MediaBizBuzz: Nielsen, AOL, Univision, Facebook, Ad Bots and Podcasts

Advertisers Will Lose $7.2 Billion Globally to Bots in 2016

Programmatic display ads had 14 percent more bots than the study average, while programmatic video ads had 73 percent more bots than average (via ANA).

+ Triad Retail Media on Programmatic, Ad Automation – Impacts for 2016

Broadcast TV Is Still Outpacing Netflix's Top Shows by Millions of Viewers Per Episode

Symphony Advanced Media viewership stats showing the biggest shows in streaming still don't measure up to broadcast's top series (via Adweek).

+ Netflix's Ted Sarandos at TCA: "We Are a Global Network"

+ NBCU Hispanics Plus, Bolstered by Telemundo Digital Properties, Closes 2015 Reaching over 30 Million Users (via Business Wire)

Nielsen Adds Facebook to Its Social Television Ratings

Info from your Facebook activity, like stuff you share publicly or with followers and friends, will be included in the ratings during the first half of 2016 (via Engadget).

Verizon Posts Its Lowest Pay TV Sub Gain Ever, Touts Growing Interest in "Skinny" Bundles

FiOS video service added only 20,000 pay TV subs with "more and more" users coming to FiOS as broadband-only customers (via Hollywood Reporter).

+ Comcast Partners With Twitter-Owned Niche and 19 Influencers to Pitch Its Cable Box (via Adweek).

AOL is teaming up with Taboola to take on Facebook's 'walled garden'

Company expects to take an equity share in Taboola as part of partnership to share content between all brands under the AOL umbrella (via Business Insider).

+ AOL's identity crisis: The company may ditch the 'AOL' brand (via Business Insider)

+ AOL Huffington Post Tops TV News Nets in Advertiser Survey

Heads Up, ESPN: Facebook Built Its Own Game Hub for Live Sports Stats

Users can follow play-by-play updates, live stats and expert commentary for their favorite teams (via Re/code).

+ Facebook optimizes 360-degree videos for VR (via Engadget)

Univision Buys a Stake in The Onion to Reach Millennials

Acquisition of a large stake in The Onion, the comedy and satirical digital media group, is part of Univisions's efforts to extend digital reach and strengthen comedy portfolio (via New York Times).

Spotify Acquires Soundwave and Cord Project, Looks to Alter Music Interaction

Soundwave is a social network for music lovers; Cord Project is an audio-first messaging app for Android, iOS, and the Apple Watch (via Paste).

Google Debuts 'Real-Time Ads' To Drive Live Engagement

Dynamically inserted ads aim to capitalize on the ripple effect of live events, such as sports events, political rallies or awards shows (via AdExchanger).

YouTube is looking to cash in early on Super Bowl 50 ads

As part of a major push for its AdBlitz video platform the company is encouraging advertisers to show content on YouTube before The Big Game even starts (via Engadget).

+ Stuart Elliott: Super Bowl 50: One 'L' of a Game for Madison Avenue

Google Disabled 49% More Ads in 2015

Company removed more than 780 million ads in 2015 for violating its policies, up from 524 million in 2014 (via WSJ).

This New Ad-Blocker Has a Plan to Pay Publishers

New browser called Brave is just the first step in a far more ambitious project to reshape tracking-based web advertising as a whole (via The Verge).

+ The Canadian approach to fighting ad blockers: trade ads for user data (via Digiday)

+ As IAB Bars One Ad Blocker From Its Summit, It Welcomes Another One on Stage (via Ad Age)

Why The New York Times Finds Podcasting To be a "Natural Fit" for its Modern Love Column

The ad-supported podcast episodes last 20 minutes each, are hosted by "Here and Now" anchor Meghna Chakrabarti on Boston's NPR affiliate, WBUR (via Digiday).

+ iHeartResearch: Radha Subramanyam on Media, Metrics and Mentoring

People on the Move

Screenvision veteran, John McCauley, has been elevated from Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Strategic Development Officer effective immediately. The promotion was the first official key executive appointment made by Screenvision's new CEO, John Partilla (via PR Newswire).

Outfront Media named Marion Parrish as Senior Vice President, Digital Operations. In this newly-created role, Parrish will report to Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning & Development, Andy Sriubas (via PR Newswire).

Video Picks

ESPN President John Skipper on Apple, Sling and Sports Rights (via WSJ).

How Nielsen Measures Social Media Buzz About TV (via Bloomberg).

The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated bloggers.