Social News App Nuzzel, ComScore-Rentrak Merger, Shift Away From Programmatic, Virtual Reality Advances, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week, DPS 2015 Tip
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about a “vote of confidence” for social news app Nuzzel, how the merger of comScore and Rentrak could change the audience measurement industry, publishers bucking programmatic in favor of direct ad sales, virtual reality becoming a reality in newsrooms, and more.
- There’s no lack of news curation apps out there, but one is getting the attention of investors who, having served as publishers, CEOs, and board members of large media companies, are not easily impressed by attempts to deliver the answer to simple and effective content distribution. Nuzzel, a startup led by Friendster founder Jonathan Abrams, provides an app that curates news stories and sends alerts based on what the user’s social connections are sharing. According to Gigaom, the significance of a recent investment round isn’t just about the funding but also about the backing of news media industry veterans—”a promising sign” for the app. Abrams says in the report, “We are thinking of how Nuzzel can work with publishers in the future, i.e., perhaps we should offer some sort of widget or way for publishers to use syndicated feeds from Nuzzel. Those are the kinds of things that these new investors will help advise us on.” For more details, check out a Q&A with Abrams on Nieman Lab’s site and a post from TechCrunch.
- Audience measurement companies comScore and Rentrak announced they are merging, a move that could challenge industry leader Nielsen by changing the way media consumption is tracked. In providing measurement services that take into account viewing across platforms—including TV, web, and mobile—the combined company stands to grab marketshare from Nielsen, which focuses mainly on TV audiences, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. With growing concerns that Nielsen’s measurement methods haven’t kept pace with consumer trends like delayed viewing, web and mobile use, and streaming services, media executives generally welcomed the deal, the reports say, given billions of dollars of ad spend is based on independent audience tracking.
- The Journal also covered how a growing number of digital media companies are bucking the practice of automated advertising sales through ad tech networks—a.k.a. programmatic—in favor of more user-friendly approaches like sponsored content and customized ad formats. Attributing today’s often poor online experience to the technology, which subjects readers to a deluge of ads and unwanted tracking mechanisms, publishers including Refinery29, Vice Media, Vox Media, BuzzFeed, and Mic report they are increasingly selling ads directly using their own tools, with the goal of better serving their audiences and advertisers. While the article points out that they face the risk of losing out on revenue as more marketers turn to programmatic, advocates say the trade-off is they don’t have to share ad dollars and their audience data with middlemen.
- And finally, virtual reality news—or, as some call it, “immersive” or “experiential” storytelling—is set to go mainstream as more and more news oranizations look to put their readers in the middle of events with technologies like 360-degree video, 3-D modeling, and interactive graphics. Poynter takes a look at a range of VR advances, noting that as it becomes easier and less expensive to provide readers with such experiences, news outlets are increasingly experimenting with new projects. For example, Gannett, an early VR player, published “Harvest of Change,” a feature about an Iowa farm, and earlier this year launched its VR Stories mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- See TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week for tips and practical advice on how to create content that’s useful, well written, and engaging.
- DPS 2015 Tip: Monica Murphy explains how to create a project in Adobe Digital Publishing Solution, outlining each step as well as how to add users to a project.
- ICYMI: Are you ready for articlization, mobile snacking, and micromoments? See the latest article from TFP CEO Margot Knorr Mancini for insights on these emerging trends.
Image: Nuzzel
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
