Nielsen is “disappointed” the Media Rating Council responded to the company’s request for a hiatus in accreditation by voting to suspend its National TV Ratings service, as well as its Local People Meter and Set Meter Markets service, a spokesperson emailed Friday. “The suspension will not impact the usability of our data,” she said, saying Nielsen “remains the currency of choice for media companies, advertisers and agencies.” The market measurement firm is “committed to the audit process and during this pause in accreditation we will work with the MRC on resolving this suspension.” MRC’s board voted to suspend its accreditation of Nielsen’s National Television service, it said Wednesday. It also removed accreditation hiatus status designation from Nielsen’s Local People Meter and Set Meter Markets services, and voted to suspend accreditation for those markets.

Silicon Labs announced keynote speakers for its Sept. 14-15 virtual Works With 2021 conference. Companies will share insights on the Matter protocol’s significance in simplifying product development and increasing product compatibility for the smart home, it said Thursday. Speakers include Mike Harris, chief operating officer, Amazon Ring; Michele Chambers Turner, senior director, Google Smart Home Ecosystem; Sitao Ma, chief technology officer, Schneider Electric; and Ulf Axelsson, IoT architect, Ikea.

The prerecorded CEDIA Expo keynote, “The Future of Storytelling,” with Dolby Chief Scientist Poppy Crum, will be Tuesday at noon EDT and available virtually via the CEDIA Expo Connect app, said Emerald's CE Pro publication Thursday. CEDIA’s On-Demand Training Pass for integrators is available at CEDIA Expo registration; 50 of its educational sessions will be available on demand for those not traveling to Indianapolis, said Emerald. Savant, which withdrew due to COVID-19 concerns from CEDIA Expo, due to run Wednesday-Friday at the Indianapolis Convention Center, will stream from a remote show floor during show days, said CE Pro Friday. Savant said it will livestream and share videos to give integrators a look at the company’s entertainment, lighting, user experience and power solutions, along with previously unannounced products.

The Q4 2021 domestic box office will be about 65% of Q4 2019 -- and the full year at about 35% of 2019 -- Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter modeled in a Friday investor note after CinemaCon 2021 in Las Vegas last week. The Q4 box office could rebound if studios are willing to “hold their Q4 movie releases and not delay further,” and if Disney chooses an exclusive window for its Q4 releases, Pachter said. There’s “a lot riding on Q4,” said the analyst, “as COVID persists and as studios settle on the right theatrical windowing formula to maximize box office.” Studio executives and talent thanked attending exhibitors often via prerecorded video, he said. Themes emerging from the National Association of Theatre Owners and exhibitors included concerns about day-and-date releases, led by piracy and cannibalization, Pachter said. A repeated theme was that day-and-date releases weren’t financially viable for studios, which gave “consistent messaging” signaling a commitment to the theatrical window for a “semi-normal” state in 2020, he said. Disney didn’t make a presentation, leaving its release plans unknown. Other unknowns for the industry are whether the delta variant will lead to theater closures or reduced demand and whether studios will stick to the current release slate, said Pachter, who believes attendance will continue to be driven by content vs. virus concerns.

Exhibit space is available for the Florida Audio Expo, scheduled for Feb. 18-20 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa-Airport Westshore hotel, said Operations Manager Bart Andeer on Monday. Early registration exhibit room price is $3,995 through Sept. 1, $4,500 through Dec. 5 and $4,900 through Jan. 5. “If we find it necessary to cancel the show due to as-yet-unforeseen CDC [Centers for Disease Control] or government restrictions, we will be able to refund 85% of the exhibit fee,” Andeer said. The remaining 15% will be “nonrefundable and nontransferable, to help cover the costs of such contractual obligations as marketing, printing, and contractor expenses,” he said. FAE has commitments for a third of the rooms, Andeer emailed. An exhibitor list wasn’t available on the website, which is being revamped. In 2020, the show had 66 exhibit rooms, up from 41 in 2019, he said. New for 2022, FAE will charge admission, with discounts for first responders and military personnel. Students and spouses of ticketholders get free admission.

The Digital Entertainment Group’s new board reflects “the growing diversity of the group’s membership,” it said Monday. Azure and Verizon Business Group, new DEG members this year, are represented on the 2021-2022 board by Azure’s Hanno Basse, chief technology officer-media and entertainment, and Steve Walter, Verizon’s global practice lead-media, entertainment and technology. MGM Studios returns to the board, represented by Andres Alvarez, senior vice president-digital distribution and partner engagement and strategy. Seats are held by the D2C Alliance Director Alison Hoffman, president-domestic networks, Starz, and Advanced Content Delivery Alliance Director Jeremy Settle, HBO Max program management, AT&T. Officers are Chair Jim Wuthrich, WarnerMedia; Vice Chair Dan Cohen, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group; Chief Financial Officer Andrea Downing, PBS Distribution; Secretary Rick Hack, Intel; and Chair Emeritus Matt Strauss, Peacock. DEG also promoted Marcy Magiera to executive director and named Jean Levicki director-community and member programs.

The Audio Engineering Society redesigned its website and updated its logo for the first time since its 1948 founding, said the organization Monday. “The site was overdue for a website content management system update,” said the group. “A modern, flexible platform with a streamlined and intuitive user interface was needed to enhance navigation and deep dives into the site’s rich content.” The new logo “will better serve branding applications,” it said.

Sony launched the Collaborative Alliances program for professional audio video market providers. It will focus on integrating and optimizing hardware and software for channel partners, resellers, integrators and consultants serving corporate, education, government, healthcare, faith, retail, entertainment and transportation, said Sony Tuesday. It's enabling alliance members to use digital signage, video collaboration and communications platforms to engage customers, said Sony Pro Division President Theresa Alesso.

Four lighting brands will exhibit at CEDIA Expo for the first time, said show owner Emerald Holding Monday. DMF Lighting, Environmental Lights, Garden Lighting LED and PoEWit Technologies will join lighting companies Colorbeam and Coastal Source and lighting control companies Lutron and Vantage, it said. Also at CEDIA Expo, Platinum Tools will show its NetXpert XG2 network tester that provides 10G speed certification over copper and fiber, it said. The custom-channel trade show is set for Sept. 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

The Interactive Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance (IMCCA) will be a programming partner for CEDIA Expo Sept. 1-3 in Indianapolis, show owner Emerald emailed Monday. IMCCA will bring insights and subject matter experts about the rise in hybrid work and home office demand since COVID-19 to the Expo Smart Stage and Innovation Hub. IMCCA will host home office unified communications and collaborative conferencing technology demonstrations, Emerald said. Participating vendors include Crestron, Poly, Cisco, Zoom and Jabra.