Nielsen launched Gracenote Audio On Demand, a standardized dataset enabling navigation, search and discovery of more than 37 million podcast episodes across digital entertainment platforms, allowing, streaming music platforms, consumer electronics companies, MVPDs and automakers to create personalized listening experiences. “A big challenge for podcast listeners today is the ability to easily navigate all the audio-on-demand content across different platforms and services,” said Greg Gentschev, SVP of Product Management, Gracenote Music and Auto at Nielsen. “This is due to the sheer volume of content and lack of descriptive metadata and identifiers used to power search and discovery algorithms. With Gracenote Audio On Demand, we are applying the same rigor, methodology and approach to podcasts that currently underpins next gen search and discovery of today’s TV shows, movies and music.”

There is a significant divide between small and large (500+ employees) research companies when it comes to department structures, according to a report from the Advertising Research Foundation. In its Organizational Benchmark Study, the ARF found two-thirds of large research companies have decentralized departments (65%) with multiple centers for research and insights, while only 9% have a fully centralized structure. In comparison, half of small research companies (49%) cite a completely centralized model, while 29% say they are decentralized. “Respondents from research companies also report sales as the most important KPI (68%), but interestingly, at a much higher rate than advertisers (54%) and agencies (54%) as found in our earlier benchmark reports,” said Paul Donato, chief research officer, the ARF.

Facebook’s redesigned desktop experience, announced at F8 last year, is now available globally. The new site includes streamlined navigation, dark mode, and an easier way to manage Pages, Groups and Events.

Facebook also announced a new, independent board with the power to overturn Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decisions on whether pieces of content should be allowed on Facebook and Instagram. The co-chairs are former U.S. federal circuit judge and religious freedom expert Michael McConnell, constitutional law expert Jamal Greene, Colombian attorney Catalina Botero-Marino and former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Facebook has pledged to fund the board for at least six years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated anticipated broadband consumption trends by almost one year, according to the Q1 2020 OVBI (OpenVault Broadband Insights) from OpenVault. Driven primarily by subscriber self-quarantines during March, average consumption at the end of 1Q20 jumped to 402.5 GB, an increase of 47% over the 1Q19 average of 273.5 GB and a 17% rise over the 344.0 GB in 4Q19. The areas of sharpest growth during 1Q20 were power users of 1 TB or more and extreme power users of 2 TB or more. The percentage of subscribers who were power users in 1Q20 reached 10.0%, an increase of 138% over the 4.2% of power users in 1Q19.

Video software provider Synamedia has partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to advance its software-defined video network solutions to enable TV and media network providers to deploy better end viewing experiences. “As the consumption of digital media content continues to expand, and becomes a lifeline to many consumers given the current ‘shelter at home’ environment, content providers need robust infrastructure to deliver continuous information and entertainment services to consumers,” said Phillip Cutrone, VP and general manager, Worldwide OEM at HPE. “By combining HPE OEM ProLiant Gen 10 servers that extend industry-leading performance, security and versatility, with Synamedia’s software-defined video network solutions, TV and media network providers can quickly deploy reliable, scalable platforms with a focus on extending and delivering enhanced experiences to customers.”

Now hear this: Deluxe Entertainment Services announced the launch of One Dub, a remote audio cloud recording tool that brings professional, frame-accurate audio recording to the web browsers of voice actors, technicians and directors. “With a majority of the industry currently working remotely, we are leveraging cloud innovation to empower our partners to continue cultivating creativity and delivering high-quality work for clients and audiences,” said Chris Reynolds, Deluxe’s SVP and GM, Localization. “Developed in partnership with creatives, technicians, and content owners, One Dub is something we have been refining over the last several months, and with the impact of COVID-19, we quickly mobilized to finalize it for launch to our partners.”

Endemol Shine Group is collaborating with the game development studio 9th Impact for the first globally interactive Big Brother mobile game. Big Brother: The Game will be available worldwide for Apple and Android devices, and a prize will be up for grabs. Big Brother The Game has 2 modes – Housemate and Spectator. The game is free to download and the Spectator mode is free with optional purchases. Said Head of Development at 9th Impact Dr. Finn Krewer, “Our approach to designing this game was to think of a person’s mobile device as their portal into a massive online Big Brother season. The player will face competitions, chores, nominations, evictions and have to navigate all the same complex social relationships and intrigue that make the TV show so compelling.”

Cloud infrastructure platform MTonomy has rebranded to MOLTEN, a move aimed at underscoring the company’s growing capabilities as a solution to digitize and streamline core operations of media and entertainment organizations, including rights, content, distribution and financial operations. “The current state of operations is incapable of supporting the skyrocketing demand and complexity of the global digital media economy today,” said Arjun Mendhi, MOLTEN founder and CEO. “The underlying operations across the media industry are rapidly evolving now – looking for scalable, automated and cost-effective solutions in the cloud. The name MOLTEN represents our focus on delivering a robust core infrastructure for modern operations and paving the way for the future of the media and entertainment industry.”

Roku has rolled Dataxu into a new ad platform, OneView, that it says will enable advertisers to buy and measure campaigns across devices in four out of five US homes. “Our goal is to help advertisers and content partners invest for a world where all TV is streamed,” said Scott Rosenberg, SVP and General Manager, Platform Business at Roku. “OneView provides the data and scale across the entire TV landscape so marketers can plan, buy and measure TV advertising and ultimately shift spend to streaming more quickly.” Launch partners on OneView Ad Platform include Drizly, Experian, Intuit TurboTax, and Lexus, among others.

