In this webinar, Simulmedia's CEO, Dave Morgan, spoke with DPG Media Advertising about the challenges and opportunities advertisers can expert as the TV ecosystem transitions from linear to digital.

From Linear to Digital: A Look into the Evolving TV Ecosystem

It’s official: Tucker Carlson is no longer with Fox News.

For advertisers, media buyers, and brands, this poses a big question. Where will Carlson’s viewers go — and how will we be able to find them?

Cable news is a valuable reach vehicle across many strategic target audiences, so we’ve been digging in with our Data Science team to determine what the impact might be for advertisers.

But before we forecast the future, it’s important we look to the past.

Looking to the Past: Bill O’Reilly’s Departure

The last popular news anchor to depart Fox News unexpectedly was Bill O’Reilly back in April of 2017. The show generated $446 million in ad revenue from 2014 to 2016 with an average of 33 commercials a night.

, ratings declined for his time slot upon his exit — and the overall network viewership took about an 8% hit.

However, this was short-lived. After about a month, Fox News network viewership bounced back to pre-O’Reilly departure levels.

Tucker Carlson, his replacement, saw over 600,000 viewers in his debut on Fox News. The show went on to average nearly 3 million viewers daily in the first quarter of 2018 — lower than O’Reilly’s last two years but better than his performance pre-Trump, according to 

Carlson’s success continued to grow throughout his time on Fox.

From January 1st to April 23rd in 2023, Tucker Carlson Tonight comprised 

 watched on Fox News from Jan. 1st to April 23rd in 2023.

Since January 1st, Carlson’s show has ranked the 

 in terms of linear watch-time across all networks, and the 5th most watched program during primetime hours across all networks.

What does this mean for Fox News post-Carlson?

Our team found that Monday night’s Fox News Tonight, the first 8pm temporary replacement hosted by Brian Kilmeade, saw a 21% decline versus Tucker Carlson’s average viewership. That said, Hannity at 9pm did not see any difference in viewership.

If we continue to see an overall delivery decline on the network post-Tucker Carlson, we anticipate it to rebound in a similar fashion as in 2017.

Why? A look at the data shows Fox News’ ability to rebound in a matter of months during times of uncertainty. Furthermore, Fox News has exclusive rights to the first GOP debate in August, with campaign coverage to follow throughout the next several months. In other words, exclusive coverage of the highly anticipated GOP debate is likely to bring in viewers and boost viewership.

We also know O’Reilly’s 2016 and 2017 ratings soared due in part to the 2016 presidential election and beginning of President Donald Trump in the White House. In 2016, O’Reilly’s show saw an 

average of more than 3.3 million total viewers

, and about 573,000 viewers in the coveted 25-54 year-old demographic. The big takeaway: Elections are a huge factor in boosting viewership, and Fox News is just months away from one of the biggest debates of the year.

What Are Audiences Watching in the Interim?

To demonstrate just how powerful maximizing unique reach can be, we took a look at audiences who watched Carlson’s show in the last months. Our goal is to show that even without a spot on Carlson’s show, you can still reach these audiences through our powerful TV+ platform.

For a campaign of $1 million, our platform selected 64 networks across all of national linear TV — some that may even seem counterintuitive, like MSNBC. Here’s a snippet of what that plan looks like:

While this was just an experiment, it goes to show that viewers won’t disappear when their favorite talkshow does. Rather, they turn to other channels.

Interested in seeing how Simulmedia can strategically find your brand’s target audience and help you take control during this uncertain time? 

Tucker Carlson’s Exit: What Advertisers Need To Know

The big news in our industry last week was the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and a number of states’ Attorneys General against Google for alleged monopolistic practices in the operation of its advertising technology businesses.

We have all been waiting for it for years. In fact, I enjoyed watching a 

 posted by legendary investment banker (and comedian) Terry Kawaja of LUMA Partners recently on social media of a talk that he gave at a Google event 10 years ago. He led off with jokes about the likely presence of DOJ folks in the back of the room -- since every major digital publisher and advertiser was there, and inevitably tied up with its DoubleClick and other owned and controlled ad-tech platforms.

Most expect that the desired outcome of this week’s lawsuit will be the separation of Google’s ad-tech businesses -- DoubleClick for publishers, Google Ad Exchange marketplace and Google Ad Manager and Google DB 360 digital ad-buying platforms -- so that they can’t cross-subsidize each other and be used in tandem to force advertisers and/or publishers to adopt Google tools and potentially pay anticompetitive rates.

