Senators Take Aim Against Ad Fraud, Ask FTC for Answers (Ad Age)
Two U.S. senators sent an open letter to FTC Chair Edith Ramirez, inquiring about the current state of ad fraud. The letter, sent by Senators Mark Warner and Charles Schumer, says the landscape of advertising has changed, adding that ad fraud creates a negative economic impact on both consumers and advertisers.
Like it or not, we are part of the Pokémon Go world (USA Today)
A growing number of homeowners, business managers and religious leaders across the country are learning they’re a lot more connected to the Pokémon Go phenomenon than they thought —and they don’t have much of a say in the matter.
While you track Pokémon, Pokémon Go tracks you (USA Today)
As users hand over access to their phones’ precise locations, storage and cameras to play the game, the company behind the game reserves the rights to share the data it collects with third parties including potential buyers and law enforcement. That’s the price to “catch ‘em all” on the free-to-play game.
It’s finally here: Live broadcast streaming (Media Life)
Fox becomes the first network to offer primetime live streaming for all markets. Undoubtedly others will follow as the Big Four struggle with how much content to put online. Analysts have long predicted the future of television would be watching live TV on devices other than television.
COMCAST’S NETFLIX DEAL COULD OPEN A NEW FRONT IN NET NEUTRALITY WAR (Wired)
Watching Netflix using Comcast is about to get a little easier. The longtime rivals recently confirmed that Comcast’s X1 interactive television box will offer Netflix, obviating the need for a smart TV or third-party device like a Roku or Chromecast.
House GOP Staffers Hammer FCC (Broadcasting & Cable)
The House Communications Subcommittee’s Republican staffers have made it clear that, at least from their vantage, today’s FCC oversight hearing will be a chance to hammer the commissioners in attendance. The memo also takes aim at the FCC’s “unlock the box” proposal.
How Pokémon GO Players Could Run Into Real-Life Legal Problems (Hollywood Reporter)
Augmented reality games encourage players to travel throughout the real world and enable them to interact with digital characters and objects programmed to appear as if they exist at specific points in physical space. The more such games are released, the more crowded our reality is going to get.
Microsoft chief: Chatbots key to computing revolution (Venture Beat)
Chatbots are transforming mobile apps, but the human language they respond to will soon become the dominant interface for human-computer interactions and “fundamentally revolutionize how computing is experienced by everybody,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
YouTube’s increase in streaming hits music labels’ revenues (Financial Times)
The amount of revenue YouTube paid to music labels relative to the number of streams of their content halved last year, translating to potential lost revenue of $755m for the industry, according to new research. The online video site, paid $740m to music rights holders last year — a 15 per cent rise from the prior year.
FTC: Warner Bros Paid ‘Influencers’ To Promote Video Game (Media Post)
Warner Bros failed to adequately disclose that it paid some well-known video game fans thousands of dollars to promote “Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor,” the FTC said. “Consumers have the right to know if reviewers are providing their own opinions or paid sales pitches,” director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection said.
Former FCC Chief Economists Say Wheeler Has Left Economics Behind (Inside Sources)
Two former chief economists at the FCC highlighted what they describe as a growing trend of absentee economics at the agency under Chair Tom Wheeler, who led the agency’s landmark adoption of net neutrality rules last year. Those rules were advanced without any prior economic analysis on their potential impact.
Dish-Tribune Retrans Fight: Will It Ever End? (TV Predictions)
The Dish-Tribune fee fight entered its second month this week with no resolution in sight. Tribune pulled its 42 stations from Dish’s lineup after the two companies failed to reach a new carriage pact. Dish and Tribune are quarreling over how much the satcaster should pay to carry the stations.
Sharing Netflix, HBO Go Passwords A Federal Crime (Chicago Tribune)
A court ruling last week now means that the act of using someone else’s password to access an online service — including Netflix or HBO Go — is a violation of federal computer laws. But don’t panic: It’s not likely that subscription VOD providers will suddenly have the feds descend on people swapping their login credentials.