Hot List: Wknd Reads & GAFA's On Fire??

This week included a federal prosecution on a former POTUS, massive earnings posted by platforms being picketed and major buzz around TV, CTV and the ongoing CPM conundrums.

On TVREV :?Alan Wolk’s?Week in Review?says audiences still like ads, while?David Bloom takes a swing at WBD?earnings (are they living in a dream house… or more of a fixer-upper?). We launched a new series –?CTV by Sea?– featuring LG Ads’?Ed Wale talking CTV revolution in Europe, Beauty Co-Labs’ Georgina Thompson on CTV Funnel Magic and The Weather Company's Sheri Bachstein on weather-related targeting.... Speaking of CTV,?VIZIO has a case study?showing how home screens are the new black when it comes to TV driving foot traffic.

Also: A look at?Music and the?Barbie?Bump… yet more evidence of the ROI found in the sonic branding boom.

GAFA Is On Fire and is Hollywood Burning? ??

• As network TV is poised to lean on reality TV again, there’s a?lawsuit looming for NBCU?that could see sweeping changes to unscripted programming – including even (gasp) unionization.?
• Hollywood’s hurting, but entertainment content only makes up a sliver of what drives tech giants like Apple and Amazon. You’ve seen?this week’s big earnings pop for both, so how much of those billions of dollars are owed to actors and writers in the current labor negotiations?
• Also on Apple: Its sports-heavy TV push couldn't prevent the?Pac-12's collapse?via Big 12 and Big Ten expansion (reportedly led by Fox). Hopefully the Midwest likes late kickoff times…

Don’t think we forgot about you too, marketers:

• As most will tell you by now, this year’s upfronts were weak… So much so that several ad-supported streamers like Disney+, Max and Netflix actually lowered their base CPMs in negotiations, as Digiday's?Tim Peterson points out.
• Listen of the week goes to Michael Shields , who chats with the prez of Comcast Ads on?the double standards between TV and digital media.
• AI is here to stay. And?the acquisition of Scibids by DoubleVerify?shows the growing importance of AI-powered technologies in the ad tech landscape.

“I don't have to see it. I lived it.” - Pee-Wee Herman

LATEST FROM TVREV

People Like Ad-Supported SVOD, Analyzing WBD’s Q2 Results?—?Alan Wolk

A new survey indicated viewers might be amenable to ad-supported subscription services and what WBD is doing right, including the Max rebrand

Barbie Took A Note From The Sonic Branding Playbook?—?Lorenzo Chiodo

A deep dive into?Barbie’s?strategic play with music, and how future films, TV, and brands can follow suit according to Songtradr.

Beauty Co-Lab’s Georgina Thomson On How CTV Works Across The Entire Advertising Funnel?—?Alan Wolk

Beauty Co-Lab's Georgina Thomson discusses how the addition of data makes CTV the most versatile tool in her arsenal.

How Ashley Furniture And Other Brands Got On VIZIO’s Home Screen?—?Antony Bruno

Smart TV home screens are becoming prime real estate for advertisers looking to capture viewer attention at the moment they turn on their TVs and start their content discovery journey.

Does Big 12 Expansion Move TV/Fan Needle Enough For Conference??—?John Cassillo

Big 12 expansion is less about pulling ahead than it is about keeping pace with a rapidly evolving TV rights environment for college football.

Decoding Europe's CTV Revolution: Insights from LG Ad Solutions' Ed Wale—?Alan Wolk

How is the streaming revolution playing out in Europe and how can brands be a part of it? LG Ad Solutions’ Ed Wale offers insights from the front lines.

MLB Slides Into First for TV Watch-Time?—?Eleanor Semeraro

Games captured 1.17% of all live, linear minutes watched last week, per Inscape.

Could Hollywood's Stalemate Prove The Wisdom Of Netflix's International Strategy??—?Brandon Katz

Why Netflix’s early decision to expand internationally leaves them in excellent position versus their competitors during the writers and actors strikes.

Shark Week Takes Bigger Bite of TV Ad Impressions?—?Eleanor Semeraro

Discovery’s primetime household TV ad impressions during Shark Week increased 11% year-over-year, per iSpot

Using Weather Data For Better CTV Targeting?—?Alan Wolk

The Weather Company’s CEO Sheri Bachstein discusses the ways in which weather data can be used to better target CTV advertising in our new series from Cannes, “CTV By The Sea”.