Hanging over everything is the enormous market power of Google’s parent company’s ownership of so many other businesses that could either impact or cross-subsidize its ad-tech businesses, including its offerings in streaming video (YouTube), storage (Google Cloud), email (Gmail), content (Google News), navigation (Waymo), insights (Google Analytics) and many others.

Will an ad-tech breakup actually happen? I don’t know.

When the DOJ went after Microsoft in a similar fashion back in 2001, hoping to force it to break up its personal computer software, business enterprise software and consumer gaming businesses, it won the suit but ended up settling with Microsoft to just change some of its business practices, including unbundling its Explorer Internet browser, which was being bundled in its Windows software.

My sense then was that Microsoft and its shareholders would have been better off with unbundling. Each could have grown differently -- likely faster – and probably could have each been stronger alone than together. Given the fact that Microsoft’s stock price and performance was pretty poor for a long time until Satya Nadella finally took over as CEO in 2014, that sense was probably right.

I think the same for Alphabet today. Sure, there is some strong synergy between its ad tech and other businesses. And its dominant search and YouTube businesses are big parts of that. However, I am convinced that the ad-tech assets are held back as much or more as they are benefited, and that they would be better as a standalone company singularly focused on serving its advertising and publisher customers, separated from all of the internal and sometimes conflicting and compromising Google and Alphabet pressures.

So, if I were Alphabet, I would take a page out of Br'er Rabbit, and not mind so much if I had to break up some of my advertising technology businesses.

 for TV and streaming advertising provides unified access to premium linear and CTV inventory across all networks and publishers. 

An earlier version of this blog was originally published by 

If the Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet is successful, Google's ad-tech business and its advertising and publisher customers may end up better off.

Will Alphabet Actually Benefit From the DOJ Lawsuit Against Google?

Nothing drives viewership like sports, and with the rise of streaming TV, it’s a whole new ballgame. Just how important are sports to TV? Consider this: in 2022, 94 of the top 100 highest-rated programs were sports broadcasts! What will the future bring as more streamers get involved? How will the surge in sports betting shape the fortunes of teams, leagues and media partners? 

For answers to these and more burning questions, the Simulmedia Salon Series turned to special guest and 

, the former President of Turner, and a member of the 

 Hall of Fame. Below are highlights of the insights he shared with 

, CEO and Founder of Simulmedia, and the Salon attendees:

"There is no appointment viewing on entertainment anymore. I can't remember the last time anybody said, 'Oh, my god. I can't go out tonight, I have to go watch this show.' You go back seven years ago: there was no Peacock, there was no Paramount+, there was no HBO Max. And so where sports are being distributed, and the consumer habits, have completely changed, viewing habits have completely changed, and everything is portable now.

"The NFL and its first year on Amazon was a huge success. People say the ratings were down, but of course they're down --  it’s on a streaming service on a different platform that people aren't used to. It took me two weeks to figure out how to get the Fire Stick to work to get the NFL game on, but I did it, because I wanted to watch it. I also think the deal that MLS did with Apple is going to be unique.

"And I think the happiest person probably is [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver because he can now sit on the sidelines for two years and see how Amazon progresses and see how Apple progresses and see who’s going to go on with the other streaming services with the other media companies. But there's no doubt in my mind that he certainly has to play some role, because the next generation of fans are using streaming services."

"First of all, just for full disclosure, I am also the Chairman of the Board of a company called Genius Sports, which  basically buys the data live streaming rights from all the sports leagues, and then we repackage it and we sell it to sports books. So the reason why I disclose that is I really believe that sports books are either going to buy media companies, or media companies are going to buy sports books, or sports books are just going to create their own media companies. FanDuel is already out there with FanDuel TV. I think you're seeing a very strong aggressive move with DraftKings and their ownership of content.

"So ultimately ESPN is going to buy a sports book or create one of their own. That moment is when I think Disney will spin out the company, because I don't think it fits with the family-friendly brand. But right now, I think there's too too much positive cash flow with ESPN, so if I'm Disney, I want that under my books so I can build out the things I need to build out right now.

