YouTube reportedly tests adding playable games

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YouTube’s test of Playables comes as some social media companies have rolled back their previous investments in gaming. ByteDance reportedly aggressively downsized its gaming operations last year after earlier experiments with adding simple games into TikTok. Around the same time, Snap also said it would be cutting its investment in games. However, Netflix’s push to include games for free with subscriptions is ongoing, and the company is also working on a cloud game streaming service.

In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a company spokesman declined to confirm the experiment but said, “Gaming has long been a focus at YouTube. We’re always experimenting with new features but have nothing to announce right now.”

When Google initially announced in a blog post that Stadia would shut down, the company also hinted that the underlying technology that powers the gaming service could be applied across “other parts of Google like YouTube, Google Play, and our Augmented Reality (AR) efforts,” the company wrote in September.

Brands Ask TikTok Creators to Submit Video Ads

TikTok has invited brands to request video submissions from creators. The videos will run as in-feed ads, giving the creators a cut of the revenues. The “TikTok Creative Challenge” enables brands to post creative briefs, or “challenges”, which qualified creators can scroll through and submit their videos for the brands to review. The videos then appear solely as in-feed ads, instead of being posted on the brand or creator’s accounts.

While the program gives creators the chance to earn money without fear of alienating their followers with sponsored spam, some creators argue that this payment model has them making ads for free. Marketers are not required to pay creators an upfront fee, as the performance-based payments are determined by views, clicks and conversions.

Addressable TV Market to be Worth $87 Billion by 2027

The global addressable TV market is forecast to be worth $87 billion by 2027, according to a report by Ampere Analysis, in partnership with Finecast and Microsoft Advertising. The sector is currently worth $56 billion, the research found, and is projected to grow by over 50 percent in the next four years.

Open Source Unified Auction Solution Prebid Gets Privacy Update

Header bidding software Prebid has been updated, giving publishers more transparency into specific ad transactions. Prebid 8 can give publishers greater insight into how revenue is affected by supply chain intermediaries, according to the open source group. The unified auction solution will also allow publishers to start testing Google’s Privacy Sandbox, the organisation said.

FreeWheel and MediaScience Launch Viewer Experience Research Initiative

TV ad tech company FreeWheel has partnered with research firm MediaScience, launching a joint initiative called The Viewer Experience Lab. The lab will carry out research to measure viewer response to new ad formats, as well as developing tools for video content providers. FreeWheel also released a report, The State of TV Advertising Viewer Experience, which found:

• 67 percent of viewers are annoyed by seeing the same ad more than once within the same ad pod
• 24 percent of all streaming ad breaks last four minutes or longer
• Up to 25 percent of ad avails are not filled on FAST channels, adding a lot of downtime for viewers and underutilised inventory for FAST programmers
• 73 percent of respondents said they prefer ads that are related to personal interests

 

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