Kinesso, the media and marketing technology unit of Interpublic Group, announced the creation of Matterkind. The entity, offering an expanded and enhanced suite of addressable activation solutions and advisory services, is the third step in a transformation that leverages the strategic data assets of Acxiom and the technology applications of Kinesso to deliver an audience-centric set of addressable activation and management solutions across the media ecosystem. Matterkind’s AI-fueled optimization engine centers on audience, irrespective of channels, allowing for solutions that deliver up to 30% increased ROI for brands. “The combination of data, insights and seamless activation allows brands to smash silos and increase efficiencies, engaging the right audiences and driving better business outcomes,” said Arun Kumar, Chief Data and Marketing Technology Officer, IPG and CEO, Kinesso. “By bringing together known and unknown personal data in an accountable and ethical manner, we significantly enhance the customer experience and create a more purposeful value exchange between brands and people.”

Ampersand and Verizon Media announced a new strategic advanced TV relationship that has Ampersand serving as the exclusive seller of Verizon Fios’ addressable TV inventory and has also selected Verizon Media’s DSP as their primary buying platform for CTV and OTT inventory. “Addressable TV and OTT advertising offer a unique and unparalleled opportunity to reach consumers in a targeted and meaningful way,” said Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer, Verizon Media. “Together with Ampersand, we are extending advertiser reach and strengthening demand for publisher content. This relationship is another important milestone for Verizon Media’s roadmap to develop leading omnichannel capabilities for premium sources of demand.”

People-based ad tech company Viant is partnering with WideOrbit, a media platform connecting ads and audiences everywhere. As part of the integration, Viant clients can plan, execute and measure linear TV alongside their CTV, mobile, desktop, DOOH and audio executions, while minimizing manual steps. “As TV and video budgets continue to shift to programmatic and TV emerges as a key part of the digital ecosystem, automation is critical,” said Jon Schulz, CMO at Viant. “This strategic partnership with WideOrbit further supports Viant’s strategy of delivering customers a leading omnichannel platform for their campaigns.”

Entravision announced the launch of Entravision Digital, which consolidates its digital reach, data, creative and programmatic capabilities into a unified solutions offering under the Entravision brand. Entravision Digital includes Entravision’s Smadex’s programmatic mobile-first DSP solution; AudioEngage, its audio advertising platform; ScrollerAds, its optimized video advertising marketplace; Dataxpand, its international data management platform and audience marketplace with consumer insights; and its U.S. Hispanic marketing solutions for SME (small and medium enterprises) and national advertisers.

Programmatic video and advanced TV platform Tremor Video has extended its partnership with DoubleVerify in a two-year deal to expand its brand protection solutions. “At a time when CTV is our main focus, DoubleVerify’s proven reputation among our clients, coupled with their comprehensive CTV fraud filtering solution, gives us confidence that this partnership will provide brands with the safest environment for reaching and engaging consumers,” said Amy Guenel, Vice President of Product Marketing, Tremor Video.

STREAMING

CBS All Access will be rebranded this summer, adding content from ViacomCBS sister nets like Nickelodeon and BET. Over 100 films from Paramount, including The Godfather, Terms of Endearment and An Inconvenient Truth, have already been added. “Expanding CBS All Access’ library of films with these iconic titles from Paramount Pictures is just one of the many ways we’re integrating the phenomenal catalog of IP available to us within the ViacomCBS family,” said All Access programming head Julie McNamara. “The service is on a growth trajectory with two record-breaking months in March and April, and we look forward to bringing even more premium content and value to our subscribers in the coming months.”

ViacomCBS and Google inked a multi-year distribution agreement to deliver more content from ViacomCBS’ portfolio to YouTube TV subscribers. In addition to continued carriage of CBS broadcast stations, CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel, and The CW, the expanded agreement introduces 14 more channels. BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1 will launch on YouTube TV this summer; BET Her, MTV2, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic will arrive at a later date.

Netflix continued to dominate among streamers, scoring the most average household viewing minutes, according to 7Park Data. Viewers spent 50% more time on the platform than in January, and Ozark was the most popular show, with 27% of all Netflix viewers watching at least one episode during the month. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness was second, followed by The Office, Unorthodox, and All American. Amazon Prime surpassed Hulu to take 2nd place thanks to new original content, while Hulu (3rd place) and Apple TV+ (5th place) each saw a slight decline in living room viewership numbers.

Family-friendly wildlife and nature brand Love Nature announced its launch on ad-supported streaming service XUMO, its debut in the US market as a linear channel and VOD destination. The partnership is an extension of Blue Ant Media’s existing relationship with the streaming service, which includes the recently launched gaming channel, Arcade Cloud and children’s nature channel, ZooMoo, on the platform.

NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock will have an app on Xbox One and Xbox Obe S game consoles when it launches nationally in July 15. Peacock has also hatched distribution deals with Apple and Cox Communications.

Alamo Drafthouse, Screen Plus and Vista Cinema are teaming for VOD platform Alamo on Demand. “Many of us learned about movies thanks to the staff picks at our local video stores. That’s the spirit of what we’re trying to do with Alamo On Demand,” said Henri Mazza, Alamo Drafthouse Vice President of Content, Sponsorship, and Events. “Even though we can’t gather in theaters right now, our programmers will still be curating new and classic films for our nationwide community of fellow movie lovers, and hosting conversations online as well.”