Today's digest looks at Disney+'s decision to join Barb, Alden newspapers in their stance against OpenAI, and Google's proposals to the US Government. Additionally, it highlights Roku's latest initiative to introduce video ads on its platform.

Disney+ joins Barb Advanced Campaign Hub

Disney+ has joined Barb’s Advanced campaign hub, a significant development for users of the pre-campaign planning tool. This integration allows advertisers to incorporate Disney+ into their campaign strategies, enabling more comprehensive planning and optimisation across platforms. 

With this addition, Barb now provides daily updates on its estimate of households subscribed to Disney+’s ad-supported tier. This data ensures advertisers have access to the most current insights for their campaigns. 

Luca Vannini, head of campaign audiences at Barb, commented on the move: “By adding Disney+ to the Advanced campaign hub, we’re addressing a key demand from our users. They can now plan ad campaigns across the UK’s four largest pure-play VOD services, alongside broadcasters’ VOD offerings and linear channels.”

Alden Newspapers slam OpenAI and Google's AI Proposals

Alden Newspapers, owned by Alden Global Capital, published online editorials in dozens of its publications on Monday, criticising OpenAI and Google for advocating looser AI copyright restrictions. The tech giants have argued that such changes are necessary to strengthen the US' position as a global leader in artificial intelligence. 

The Alden editorials urged the government to reject these proposals, labelling them as "self-serving". They emphasised the need to "protect the work of artists, authors, photographers, journalists, and all other creators and copyright holders who have been adversely affected by these companies." In response to the ongoing debate, Alden has chosen to sue OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, a move that contrasts with other media companies that have opted to negotiate licensing deals with AI firms. 

Google’s appeal to the US government included the request to establish a national legislation on AI that would promote innovation while ensuring privacy and security. They emphasised the need for a unified framework and highlighted the lack of control developers have over how AI models are used. Additionally, the tech giants sought to solidify the right for itself and its competitors to train AI models on publicly available data. Google's plan said that winning the AI race was important to US national security, but it didn't go as far as explicitly connecting national security benefits with looser copyright regulations. 

OpenAI's plan to the White House explicitly advocated for looser copyright regulations to help protect national security and get ahead of China's AI investments. 

Roku Tests Startup Video Ads 

Several Roku device owners have taken to Reddit to voice their frustration with the company’s latest advertising approach. The issue arose when users reported that a trailer for Moana 2 began playing automatically before they could even reach the Roku home screen. 

In response, Roku confirmed that these autoplay ads are part of an official test. However, the company did not clarify whether this feature would become a permanent addition to its platform.