Facebook apologizes to ad clients for exaggerating video viewing times

Facebook has issued an apology to its ad clients after reports revealed it had overestimated the average viewing times for videos on its site for two years.

"This isn't just about this error. This is about how seriously we take our partners' commitment to our platform, and how their investments with us wholly depend on the transparency with which we communicate," said David Fischer, vice president of business and marketing partnerships, Facebook, in a post on the social network.

"We sincerely apologize for the issues this has created for our clients. This error should not stand in the way of our ultimate goal, which is to do what's in the best interest of our partners and their business growth," he added.

Despite confirming the error several weeks ago, a recent report asserted that the inflated metrics were much higher than Facebook initially let on.

Facebook first noted what it termed the "discrepancy" last month in a post on its Advertiser Help Center: "We had previously defined the Average Duration of Video Viewed as "total time spent watching a video divided by the total number of people who have played the video." But we erroneously had calculated the Average Duration of Video Viewed as "the total time spent watching a video divided by only the number of people who have viewed a video for three or more seconds."

To sum it up, Facebook had been ignoring video views that lasted less than three seconds when calculating its average viewing times. As a result, the figures it provided to marketers were higher (and therefore more attractive) than they would have been if those shorter viewing times had been included. Facebook added that it was introducing a new metric to fix the issue.

Related: Nice try: Facebook update disables Adblock Plus reblocking filter

Facebook did not, however, publicly elaborate on the scale of the error. Consequently, a number of ad agencies decided to press the issue, asking Facebook for more information on the so-called "discrepancy."

In response to a particular request from ad buying agency Publicis Media, Facebook provided a response in which it addressed its miscalculation in more detail. According to the Wall Street Journal — which obtained a copy of a letter sent to clients by Publicis Media — Facebook inflated its earlier average video viewing times by between 60 to 80 percent.

As of now, it is unclear whether Facebook will be impacted by the blunder. The company is downplaying the error, but the sheer size of its platform means even one botched metric could amount to a massive figure. Whether marketers will take this into consideration when buying Facebook ads remains to be seen. A decrease in video advertising revenue would inevitably impede Facebook's larger video strategy.

Publicis wrote in its letter that Facebook should permit third-party verification of its ad insights. The company signed off with a statement that may indicate the wider sentiment within the marketing industry: "Two years of reporting inflated performance numbers is unacceptable."

Updated on 09-23-2016 by Saqib Shah: Included new statement from Facebook 

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People Aren't Watching Facebook Videos as Much as Facebook Said

Over the past year, both media companies and advertisers have invested an enormous amount of money, labor, and time in Facebook's video products.

You can see evidence throughout the industry. It's not just the auto-playing Donald Trump campaign ads that clog your News Feed (or, at least, which clog mine). In August, BuzzFeed restructured its organization so that video oversees most non-news divisions. In April, Mashable laid off about 24 writers and editors so it could make a "strategic shift" to video. Media analysts (including myself) began comparing where audiences spend their time to where advertisers spent their dollars. We suggested that soon mobile video could erode the entire television ad market.

As of this morning, mobile still reigns. American consumers spend about 25 percent of their time on mobile phones (and a huge amount of that time on Facebook), but advertisers only spend about 12 percent of their budgets there.

But any confidence that Facebook will soon devour the entire TV market was a little shaken Thursday by news that Facebook has been (accidentally, it says) juicing its metrics. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Facebook misstated a key video metric—the average amount of time people spent watching a video—by 60 to 80 percent over the last two years.

Large ad firms like Publicis, which spent $7 billion on Facebook ads last year, are annoyed. Publicis is demanding that Facebook submit to third-party verification of its ad metrics, according to the Journal. And while that change would be unusual for platform-based video ads, it is standard in other sectors: Nielsen Media Research estimates every television show's audience, for instance, and not a network like NBC or CBS.

Facebook has since apologized for its overestimation. It's also clarified maybe the most important variable in this conversation: that the miscalculation did not affect billing. (Of course, some advertisers may have decided to invest in Facebook video because of the strength of this one particular metric.)

"We have also reviewed our other video metrics on the dashboard and have found that this has no impact on [other] video numbers we have shared in the past, such as the number of video views,"said a statement from David Fischer, Facebook's vice president of sales. "We want our clients to know that this miscalculation has not and will not going forward have an impact on billing or how media mix models value their Facebook video investments."

