Reverberate: US media and marketing news you need to know today – Google antitrust lawsuit, Sling TV offers HBO & Airbnb expands to Cuba
Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know this morning.
Reverberate: US media and marketing news you need to know today
1. Europe’s competition regulator is preparing to move against Google in the next few weeks according to the Wall Street Journal. The internet giant is facing the possibility of an antitrust lawsuit in Europe over allegations that it abused its position as the dominant search company.
2. The 'exclusive' nature of Apple's HBO deal has been called into question, after Sling TV revealed it is to offer HBO content in time for the Game of Thrones premiere in April. Bloomberg reports that Sling subscribers will be able to add HBO to their internet TV packages for $15 a month.
3. Airbnb will begin offering apartment listings in Cuba on its US site, says The Verge. The room-booking service will list more than 1,000 Cuban properties for American users beginning today, in the most significant expansion of American business on the island since the two countries moved to normalize diplomatic relations earlier this year.
4. Facebook has launched its new viral video app Riff in a bid to make videos stickier on the social network, reports Forbes. The collaborative app has been built to encourage friends to create a chain of short video clips which are then connected by the thread of a single hashtagged topic.
5. IBM and Apple have designed eight new apps for iOS devices as part of the tech giants' MobileFirst collaboration, notes TechCrunch. The apps are focused on the healthcare and industrial products industries – including a hospital app that works to reduce the operational costs associated with managing patient information.
6. Twitter is testing out promoted tweets on some profile pages, asserts Mashable. The experimental ads will only be displayed for Twitter users who are logged in, but it's possible this could change down the road once the company's recently reported deal with Google is rolled out.
7. President Barack Obama has authorized the first sanctions program directed at individual or group cyberattackers, says NBC. The executive order will clamp down on those who constitute "significant threats" to the interests of the US.
8. L'Oreal USA has launched a review of planning and buying for its $2.3bn media account, writes AdAge. The review comes less than 18 months after the brand awarded digital media buying to DigitasLBi from Publicis Groupe sibling Moxie.
9. Uber and Lyft will serve the Indianapolis International Airport when thousands of travelers land for NCAA March Madness, notes the Indianapolis Star. The ride-hailing firms and the airport have reached an agreement that will generate $2.50 per pickup for the airport, much to the chagrin of local cab drivers.
10. And SkyMall has been saved. Business Insider claims that New Jersey-based C&A Marketing purchased the assets of the bankrupt in-flight magazine at auction. C&A executive vice-president Chaim Pikarski said his firm will bring the publication "back to the brands, products and technology that relate to all travelers".
Stay in the media and marketing news loop at thedrum.com, and for a look at yesterday's round-up hit this link.