"Also, ESPN+ is in 27-28 million homes right now. It's not enough. Cable now is in 75 million homes paying $15-$20 a month for the entire ESPN portfolio. You do the math: it's a lot to give up and to shift over. So they still have to keep a lot of their quality high-end programming on ESPN. But as cord-cutting continues to happen and the number of homes gets down to 50 million, I think you're going to see a shifting of a lot of that programming out of ESPN and onto ESPN+. They may simulcast it first so it will be on both, and then the [MVPD] operators will yell and they'll take their $15 down to $12, but it's still 12 bucks. Then ultimately, all the programming will end up on ESPN+ and there'll still be programming on ESPN, but it will be much easier and safer to have the company spin out."

Will U.S. Media Companies Own Sports Teams?

"At Turner, we owned the Braves and we owned the Hawks for many years. I remember having this conversation with Ted Turner: I go, 'Why do you have the Atlanta Braves? What do you care about this baseball team?' He goes, 'I don't even like baseball.' I said, 'Okay, then why'd you buy the team?' He said, 'Because it's 125 games and I get three-and-a-half hours in primetime, that's a lot of programming I don't have to program for.' So he completely thought about it as a programming deal.

"Teams are hard to manage, I actually don't believe the leagues themselves want media companies to own teams anymore. I actually think the new nouveau buyers of teams now are going to be private equity companies, and you're starting to see it already."

"I think it boils down to two words: personalization and gamification. Let’s use sports betting for example: If every single person in the United States that could possibly bet on something did so, it would only be 8% of the country. It's not that big. People think, 'Oh, 50% of the country is going to be betting.' No, it’s 8%. Now, 8% is a good number if you think about how big our country is. So there may be a betting feed [for a game], but it's not going to be for everyone --  you're not going to put out an entire betting feed for the other 92% that doesn't want to watch gambling stuff. But there will be feeds and personalization for what you want, and gamification is already happening. I think you're already seeing it on Amazon. 

"When March Madness came to Turner, for the semi-finals and finals we actually had alternate telecasts with homies for the teams that were playing. So if Duke was playing Syracuse, we hired a bunch of Duke fanatic play-by-play guys and old Duke legends to be on the telecast in Syracuse. We did that on TNT and we had a Syracuse one on truTV, and on TBS was the normal Jim Nance broadcast. The Manning Brothers are the exact same thing -- it's just another feed. If you don't want to listen to the Manning Brothers, you don't have to, you can watch a great football game. But I think you're going to be able to have numerous feeds and sports betting is going to be one of them."

Creating Destination Programming With Sports

"It has to be authentic. You can't put A and B together if it's not authentic and it's not real and it doesn't have real brands on it -- it's not going to work. So when we did 

 at Turner in 2018, it was easy for me to understand it and create it. The two biggest names in golf were Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and I knew television ratings were always 30% higher when they were on the leaderboard, so why not just take the higher 30% ratings, have them play against each other in a gambling match for $9-million bucks?

"It came easy. If you manufacture events and they're not easy to understand, you should probably not do it. As soon as I said 'pickleball with John McEnroe and Andre Agassi,' it worked. So Horizon Sports & Experiences is producing the 

 with Agassi, McEnore, Michael Chang and Andy Roddick competing for a $1 million purse at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on April 2, to be televised exclusively on ESPN."

"I was watching NFL football and college football all through the holidays; I had my kids and girlfriends and boyfriends all over at the house and every single one of them were on their phone doing parlays for $5 here, $5 there. Sports ratings are still growing because of engagement. If you bet on a game, you're 98% more likely to watch the game. If you're going to watch the game, you're engaged. If you're engaged, you spend more time watching. One of the Nielsen rankings, as you get ratings, is time spent viewing. So if you spend a little more time watching, ratings are going to go up. If ratings go up, advertising goes up. If advertising goes up, media rights go up. If media rights go up, franchise values go up. All from a $5 bet."

Discover the future of sports and streaming from media all-star David Levy, who joined the Simulmedia Salon to discuss the impact of betting, how to create fan engagement, the growth of destination programming and more.

Why Sports Programming Is a Safe Bet for Streaming's Future

Recently, Microsoft announced it was laying off more than 10,000 of its employees. Two weeks before that, Salesforce announced it would cut 8,000 employees from its roster. That same day, Amazon announced that it would lay off 8,000 employees on top of the 10,000 that it already announced in November. Also in November, Meta (Facebook) announced 11,000 layoffs.

