Consumers continue to let their affinity for FAST and AVOD television services be known. In the latest example, Samsung TV Plus has already attracted 88 million monthly active users worldwide. With growth springing largely from viewers in the 18-49 demographic, the service has become the most-used U.S. app on Samsung TVs. The metrics put it on par with other top competitors in the free ad-supported TV space: Roku, Tubi and Pluto TV. As it becomes a global content force, Samsung TV Plus continues to expand its global presence with recent launches in Singapore and the Philippines, with Thailand soon to come. Continue reading FAST: Samsung TV Plus Touts 88 Million Monthly Active Users

To address Gen Z’s ongoing interest in social video content, Pinterest announced it is updating its app so that users will have the ability to create video versions of the more than 10 billion curated boards on Pinterest. The videos can then be shared on popular social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Pinterest users have been using manual methods such as screenshots and green screen effects to share their boards on other apps. According to the company — which refers to this as the “mecore” trend — searches for boards labeled “mecore” jumped 255 percent since last year. The updated approach to board sharing is designed to leverage this growing trend. Continue reading Pinterest Introduces the Ability to Convert Boards into Videos

Voodoo, the French app publisher behind mobile games like “Helix Jump” and “Crowd City” has purchased social network BeReal for $537 million. Paris-based BeReal was launched in 2020, focusing on “authentic interactions,” but didn’t gain widespread popularity until 2022 when it captured the imagination of Gen Z. According to Voodoo, the platform now has more than 40 million active users, largely concentrated in the U.S., Japan and France. The new owner says it will invest in BeReal and plans to “accelerate its growth” using Voodoo’s “expertise and technologies,” adding that the acquisition “accelerates its diversification into consumer apps.” Continue reading Mobile Game Publisher Voodoo Acquires Social App BeReal

IKEA is opening a virtual Roblox store and inviting gamers to apply to work there for a real paycheck. “The Co-Worker Game,” set in the Swedish firm’s virtual universe, invites Roblox fans to “live their home furnishing dreams.” Ten participants will be hired at the rate of about $17 per hour to roleplay as retail staff in the Roblox world. In addition to allowing IKEA to explore gaming and IP, the company is hoping to create a bit of hiring cachet and groom future employees. Those who don’t make the cut as hires can participate for fun — and the opportunity to learn some potentially marketable skills. Continue reading IKEA Accepting Applications for Hires at Roblox Virtual Store

Mobile entertainment platform Storiaverse is connecting writers and animators around the world to create content for what it claims is a unique “read-watch” format. Available on iOS and Android, Storiaverse combines animated video, audio and text into a narrative that “enhances the reading experience for digital native adults.” Created by Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski, co-founders of the Podcorn podcast sponsorship marketplace, Storiaverse caters to graphic novel fans interested in discovering original, short-form animated stories that range from 5-10 minutes in length. At launch there will be 25 original titles. Continue reading Short-Form Video App Storiaverse Touts ‘Read-Write’ Format

A 2024 Digital Media Trends study by Deloitte says media and entertainment companies “should be thinking more about the world ahead than the one they’re being forced to leave behind,” a suggestion underscored by the fact that 60 percent of Gen Zs surveyed prefer watching user-generated content on social platforms to programming offered by streaming services “because they don’t have to spend time searching for what to watch.” Both Gen Zs and Millennials also believe they get better recommendations from social media than the commercial platforms (54 percent). Continue reading Gen Z, Millennials Prefer Social Videos to Streaming Services

The NFL playoffs coupled with heavy streaming and the return of scripted broadcast programming sent January television viewership to a four-year high, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge, which charted a 1.4 percent viewership increase year-over-year — described as noteworthy in a month in which the NFL playoffs typically drive viewership higher. January 2024 included three of the top 10 highest-viewership TV days since The Gauge debuted in May 2021. YouTube continued its streaming dominance for the twelfth consecutive month, with 8.6 percent of January TV streaming viewership, according to The Gauge. Netflix was number two at 7.9 percent. Continue reading Nielsen: TV Viewership Hits Four-Year High Led by YouTube

Amazon continues its push into social shopping, partnering with Snapchat to allow sale of some products to U.S. users directly through the app. Amazon’s Snapchat ads will display real-time pricing, Prime eligibility and delivery estimates, as well as product details. Snapchat users will be able to link their Amazon accounts via a one-time set-up, with purchases defaulting to their preferred Amazon payment method and shipping address (unless otherwise specified). Both Amazon products and those through the e-commerce giant’s independent sellers will be included in the program. Continue reading Snapchat Latest Social Site to Link Amazon for In-App Sales

Captions, which leverages AI to help its customers produce “studio quality videos directly from their mobile devices,” has launched a new app called Lipdub that automatically translates and dubs content into 28 languages. The free download lets user dub anyone “and experience familiar voices and faces in a suite of new languages.” Lipdub’s translations not only duplicate what the company says is “the subject’s exact voice,” but also syncs lip movements to match. It also incorporates dialects and idioms, with options like Gen Z and Texas slang. Continue reading Captions Debuts AI Lipdub with Translation and Gen Z Slang

U.S. consumers are consolidating their devices, eliminating outdated ones to make room for new ones that better serve their needs, according to the fourth annual Deloitte Connected Consumer survey. The study found that while 48 percent of consumers purchased a minimum of one new connected device this year, the average number of devices per household fell to 21 in 2023 from 25 in 2021, “when many loaded up on technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Although many consumers may be attempting to streamline their digital lives, they remain very interested in virtual experiences and tech innovation. Continue reading Deloitte: Consumer Views of Connected Devices Are Changing

YouTube Music is adding Samples, a discovery feature that lets users scroll by swiping vertically, similar to TikTok’s signature video feed. Described as “the appetizer to a whole meal,” Samples is comprised of 30-second teasers, but quickly lets users add the entire song to a playlist or share it with friends, all “without leaving YouTube Music,” the Google-owned company informs, suggesting fans “kick off a great new radio station, watch the full video, visit the album page, or even use the song to create your own Short.” Rolling out globally in stages, the Samples tab will appear at the bottom of the YouTube Music app next to the Home, Library and Explore sections. Continue reading YouTube Music Adds a Vertical Video Scroll Called ‘Samples’

Social image pinboarding and shopping inspiration platform Pinterest touted its recently announced Amazon partnership and AI efforts as part of its Q2 2023 earnings, which showed a 6 percent gain in year-over-year revenue of $708 million, beating analyst expectations. Pinterest announced the multiyear partnership with Amazon that marked a Pinterest first for third-party ads. On the investor call, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready told analysts the company has been testing Amazon ads traffic and is “very pleased” with the early results. When users click on Amazon ads on Pinterest they land on Amazon’s site to complete their purchase. Continue reading Pinterest Touts AI and Amazon Partnership with Q2 Earnings

Content hubs are gaining traction with streaming platforms as a search and discovery tool, according to a new study by Horowitz Research, which notes eight in 10 consumers indicating they watch content from a collection or hub occasionally. Multicultural audiences are turning to using hub resources in significant numbers, with African American streamers engaging at the 80 percent rate, and Asian viewers at 65 percent. The number trends higher — at 77 percent — among less acculturated Asian streamers. Among Latinx streamers, nearly 59 percent say they’ve turned to Latinx content collections, with less acculturated doing so at higher rates (78 percent). Continue reading Study: Streaming Viewers Are Interested in Hubs for Discovery

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

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