Creators Prepare to Fight for and Flee TikTok as Bans Take Effect   

Although governments around the world have restricted or outlawed the use of TikTok, the state of Montana last week became one of the first jurisdictions to extend the ban to consumer users as well. Other states may well follow and while there are challenges to the proposed law creators reliant on the platform would do well not seek out other options should the noose tighten in the run up to the 2024 presidential election. 

Premier Media Thought Leader Evan Shapiro to Present Closing Keynote Address at Streaming Media East 2023

At this year's Streaming Media East, well-regarded entertainment industry "media cartographer" Evan Shapiro will present the closing keynote address, "The Mind Of The Modern Media Consumer," where he will discuss the latest data and context from the media ecosystem and offer a good sense of where the industry is likely headed next.

Netflix Ad Verification Is Good Science but Underwhelming Math

The fact that Netflix is embracing ad verification and thus doing what is expected of every major media company that serves ads is good to know, but not particularly newsworthy on its own. What makes the announcement significant is that it shows that Netflix is relying on a measurement requirement (not of their own creation) which is simply hard to take seriously.

MPEG LA VVC Licensing Terms: What Do They Mean for the Streaming Industry?

Who's contributing to the two VVC patent pools, and will the combined royalties accelerate or discourage adoption? We sat down with two industry experts and the CEOs of both MPEG LA and Access Advance to get their insights.

Molten Raises $7M to Help Solve Rights and Content Management Challenges

Investors including Ashton Kutcher, Michael Ovitz, and Jack Dorsey are bullish on Molten's cloud-based approach to manage the increasingly complex back-office challenges in the online video ecosystem

Media Industry Rife withCredential Stuffing Attacks, According to Akamai

Twenty percent of credential stuffing attacks directed toward media companies according to "Akamai 2020 State of the Internet/Credential Stuffing in the Media Industry" Report

Showtime, Vudu, and Crackle Sued by DASH Patent Holders

MPEG LA's DASH Patent Pool may have ceased, but Ideahub and Helios Streaming resort to a lawsuit, claiming defendants refused to engage in licensing discussions.

Blocking Multiple Piracy Websites Can Decrease Levels of Piracy

Blocking is an effective way to curb piracy and direct people to legal alternatives, it turns out. But it only works if many sites are blocked, finds Carnegie Mellon.

Group Nine Acquiring Popsugar, Adding Scale and a New Demographic

Group Nine announced it will acquire Popsugar, which will help it grow reach for advertisers and tap into a new, largely female audience.

Facebook Will Pay $40M Fine for Overstating Video Ad Metrics

At the heart of the suit is Facebook's previous method of calculating watch time, which did not include all views and reported dramatically inflated numbers.

Vice Media Acquiring Women-Focused Refinery29 for $400M

Two leading online publishers are combining, with Vice Media announcing it has acquired Refinery29 in a reported mix of stocks and cash.

Brightcove End-of-Life News for Ooyala OVP Has Customers Panicked

Ooyala customers felt blindsided by Brightcove's decision to shut down the Ooyala OVP, a move that runs counter to what they had recently been told by management.

CBS, Viacom Form ViacomCBS, Merging to Combat Netflix and YouTube

"The streaming wars haven't even started!" With ViacomCBS now accelerating its online video strategy, viewers are going to see even more competition for their attention.

Facebook Open Sources Two Video- and Photo-Matching Tools

With the goal of preventing harmful content, Facebook offers technology that can identify and block photos and videos as quickly as they're uploaded.

Vobile Group Buys Content Identification Tools From Zefr for $90M

The company is getting RightsID, which lets content owners see where their material is being used on major social platforms, and ChannelID, which manages official IP on YouTube.

SVOD Services Correlate With Lower Rates of Video Piracy

Ampere Analysis shows a correlation between large drops in video piracy and the availability of unlimited streaming SVOD services.

Brightcove Reduces and Reorganizes Staff, Denies Disarray

While Brightcove's CMO calls the change minor, an ex-employee says this caps a year of turmoil that started with the appointment of a new CEO.

Piracy Costs the U.S. Economy $29.2B Yearly, 80% From Streaming

Putting a price tag on the impact of digital piracy, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that global online piracy costs the U.S. economy $29.2 billion in lost revenue every year.

VidAngel Gets Potential Death Blow With $62.4M Judgment

A jury hit VidAngel with a $62.4 million fine for violating Hollywood studio copyrights by creating unauthorized reproductions from DVDs.

YouTube Highlights Video Policies Meant to Protect Minors

Following another damaging story about bad behavior on its platform, YouTube put out a blog post highlighting recent moves it made to safeguard minors.