Streaming share reaches all-time high with 38.8% of TV
Streaming’s share of TV usage in the U.S. reached a record high in May in a new Nielsen report; FAST platforms Tubi and Roku Channel hit their highest marks. Typical for this time of year, overall TV usage was down just slightly on a monthly basis (-2.4%), but a year-over-year comparison showed a slight increase in time spent watching TV in May (+1.4%). Across viewing categories, streaming exhibited the most growth, adding 0.4 pt. to its share of TV usage to record a new high watermark of 38.8%. Streaming usage climbed 8% compared with May 2023, and the category has added 2.4 share points to its share of TV. Read more from Nielsen.
LinkedIn eyes B2C marketers as it looks to increase ad dollars
LinkedIn isn’t just for B2B marketing anymore — it’s gaining popularity among B2C marketers too. Currently B2C advertising drives about 20% of global revenue for the platform, according to LinkedIn’s own stats. Naturally, it wants to increase that share of ad dollars while maintaining its strong B2B focus. This expansion is part of a larger trend for LinkedIn, where it’s incorporating features from Instagram, TikTok and even YouTube. As it evolves, it’s becoming a viable alternative for ad spending on those platforms, with new formats like a vertical video feed currently in testing and expected to officially roll out soon, along with creator and user-generated content. Read more from Digiday.
TikTok asks court to block ‘unprecedented’ nationwide ban
TikTok on Thursday asked a federal appellate court to block a new law that could result in a ban on the app, arguing that the statute amounts to unconstitutional censorship. “The act is unprecedented. Never before has Congress expressly singled out and shut down a specific speech forum,” TikTok argues in papers filed with the Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. TikTok is asking the court to declare the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act unconstitutional, and issue an injunction blocking enforcement. The law, passed earlier this year, prohibits web hosting services and app marketplaces from distributing TikTok unless ByteDance divests the app within one year. TikTok writes that divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.” Read more from MediaPost.
Disney launches ‘Advergames’ on Hulu, ESPN
Disney is introducing two new gamified ad products on its streaming platforms Hulu and ESPN in an attempt to “push the limits of what is possible” while fostering peak engagement among CTV viewers,” according to Jamie Power, Disney’s senior vice president of addressable sales. The company’s new ads come in the form of “advergames,” which Power says pair “the interactivity of streaming with the premium nature of content.” Hulu and ESPN users will now encounter Quiz Show and Beat the Clock, two interactive ads designed by adtech firm Brightline that invite viewers to answer trivia questions and land golf balls into specific targets using their remote. Read more from MediaDailyNews.
Sky/Fever rematch most watched WNBA game since 2001
The hotly anticipated rematch between Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever set another high mark for WNBA television viewership. On Tuesday, CBS Sports announced that 2.252 million people tuned in for the second 2024 meeting between the Midwest teams, which aired on CBS and saw the Fever win, 91-83. It was the highest viewership for a WNBA game since a Memorial Day matchup in 2001. The TV audience for the afternoon tilt, which was played in front of a sellout crowd of 17,274 at Indiana’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse, surpassed Clark’s pro debut on May 14 when an average audience of 2.12 million watched the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar face off against Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and the title-contending Connecticut Sun. Read more from Sportico.
