Amazon launches grocery subscriptions for prime and EBT customers
Amazon has introduced grocery delivery subscriptions for Prime members and EBT users. The new service, announced Tuesday (April 23), is launching in more than 3,500 locations around the U.S. It gives Prime members willing to spend $9.99 per month unlimited grocery deliveries on orders of $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and a variety of other grocery stores and specialty retailers. The service also provides the same benefits to customers who don’t have a Prime membership but do have a registered EBT card, for $4.99 per month. “Our goal is to build a best-in-class grocery shopping experience—whether shopping in-store or online — where Amazon is the first choice for selection, value, and convenience,” Tony Hoggett, senior vice president of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon, said in a news release. Read more from PYMNTS.
Senate passes bill to ban TikTok unless ByteDance divests
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that could result in a ban on the popular TikTok app. The measure — which is part of a larger package that also includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — now heads to President Joe Biden for signature. The provisions affecting TikTok would prohibit web hosting services and app marketplaces from distributing the app, unless it’s sold within one year by its China-based parent company ByteDance. The House of Representatives passed the package on Saturday. TikTok has said it will challenge the measure in court on First Amendment grounds. Read more from MediaDailyNews.
Google delays third-party cookie demise yet again
Google is delaying the end of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser — again. The announcement was made on Tuesday ahead of quarterly reports from Google and the ever-watchful U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), keeping tabs on how this whole situation unfolds. “We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem,” according to a statement Google posted on its website for the Privacy Sandbox. “It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June. Given both of these significant considerations, we will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4.” Google did not outline a more specific timetable beyond hoping for 2025. Read more from Digiday.
Understanding fandoms could be key for streaming and advertising strategies
“If advertisers want to engage more with young people, they should probably get to know their fandoms.
Over half, 58%, of GenZers say that fandom for their favorite music artist is important to their identity, according to a recent survey by Deloitte. Forty-one percent said as much for their favorite video games and 40% for their favorite movie franchise. For millennials, 50% said their favorite music artist is important to their identity; 39% said the same for movie franchises and 35% for games. Further, one in 10 of the consumers Deloitte surveyed said that their favorite music artist, sports team, TV series, movie franchise and video game are all important to their identities. Deloitte called them “M&E (media and entertainment) super fans.” Deloitte’s survey, along with other recent studies, suggests that loyal fans and people who shape their identities around their favorite fandom could play a vital role in streaming strategies. And as major streaming platforms build ad businesses, understanding fan behaviors could serve advertisers well, too. But it’s not just streaming; for marketers, there could be benefits in stretching resources across the entertainment ecosystem, from CTV to audio to gaming, especially as these channels increasingly adopt programmatic capabilities to improve relevancy.” Read more from The Current.
Knicks’ garden party, Lakers’ drama draw big-time cable ratings
The New York Knicks’ chaotic win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of their opening round playoff series was an exercise in delirium for fans at Madison Square Garden, and a dagger in the heart of the 7-seeds. In a span of 27 seconds, the home team managed to turn a 5-point deficit into a wholly improbable 3-point victory, and in so doing, helped deliver one of the NBA’s biggest cable-TV audiences of the season. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, New York’s 104-101 triumph averaged 3.47 million viewers on TNT/truTV Monday night, which marks the league’s fifth-best cable turnout of 2023-24. Deliveries were up 28% compared to the analogous Knicks-Cavs telecast a year ago, a 17-point blowout that averaged 2.72 million viewers. Read more from Sportico.