According to tracking site Layoffs.fyi, 122 companies have laid off 37,525 tech workers in the first 18 days of this year. In 2022, 1025 tech companies laid off 154,386 employees.

For those impacted, their families, dependents and communities, this is a terrible situation, and nothing that I write here today is intended to make light of that or present it as anything other tragic.

This happened not just because of softness in the advertising market (which is a primary or significant revenue driver for the majority of today’s tech giants) or supply chain issues. It also happened because, as we all know, many of these companies purposefully over-hired tech talent over the past half dozen years, stockpiling developers, scientists and product managers as much to keep them away from their competitors than because they desperately needed that many people to build against high-priority product roadmaps.

Many of the big tech players were growing fast, running fat profit margins and had stock prices that kept going up and to the right. With the cost of capital practically free, money was everywhere, and cost-conscious fiscal discipline wasn’t the core ethos of how these companies operated.

The tech giants weren’t just keeping these extraordinarily talented and well-trained technologists away from other big tech companies (and little ones too), they were keeping them from the tens of thousands of companies operating businesses that weren’t “technology first,” but needed to embrace technology if there were going to survive and thrive in the onrushing and overwhelming digital future that now confronts them.

These companies operate in more staid, less sexy businesses -- maybe in government, nonprofits, manufacturing, service delivery, food, agriculture, construction, or hospitality, you name it. There's high potential for magic in the mixing of great tech talent wanting to work and make a difference, and tech-needy institutions needing high-quality help.

We saw tens of thousands of recently laid off Internet-trained workers make their way into mainstream companies and organizations in the wake of the dot-com bubble bursting in 2001, transforming many of those companies. I believe we will see the same thing now, but at a much more massive and faster scale. I know that this line of thinking doesn’t provide solace for those whose lives have just been upended, but it should give all of us optimism for the long-term health and vibrancy of our society and institutions.

We have long needed to democratize the haves and the have-nots of technology talent. It will be painful and dislocating for too many who don’t deserve it and did nothing wrong, but it will make a big difference in the end.

Discover what's really behind the thousands of tech industry layoffs in 2023 and how they will impact a huge range of organizations that didn't put technology first in the past.

How Mass Tech Layoffs May Transform Mainstream Companies

I have been working In the “new media'' field for more than three decades. Over those years, there have been four times I’ve seen technology that -- from the moment I saw it -- made clear it would fundamentally change the way we live and work.

The first was the Mosaic browser in 1993, a free browser client that made the World Wide Web a reality and accessible to all. The second was the Nokia 9000 Communicator, a clamshell mobile phone with a full screen, web browser and integrated email service I saw demoed by a Finnish newspaper publisher at a conference in Europe in 1996. This was the first true smartphone, many years before the iPhone.

Also in 1996, a friend showed me a web crawler and search technology for online job listings called Junglee that was both simpler and dramatically more powerful than any “search engine” existing at the time. Junglee was a key inspiration in the founding of Google (Larry Page and Sergey Brin were students/advisees of Junglee’s Stanford CompSci grad student founders), and acquired by Amazon in 1998 as a price-comparison shopper.

It’s been almost 27 years, but I’ve now seen the fourth: 

, the AI-powered chatbot that is taking the tech world by storm, and which caused the CEO of Google last month to declare “Code Red,” telling the entire company that their entire search business is now at risk.

Over the past 24 hours, I’ve asked ChatGPT to draft press releases. In all of ten seconds each to type requests, I’ve had it generate press releases better than we’ve ever written on our own. I’ve had it create pitches, financial analyses of public companies, legally tight privacy policies, executive bios and explainers designed to describe complex technology solutions to eight-year-olds (which was super-cool).

None of the requests took more than dozens of seconds to construct, and none of the outputs took more than 20 or 30 seconds to generate.

At my company's most recent weekly All Hands meeting, I told all of our employees that from that day forward, all of their jobs are going to change through AI bots. Do I think that AI tools will have a bigger impact on how we live and work than the browser, smartphone or search engine?

ChatGPT and other AI bots are revolutionizing the workplace, generating press releases, pitches, financial analysis, and more in just seconds. Companies must adapt to this game-changing technology.

