Village Soapbox: Disney+, Ad World Shake-Ups, Comcast RISEs, "The Masked Singer" Origin and Much More

By Media Minute with Jeff Minsky Archives
Cover image for  article: Village Soapbox: Disney+, Ad World Shake-Ups, Comcast RISEs, "The Masked Singer" Origin and Much More

Should "media" be redefined to exclude companies that are seeking to destroy the foundations on which the industry is built? Listen to Jack Myers 3-minute ThinkTank, Battle for the Soul of the Media Industry.

Here's the Top Media News of the Week:

The Walt Disney Company released their Q4 (July - September) earnings report this week, a year and one day after the launch of Disney+. The biggest news was around the enormous success that is Disney+. In a single launch year, the streaming service has gained over 73 million paid subscribers; far exceeding original projections. This further validates Disney's recent decision to reorganize around streaming video and digital.

Dentsu announced that it is massively reorganizing its almost 300 brands across Japan and the world into six global brands and four operating pillars. The final plan will be announced in February 2021.

Many advertising holding companies are looking at their structure and the impact that COVID-19 has made, both financially and to the way we will work long-term. Inevitably, and sadly this has already meant many layoffs, and more are expected to hit over the next few weeks. This past week, WPP sealed the fate of Grey Advertising, merging it with AKQA. Grey Advertising was founded in 1917 and has done groundbreaking work over the decades for clients like P&G, Kenner, Kraft, SmithKline, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Nestle, and many more.

Facebook and Google are extending their ban on political advertising for a month.

Nielsen announced that they will now incorporate data from Inscape (Vizio), Dish Network and DirecTV to greatly enhance their ability to deliver ratings against OTT and measure addressable advertising.

This Week in MediaVillage:

How do you give consumers a luxury experience worthy of a car that costs almost $170K? You enable them to experience that car in various locales that can only be accomplished through virtual reality. You may not have heard of Lucid yet, but you surely will over the next year. Our Jim Motavalli give you the inside scoop on how to launch a new, luxury brand in Lucid's Marketing Strategy for a $169,000 Auto: Immersive Virtual Reality.

If you were as shell-shocked by just how off the polls were as Nate Silver looked for four days, then you will want to dig into the topic with our Kent M. Harrington who has spent some time pondering how the pollsters got it wrong and can they ever get it right again? Find out in The Pollsters' Epic Fail: 2020 is not a Technical Problem.

The Age of Aging's Peter Hubbell revs it up in his latest column, Harley Options: Three Ways to Rev Up Business with Boomers. He takes a critical look at some of Harley Davidson's marketing mis-steps and offers up a roadmap, not just for Harley Davidson, but for all brands looking to market to Boomers, who still have tremendous spending power. Don't miss this one!

As COVID-19 is spiking again and our Federal Government seems unwilling at this time to come to the rescue, it's up to private industry to do what they can. Black businesses have been particularly hit hard and Comcast is doing something about it. AdvancingDiversity.org Executive Director, Philip McKenzie takes a look at their "Representation, Investment, Strength, and Empowerment" initiative in Comcast RISE Captures Small Business Attention.

The hot topic in media right now is addressable TV, especially in light of the roll out of national linear addressability; coupled with Nielsen's recent announcement that they will be integrating Dish Network, DirecTV, and Vizio data to measure addressability. Media Research Executive and MediaVillage columnist, Charlene Weisler, sat down with AMC Networks' Senior Vice President of Research, Tom Ziangas to discuss marketplace needs in measuring addressable in AMC Networks' Tom Ziangas on the Challenge of Measuring Video Inventory.

Over the past few weeks, we have been highlighting a number of the recipients of the AdvancingDiversity.org Advancing Diversity & Education Fund. It is especially appropriate, during the week of Veterans Day, to focus on the TD Foundation; an organization founded by a true American hero, retired U.S. Army Major, and digital media entrepreneur Tom Deierlein. To learn more, read TD Foundation's Tom Deierlein: A Veterans Journey of Fortitude & Giving Back by Raquelle Zuzarte.

Another Advancing Diversity & Education Fund recipient is the IVMF (Institute for Veterans and Military Families) at Syracuse University. IVMF: Empowering Veterans through Entrepreneurship and Education, Raquelle Zuzarte.

Steve Gidlow has an exclusive interview with actress Carly Hughes about her role in Lifetime's newest movie This Christmas Edition. We know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but we all need a bit of the Xmas spirit about now. You can get it if you read Carly Hughes Spreads Holiday Cheer at Home and on Lifetime with This Christmas Edition.

The Masked Singer on FOX is the most popular show on broadcast television right now, but few know that it didn't originate in the U.S. In a MediaVillage exclusive, Jacqueline Cutler gives us the inside scoop when she speaks with the show's Executive Producer, Craig Plestis The Masked Singer Made Masks Hot Before They Were Cool.

So much has changed in the past six months with our country and especially attitudes among some around those involved in law enforcement. For writers and producers of television's top cop shows, this year presents real challenges in storytelling. Ainsley Andrade reviews how CBS's S.W.A.T. has handled the topic. Read Ainsley's opinion in CBS's S.W.A.T. Opens Its Fourth Season with a Tough and Timely Episode.

The Cog Blog's Brian Jacobs reports in from UK's annual asi Conference where the focus of one of the most well attended panels was new ways of measuring attention. But can attention become a part of the currency equation? Find out Brian's thoughts on that subject inMeasuring Attention Gets Attention at UK.asi Conference.

Trisha Pattersonspeaks with Jim McGraw, Director of Addressable Sales for New York Interconnect (NYI) about their newest data and attribution product. Read all about how the data from Comcast, Charter, and Altice powers this important new tool in NYI's Linear+ Uncovers the 'Whenever, Wherever' New York Metro TV Audience.

A number of media companies released their Q3 earnings this week with most of them showing significantly better results than in Q2. See the links below for further information:

DISH: Material Short-Term Potential Upside; Raising Target to $42 - Pivotal Research Group.

VIAC: ViacomCBS Inc. - Viacom 3Q20 Nicely Ahead

Discovery Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results.

Five minutes until your very important media meeting starts and still not entirely ready? Just log on toMeetingPrep.com and search with the most sophisticated AI in the advertising industry and you'll be good to go. Be the smartest person in the Zoom!.

We wish you all a safe and healthy weekend. Wear your masks, wash your hands, keep safe distances, but have fun!

Click the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friends.
The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet.

 

Copyright ©2024 MediaVillage, Inc. All rights reserved. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.