Digital

Comcast said it has acquired Xumo, an ad-supported streaming service. Financial terms were not disclosed. Comcast said that Xumo will continue to operate as an independent business inside of Comcast Cable.

Ahead of the upfronts, it introduces new proprietary advertising technology and partnerships with 4C Insights, FreeWheel and Operative. According to Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and partnerships, marketers can now optimize and target their key audiences across all screens, all networks and all dayparts, making every impression data-informed.

AMC Networks today announced a comprehensive, long-term distribution agreement with Dish Network and Sling TV that includes continued carriage of AMC Networks’ linear channels AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and BBC World News, as well as the launch in the coming months of AMC Networks’ targeted SVOD services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and Urban Movie Channel; AMC Networks’ ad-free offering AMC Premiere; and its IFC Films Unlimited streaming service.

Netflix Inc., which has been tight-lipped about the popularity of its shows and movies, is taking another step toward transparency. A new feature on the streaming service will show its top 10 most popular programs and movies, updated daily. Netflix has been testing the approach for about six months in Mexico and the U.K., the company said on Monday.

Tossing a possible monkey wrench into its proposed merger with TiVo, Xperi Corp. says it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Metis Ventures to acquire the outstanding equity of Xperi for $23.30 per share in cash, or about $1.16 billion. Metis Ventures said the offer represents a 33% premium to the 30-day trading average of Xperi shares prior to its proposed offer, and an 11% premium to Xperi shares as of Dec. 18, 2019, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Xperi-TiVo merger.

Programmatic media buys now account for 85% of all digital ad spending, according to estimates released in a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The estimates, part of the IAB’s “Brand Disruption 2020” report released Monday, put U.S. programmatic ad spending at nearly $79 billion — an increase of 87% from 2017, the first year benchmarked in the report.

He will lead and help build Scripps-owned Newsy’s newsgathering unit based out of Washington.

The two companies will roll out a private beta of a cloud-based cross-platform media buying and media accounting system.

They’re worse than the cable wars, and they’re just getting started.

The glut of shows has created more opportunities, but short seasons and unpredictable schedules have made life tricky.

Today’s consumer does not have an unlimited financial appetite for new streaming services. Every time a new OTT service is selected, the consumer will feel pressure to drop something else. As competition increases, one must ask what all this means to retransmission consent.

NBCUniversal is in talks to acquire Walmart’s Vudu video business, a source familiar with the discussions tells The Hollywood Reporter. A deal would give NBCU ownership of Vudu’s digital marketplace for movies and television shows. Vudu also offers a free, ad-supported video service.

It’s official. Months after the 25th anniversary of the launch of Friends, the cast will be reuniting exclusively for an untitled unscripted special for HBO Max. It will be directed by Ben Winston and produced by Fulwell 73 (The Late Late Show with James Corden) and Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television.

It’s generated controversy over its fundraising, its paywall and its staffing. But it’s also about as close as a major American city has gotten to a digital news site that can go toe-to-toe with the local daily newspaper.

The Facebook-owned company is in talks with video producers to pay more for videos on its IGTV app, though no formal funding program is in place. The conversations come as it tests ways for video makers to make more money from IGTV, including an advertising product and revenue-sharing program similar to those available on other social media platforms.

The president’s campaign has secured one of the most high-profile spots on the internet. The campaign has purchased the YouTube website’s masthead on Nov. 3 nationwide. Details weren’t provided, but the cost is estimated from hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $1 million a day.

With more Americans cutting the cord, watchdogs worry that voters lack a full understanding of who’s trying to influence them. Nothing requires fast-growing digital providers to disclose who political ads targeted and who viewed them. The absence of federal transparency rules stands in stark contrast with traditional TV broadcasters.

The free TV station signal streaming service says it will be streaming a dozen local TV channels in Puerto Rico later this year.

YouTube TV will carry HBO Max as part of an expanded distribution deal with WarnerMedia. This is the first deal that WarnerMedia has announced for the third-party distribution of HBO Max but more are expected in the lead up to the service’s May launch.

ViacomCBS CFO Christina Spade says strong 4Q retrans/reverse comp will continue as growth drivers this year, along with political advertising. And President-CEO Bob Bakish was extremely bullish on streaming opportunities.