16 May, 2014

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending May 16th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!

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Christopher Slaughter CEO	“The Biggest Idol Brother”…? “American Loser”…? Don’t expect to see these titles on your EPG any time soon, but 21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Media have unveiled plans to merge Shine, Endemol, and CORE Media Group, bringing “American Idol” and “The Biggest Loser” together under one roof. The key goal of the proposed merger is scale and global reach — but Fox warns, “There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction will be completed.”
John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	The dark corners of the internet are getting a bit of attention. The Wall Street Journal published a report on how online advertising supports pirate websites, detailing the malpractices of “nefarious” website owners who abuse the system to generate big profits from advertisers who are unaware of what they are supporting. But it also reports content industry comments that “ad networks and technology firms don’t do enough to stop advertisers from appearing alongside” illegal sales of pirated content, illicit drugs, porn, etc. . According to MPAA, some companies knowingly sell ads on piracy sites because it is lucrative to do so. I’m shocked, shocked…
Desmond Chung Associate Director, PR & Communications	Notch one up for the land lubbers Down Under! The Managing Director of the Australian Screen Association has declared the body’s support for the legislative approach to combating content piracy in Australia. While not quite the same as having offenders thrown in the brig, the government is looking into injunctive relief legislation in the battle against rogue websites. As the saying goes… “Avast ye pirates!”
Christopher Slaughter CEO	Neilsen has released the latest edition of its tentpole report Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media. There are plenty of takeaways in the report, among them the proliferation of channels in the US, and the trend toward shorter TVCs, but Neilsen identifies two main trends driving the US industry: media fragmentation and population shifts.
Sara Madera Director, Member Relations & Marketing	Have you ever clicked the “favorite” button on Twitter? Well, now science can tell us why. Whether as a response/reaction, purpose/ function or really for no reason at all, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence has broken it down. No surprise that the most popular reasons are because the tweet was informational or authored by someone special (read: famous).
Godfrey Chan Marketing & Member Relations Executive	A new report indicates that connected TVs are winning back eyeballs, at least in the USA. The report from Parks Associates says Americans are increasingly turning away from their computers to watch video as technologies proliferate to bring online video into the living room.
	As technologies and consumer habits continue to evolve, how will the satellite industry remain relevant during this time of transition? Join CASBAA and a high-profile roster of industry thought leaders as they explore what’s next for satellites in the Asia Pacific market.