| How would Google’s ad business be impacted if news content was not available in search results? The company ran a randomized trial involving 1% of users in eight EU countries, removing results from press publications that could have required Google, under European copyright law, to pay for the content. And the data showed that Search ad revenue did not change despite daily average users declining by 0.8 percent. The overall ad revenue impact across Search, Discover, Display Ads and other Google properties could also not be statistically distinguished from zero, results that appear to confirm – in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, at least – that the value of news to Google’s business is overestimated.
Alphabet has agreed to a deal to acquire cloud security startup Wiz for $32 billion. “Wiz and Google Cloud share a vision to improve security by making it easier and faster for organizations of all types and sizes to protect themselves, end-to-end, across all major clouds,” said Google in its announcement of the deal. “This will help spur the adoption of multicloud cybersecurity, the use of multicloud, and competition and growth in cloud computing.” |
 Meta’s X competitor, Threads, is rolling out new features for a more personalized experience, including topics in bios, follower-only replies and quote posts, and an improved video player. “We want Threads to be your go-to app for sharing thoughts, ideas and unique takes,” said the company in a blog post. “These new features give you even more control over what you see, the ways you express yourself and how you connect with others.”
Synamedia announced the launch of Quortex Switch, a SaaS-based multi-CDN management tool designed to optimize streaming costs, quality and reliability. “Content providers tell us that scaling video delivery is the single biggest challenge they face, yet they still rely on inefficient proprietary software and complex custom integrations, as well as the use of inadequate protocols such as DNS redirection,” said Julien Signes, EVP, Video Network, Synamedia. “By combining intelligent traffic management, real-time QoE insights provided by Mux, and sustainability-focused cost control, Quortex Switch delivers a more resilient, scalable streaming experience.”
More from Synamedia: TribalReady, a Native-owned Public Benefit Corporation, and Synamedia have partnered to provide video services for tribal communities across North America. The collaboration leverages the Synamedia Senza platform to empower Tribes to deliver hyper-localized content and TV applications to their communities. |
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| CYNOPSIS MEDIA SUMMIT
The Cynopsis Media Summit is Live!
Join us on September 11th for the Cynopsis Media Summit, the premier event for media and advertising professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve.
This year, we’re turning up the engagement with:
– Small-group workshops
– Interactive polling & debates
– Gamified learning experiences
– High-impact networking opportunities
Don’t just attend—be part of the conversation shaping the future of media.
REGISTER NOW |
 ADVERTISING |
| A+E Global Media is renewing its long-term partnership with FreeWheel, expanding A+E’s adoption of Audience Manager, the audience-enabled advertising solution that unifies audiences across devices and ad types. “At A+E, we are continually working to make sure we provide our viewers with quality content supported by a premium ad experience,” said Lee Barstow, VP Revenue Ops, A+E Global Media. “Through our partnership with FreeWheel, we’re enabling advertisers to deliver smarter, targeted placements across our network of content which enhances both monetization, and most importantly, audience experience.”
Inconsistent data standards and fragmented technology and teams are an issue for many companies, but by implementing Claravine’s Data Standards Cloud, Colgate has achieved nearly 100% taxonomy compliance, up from 20%. That’s according to Claravine, which noted the challenge Colgate faced maintaining consistency across its numerous marketing campaigns due to collaboration from multiple agencies and teams that interpreted brand taxonomy independently. What was the fix? “This collaboration established a cohesive framework that met both brand and agency requirements, and facilitated complex data analysis and seamless collaboration across multiple regions, said Verl Allen, CEO, Claravine. “Colgate’s achievements are a testament to the value of standardized data.”
Ad platform StackAdapt has partnered with Zitcha, a unified retail media platform, to empower mid-market companies to leverage retail media opportunities traditionally limited to top-tier enterprises. By integrating Zitcha’s platform with StackAdapt’s advanced programmatic capabilities, brands can access, scale, and optimize their retail media campaigns. “Programmatic is going to play a big part in the retail media ecosystem, helping RMNs maximize the value of their inventory beyond core sales capabilities,” said Troy Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder at Zitcha. “By joining forces with StackAdapt, we’re removing the friction that has kept brands from fully embracing it.”
