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Search Engine News
Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team
Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.
The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.
Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.
Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.
Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.
Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.
Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.
In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.
(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)
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Search News (Media Man Int)
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Social Media Platform News
Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah
Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.
Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.
It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.
The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.
Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.
Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.
The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.
(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)
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Big Tech News
Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.
A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.
The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.
Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.
Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.
The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”
Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.
Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”
When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”
In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.
(Wires, X, AI)
#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media
Aussie Crypto Biz News
Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.
The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.
The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.
Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.
(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)
(Image: A.I)
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Pro Wrestling
WWE NXT
January 16, 2024
Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!
Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE
"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph
"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T
"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE
The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE
Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE
FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE
Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE
JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE
Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE
and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/wwe
Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!
#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media
Image credit: WWE NXT
Mixed Martial Arts
UFC 297
Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC
"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA
FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC
"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator
"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan
STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC
UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC
"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama
UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC
"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland
PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC
and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com
Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.
#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media
Image credit: UFC
Pro Wrestling
WWE
Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE
"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre
"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes
Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.
#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media
Image credit: WWE
Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024
After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.
Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.
With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.
Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”
Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:
AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs
Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.
While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.
For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.
Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters
Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.
According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.
However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.
Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”
Attention measurement at a crossroads
An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.
A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).
The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.
Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”
The growth of in-game advertising
With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.
Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:
(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.
PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.
According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.
(Advanced Television)
