The ad sales teams of SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher will be “unified” under a single “umbrella” organization, SXM Media, said the company Monday. “Audio is experiencing a renaissance with a boom in premium content, spikes in listening, and innovative ad tech fueling the industry, and our powerful portfolio of brands puts us at the forefront of this moment," said SiriusXM Chief Advertising Revenue Officer John Trimble.
Vizio and Verizon Media will partner on “cross-platform” and smart TV ad solutions using “unique TV viewership data and premium programmatic inventory access,” said the companies Thursday. The deal gives Verizon exclusive “demand-side platform” access beginning in 2022 to Vizio’s Inscape viewership data from more than 18 million “opted-in” Vizio smart TVs. Vizio's Q1 earnings call May 11 will be its first since going public March 25 (see 2104230001).
Charter Communications plans to appeal a National Advertising Division finding the cable ISP should drop or modify its "fastest overall speeds" nationwide advertising claim about its Spectrum Mobile service, NAD said Tuesday. NAD said AT&T challenged the ad claim, saying Spectrum Mobile is faster only in certain markets or when connected to Spectrum Wi-Fi. NAD said Charter indicated the NAD decision was based on an archaic view of mobile communications, not accounting for how it commonly integrates Wi-Fi and cellular communications. The appeal will go to the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Review Board. Charter didn't comment.
Hisense signed on as an official global sponsor of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, said the Chinese vendor Tuesday. The arrangement extends a Hisense collaboration with FIFA that began with the 2017 World Cup in Russia. The monthlong World Cup tournament in Qatar begins Nov. 21, 2022.
Amazon launched next-generation Echo Buds Wednesday, taking preorders for the wired version of the true wireless earphones for $99 in a limited-time offer before they go up to $119. A wireless charging option is $119 during the promotional period, increasing to $139. It’s sweetening the deal with six free months of Amazon Music Unlimited and Audible Plus for customers not currently part of an Audible free trial, it said. Customers who buy the Echo Buds by May 12 are eligible for the Audible Plus trial offer, which must be redeemed by July 12. The new Echo Buds, with Alexa built in, are 20% smaller than the previous set, said to have a more comfortable fit and have advanced active noise cancellation that cancels twice the amount of noise as the first generation buds, said Tom Taylor, Amazon Alexa senior vice president. Users can engage noise cancelation through Alexa or by pressing and holding either earbud.
Kaleidescape is offering $3,000 discounts to customers who buy a Kaleidescape system in tandem with one of four models of Sony 4K HDR projectors, said the home theater company Monday. The Kaleidescape-Sony partnership highlights “the benefits of a premium projector paired with the best-in-class movie playback source,” it said. “A streaming device cannot maximize a high-end projector's innovative capabilities and stops short of delivering the best possible viewing experience.” Kaleidescape systems are designed to play 4K HDR movies with a video bit rate four times higher than that of a standard streaming device and lossless audio at a bit rate up to 10 times higher, it said. The discount offer expires Sept. 30, said a Kaleidescape spokesperson. The Sony projectors eligible for the promotional bundle are the VPL-GTZ380, VPL-VW5000ES, VPL-VW995ES and VPL-VW915ES.
HGTV announced a sweepstakes for a furnished smart home in Naples, Florida. The winner will receive a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet, $100,000 from LendingTree and a “technologically advanced home” with a smart kitchen, it said. The prize package is valued at over $1.1 million. Other sponsors include Keurig, SimpliSafe Home Security, Sleep Number, Kohler, OxiClean, Trex, Phantom Screens and Velux. Entry period for the HGTV Smart Home 2021 is April 21-June 11 at HGTV.com. The home will be featured on a special HGTV show April 21 at 7 p.m. EDT, with a “pre-premiere” on HGTV Go the previous day.
Comcast agreed to modify some wireless advertising claims that were challenged by T-Mobile, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division said Thursday. NAD said Comcast's claim about possibly saving money when switching to Xfinity Mobile was reasonable, but it should disclose the basis of the claim. NAD said Comcast should modify some savings claims, and the company modified marketing about its 5G service after NAD raised the issue. Comcast didn't comment.
T-Mobile customers with T-Mobile Tuesdays can get an enhanced Pandora experience with ad-free radio weekends, "Top Tracks" stations with music from popular SiriusXM channels and early access to SiriusXM original podcasts, said the carrier Wednesday. The offer will be available via the T-Mobile Tuesdays app starting Tuesday for customers who create or log in to a Pandora account.
A digital ad tax proposed in Connecticut is “simply a bad idea,” the Association of National Advertisers said Tuesday. SB-821 would impose 10% tax on “annual gross revenues derived from digital advertising services in the state for any business with annual world-wide gross revenues exceeding $10 billion.” ANA Group Executive Vice President-Government Relations Dan Jaffe urged legislators to reject the bill. Connecticut’s Joint Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding considered the proposal at a hearing Monday.