What you need to know in advertising today
NBC News doesn't think very highly of Facebook, and it isn't holding back.
At an event on Wednesday, the news division's group chairman, Andy Lack, and its senior vice president of digital, Nick Ascheim, were critical of Facebook's relationship with the media industry, questioning whether the social network has any real interest in the news business or in dealing with the myriad problems it faces related to fake news and misinformation on its platform.
The two executives expressed a growing frustration about working with Facebook over the years and cast doubt on the prospect that the tech giant would ever help media companies make money. Lack said NBC executives had even taken to calling Facebook "Fakebook."
To read more about how NBC News execs unloaded on Facebook - while praising Snap - click here.
In other news:
Here's a look at the hectic schedules of two high powered ad executives at SXSW. We talked to an attendee from a traditional ad agency and an exec from an consulting firm about how they spent their time in Austin.
Playboy will soon accept cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ethereum, and a little-known coin that could change how porn is paid for online. Get ready to open up your Playboy-branded crypto wallet.
A record-breaking number of people watched Drake play a video game in the middle of the night - and it was an incredible cultural moment. The stream reached 600,000 users on Amazon's Twitch platform at one point.
Former ESPN head John Skipper left the company because he was being extorted, reports the Hollywood Reporter. In a gripping interview, the 62-year-old details a long period of drug use.
Publishers are wary of Facebook's new push into news video, reports the Wall Street Journal. Some are worried that even if Facebook pays them upfront to make content, they'll eventually get cut off with no clear business model.