CTV is now a regular part of the media plan for candidates, campaigns, PACs, and other organizations looking to reach and influence voters, according to a report from Basis Technologies. Based on an evaluation of more than 1,400 campaigns for state, local and national races that managed their digital ad buying through Basis’ advertising automation platform, Basis saw that:
• Share of CTV ad impressions bought through programmatic channels surged by more than 100% over the 2022 numbers.
• Device ad spend share for CTV in programmatic is now 50%, further reducing desktop share and now leapfrogging mobile.
• Programmatic is growing again in spend share to 56%, and it is taking dollars away from direct buying. |
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| Cognitiv has expanded their work with OpenAI, which began in March 2023. Cognitiv’s ContextGPT product combines OpenAI’s models and embeddings with Cognitiv’s proprietary models to go beyond basic contextual classification, understanding content with human-like nuance to drive both brand suitability and performance optimization. “OpenAI has helped to consistently deliver the most accurate and predictive outcomes for our products and, ultimately, for our clients,” said Dr. Aaron Andalman, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder at Cognitiv. “OpenAI enables us to rapidly innovate.”
On Fubo, a CPG brand’s pause ad viewers were 33% more likely to engage with that brand compared to those who watched video ads. That’s according to a case study Fubo conducted in partnership with EDO to show the power of pause ads on its CTV platform. Additionally, viewers of the CPG brand’s pause ads on Fubo were 129% more likely to engage with the brand compared to viewers of its standard video ads across competitive streaming platforms and linear TV. “Brands are increasingly looking to show business impact from their marketing investments and CTV has enabled creative strategies like pause ads that are both engaging for audiences and move the needle for advertisers,” said Dina Roman, SVP, Global Ad Sales and Operations, Fubo.
Spectrum Reach announced the full-market rollout of planning tool, Audience Reach Optimizer, which leverages Spectrum Reach’s data insights in a privacy-focused way, identifying new opportunities for multiscreen engagement across traditional TV and streaming platforms. Spectrum Reach began piloting ARO in key markets in 2024 and has since run over 5,600 reports.
Reddit is rolling out “Hide an Ad,” a feature that enables users to block all ads from a specific user for a year. The “Hide” option will be available for any ads that appear in feeds, such as home or subreddit feeds. Reddit also has sensitive ad filters to enable users to limit ads on certain topics, like politics and religion. |
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DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES
Introducing Cynopsis Trailer Park – A New Premiere Advertising Opportunity!
Cynopsis Trailer Park is the ultimate platform to showcase new series, specials, and seasons while featuring the latest in advertising innovation.
This all-new opportunity offers:
– Captivating Sneak Peeks – Highlight must-watch content in an engaging, high-visibility format.
– Cutting-Edge Ad Solutions – Leverage personalization, interactivity, and dynamic ad insertion to enhance audience engagement.
– Immersive Brand Messaging – Amplify your promotion with video, text, and infographics for a fully integrated experience.
Be among the first to take advantage of this exclusive promotional platform.
Contact Amy Abbey for more details or to secure your spot! |
| STREAMING |
Viewers are willing to accept ads, but not if they’re paying for it: 79% of consumers feel that if they’re paying for a streaming service, they expect no ads at all, while 81% say that watching ads is a fair trade-off for access to free content on streaming. So says Tubi report “The Stream 2025: Audience Insights Shaping Streaming,” with The Harris Poll research. More key takeaways include:
• 80% of viewers say they’d rather spend their time watching a TV show / movie than scrolling on social media.
• 56% of respondents monitor streaming services carefully so as to not overspend. Gen Z viewers are particularly cost-conscious: 76% say they have or would end their streaming subscription over increased price.
• 70% of streamers want to see more TV shows / movies on streaming that are independent or from smaller creators, with 73% of Gen Z saying they prefer to watch original content over franchises / remakes.
• Half of Gen Z admitted to streaming while working from home – and nearly 48% admit to lying to their bosses about it.
• 66% of viewers say they are enjoying discovering content that was originally released 10+ years ago, while 87% of Gen Z agree that streaming services should show them older content they’ve never seen before in addition to new shows / movies.
• 81% of Gen Z agree that they’d consider taking action after seeing interesting ads while streaming, yet 73% feel that the ads they’re currently seeing on streaming seem misaligned with their personal preferences.
