Reverberate: US media and marketing news you need to know - Sony mobile deal snubbed by Spectre, Amazon posts loss & YouTube ad views up 25%
Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know today.
1. Sony was willing to pay $5m to have its Xperia Z4 smartphone feature in new Bond flick ‘Spectre’. Business Insider reports that director Sam Mendes resisted because "James Bond only uses the best".
2. Facebook is experimenting with a mini-news hub which displays local news, events and nearby places such as diners and entertainment facilities. Mashable quotes a Facebook spokesperson as saying it “adds additional, relevant content about everything that might be helpful to know on a particular day”.
3. Comcast looks to have dropped its $45bn merger with Time Warner Cable, a source close to the deal tells Reuters. The news is expected to be announced in the next 24 hours.
4. Amazon has yet again reported another loss in its first quarter earnings – this time of $57m. New York Times states that revenue rose by 15 per cent with the company heavily investing in its web services department.
5. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a consent order with Nomi Technologies which it claims did not abide by its promise of allowing shoppers to opt out of being tracked. The Washington Post reports that this will be the first action from the FTC against a retail tracking firm.
6. Google has boasted that YouTube served over 25 per cent more ads than this time last year. Adweek reports that higher quality creative on the site helped ads reach more viewers.
7. The Wells Fargo bank is to release an ad featuring a lesbian couple – a first for the US banking industry. CNN reports that the couple will be learning sign language to speak with their hearing impaired adopted daughter.
8. Proximity mobile beacon platform Swirl Networks has raised $18m in equity with contributions from Twitter Ventures, Hearst Ventures, SoftBank Capital, and other investors. The Drum reports that Swirl has raised $32m in total funding.
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