Amazon Luna officially launches in the U.S. with free games for Prime members and more
TLDR
- Amazon’s cloud-based game streaming service, Amazon Luna, is officially launching to everyone in the United States.
- Amazon also announced three new channels (bundles of games) on Luna that users can subscribe to each month.
Brief
Amazon’s decision to add a rotating selection of free monthly games for Prime customers seems like a way to get more people to try Luna with no extra cost. The first of the three new channels is the Prime Gaming Channel, the second new channel is the Retro Channel, and the third new channel is the Jackbox Games Channel. Amazon also announced that players can now broadcast Luna gameplay to Twitch with the latest Luna update on a PC, Mac or Fire TV.
In addition, users can now try Luna on Fire TV using just an iPhone or Android phone as the controller through the Luna Controller app. Amazon says an on-screen controller is an option for new or casual gamers without a controller who want to check out side-scrollers, turn-based RPGs, trivia titles and more.
- Read the full article from TechCrunch
Audacy Launches Digital Audience Network to Help Advertisers Buy Audio Audiences at Scale
TLDR
- Audacy is launching a digital audience network where advertisers can target audiences with audio spot ads by segments across a variety of digital audio programs rather than just by the show.
Brief
The audio content company, formerly known as Entercom before a rebrand last year, encompasses over 60 million listeners, is the latest pivot for Audacy, which has been on a tear of acquisitions. By finding a new way to facilitate ad buying, Audacy hopes to increase its market share in digital audio ad spend. Digital audio ad spend is estimated to grow to $6.2 billion in 2022, 11% up from last year and a 54% increase from 2018, according to eMarketer.
- Read the full article AdWeek
How platforms with first-party data stand to benefit from App Tracking Transparency
TLDR
- The rollout of App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in iOS 14.5 effectively deprecated the primary way publishers and advertisers track users on iOS and changed how the mobile ad industry approaches monetization and measurement.
Brief
Google and Amazon have treasure troves of first-party data and incredible reach. Because they don’t rely on tracking users across apps, they can largely guarantee the same level of granularity as before Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), which is raising costs on those platforms. Apple offers sponsored search ads in its App Store, and since it only uses Apple’s own data, it’s unaffected by the changes—raising the value of App Store ads for mobile app install campaigns.
Retailers have kicked off their own media networks. Though retail ad networks have existed for years, the trend kicked into high gear when retailers realized their first-party purchase data is especially valuable in this landscape. Amazon, Instacart, CVS, Walmart, Kroger, and Best Buy are just some of the many retailers with in-house ad networks.
- Read the full article from eMarketer