The roots of this miscalculation go back to one of the founding assumptions of Facebook video. The platform counts every instance of a video playing for longer than three seconds as a "view," saying that that is long enough to count as "intent to watch." Professional YouTube video makers like Hank Green loathe this approach. Last year, Green accused Facebook of lying to juice video metrics, arguing that a "view" should only be registered when someone watches most or all of a video (which is how YouTube counts them). He also said it cheated by boosting native Facebook videos into people's News Feeds well above embedded YouTube videos or Vines.

This views metric turned out to be Facebook's undoing. Prior to last month, the company calculated "average time viewed" using its views metric: It divided (total number of minutes played by everyone) by (total number of views). As such, it artificially got credit for the couple seconds of video playing before the three-second cutoff in the numerator but it never accounted for those people in the denominator. It has fixed this in the new metric by dividing (total minutes) by (total number of plays).

Suffice it to say that this is all very embarrassing for Facebook, and somewhat disconcerting for the organizations that have retooled themselves to better produce video for the platform. It doesn't mean that it's futile to invest in Facebook video, which is still an enormous platform in terms of getting people's attention. But it does point to how perilously concentrated the shortform online video market is. Major companies have made longterm plans to cater to an organization that's both selling a product and measuring its effects. Facebook creates the market for Facebook video, then it sells you access to that market. It encompasses so many people—and so many people who use it habitually—that marketers can't afford to care.

Over the past two years, Facebook has contorted its entire user experience around the demands of video. Log on and it will show you live videos, pre-filmed video with rolling captions, and auto-generated videos constituted entirely of old pictures of your friends. It says that its users love video, even if they can't scroll through videos to preview them like they would images or an article. It even pays media companies to produce Facebook Live videos and then it boosts them in its feed.

Today's news doesn't doom Facebook's push to video. But it does make me wonder if the company has been sloppy with its thinking about video elsewhere. The downside of measuring your own monopoly is that you can miss negative feedback until it's too late. When it comes to video ads, Facebook is its own designer, judge, analyst—and executioner.

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Google Allo, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram; which is the best messaging app for you?

By Rehan Hooda / 22 Sep 2016, 10:31

Google has launched a second messaging platform, Google Allo, soon after the launch of their dedicated video calling app in the form of Google Duo. This has suddenly made us aware of the sheer number of messaging apps in the market.

There are way too many apps being offered and all of them, while largely similar, offer a USP that sets them apart. I've analysed all of the popular messaging apps in the market today, to help you narrow down the best messaging app that you should use.

WhatsApp: India's favourite messaging app

WhatsApp is one of the most popular multimedia messaging apps. It is one of the most used apps and is frequently updated, thanks to the official Android Google Play Store beta program. The app has gained regular features over the years with active developer support. Most notable improvements over the years have been the addition of Reading scripts, end-to-end encryption, the ability to send documents, quote and star messages and audio calls. The basic multimedia messaging app features like sending photos and videos from camera or gallery, contact, location, documents and audio files sharing is included in the app in addition to a separate button to record audio messages. The most recent addition to the list is the addition of GIF support along with Apple iOS 10 API support which enables Siri to send messages using voice commands and the roll-out of mentions support to tag users in group conversations.

A few years ago, users could not use WhatsApp on any other device apart from their mobile devices. The usage and account verification was tied to one single device based on the phone number. Even though it has not changed but the company has rolled out WhatsApp web and a native WhatsApp client for Microsoft Windows. The company has also done away with the yearly operating fees after the first year, moving to a free service without any strings attached. People were skeptical about the future of the service when it was acquired by Facebook, and the company was widely criticised for changing its Privacy Policy to add an opt-in system for sharing data with Facebook. But the company clarified that they don't have any control or oversight over the content of messages.

There are reports about the company working on adding bots, channels, stickers, two-factor authentication, the ability to draw on photos like Snapchat, video calling and the ability to interact with brands using the platform. Most of the features are currently in a testing phase, hidden from general users. The company has been working on GIPHY integration along with the rumoured ability to send full-sized images without any quality loss. The app, however, does not offer much in terms of customisation, only allowing you to update your profile photo, chat background and other such basic edits.

Facebook Messenger: Everyone's on Facebook

Facebook Messenger is Facebook's official offering for messaging. The app was initially launched in 2011 as a separate app and split from the official Facebook app in 2014. The platform started as Facebook Chat which was mirrored as an IM messaging service that did not store your messaging history once you closed the window. The company announced an overhaul and announced Facebook inbox, which was meant to work as an email service with '@facebook.com' as the domain where people could send you emails.

