Vizio’s platform Plus revenue jumped 69% to $110.8 million and gross profit rose 47% to $69.9 million.. SmartCast active accounts were up 15% to 16.1 million and SmartCast hours spent watching increased 22% to 4.3 billion.

Average revenue per user increased 54% to $25.87.
For the third quarter, Vizio said it expects Platform Plus net revenue to be in the $120 million to $125 million range and Platform Plus gross profit to be between $75 million and $78 million.

Every weekday we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. (Scroll down to watch them all.)

A few highlights: Gatorade says, “You get the most from the game when you’re having fun” in a spot featuring cameo appearances by Karl-Anthony Towns, Paige Bueckers, Fernando Tatis Jr., Sydney McLaughlin and Trevor Lawrence. In a moment of comically over-the-top musing, Progressive’s Flo says that she and her colleagues are “like knights sworn to protect our kingdom.” And Moen shows off one of its touchless kitchen faucets.

Automakers spent less on national TV ads in July 2022 than they did in July 2021 — 41% less, in fact, according to MediaPost. Last year, the Olympics, NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup all aired in July, which provide ad opportunities for companies who sponsor major sporting events. According to Stuart Schwartzapel, senior vice president, media partnerships at iSpot.tv, automakers are currently focused on buying ads around “comfort food” viewing, i.e. syndicated dramas and sitcoms. Toyota, for example, spent 4.43% of its budget toward “The Bachelorette” and 3.13% of its budget toward “Friends.” Subaru was the automotive brand who spent the most in July, allocating $10.5 million for TV ads. Most of Subaru’s budget emphasized drama and action shows (17.9%) and reality shows (17.6%).

It turns out that consumers are actually open to giving brands data about themselves, as long as it’s done in the right way.

A recent study from Sailthru — the marketing automation company in the CM Group portfolio trusted by NASCAR, Fashion Nova and Conde Nast — showed that 55% of consumers will trade personal and preference data to feel part of a brand's community.

Access to on demand shows, original series and movies including Spider-Man: No Way Home and P-Valley with the STARZ App, now available on VIZIO Smart TVs

Connected entertainment specialist VIZIO has confirmed that the STARZ app is now available on VIZIO Smart TVs.

Millions of VIZIO users across America can now access STARZ’s premium hit original series and library of on-demand movies. Highlights include STARZ original series from the Power Universe, Outlander and P-Valley, as well as titles such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Thor: The Dark World and many others.

Vizio Aug. 8 announced that the Starz app is now available on Vizio Smart TVs. Subscribers can now access original series and a library of on-demand movies, including drama, comedy, western, and family, sci-fi, action, and documentaries, among others. Starz original series “Power,” “Outlander” and “P-Valley,” as well as box office hits Spider-Man: No Way Home, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Thor: The Dark World, among others.

If you have a VIZIO Smart TV, you can access the STARZ app starting today. The change allows for more streamlined access to the home of shows like “Power” and “Outlander.”

Thanks to its now-expired deal with Sony, STARZ is the streaming home for one of the biggest movies of 2021: “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” You’ll also find hits like “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Heat,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Alien,” “Casino,” “Moulin Rouge,” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” If you’re the kind of viewer who’s upset about all the big movies leaving Netflix, you’ll find your fill with STARZ.

“We welcome Starz to the entertainment lineup available on Vizio’s Smart TVs,” said Katherine Pond, group VP, platform content and partnerships at Vizio. “The addition of Starz marks another significant advancement in our commitment to provide our users with access to the programming they love and endless entertainment options for millions of users who begin their entertainment journey with Vizio.”

The United States Postal Service, Charmin and Samsung ran the most “likeable” commercials during the first half of 2022, according to the latest TV Advertising Snapshot report from iSpot.tv.

Johnny Cash delivered for USPS, whose “We Go Everywhere” spot (featuring the Cash classic “I’ve Been Everywhere”) follows a mail carrier making the rounds. Viewers “enjoyed the audio and thought the message portrayed USPS as a caring brand,” iSpot said.