“As consumer behaviors continue to evolve, these insights offer marketers a valuable opportunity to connect with key audiences – like Gen Z – in an environment where they find real value through diverse content, seamless ad integration, and a viewing experience that mirrors paid services without the cost,” said Cynthia Clevenger, SVP of B2B Marketing at Tubi.
With so many streaming services, viewers are having a hard time determining what differentiates one from another. That’s according to Hub Entertainment Research’s “Evolution of Branding” study, which looks at how branding of networks, providers, and shows impact what viewers choose to watch. Sveral major streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max) saw year-over-year declines in consumers’ ability to “explain what makes them different from others.” And when services cut back production slates and lean into popular genres of original content to better deliver “something for everyone,” the blur of less distinctive originals appears to soften interest in sign-ups – over the past two years, fewer consumers (37% in 2025 vs. 41% in 2023) report signing up for a new service just to watch a specific show. |
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| “Services that lean into broad-appeal scripted programs may not be enough for viewers who struggle to identify what makes services distinct from one another,” said Jason Platt Zolov, Senior Consultant for Hub. “Emphasizing more brand-defining features and value drivers beyond just exclusive originals could have more upside for streamers looking to improve viewer loyalty.”
Apple is losing over $1 billion per year on streaming, sources have told The Information. Despite churning out hits like “Ted Lasso” and “Severance,” Apple TV+ trails behind Netflix, Disney+ and Warner Bros. Discovery in subscribers, with an estimated 40.4 million signed on. But the reported loss wouldn’t take too worrisome a bite out of the company’s profits – Apple’s annual revenue topped $390 billion in fiscal 2024. |
| SUSTAINABILITY |
| XR announced a new partnership with Scope3, specialist in decarbonizing media and advertising, to integrate advanced carbon emissions data directly into XR’s platform. “Our partnership with Scope3 brings unprecedented transparency to the creative workflow, enabling brands to make more sustainable choices,” said Emma Horton, Director of Impact at XR. “Data intelligence allows us to better understand the environmental impact of digital advertising and equip brands with the insights needed to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.”
Ad management company Mediavine is also working with Scope3, and announced it has achieved a 62% lower carbon footprint than the industry average with its ad tech emissions. By leveraging Scope3’s Collaborative Sustainability Platform, a tool designed to help companies measure, manage, and reduce their carbon emissions, Mediavine reports it has been able to directly translate its efficiencies into measurable sustainable results. |
DIRECTOR, AD MARKETING & SALES >>
THE SHADE ROOM/REMOTE: Develop and execute a revenue growth strategy to drive direct advertising, branded content, and sponsorship sales as well as lead the development of compelling advertising and branded content offerings tailored for TSR’s audience and cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key advertisers, media agencies, and brand partners. Full info HERE
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/NY(REMOTE/HYBRID): Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: required: BA Degree, Min 2 yrs DR Experience. Wide Orbit Exp a +. Full info HERE
PROFESSIONAL LECTURER OF COMMUNICATION/SPORTS BROADCASTING >>
MARIST UNIVERSITY/ POUGHKEEPSIE, NY: Teach studio and field broadcasting and new media courses in sports media and journalism as well as be able to teach a studio course on producing a newscast and help students live stream a podcast or produce short-form feature content suitable for social media streaming. Also demonstrate through their teaching, professional activity, and service. Full info HERE
DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNER/BUYER >>
BEACON MEDIA GROUP/ LYNDHURST, NJ: Management of paid social media campaigns, strong written & verbal communication skills, knowledge of various targeting methodologies, and basic understanding of traditional media. Familiarity with media planning and buying software. Proficient in website analytics tools. Experience in pixel implementation and conversion tracking. Full info HERE
VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS AFFAIRS >>
HEARST MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP/CHARLOTTE, NC: Focus on FCC compliance, brand integrity for all current series and day-to-day business affairs for development and production. Strategize with management and outside counsel on business issues, and draft, review and execute various short-form business documents. Legal background and/or related media experience is required. Full info HERE
SALES LEAD – AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
UPWAVE
NEW YORK, NY
Build and manage relationships with our agency partners – mostly targeting media buyers and planners – and help them see the value of adding Upwave measurement to The Trade Desk campaigns. You will both leverage your existing network and open new doors to achieve aggressive but achievable sales targets. Full info HERE |
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