Any acquirer of a community with deep engagement and intensely loyal users had better tread carefully. And that's exactly what Cavel Khan is doing. He is the new chief revenue officer of Tumblr, the blog network acquired by WordPress owner Automattic a year ago. Tumblr had been acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013 with big ambitions of attractive native ad [...]

WarnerMedia made a strong push into the streaming video market with launch of HBO Max in May, and plans to introduce an ad-supported version with a lower subscription fee next year. The company is developing a strategy to open up advertising inventory while also being mindful about the viewer experience. "It will be a responsible commercial load based on fan feedback [...]

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is moving into a busy year ahead after wrapping up its NewFronts that were for the first time in a virtual format because of coronavirus pandemic. By bringing buyers and sellers together online, the IAB was able to expand attendance beyond the confines of an event space. Participation in this year's NewFronts was "orders of magnitude [...]

The growing popularity of digital video is pushing linear TV platforms to innovate by offering greater flexibility to advertisers. That transformation is especially vital as the coronavirus pandemic and economic slowdown lead advertisers and agencies to shift their media-buying strategies. WarnerMedia is restructuring its operations as advertisers demand from linear TV the same kind of flexibility they get from digital video [...]

Mediaocean, the New York-based firm, best know a software platform to manage linear advertising, has made a major move into the area of audience analytics and planning with the acquisition of Chicago-based 4C Insights. The acquisition is for over $150 million in equity and cash. The Wall Street Journal first it  reported today. Update:  The Chicago Tribune puts the sale price closer [...]

US digital ad spend will slow from a previously-projected 17% growth this year to just 1.7%, as brands tighten their purse strings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to eMarketer. But some executives think bold spending at a time when rivals are cutting back could help some brands emerge out of this period in the lead. "Right now, what is really, really necessary [...]

The daily stress of "putting on a mask" or "code switching,"  the process of changing one's Black mannerisms to conform to a largely white working environment, is unnecessary, says Monique Nelson, Chair CEO of  UWG, a leading multicultural advertising agency, in this video interview with Beet.TV Be your "beautiful," authentic self, she urges young Black men and woman in our industry.  [...]

Live sports showcase linear TV's ability to deliver mass awareness for brands, making their absence during the past few months of the coronavirus pandemic even more dramatic for advertisers. With the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball resuming play this month, sports marketing is poised for a comeback. Frank Wall, senior vice president of Turner Sports at WarnerMedia, has been [...]

In a medium where more of the ad inventory is sold by the people who actually make the content, the software they use to facilitate transactions will have an increasingly important role. After a decade in which so much display ad inventory was traded through open programmatic exchanges, the emergence of connected, over-the-top (OTT) TV ads is coming with a key [...]

TV networks and MVPDs want to sell ads in a new way for a new era- but they are going to need some new tools to help get them there. For example, many now want to sell more than just 30-second spots in sequence, preferring to to sell the whole of a commercial break in one go. Many also want to break [...]

Audience measurement has become more crucial for television networks and their advertisers, which are being lured to spend more on digital outlets including social media and internet search. The coronavirus pandemic has added to these competitive pressures as marketers seek to squeeze the best performance from tighter media budgets. Demonstrating the power of TV advertising increasingly requires more complete data that [...]

A company which crunches the data on 85% of US ad spending in order to help agencies and others better price their business says it wants to roll the same features out to 12 other countries this year. Standard Media Index (SMI) has sight of 85% of all ad agency invoices, piped straight from booking systems - aggregated and anonymized. It [...]

SAN FRANCISCO - Diversity and inclusion in the workplace is a given.  And, it needs to be expanded and amplified. But a healthy work "experience" is essential, particularly for Black men and women dealing with the realities of racism in society and the current turmoil.   A "safe space" for dialogue is important. Empathy and understanding are paramount now,  says IBM's Kareem Yusuf, [...]

The coronavirus pandemic has forced marketers and their advertising agencies to react quickly to an unsettled situation that can change each day. These disruptions are likely to have a lasting effect on how ad campaigns are developed and put into the production pipeline. "There will be an emphasis on quick-turn production -- producing spots and longer-form pieces in a matter of [...]

LOS ANGELES -- It took its time to leap from display to video and TV, but now the ad-trading technique known as header bidding convince more connected TV programmers to make ad inventory available to buy programmatically. That is according to one agency exec whose company is rolling up its sleeves. Header bidding is the technology process through which media owners can [...]

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - Your average seven-year-old may not know too much about the intricacies of header bidding through programmatic OTT ad exchanges - but Daniel Riddell doesn't need them to. The CTO of kids online TV service Kidoodle.TV is witnessing amazing growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. And he is installing a stack of ad-tech to benefit. "We've grown over 230% since beginning [...]

A year after Sony sold a majority stake in its Crackle video service to the company behind Chicken Soup For The Soul, things are looking up. Crackle had struggled to find its place in a world increasingly dominated by YouTube and Netflix. But the sale to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which produces entertainment with "kindness" and "the best of the [...]

Around the world, advertisers that pinned their strategies on delivery against premium content are praying for a resumption in top-tier sports and other programming. Until then, broadcast groups are thinking creatively to give them the next best delivery opportunities - and ensure ad budgets can keep flowing. In this video interview, Amit Chaturvedi, EVP, Product & Revenue Operations at WarnerMedia, explains how [...]

For this young Black woman, the road to a prominent post as product manager at Comscore, started with a pivotal diversity fellowship at ABC TV during her college years.   But is wasn't easy:  She felt ostracized by her peers but yet she insisted that her voice be heard.  She learned from senior executives who mentored her. Tershone Phillips reflects on her [...]

The workplace environment for Black women is hard: many find a lack of constructive feedback, resources and mentorship. Many see a pay disparity and place where  their "voices and ideas" are suppressed" and where c-level job track progression is slow, says Kelle Coleman, SVP Brand Partnerships, Nielsen, in this video interview with Beet.TV Notwithstanding, the Black woman show up and  "show [...]