MediaBizBuzz: ABC, Facebook, ESPN, Univision and the Upfronts

ANA Study: Advertisers are Blind to Fraudulent Sourced Traffic

"The challenge is even if agencies are aware of the issue, the ad tech platforms that support the ad delivery supply chain don't really call out sourced traffic" (via Ad Exchanger)

+ Viewability, Click Fraud, Bots Top Advertisers' Digital Ad Concerns

ABC Study Makes the Best Case Yet That TV Advertising is Still Superior to Digital

Study of marketing spend and return on investment makes the case that digital can't match the long-term ROI benefits of advertising on linear TV and its related platforms (via Adweek).

Facebook to Sell Video Ads on Behalf of Other Firms

Company will help marketers sell and place "in-stream" and "in-article" video advertisements across third-party websites and applications (via WSJ).

+ 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound (via Digiday)

ESPN Bellies Up to the Bar with Out-of-Home Viewing Data

ESPN and Fox Sports both say they are about to take the first steps toward making ratings guarantees using Nielsen's years-in-the-making out-of-home measurement scheme (via Ad Age).

+ ESPN Hits the Upfront with "The Speed of Live"

IBM Watson's Data-Crunching Gains Traction with Marketing Firms

Havas Group unveils Havas Cognitive, a new practice in partnership with IBM Watson to help clients develop tailored marketing campaigns and products (via WSJ).

Univision Picks AOL to Go Programmatic

Univision Communications has selected AOL's One self-serve programmatic TV buying system to give clients data driven automated access to its commercial inventory (via Broadcasting & Cable).

Netflix's "Narcos" to Appear on Univision

In a reversal of the typical relationship between streaming TV and traditional TV, the Netflix original series "Narcos" will be shown on Univision (via NY Times).

+ Upfront News and Views: Univision's Formidable Front

Gannett Raises Offer to Buy Tribune to $15 Per Share

New offer dials up the pressure after its earlier bid was rejected by Tribune's board of directors despite some shareholders' call for a negotiation (via USA Today).

+ Tribune Chair: Sell to Gannett? We'll buy Gannett! (via Politico)

Comcast Ventures Leads $3 Million Round in VR Startup Spaces

Formed in January 2016, Spaces is already working on a range of VR and mixed-reality projects with companies including NBCUniversal and Microsoft (via Variety).

+ YouTube Shows Off Dedicated VR App for Daydream Platform (via TechCrunch)

Rubicon Project Unveils Success of Mobile Video Platform

Company says platform has moved from beta to general availability worldwide now reaches more than one billion unique connected mobile devices globally (via Rubicon Project).

Movie Theaters are Thriving With Millennial Viewers, According to Ad Sales Teams

Screenvision and National CineMedia pitch ad buyers on what advertising to millennial moviegoers can mean for brands (via Adweek).

When TV Ads Go Subliminal with a Vengeance, We'll Be to Blame

But industry executives and analysts expect ad rates to spike in the coming Upfront deals for the first time in several years (via NY Times)

Upfront Roundup: The Best Food, Booze, Schmooze and Insults

Which network had the best party, the most popular guest star and the shortest presentation? (via WSJ).

+ Network TV Upfront Selling Advice: K-I-S-S

People on the Move

Hearst's Snapchat Channel "Sweet" Hires Ex-Condé Nast Entertainment Exec as General Manager

Ross Clark will oversee the long-term strategy, business development, product distribution, revenue and marketplace positioning of Sweet (via WWD).

+ Top Ten Reasons Why Brands Need to Embrace Snapchat Now

Accounts on the Move

21st Century Fox Finishes Bulk of Media Agency Review after a Year

Zenith to handle buying for its 20th Century Fox film and home entertainment divisions, and Dentsu Aegis' Vizeum wins bulk of buying and planning for Fox Broadcast and Fox Sports (via Ad Age).

Video Pick

Brian Wieser: TV Is Not Dead, It's Just Resting (via Bloomberg)