After months of beta testing, Hulu.com is finally off the ground with TV and movie content from NBC, News Corp. and its partners. What’s most intriguing about the official launch is the new advertising formats that come with it. The Ad Selector gives users the choice of the ad they want to see and the Movie Selector lets advertisers play long trailers before the program starts and no other advertising during the program. The Ad Selector is especially intriguing because it provides confirmation that users are selecting the ads they watch as well as the programs. We’ll be intrigued to see how it develops and if it will be picked up anywhere else.
Honda’s “Element and Friends” campaign has a new spot, starring a dog. “Pointer” is the 23rd spot in the series created by RPA and produced by WILDBRAIN and there’s an interesting story to go with it, which you’ll see in our iSPOT of the Week coverage.
Don’t forget to let us know about the news at your companies and the video ads you’re creating and producing.
Ken Liebeskind, iSPOT Senior Editor, kliebeskind@shootonline.com, 203-227-1699, ext.17 www.shootonline.com/go/ispot
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More