• Alphabet Inc. posted its fourth consecutive decline in quarterly profit as ad revenue at YouTube dropped 7.8% year over year to $7.96 billion. On the earnings call, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai did offer one bit of positive news for the platform, noting YouTube Shorts, its short-form video format, now averages more than 50 billion daily views, up from 30 billion in early 2022. (Variety)
• Amazon Inc. reported almost no profit last quarter, due in large part to slowing demand for its cloud computing and retail offerings. However, sales for its advertising unit, Amazon Ads, grew 19% to $11.6 billion. (The New York Times) 
• Netflix Inc. and General Motors Co. announced a “strategic alliance” that will kick off with a 60-second ad during the Super Bowl featuring actor Will Ferrell driving GM electric vehicles through the worlds of several original Netflix original series, including “Bridgerton” and “Squid Game.” After the game, the partnership will see GM electric vehicles incorporated into the storylines of a variety of other Netflix shows on an ongoing basis. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Where People Moved in 2022

National Association of Realtors

Black-owned Media Ad Inventory Will Be Available in New Programmatic Marketplace

Jack Neff, Ad Age

Reset Digital will make inventory from the NNPA’s 200 Black-owned publishers accessible to national brands.

‘A shift in the marketplace’: Media agencies’ influence over programmatic is growing

Seb Joseph, Digiday

The change is happening slowly, because it’s a change that started years ago when agencies began consolidating their ad dollars into fewer ad tech vendors, or programmatic marketplaces known as supply-side platforms.

Disney+ Ads Are Still Nascent – But Improvements Are Coming

Alyssa Boyle, AdExchanger

Like Netflix AVOD, ads on Disney+ are new, so they’re still pretty basic, but, also similar to Netflix, Disney has an impressive roster of large brand advertisers: Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Toyota, Fidelity, TurboTax, DoorDash, Hilton, Verizon and Cocoa Pebbles.

Elon Musk’s Twitter Pushes to Win Back Advertisers During Super Bowl Weekend

Suzanne Vranica and Patience Haggin, The Wall Street Journal

The San Francisco-based company has been ramping up its Super Bowl pitch to advertisers, offering a last-minute deal on one of its most high-profile, big-game ad packages, according to an email viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Amid Vince McMahon’s Boardroom Return, WWE Posts Higher Revenue On TV Media Rights Income

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

Content rights fees, or licensing revenue for flagship TV series like ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown,’ edged up to $155.2 million.

CNET pushed reporters to be more favorable to advertisers, staffers say

Mia Sato, The Verge

CNET built a trusted brand for tech reporting over two decades. After being acquired by Red Ventures, staff say editorial firewalls have been repeatedly breached.

Nelson Peltz Targets Disney Director Michael Froman in Proxy Battle

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter

The activist firm Trian on Thursday began sending messages to Disney shareholders asking them to withhold votes for Froman, and to vote for Peltz instead, while pivoting their messaging to target Disney’s board.

Don Lemon ‘screamed’ at ‘CNN This Morning’ co-host, left crew ‘rattled’: sources

Alexandra Steigrad, The New York Post

Tensions on the set of “CNN This Morning” have recently boiled over, with Don Lemon allegedly “screaming” at co-host Kaitlan Collins off-camera during an ugly December incident that has left the cast and crew rattled ever since, The Post has learned.

Apple Sales Miss Estimates on Sluggish Economy, Supply Snags

Mark Gurman, Bloomberg 

Apple Inc. reported a steeper sales decline in its holiday period than Wall Street feared, showing the toll of an economic slowdown and lingering supply snags.

Microsoft rolls out Teams Premium with OpenAI-powered features

Kris Holt, Engadget

Fresh off the heels of news that Microsoft is making a multibillion-dollar investment into OpenAI, it’s integrating the company’s tech into more of its products and services.

TikTok introduces a strike system for violations, tests a feature to “refresh” the For You feed

Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

TikTok today is announcing several changes to its service, including what it claims will be increased enforcement against bad actors as well as tests of new user-facing tools that will force a refresh of the app’s main algorithmic feed, known as the For You feed. The company said the changes are focused on keeping the platform both safe and entertaining for its users and creators alike.

YouTube’s livestream co-hosting feature is rolling out on iOS and Android

Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

Go Live Together is now available on the YouTube mobile app and enables two creators to co-host a live broadcast.

Inside the Super Bowl’s Hottest Trend: Brand Partnerships

Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age 

Netflix joins forces with Michelob Ultra and General Motors, as Molson Coors hooks up with DraftKings.

Subway to Add Thousands of Restaurants Outside the U.S.

Heather Hadoon, The Wall Street Journal

Subway seeks to rebound from years of declining sales by adding thousands of new restaurants in the next decade, setting it up to increase its sales by more than 50%, Chief Executive John Chidsey said.

Kohl’s names interim CEO Tom Kingsbury to the post permanently

Rebecca Picciotto, CNBC

The retailer also reached an agreement with activist investor Macellum, which had been pushing for changes to the company’s board.

Sylvester Stallone Scales Paramount Mountain for Paramount+ Super Bowl Commercial

Parker Herren, Ad Age

Ad is a continuation of the streamer’s ‘Mountain of Entertainment’ campaign that debuted during 2021’s Big Game.

Fanatics Hires Google Executive to Lead Push Into Live-Streamed Shopping

Patrick Coffee, The Wall Street Journal

Sports merchandise retailer Fanatics Inc. will enter the nascent business of live-streamed shopping in the U.S. with a new unit that is set to launch in the second half of this year, the company said.

Crypto Exchange OKX Canceled Super Bowl Commercial Over FTX Fallout

Asa Hiken, Ad Age

One ad concept included casting Jonah Hill as Sam Bankman-Fried.

Marketers move beyond the basics of ChatGPT with new tools

Marty Swant, Digiday

As OpenAI begins rolling out a subscription version of ChatGPT, more companies are using the wildly popular text generator to build custom marketing tools.

WhatsApp’s new look leans into the green

Aimee McLaughling. Creative Review

Created by Koto, the private messaging app’s new universal design system is inspired by the visual back and forth of communication.

Beyond Meat Hires Marketing Executive, Revamps Retail Strategy

Jesse Newman, The Wall Street Journal

The California-based company is orienting its retail business around Kroger Co., Walmart Inc., Publix Super Markets Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Whole Foods Market, according to internal company presentations and documents. Beyond is working to streamline its operations and reverse declining sales. 

The Bosses Are Back in Charge

Chip Cutter and Theo Harris, The Wall Street Journal

CEOs are reasserting their authority now that workers are starting to worry about job security amid rising layoffs; ‘this whole concept of working from anywhere went too far.’

Mass layoffs come with surprisingly large hidden costs

Geoff Colvin, Fortune

Most U.S. CEOs expect a recession, with 98% of those surveyed by the Conference Board saying as much. In response, they’re battening down the hatches and looking for areas to cut spending. One of those areas is talent. 

YouTube contractors to strike over forced return to office

Ina Fried, Axios

A group of YouTube contractors in Texas plans to strike later today in protest of rules requiring such workers — even those who have always worked remotely — to report to the office. The workers plan to walk out this morning, with a press conference set for noon, Axios has learned.