Why ChatGPT's Impact Will Be Bigger Than the Web Browser, Smartphone and Search Engine

YouTube is a powerful platform for reaching and engaging with potential customers. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it offers a massive 

 for businesses of all sizes. However, as with any marketing strategy, there are challenges to effectively reaching and converting those viewers into customers. One way to enhance your YouTube marketing strategy is by incorporating 

Understanding the Role of TV and CTV Advertising in Your YouTube Marketing Strategy

TV and CTV advertising provide a unique opportunity for businesses to reach their target audience in a highly engaged environment. With traditional TV advertising, you may have only a few seconds to grab the viewer's attention and make an impact. With CTV, you have more flexibility and opportunities to create engaging and interactive ads. Additionally, TV and CTV advertising can reach a wide range of audiences, including cord-cutters, cord-nevers, and traditional cable/satellite viewers.

How to Incorporate TV and CTV Advertising into Your YouTube Marketing Strategy

One way to incorporate TV and CTV advertising into your YouTube marketing strategy is by using the same creative and messaging across both platforms. This allows you to reach a wider audience and increase 

. Additionally, you can use data from connected devices like 

 to target specific households based on their browsing and viewing habits, and use this information to inform your YouTube targeting.

Another way to incorporate TV and CTV advertising into your YouTube marketing strategy is by using interactive elements, such as polls or quizzes, in your ads. This can help increase engagement and drive conversions on both platforms.

Measuring the Success of Your YouTube and TV/CTV Advertising Strategy

Measuring the success of your YouTube and TV/CTV advertising strategy is crucial to understanding what is working and what needs to be optimized. Some key metrics to track include viewability, engagement, and 

. Viewability measures whether your ads are being seen by your target audience, engagement measures clicks, conversions, and time spent on the ad, and reach measures how many people are being exposed to your ads.

By tracking these metrics, you can identify which campaigns are performing well and which need optimization. Use this data to make informed decisions about your targeting, creative, and ad formats. Additionally, consider A/B testing different elements of your campaigns to see what resonates with your target audience.

Incorporating TV and CTV advertising into your YouTube marketing strategy can help you reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. By using the same creative and messaging across both platforms, using interactive elements and targeting specific households, and measuring the success of your campaigns, you can effectively reach your target audience and drive results for your business. With a well thought out strategy and a clear plan, you can effectively leverage the power of YouTube and TV/CTV advertising to achieve your business goals.

Unlock the full potential of your video marketing efforts by incorporating TV and CTV advertising into your YouTube marketing strategy. Learn how to boost reach and drive results with this comprehensive guide.

How CTV Advertising Can Complement Your YouTube Marketing Strategy

A holding company, also known as a holdco, is a parent company that owns and manages a portfolio of subsidiary businesses. In the advertising industry, holding companies often own several agencies that specialize in different areas of advertising such as 

, creative, and digital. These agencies can operate independently or work together to provide a full-service solution to clients.

Holding companies have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer brands the ability to access a wide range of services and expertise under one roof. However, it's important for brands to understand the pros and cons of using a holdco for TV and CTV advertising before making a decision.

Pros of Using a Holdco for TV and CTV Advertising

One of the main advantages of using a holdco for 

 advertising is the ability to access a wide range of services and expertise under one roof. Holdcos typically have several agencies that specialize in different areas of advertising, which can save brands time and resources by not having to work with multiple agencies. This can lead to a more cohesive and integrated approach to advertising, with different agencies working together to achieve the same goals.

Additionally, holdcos often have established relationships and buying power with media companies that can lead to better rates and access to premium inventory. This can be especially beneficial for brands that want to run large-scale TV and CTV campaigns, as the holdco's buying power can help secure better deals and placements.

Cons of Using a Holdco for TV and CTV Advertising

While holdcos can offer a wide range of services, they may not always be the best fit for every brand. One of the main disadvantages of using a holdco is that brands may not receive the same level of attention and customization as they would from a smaller, specialized agency. This is because holdcos typically have a larger client base, which can lead to less personalized service and attention.

Additionally, holdcos may also have a more rigid structure and decision-making process, which can slow down the execution of campaigns. This can be an issue for brands that need to move quickly and make decisions on the fly.

When considering whether or not to use a holdco for TV and CTV advertising, it's important to weigh the pros and cons and determine if it's the best fit for your brand. It's also important to evaluate the holdco's expertise and experience in TV and CTV advertising and ensure that the holdco's agencies have the necessary resources and capabilities to deliver the results you are looking for.