If You Squint Hard, You Can See A WBD Recovery, Eventually — David Bloom

Barbie may be big for Warner Bros. Discovery, but plenty of questions remain after its Q2 earnings. Analysts gave the company credit for major progress on its mountain of debt, but sustainability is still far in the future.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Advertising

• Upfronts and Newfronts 2023: Tracking TV and Digital Ad Pitches?[Ad Age]
• As TV Ad Market Stumbles, Warner Bros. Discovery Restructures Sales Organization?- Alex Weprin [WSJ]
• As Strikes Halt Hollywood Projects, the TV Ad Industry Is on the Line?- Kelsey Sutton [Marketing Brew]
• Bud Light’s Struggles Cast a Shadow Over Its Sunny Summer Ad Campaign?- Katie Deighton [WSJ]
• Future of TV Briefing: How Top Streamers' Ad Prices Have Trended in This Year's Upfront Negotiations?- Tim Peterson [Digiday]
• The Pivot to Video Is Real?- Ryan Barwick [Marketing Brew]

Streaming Wars

• Super Bowl LVIII Getting Slimed with Alternate Telecast on Nickelodeon?- Jon Lafayette [NextTV]
• Netflix and Disney+ Rake in Ad-Supported Streaming Revenue?- Lucas Manfredi [TheWrap]
• Why is Roku’s stock soaring? Take a look at Roku City?- Rob Walker [Fast Company]
• Streaming Services Aren't Hiding Hits; They Are Hiding Bombs?- Lucas Shaw [Bloomberg]
• Comcast Q2 2023 Earnings: Peacock, Super Mario Bros. Movie Fuel Results?- Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]

Data & Measurement

• Nexstar, Citing Undercounts, Will Send Requests for Proposals Seeking Better Audience Measurement?- Jon Lafayette [B&C]
• Inside TikTok's Shopping Pitch to Marketers - Metrics and Measurements?- Lauren Johnson [Business Insider]
• ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Tops Scripted Series Across Dayparts in First-Half 2023 (Inscape)?- Jessika Walsten and Eleanor Semeraro [B&C]
• The Media Rating Council Is Angling for Better Clarity in an Era of Compounding Complexity?- Ronan Shields [Digiday]
• The TV Industry's Ticking Time Bomb?- Mike Shields [Next in Media]
• The Dotted and Blurry Line Between Data Privacy and Antitrust?- Allison Schiff [AdExchanger]

Landscape

• Hollywood's Pain Is YouTube's Advertising Gain?- Sahil Patel [The Information]
• Tegna Reports Increase in 2Q Net Income to $200.1 Million?- Jon Lafayette [NextTV]
• NBCUniversal & Bravo Slammed For “Sordid & Dark Underbelly” Of Reality TV; Porn, Sexual Violence, Booze & More Alleged As Potential Suit Looms?- Dominic Patten [Deadline]
• Zeasn Buys Foxxum and Rlaxx TV?- Chris Dziadul [Broadband TV News]
• Horizon Media Viewers Back Hollywood Strikers: Poll?- Wayne Friedman [MediaPost]
• Agencies Urge YouTube to Make Opting Out of Inventory Easier to Do?- Michael Bürgi and Ronan Shields [Digiday]
• What a Slowdown in Spending by Some Marketers Means for Ad Holding Companies?- Megan Graham [The Wall Street Journal]

?

Sports

• ESPN's Streaming Future Comes Into Focus as Disney Pulls the Plug?- Kevin Draper and Brooks Barnes [The New York Times]
• Here Are Some Things to Consider About the Big Ten Potentially Becoming the Big Twenty?- Matt Brown [Extra Points]
• Disney’s ESPN Plots Its Streaming Future, Seeking Tie-Ups With Leagues and Rivals?- Jessica Toonkel & Isabella Simonetti [WSJ]
• NBA Games Available for Max’s Potential Live Sports Tier?- David Rumsey [Front Office Sports]
• Cash-Grabbing Power Players Are Sending College Sports Into a Soulless Spiral?- Pat Forde [SI.com]
• Netflix Has Yet To Fully Embrace Live Sports Even as Interest Remains?- A.J. Perez [Front Office Sports]

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