“Okay. So that sets up the B part of my question better, which is we held a measurement conference, as you guys know. And iSpot.tv came out and said they're doing $100 million in verification for CTV measurement. So my question is, are you guys getting outflanked in the connected television business by a private guy who's got exclusives on LG's CTV data, plus he's got VIZIO data? So can you talk about your competitive position going forward in CTV, please?”

AbbVie’s autoimmune blockbuster Rinvoq spent a second month leading the highest pharma TV ad spend as its battle with Sanofi’s Dupixent, a fierce rivalry, continues.

Spend on Dupixent TV ads had topped iSpot’s top 10 in April and May, but AbbVie came roaring back to first place in June and is in the top spot once again for July.

The journey marketplace — which include airways, cruise lines, and travel web-sites — dished out $559 million on Tv set advertisements from Jan. 1 by way of June 30, a 151% maximize from the $223 million those organizations expended on Tv adverts during the same time period in 2021, in accordance to estimates from Tv measurement organization iSpot.

Following halting advert shell out in 2020, these companies are almost back to pre-pandemic commit ranges. Vacation businesses invested $585 million on Television set adverts in the course of the very first 50 % of 2019, for every iSpot.

According to the latest data from real-time ad trackers at iSpot, AbbVie spent a whopping $39.2 million on TV ads for Rinvoq in July. The biggest was for its new rafting commercial, with just over $15 million going toward airtime for the ad last month.

The travel industry — including airlines, cruise lines, and travel websites — dished out $559 million on TV ads from Jan. 1 through June 30, a 151% increase from the $223 million those companies spent on TV ads during the same time period in 2021, according to estimates from TV measurement company iSpot.

After halting ad spend in 2020, these companies are nearly back to pre-pandemic spend levels. Travel companies spent $585 million on TV ads during the first half of 2019, per iSpot.

Though effective returns management has many moving parts, a rising best practice focuses on how retailers communicate with customers after they’ve received a return request, says Monica Deretich, retail industry advisor to Sailthru.

Gartner recently published two new reports to help buyers identify solutions for their campaign creation, orchestration, execution, and measurement; The Magic Quadrant and Critical Capabilities for Multichannel Marketing Hubs (MMH), July 2022.

Gartner has named Cheetah Digital a “Challenger” in the Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs. As pressure increases on marketing teams to deliver offers and messages that drive the customer relationship, we are incredibly proud to be recognized for our strong ability to execute for our customers.

This week on Inside the Stream nScreenMedia’s Colin Dixon and I welcome our friend and industry analyst Alan Wolk to discuss his new report, “FASTs are the New Cable” (complimentary download). Alan is the co-founder and lead analyst at TVREV. He is a veteran TV industry follower who coined the term FAST for free ad-supported streaming TV.

Alan explains the similarities between FASTs and cable TV networks. He views FASTs as one of two streaming business models, with the other being paid subscriptions. But both models feature on-demand and linear content. The FAST ecosystem is complex and Alan describes the three key levels and how they interrelate. He also shares a number of predictions about where FASTs are heading.

I’m really excited about all of the talk of new currencies for TV as it merges with CTV and the digital ad ecosystem. It's great that we’re now seeing companies like iSpotTV, VIZIO and Samsung bring massive directly measured panels to a market that previously only had Nielsen’s highly curated but relatively small panel.

Aussie consumers have low levels of trust for advertising, but will pay more to purchase from a trusted brand, a new report from Cheetah Digital reveals.

What can marketers do to keep up with this seismic shift in consumer expectations where hyper-personalised relationships with brands are the only way forward? This question – and more – was unpacked in a recent Cheetah Digital-hosted webinar I was a part of, alongside an expert panel of guests, including: Teresa Sperti, founder and director at Arktic Fox, and Adam Posner, CEO and founder, The Point of Loyalty.