You should also consider the size of your brand and the type of campaigns you want to run. A large brand that wants to run large-scale TV and CTV campaigns may benefit from a holdco's buying power and access to premium inventory. However, a smaller brand that wants a more personalized approach may be better off working with a smaller, specialized agency.

In summary, holding company advertising agencies can offer a range of services and expertise under one roof, as well as access to better rates and premium inventory. However, brands may not always receive the same level of attention and customization, and the decision-making process may be more rigid. Brands should evaluate the holdco's expertise and experience in TV and CTV advertising, consider the size of the brand and type of campaigns, and ensure the right fit before making a decision.

Explore the pros and cons of using a holding company advertising agency for TV & CTV advertising. Learn about the services, expertise, and buying power holdcos offer as well as the potential drawbacks.

Pros and Cons of Using a Holding Company for TV and CTV Advertising

 advertising to reach a wide audience and drive significant results. However, not all marketing agencies specialize in these types of ad buys, and you may find yourself in a situation where your current agency is not equipped to handle your TV and CTV media needs. If this is the case, it's important to know what steps to take to ensure that your TV and CTV advertising efforts are still successful.

The first step in navigating TV and CTV advertising when your current agency doesn't handle these 

 is to find the right partner. This can be a separate agency, a media buying platform, or a technology provider that specializes in these types of ad buys. Look for partners that have experience working with brands in your industry and that have a track record of success. It's also important to consider the partner's capabilities and offerings such as advanced analytics, automation, and optimization tools.

Before you start working with a new partner, it's important to have a clear understanding of your goals and target audience. This will help guide your decision-making and ensure that your advertising efforts are aligned with your overall business objectives. By defining your goals, you can better understand the type of audience you need to reach and the results you hope to achieve. This will also help you identify the right partner for your needs and make sure that your advertising efforts are tailored to your target audience.

Once you have identified a partner and defined your goals, it's time to develop a comprehensive strategy for your TV and CTV advertising efforts. This should include an overall plan for how you will use each medium, as well as specific tactics for targeting your audience and measuring success. Your strategy should also consider the integration of TV and CTV with other channels and the overall media mix.

TV and CTV advertising are becoming increasingly data-driven, and brands that want to succeed in these mediums need to leverage data and technology to make informed decisions. This can include using advanced analytics to understand audience behavior and targeting, as well as utilizing technology to automate and optimize ad buys. By leveraging data and technology, you can gain a deeper understanding of your audience and create more effective and efficient campaigns.

Finally, it's important to continuously measure and optimize your TV and CTV advertising efforts. This will help you identify what's working and what's not, and make adjustments accordingly. By regularly monitoring your campaigns, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes that will drive better results.

In summary, when your current agency doesn't handle TV and CTV advertising, it's important to find the right partner, define your goals and target audience, develop a comprehensive strategy, leverage data and technology, and continuously measure and optimize your efforts. By following these steps, you can ensure that your TV and CTV advertising efforts are successful and achieve your business objectives.

Learn how to navigate TV & CTV advertising when your current agency doesn't handle media buys. Discover the importance of specialized partners, goal setting, strategy development, data and tech, and continuous optimization for successful campaigns.

What to Do When Your Current Agency Doesn't Handle TV or CTV Media Buys

Unlike in most years, I was not in Las Vegas in early January to experience the Consumer Electronic Show. I was bummed to miss out on one of my all-time most favorite conferences and exhibitions, and on seeing so many of my friends who were there.

Still, I didn't miss out on the next generation of consumer technologies, because I spent the week of CES in South Korea. My family and I took advantage of the reopening of travel in Asia to spend the better part of three weeks traveling through Japan and Korea.

I have always been impressed with the consumer technology leadership of Japanese and Korean companies, and the breadth and depth of cutting-edge technology usage across their societies. This trip has shown me that Asian tech leadership is only accelerating.

The mobile phone apps to manage immigration and COVID clearances into each of the countries were straightforward and simple to use. And the totally automated entry into the Incheon airport near Seoul was the fastest, easiest and most automated international entry that I have ever made.

Language-translation apps for both spoken and written Japanese and Korean have not only been simplified, but their use has become routine in restaurants, stores and taxis in both the big cities and small villages we visited.

