Digital Content NewFronts 2018, presented by the IAB

Is it a brand’s job to tap in to challenging and sometimes dark political times, or to help consumer escape the darkness? Both, says one agency executive who was intrigued to see both opportunities presented to her at the recent NewFronts content shop. In this video interview with Beet.TV, MediaCom digital investment associate director Heidi Capnerhurst […]

It announced 20 million paying subscribers in May but nevertheless plans to offer advertising in its live TV offering this quarter. Hulu is on a growth curve. But is the joint venture building its subscriber base, and what role does advertising play in a subscription-driven company? In this video interview with Beet.TV, Hulu subscriber growth […]

YouTube certainly has reach, but its content doesn’t always lend itself to precise brand alignment. That’s where smaller digital players like Studio71 can differentiate themselves, according to MediaCom’s Renee Badigian. In this interview with Beet.TV at the Digital Content NewFronts 2018, Badigian, who is Account Lead at the GroupM media agency, talks about why consumers […]

Sometimes with digital video, shorter is the best way to engage with viewers. With its just-completed Digital Content NewFronts 2018, the IAB “went back to its roots for a week” and had one of its best years yet, says Anna Bager, EVP, Industry Initiatives. “Great presentations, the right amount of great content, sales, customer engagement. […]

How can brands opt out of advertising in the next PewDiePie before a controversy kicks up? After the scandal in which one of the world’s biggest video stars unwisely broadcast Nazi content, YouTube is hiring 10,000 moderators, as the brand safety concern rumbles on. But human moderation at this scale is a losing battle. YouTube and […]

Female-focused Refinery29 sees its audience responsibility as “to service them, not to sell them” and it’s further expanding its video reach with a streaming service later this year. Called Channel29, the over-the-top offering will be available on smart televisions and on Refinery29’s digital channels to reach young and progressive women. “I truly believe the audience […]

Walt Disney Co. has a new suite of advanced advertising offerings called Luminate, which spans the entire portfolio of linear networks, digital experiences and social executions across ABC, ESPN, Freeform and the Disney Channels. Luminate will use ESPN’s LiveConnect as a launch pad of sorts for other live events across the Disney portfolio and better […]

Premium content, a multitude of new partnerships and how brands can create authentic resonance with consumers are the “common threads and themes” that Initiative’s Adam Gilbert takes away from the Digital Content NewFronts 2018. He also traces the arc of a digital content ecosystem that is in a sort of “retrograde” phase as live content […]

UK license fee-payers may be already be familiar with Live Lounge, the BBC Radio 1 strand which sees artists visit the Radio 1 studio to record intimate performances. But now the BBC is going global and multi-media with its music offering. At NewFronts in New York, the event at which premium publishers tout their upcoming […]

At a Digital Content NewFronts where there was a plethora of new content distribution partnerships, ESPN was the rare standout. “One of the big things that we did announce was the fact that we had a big announcement, that we have no new distribution deals,” says Travis Howe, SVP, Platform Ad Sales Strategy, Solutions & […]

Brands aligning themselves with social causes and movements should be a “no brainer” as long as they don’t embrace controversy just for the sake of controversy. “We heard that brands need to stand for something but that doesn’t necessarily mean always that they have to be controversial,” is the way Scott Donaton sums up one […]

If anyone doubts how Oath plans to differentiate itself with Verizon’s massive caches of insights from its broadband and wireless services and brick-and-mortar stores, Jeff Lucas makes it very clear. “What Oath offers more than anyone else is deep, deep data,” the Head of Oath’s Americas Sales says. “But also we are thinking about commerce” […]

Its core business is owning TV channels and movie studios – so why has Viacom bought in to the conference business? Connections, according to the man at the center of the deal. Back in February, the MTV owner – which is itself the target of a takeover by CBS – acquired eight-year-old VidCon, which examines how […]

Here’s a useful tip for anyone wanting to pitch something to Initiative’s Amber Kozo: Try humor. It certainly worked for Meredith Corporation at the recently completed Digital Content NewFronts 2018. Meredith used its NewFronts presentation to announce additions to its over-the-top PeopleTV service, including “Chatter,” a live talk show hosted by actress Rosie Diaz that […]

There’s a reason it’s called “brand content”. While one of the publishers most commonly associated with the practice is certainly skilled at creating its own content, it says the involvement of paying sponsors is critical. Vice Media head of sales Dawn Williamson says those campaigns don’t just look better; they perform better, too. “We often […]

There are now so many device options for receiving television “over the top“, that the space underneath the bottom of TV sets is becoming cluttered. But one stands head and shoulders above others, according to a boss from one tech company helping advertisers deliver in to the new channels. “(There is) anything from smart TV, a Samsung or […]

Meredith Corporation plans to integrate e-commerce options “seamlessly and natively” into more of its content to make it easier for people to buy things “and give them a great experience on the back end.” The publisher’s e-commerce and shopper marketing plans were one element of its Digital Content NewFronts presentation last week. “One of the […]

Moving away from in-stream as the primary online video format will help break through advertising clutter and help brands better engage with consumers, particularly on mobile devices, according to Droga 5’s Frank Cannata. “If you’re constantly just trying to get that pre-roll in front of a consumer and all they’re doing is waiting for that […]

Amid all the hoopla that accompanies the Digital Content NewFronts, something more substantial is taking place. It’s the blurring of lines between traditional and digital media, as evidenced by the growing number of new partnerships. Whether it’s Twitter and ESPN or Disney and Tastemade, “To me, that was very encouraging seeing all these partnerships form […]

Armed with biometric research showing how brands can best align themselves with cultural happenings, Refinery29 will launch an over-the-top service called Channel29 later this year. “It will be both a combination of live programming and also pull from our library of incredible content as well as producing new content,” Refinery29 COO Sarah Personette says in […]