Month: September 2023

It’s a common sentiment among audio publishers that advertising in that world remains an undervalued proposition. Efforts from multiple attention metrics firms to apply their methodologies to digital audio and streaming, notably the podcasting world, were greeted with open arms by the likes of NPR, Audacy, iHeart and Spotify. And after some work to figure out how to apply it to audio — attention isn’t as easily gauged when listening to content as when watching it — the results seem to have given a lift to some of the players.

The latest example comes from work that attention metrics firm Adelaide did with several audio publishers, including iHeart, NPR and Audacity around an eBay campaign that ran across Q2 and into Q3. In short, applying Adelaide’s AU metric enabled several publishers to show their ads performed above the benchmarks set by Adelaide. 

“Folks in audio know that their media is undervalued by the market, and they see attention metrics as a way to level the playing field,” said Marc Guldimann, Adelaide’s founder and CEO.

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With its new antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, the Federal Trade Commission has officially begun its new legal battle against the everything store.

The 172-page complaint — filed yesterday by the FTC and 17 state attorneys general — accused Amazon of “monopolistic practices” and makes a range of allegations against the e-commerce giant while providing details about its advertising operations, interactions with sellers and alleged attempts to block competition. The regulatory agency also accused Amazon of hiking fees and being careless about data privacy, claiming it “hiked its fees even as it failed to adequately protect sellers’ commercial sensitive data” and “exposed this data to theft and appropriation.” However, it also includes plenty of redactions that leave a lot of mystery as to what intel the FTC might use against Amazon in the case.

In its lawsuit, the FTC accused Amazon of conducting anticompetitive behavior in both the online superstore market for shoppers and the online service marketplace bought by sellers. The agency also alleged Amazon’s advertising operation has been “degrading” the platform by replacing relevant organic search with paid ads and “deliberately increasing junk ads that worsen search quality” and “frustrate” both shoppers and sellers. It also accused the e-commerce giant of tactics such as anti-discounting measures, coercing sellers in ways that make business on the platform more expensive.

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The US Federal Trade Commission filed a long-anticipated antitrust complaint alleging that Amazon uses its power over sellers to keep ecommerce prices artificially high.

Students debate the success and competition of the social-media platform currently known as X.

Rosenworcel wants to reimpose net-neutrality that are illegal and unnecessary.

Medicare rations blood tests to save money, but it will hurt patients.

Ad-supported services’ share of viewing rose 6%, and Tubi beat out Hulu as the most commonly used AVOD/FAST, per latest TiVo trends report.

Melissa Kearney worried about being pigeonholed as she wrote ‘The Two-Parent Privilege.’

Joe Biden may not be senile, but America’s auto-manufacturing and climate-change policies certainly are.

Amazon overcharges customers and “litters its storefront with pay-to-play advertisements,” the FTC and 17 states alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.