CEO Bob Iger, describing the move toward “a one-app experience” for investors on the company’s quarterly earnings call this week. Iger also confirmed discussions about Hulu’s future with Comcast, which holds a 33 percent stake in the Disney-owned streamer. “Where we are headed is for one experience that would have general entertainment and Disney+ content together,” Iger told investors. “How that ultimately unfolds is to some extent in the hands of Comcast.” Continue reading Hulu Content Is Coming to Disney+ for ‘One-App Experience’

During a conference call with investors, AMC Networks explained the company’s plans for attracting new subscribers to its streaming services, including a new ad-supported version of AMC+, slated to launch later this year, and continuing to extend carriage deals of its FAST channels. AMC Networks — which operates AMC+, ALLBLK, Acorn TV, HIDIVE, Sundance Now and Shudder — experienced a drop in direct-to-consumer numbers during the quarter that ended March 31. Its overall 11.5 million subscriber count decreased about 300,000 since the end of 2022 (subscriber data was not revealed for each individual service). Continue reading AMC Networks Maps Out Its Future Ad-Supported Strategies

Google appears to be in control of a major television network. According to internal data obtained by The Information, nearly half the time spent viewing the Alphabet company’s YouTube platform — 45 percent — now takes place on TV screens. That’s a significant increase from the 30 percent viewership the company reportedly logged for 2020. Coming on the heels of the IAB NewFronts, where digital platforms including Meta, TikTok and Snap were among those vying for advertiser attention, the story is well timed to help YouTube distinguish itself from competitors that seem focused largely on reaching mobile viewers. Continue reading Almost Half of YouTube Viewers Watch Video on TV Screens

In the wake of Microsoft’s phenomenal success with Bing Chat powered by OpenAI, Google is restyling its search platform to be conversationally driven using artificial intelligence. It also plans to add more social media posts and short videos to its search results, a significant shift from the “10 blue links” of website results that have traditionally served as the Google Search template. At its Google I/O developer conference today, Google is expected to showcase new AI features that it will incorporate into search as part of a new project code-named “Magi.” Continue reading Google to Restyle Search with a More ‘Snackable’ AI Touch

Meta Platforms is extending immersive experiences to brands. Facebook and Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories will soon have augmented reality brand messaging, Meta announced last week at the IAB NewFronts. Advertisers like Sephora, Tiffany & Co. and others will be able to use AR filters to market on Meta’s social platforms to reach Gen Z users. Meta is rolling out additional improvements, including third-party measurement partners for campaigns on Reels ads. Meta had previously made AR ads available in the Facebook and Instagram feeds and in Instagram Stories with what the company says is great success. Continue reading Meta Rolls Out AR Advertising for Facebook, Instagram Reels

Snap is testing sponsored links for My AI, the chatbot introduced a year ago with Snapchat+ and made available free to all users last month. “We’re experimenting with new ways that My AI can surface useful information at the right moment during conversations. This includes early testing of sponsored links to connect our community with partners relevant to the conversation in the moment,” Snap said as part of its NewFronts announcements, emphasizing paid chat links are in “an early, experimental phase.” Messaging is a core Snapchat functionality, making conversational AI a natural enhancement, Snap Americas president Rob Wilk said. Continue reading Snap Promotes ‘My AI’ Sponsored Links Tests, New Ad Slots