Mobile-enabled point-of-sale tech for ordering and paying at the table in restaurants -- only recently discovered in the U.S. when COVID hit -- has been available in Europe and Latin America for years, but is implemented at the next level in Korea and Japan. It’s not just the IT systems integration that’s impressive, it’s the seamless integration into the culture and operation of restaurants, and into interactions with customers.

In fact, the efficient and smart integration of all the new consumer technologies into daily life here is what strikes me the most. It’s not just about tech as a curiosity, but tech as a time-saver and helper. That element of use was missing at CES. All across the Las Vegas convention halls, you could see the new tech in amazing displays, but you couldn't see them in everyday action. That’s what’s happening in Asia.

Did I miss the massive displays of the latest TVs, gaming devices, AI-driven appliances and electric vehicles? Nope. All I needed to do was go into the Hyundai department store next to the COEX Mall. The home of the future was on display there, just up the escalator on floor 3.


Instead of serving as high-priced objects of curiosity at showcases like CES, the cutting edge in consumer tech is fully integrated into all aspects of daily life in Asia. 

How the Future of Consumer Technology Arrived Early in South Korea and Japan

TV advertising blog with the latest information, news, analysis and trends about linear television, CTV, media buying, measurement, and more.

We’ve got updated TV viewing data for you. With big thanks to my friends on the Simulmedia Data Science team, we once again have interactive charts on Observable that I encourage you to play with (links below).

When you do, here’s what I think you’ll see:

There has been a 50% increase in the percentage of shows with a 0.1 - 0.5 Nielsen rating or higher for the hard-to-find M18-34 audience.

There are more than 36 million M18-34 TV viewers.

By comparison, there are around 65 million total subscribers to purely ad-supported OTT providers.

This means that maximizing reaching of M18-34 gets a whole lot easier with linear TV.

TV has found a new, pandemic-driven normal.

Here are links you can use to play with our updated interactive dashboards:

Our analysis on how impressions are impacting program ratings

Here's a preview of some of the data you can explore:


Let me know if there’s something else you’d like to see in our updates. You can reach me at mcollins@simulmedia.com.

This pandemic has changed media investment strategies and outcomes across just about every product and service category. Some of the industries that have been pressured into basically shutting off paid media haven’t come as a surprise (e.g. travel), but other verticals have made unexpected media investment decisions that cause analysts like Matthew Scott Goldstein to speak up.

Goldstein, known by many as “msg” and the man behind the must-read “What I Saw Happen” newsletter, joined us to discuss his research on how the virus is impacting marketing in top industries. He breaks down these industries into 31 categories: “10 are in trouble, 4 are OK, and 17 are fine.” He explains why some are thriving, why some are struggling that really shouldn’t, and offers his theories on how each of them will adjust to meet the climate. All in all, his outlook is hopeful, saying “It’s not as bad as I expected earlier, it’s a matter of time when this great pause we’re going through goes away.”

Download your own copy of the presentation

 msg addresses throughout the conversation 

. It identifies all of the categories, and includes data and insights he has collected to support his views.

Advertising trends across industries and analysis on why some are thriving, and why some are struggling that really shouldn’t.

Who’s Spending Less On Media But Should Be Spending More? Trends Amid COVID-19 Revealed

One of the consequences of the pandemic is media prices fluctuating in ways we haven’t seen in a generation. Put another way, just as stocks are on sale, relative to their recent highs, so, too, is media. This episode with media veteran Eric Fischer discusses how brands and their agencies should adjust to this new reality to get out-sized results from their media investments.

We invited Eric Fischer, the founder of HJA Strategic Marketing and an adjunct professor at Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, to join us for this topic because he has navigated moments that possessed similar market dynamics. Cumulatively, Fischer has nearly 30 years of experience in both agency-side and client-side roles, including with the NBA, Walt Disney Company, Clear Channel, and several other blue-chip companies.

He shares how brands and agencies should balance or re-balance their brand and short-term activation budgets and explains why building share of voice and brand equity are compelling strategies to take, even though they are unfortunately most prosperous in times of a tough market.

Media veteran Eric Fischer discusses how brands and their agencies should adjust to this new reality to get out-sized results from their media investments.

Simulmedia TV Marketplace Update For April 17, 2020

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