AfroLandTV, the leading streaming platform for global Black movies and TV from the African diaspora, is excited to announce the launch of its live channel on VIZIO WatchFree+, VIZIO’s free streaming service. The channel will feature a wide variety of programming, including original series, movies, shows and Nollywood, all focused on telling the stories of Africa and its diaspora.

Accedo has added VIZIO to the stack of supported platforms for its cloud-based SaaS video platform, Accedo One. The first customer deployed on VIZIO’s SmartCast platform using Accedo One is Hallmark Movies Now.

Sell-side ad tech software business Magnite has today announced the launch of ‘Magnite Streaming’, a dedicated supply-side platform for connected TV and other over-the-top (OTT) ad inventory. Magnite Streaming combines Magnite’s existing CTV tools with those of SpotX, the video-focussed SSP which Magnite acquired at the start of 2021.

But we’re also likely to see changes in how big brands are using music this year too, according to a new blog post from Songtradr, which licenses music to creators and corporations and tracks the broader industry. Among the big trends for this year’s splashy ads at the big game:

FAST services have also found a home on smart TVs, although they can be accessed across all main devices. Some of the most popular services – from the likes of LG, Vizio and Roku – are only found on connected TVs, which boosts viewership on them.

The terms "measurement" and "currency" are some of the hottest terms in TV right now, as the tug-of-war battle between panels and ACR continues to take center stage. (ICYMI — ACR is a technology built into smart TVs that is used to identify and verify what is actually playing on the device). But in the year ahead, it’s not about crowning a winner, it’s about leveraging them together.

Accedo has added VIZIO to the stack of supported platforms for its cloud-based SaaS video platform, Accedo One. The first customer deployed on VIZIO’s SmartCast platform using Accedo One is Hallmark Movies Now.

New and existing Accedo One customers can now build and launch video streaming applications for VIZIO SmartCast TVs. Accedo’s addition of VIZIO as a supported platform enables video businesses to accelerate development and deployment of an application to millions of VIZIO consumers across the United States.

One key to owning the OS is to have a FAST service that serves as the centerpiece to the OS, something Amazon, LG, Samsung and VIZIO have discovered to their benefits. The FAST-as-core-of-the-OS allows the OEM to both promote the FAST itself and to sell advertising slots to other streaming services.

“They basically looked at what Amazon, Vizio, LG, Samsung did,” Wolk said. “They all have their own FAST at the heart of their operating ecosystem; you turn on a Vizio TV, you see WatchFree, and then you see a whole bunch of other stuff. So it drives traffic to WatchFree, but it also allows them to sell ads to HBO, and to Amazon, and to Netflix to promote their shows… it’s a nice revenue stream.”

Accedo has added Vizio to the stack of supported platforms for its cloud-based SaaS video platform, Accedo One. The first customer deployed on Vizio’s SmartCast platform using Accedo One is Hallmark Movies Now.

On the TV, VIZIO introduced Shortcuts to VIZIO TVs through a recent auto update. Shortcuts add a new Quick Menu, WatchFree+ Mini Guide, and Recent Apps row for easy viewing and access to the apps and shows they watch most.

Meanwhile, the newly redesigned VIZIO Mobile virtual remote app offers more than a new look, enhanced performance and updated navigation. More than just a remote, the VIZIO Mobile app acts as a control hub for the entire VIZIO entertainment experience. Viewers can use it to browse programming and subscribe to select streaming services through VIZIO Account, not to mention control the TV functions as well.

Commenting on the latest deals with Tubi and The Roku Channel, TVREV analyst Alan Wolk told Fierce he thinks it’s a smart move for all involved.

“The key is that it appears that the channels will carry WBD branding on them, which is essentially free advertising for WBD, a way of saying ‘If you like this, there’s more like it on Max,’” Wolk said via email, referring to the reported front-runner name of ‘Max’ for WBD’s forthcoming premium streaming service.

After partnering with Sailthru — a Magnolia company and the leading personalized marketing automation SaaS solution for retailers, publishers and media — HoneyBaked Ham gained the sophisticated customer insight they were looking for, as well as a more holistic view of the customer journey.

They now have one system that connects all their data and allows them to see what’s popular among customers, alongside much stronger insight into what leads a customer to complete their purchase. They’ve also managed to create more personalized emails which reduce churn and, crucially, time wasted by customers and staff.

Here’s a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Jan. 23-29, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks with data from Inscape, the currency-grade smart TV ACR data provider and data technology division of Vizio with insights from a panel of more than 20 million opted-in TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NFL Conference Championship games accounted for 7.31% of watch-time during the week, putting it squarely in first place in our program ranking.

TV and soundbar maker VIZIO has announced a new AutoUpdate for 2023 for its TV user interface and mobile app to provide users with a more streamlined control and navigation experience.

From Kaitlyn Collins, VP of Product Marketing for VIZIO: “At VIZIO, the customer experience has been and always will remain the primary focus of everything we do,…We are dedicated to providing exceptional value with our products, even beyond the original purchase. By delivering new features and capabilities to VIZIO users with our free AutoUpdates, we amplify the value of our TV lineup.”

“We're very sensitive to viewers' privacy, it is absolutely front and center to everything we do at VIZIO Ads,” states Travis Hockersmith, Group Vice President, Platform+ as VIZIO Ads. “We know, for example, if they have explicitly opted in to ACR detection We know what they've watched with, but we don't collect any PII or Personally Identifiable Information on those users, or pass that information in any way that would violate the privacy that our viewers expect.”

Still some competitors don’t seem too worried about Roku smart TVs. Mike O’Donnell, CRO at Vizio, suggested during a January investor conference that the smart TV maker isn’t overly concerned with competition from Roku TVs, noting the company's own long-standing relationships with retailers including Walmart and Target that give it favorable placement.

Songtradr hired Amber Morris as its global account director for TikTok. Morris brings over 11 years of experience building and managing relationships with agencies, brands, media companies and production studios.

First the DOJ announced that it was filing an antitrust lawsuit against Google for its monopolistic domination of the ad tech market, which has the stated goal of forcing Google to sell off its ad tech products.

It’s the culmination of a series of lawsuits against big tech companies that are based on never-tried-before legal theories in an attempt to reign in the tech giants, most of which have little to no competition.

When the Super Bowl airs on Feb. 12, chances are you’re going to hear a whole lot of familiar music included in the must-watch ads.

According to a review of the most-liked 2022 Super Bowl ads that included licensed music by Songtradr, 85% featured songs released years — even decades — ago. What’s more, an additional post-game analysis shows that all had the most notable upticks in on-demand streams and Shazam track ID activity following the game.