Last Week in Digital Media (04/13 - 04/17)

NBC Peacock, new Facebook app, Houseparty, IGTV updates, Connected TV Fraud

Hello

Here’s your Last Week in Digital Media.

GENERAL

• Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) team released a new Apple WatchOS app called KIT aka Keep In Touch. KIT is a watch only messaging app for close friends.

• Instagram has redesigned the IGTV app user experience with more emphasis on creators and a new Discover tab.

• Houseparty is experiencing significant growth, seeing 50MM sign-ups in the past month, and becoming the #1 Social app in 82 countries. Houseparty is fascinating because it’s almost the anti-social network (not about creators, influencers). There’s a good primer on FT if you want to read more, or Bloomberg has an interview with the founder.

• this moment is definitely the time for breakout new social and chat apps. One that is getting a lot of attention is Clubhouse. The audio-only app is invite-only and the best way to describe it is it allows for impromptu water-cooler voice conversations. Expect to hear more about it this week as invites are temporarily closed, which is driving even more demand.

• TikTok has hired a new head of marketing for North America, with Nick Tran leaving Hulu to join the company.

• Quibi CEO, Meg Whitman, has claimed that Quibi had 1.7MM downloads in its first week. Whitman also shared that there are plans to let users cast the Quibi app to their television (currently, this is restricted).

• Verizon has entered into an agreement to buy videoconferencing company BlueJeans. Interesting, because it’s one of Verizon’s major non-media or adtech based acquisitions.

VIDEO and OTT

• NBC’s Peacock TV service has soft-launched a beta of the service to Xfinity customers. NBC also released the list of initial launch sponsors, and there are reports the NBC might bring forward the Peackcock July launch.

• Roku withdrew their 2020 full-year guidance but did share some interesting stats. Active accounts are up 3MM to 39.8MM, streaming hours up to 13.2B (49% increase) as shelter in place sees more people streaming.

• YouTube has an invite-only beta for video ad spot creation tool called “Video Builder.” Essentially it would democratize the ability for any advertiser (including small businesses) to create and run video ads. You can see how YouTube Video Builder works here or sign up to request access here.

CORONAVIRUS RELATED

• Yonder, a company focused on identifying how factions and misinformation propagate online, has a number of useful COVID-19 posts. Including this one on protecting brand integrity during a crisis (registration required), which talks about how to position brand messaging to avoid being politicized.

• Snapchat has launched a COVID-19 help and resources page, with a focus on what Snapchat is seeing across its user base.

• Google published a Think With Google piece on what it is seeing in search and how brands can help during the pandemic.

• Waze is updating locations to feature more prominently information about businesses that are offering drive-thru or curbside pickup. Something to think about for search and media strategies.

• McKinsey released a study on consumer economic sentiment in Asia, looking at markets that are recovering (China, South Korea) as well as those still in the early stages of the pandemic (Indonesia, India). One of the most interesting things is Exhibit 6 that examines expected consumer spend by category and Exhibit 7, content consumption by category.

• Be sure to listen to the IPG Media Lab Floor 9 Podcast this week, including an interview with the CMO of CVS Health, a company on the frontline of responding to the pandemic.

TRAINING

• The Trade Desk is making its online training, the Edge Academy, free to anyone until the end of the year.

PRIVACY, TRUST, and BRAND SAFETY

• the Apple/Google technology partnership on Coronavirus contact-tracking has raised concerns about privacy. The companies held a joint Q&A call to clarify how the system would work.

• TikTok announced additional parental controls. Parents can link their account to their teens, then put in place screen time controls, restrict access to certain types of content, as well as limits on direct messaging.

• security firm WhiteOps published a detailed analysis of newly discovered CTV fraud, or more correctly, fraud spoofing connected devices. That is, it was requests made in the ecosystem to impersonate a connected TV/device request, not a case of infected connected devices. The bot scheme is labeled “Icebucket,” and you can read more details here.

Stay home, be safe, and I’m always happy to hear from you.

Joshua

PS. If you’re a bit stressed and need helping to fall asleep, this podcast, called “Ts and Zzz” reads you the T&C’s of popular apps and services (most recently those from Zoom).