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Edition #473
Batman’s riff on AI, TTD doing CTV operating system & is AI infallible?
The Trade Desk announced that they are working on a smart TV operating system.
I spent a bit of time a couple of years back exploring the tv operating system space, more to understand the data collection. And it’s an interesting industry, because it’s fragmented but also, the age of devices. Yes, newer tv’s have software updates. But that’s a recent phenomena. Many folks are still running set top boxes which are 10-15 years old.
But so, does that mean there’s enough room for TTD? Absolutely. But also, you could see how them building an OS will help them build better APIs for any CTV platform. Whether their system is adopted or not. But also, the space is big enough for it to co-exist.
You can kind of go, maybe this is like Meta and the VR headsets, they were frustrated at how Apple or Google controlled the mobile eco-system, and didn’t want that to happen. When you’re as big as TTD, you want to mitigate that risk.
What if, someone else does that, and blocks them out. What if one of the other software companies decides to do their own advertising APIs. Or what if the manufactures form their own industry consortium to run the ads to their devices.
You just look at Netflix, and how they have brought their tech in-house. For TTD, this strategy, if successful, ensures them a seat at the table.
I enjoyed this story about using AI against itself, by optimizing what AI might tell a user. It’s basically just the new SEO but a funny thought.
Notable stories this week
- Beehiiv launches multi-million dollar journalism fund.
- 40% of an eCommerce brand’s Pmax buys were served on AI-spun MFA sites and dead domains.
- DMs per share are the new power metric.
- X signs partnership with PubMatic to boost ad revenue.
- How Bluesky, alternative to X and Facebook, is handling explosive growth.
- Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is ‘billionaire proof’.
- Publishers Q4 programmatic ad businesses are in limbo.
- Don’t let performance marketing ruin your content strategy.
- The Trade Desk is building a CTV operating system called Ventura.
- Early adopters are snapping up attention-based inventory before everyone else drives up the costs.
- Google updates its site reputation abuse policy, upending publisher affiliate businesses.
- Nativo adds new CRO.
- Index Exchange and Cognitiv integrate to use germinative AI for programmatic curation.
- YouTube helps brands better leverage creator content on shorts.
- Selling Santa: the challenge of festive marketing.
- Jaguar rebrand is already the most divisive of 2024. And ‘the most controversial rebrand of the year’.
- How Spotify used bundling to reduce the royalties it has to pay.
- Netflix to take on Google and Amazon by building its own ad server.
- Apple shares the most popular podcasts of 2024.
- Google Analytics 4 data issues fixed after week long disruption.
- Apple is selling Apple News ads directly for the first time.
- Can we manipulate AI as much fast it manipulates us?
- Inside Paris Hilton’s booming media business 11:11.
- Meta forms product group to build AI tools for businesses.
- Comcast to spin off NBCU’s cable channels.
- Substack’s Great, Big, Messy political experiment.
- Perplexity shares why they’re experimenting with advertising.
- Jeff Bezos cracks down on the Washington Post.
- Complex launches their own shop, eyeing $100m in commerce revenue.
- Two men were indicted for running 247Stream a streaming service with live NFL, NBA & NHL games for as little as $10/month.
- How Lina Khan changed the advertising industry.
Deals/M&A
- Mediaocean buying adtech company Innovid for $500m.
- Automattic snaps up grammar checker Harper.
- DMG Media invests in publisher-friendly generative AI start-up Prorata.
- LeBron James Springhill to merge with The Kardashians producer.
Campaign of the week
- Wonderful work from Volvo.
- Barbour Christmas Advert.
- The latest Perplexity drop.
View all 2024 best campaigns.
Smartest commentary
- “Craft is knowing how to start, art is knowing when to stop” –Ben Affleck.
Datapoints of note
- Bluesky says 1m people signed up for the platform in the last 24 hours.
- Netflix claims 108m viewers worldwide for Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match.
- One ecommerce brand found that, for one recent campaign, between 30% and 40% of its Pmax display and video ads were served on MFA sites.
- AI spend has gone from $2.3 in 2023 to $13.8b in 2024, a 6x increase.
- OpenAI is paying Dotdash Meredith at least $16m to license its content.
Events
- Watch this space!
View all 2024 datapoints of note.
That’s it for this week.
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