North America Digital TV News

BrightLine enables inclusion of voice assistant prompts in OTT ads
Jun 18, 2018 – BrightLine is adding voice activation to its enhanced OTT ad platform, InCast. BrightLine’s ad platform can detect which voice assistant a TV utilizes, and dynamically incorporate suitable commands into ads.
News categories: BrightLine, Robert Aksman, Jacqueline Corbelli, Advertising, Digital TV, Smart Home, Streaming, USA

Tru Optik releases measurement and validation service for targeted OTT advertising
Jun 18, 2018 – Tru Optik has announced the release of its Cross-Screen Audience Validation (CAV) service which provides de-duplicated household-level reach and frequency, device authentication, and advanced audience validation for OTT and CTV campaigns.
News categories: Tru Optik, Andre Swanston, David Wiesenfeld, Kevin Dean, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA

Screen size and picture quality drive replacement TV purchases in U.S.
Jun 18, 2018 – According to NPD, increasing the size and picture quality are the top driving forces for U.S. consumers looking to update their televisions. Of the consumers who purchased a 4K/UHD replacement TV, 45% reported buying because they wanted a larger screen, 39% for better picture quality.
News categories: The NPD Group, Stephen Baker, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, USA

AT&T completes acquisition of Time Warner Inc.
Jun 15, 2018 – AT&T (NYSE:T) has completed its acquisition of Time Warner, bringing together global media and entertainment leaders Warner Bros., HBO and Turner with AT&T’s leadership in technology and its video, mobile and broadband customer relationships.
News categories: AT&T, Time Warner, Randall Stephenson, John Donovan, John Stankey, Jeff Bewkes, Lori Lee, Brian Lesser, Digital TV, MandA, USA, Worldwide

Sony Crackle selects Nielsen for addressable advertising
Jun 14, 2018 – Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) has announced that Sony Crackle has selected Nielsen Marketing Cloud to power its addressable advertising capabilities across all devices and platforms including mobile devices, connected TVs, streaming boxes and gaming consoles.
News categories: Nielsen, Sony Pictures Television, Sony Crackle, Damian Garbaccio, Rene Santaella, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, Streaming, USA, Worldwide

adsquare audience platform enriched with PeerLogix OTT viewing data
Jun 13, 2018 – PeerLogix (OTCQB:LOGX) and adsquare have announced the launch of a joint OTT Media Planning initiative enabling marketers to reach, target and measure advertisements at households streaming OTT TV shows and movies.
News categories: PeerLogix, adsquare, Ray Colwell, Ted Smith, Advertising, Big Data, Streaming, USA

DISH adds more Amazon Alexa controls for Hopper
Jun 12, 2018 – DISH (NASDAQ:DISH) has introduced new Amazon Alexa voice capabilities that give customers the ability to set recordings, launch apps and navigate menus on Hopper family set-top boxes. The update builds on DISH's existing Alexa voice functions.
News categories: DISH Network, Niraj Desai, Digital TV, Satellite, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA, UX

ViewLift integrates Alexa voice control into its Fire TV apps
Jun 12, 2018 – ViewLift has brought Alexa-based voice-activation to its video applications on Fire TV, by integrating Alexa Video Skill capabilities into its feature set. All of ViewLift's partners now can incorporate Alexa voice controls into their Fire TV applications.
News categories: ViewLift, Vishal Parikh, Apps, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Smart Home, USA, Worldwide

50% of U.S. broadband households watch long-form online video on a connected TV
Jun 11, 2018 – Parks Associates has found that consumers have reached a new stage in connected entertainment where OTT is a standard source of video and viewers are more willing to experiment with multiple OTT services.
News categories: Parks Associates, Brett Sappington, Digital TV, Market Research, Streaming, USA