Content Aware media news: January 26, 2023

Google under attack from DoJ, AI, and itself... all in January 26 Content Aware media news highlights.

Published: 10:55, 26 January 2023

DOJ's Google lawsuit drops - and it's big
To no-one's surprise, the US Department of Justice - and eight US states - has made its formal legal case against Google for ad market dominance. And it wants much more than just a fine as its pound of flesh - it wants to break the company up.
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How Apple could turn out to be the saviour
Industry sage Brian Morrissey puts the DoJ suit into context and wonders if Apple - hardly a friend to the ad sector - might just turn out to be an unexpected saviour to its future and its reputation.
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Growing local news one committee at a time
UK MPs and publishers get fractious, but overall want to work together to improve and protect local news in the face of Facebook, Google, and alarming pressures from economic turbulence. Charlotte Tobitt mediates...
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"Hey ChatGPT, who should help Google survive?"
Red alert at Google because of ChatGPT, says the NYT, with founders Page and Brin swooping back in to help whittle down the 20 new AI products Alphabet is eyeing for launches. Nico Grant pulls back the curtains.
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Billionaires and media brands - who wins?
Semafor co-counder Ben Smith has a look at the effect of billionaires buying traditional media outlets. He does so without managing to mention Elon Musk, who surely has spent the most doing the same thing.
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The challenge of moderating livestreams
Great piece from the FT's Cristina Criddle looking at the complexities of moderating livestreams, which have never been easier to view or launch across countless apps and platforms, and includes a really interesting look at AI techniques. Worth using a ladder if you are not a subscriber.
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Google Optimize gets an end date
Content testing tool Google Optimize is heading for the boneyard, so wrap up your tests and grab your reports by the end of September says Nicole Farley.
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The biggest ad fraud yet
How one fraudulent ad scheme managed to rack up to 12 billion dodgy ad clicks per day without mobile phone users realising. Matt Burgess's report reveals that when users thought they were clicking one ad, they were actually clicking a stack of 25. Bad for your ad spend, data plan, and battery life.
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Despite that, ad markets improve for publishers
Programmatic advertising might still have many black holes in information where the money goes, but an ISBA/PwC report suggests that the movement of money to advertisers is improving, writes James Hercher.
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Reddit CRO eyeing your lunch
New Chief Revenue Officer Harold Klaje upped the Reddit's ad business 5-fold and is probably coming after your ad customers next. Here is a good interview with him by Cat Turner from 2020 that reveals some insight into future plans and strategy.
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