The company updated its service, removing what did not work out in favour of newer features. These features include sending money using Facebook messenger, profile stickers, drawing on images and secret conversations where the messages would vanish after a limited time. The 'chat heads' interface utilised by the app is unique, and no other messaging app uses such feature. The basic multimedia messaging app features like sending photos and videos from the camera or gallery, location, documents (limited to desktop version) and audio files sharing is included in the app in addition to a separate button to record audio messages. The account lets you add your contact number to help people search and add you using your mobile number, but the account is not tied to that particular contact number. The messaging platform does not allow users to set the status or any message.

The company recently announced SMS integration in the app in addition to a dedicated Messenger website. The app allows you to play games without leaving the chat thread, create nicknames for users, transfer files without uploading the files to any third party cloud service and more. Facebook added audio and video calling to the platform in addition to the new instant video option to engage users. Facebook added read receipts to Messenger where a small bubble of display picture would let you know if the message has been read or not.

Facebook announced messenger platform last year where third party apps would make use of the messenger platform to deliver gifs, personalised photos last year. The company added a unified store to help users easily discover sticker packs and third party apps using the platform. The company announced the expansion of the platform by adding chatbots to the platform where brands, companies or individuals would make use of bots to interact with consumers on a more exclusive and personal level.

Google Allo: The new kid on the block

Google announced Google Allo during Google IO 2016 and launched it in the Play Store yesterday. The company separated text and video into two different apps with the video chat app being called Google Duo and the text app Google Allo. It launched Google Duo some time ago, which included the new 'Knock Knock' mode where you could see the video even before you accepted the call.

Allo is barebones with regards to customisation, but the app has all the requisite features, supporting animated stickers with an easy to use Sticker Store. The app allows users to change the size of text messages in addition to smart, contextual replies that are powered by a natural language processing engine in the background, but on an external server. This raises some serious privacy issues despite the messages being encrypted. The only secure and private conversations take place in the incognito mode, just like the secret conversations mode in Facebook Messenger. Incognito mode allows the users to set an expiry time for the messages in a conversation after which the m essages will auto-destruct. The messaging platform does not allow users to set a status message.

Google Allo supports basic features including sending photos and videos from the camera or gallery, location and stickers sharing where your account is tied to your contact number, etc. It does not support document sharing and the video and voice calling features are limited to Google Duo. The app does support read receipts like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger with the detailed view of read receipts in group chats as available in WhatsApp.

The app supports Google Assistant, an AI and a contextual bot that is powered by Google. This feature is not available in any chat app currently, though there is limited bot support in Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Skype (Does anyone still use Skype?).

Apple iMessage: The introverted new kid on the block

Apple announced a revamped version of Messages at WWDC 2016. The platform is limited to Apple iOS users, which is its biggest down-side. Messages is technically an SMS app but it adds layers of extra functionality for iOS users. The revamped Messages app launched with the iOS 10 update.

The new features include a Messages Store for stickers and apps. You can even 'write' your messages as a note when you rotate your phone in landscape mode. You also get the option of using 'Digital Touch', which lets you send animated sketches and effects. The animation flows like a futuristic neon sign. The entire animation is recorded and sent to iOS 10 users while users with older operating systems only get a static image.

Messages in iOS 10 also gives users the option to attach large, animated emoticons to iMessages which convey your reaction to particular iMessages by long pressing on them. The stickers added in Messages can be animated, a far cry from the static stickers available in other messaging apps. GIF and image search is integrated and you can search and send new gifs without leaving the chat thread.

Screen and Bubble effects along with contextual full-screen effects are other iMessage exclusives where the animated effects are visible in full-screen mode. Lastly, the tap to emoji feature converts your written sentence into contextual emojis and is fun to use. It's sad that all these features are only accessible to iOS users though. The app has potential.

Most of the effects are not essential for the users and turn out to be gimmicky at best. The platform supports basic features like sending photos and videos from camera or gallery but does not support document sharing.

Snapchat: Visual messaging

Snapchat is an image and multimedia messaging app which was initially released in September 2011. The app revolves around sharing images clicked on the spot to share the moment; there are no options to save an image. Each image shared is called a Snapchat 'Story' where you can draw, scribble, type and add stickers on the pictures before sharing.

Initially, the company did not allow users to share older images as 'Stories', but now the company has rolled out the ability to share old pictures. Each snap 'story' disappears after 24 hours and users can set the number of seconds it can run. Anyone on their contact list can view the story. Snapchat is the only platform to have magazines where publishers can add content with animation, videos and images to be consumed. Many popular publishers like BuzzFeed, Discovery and National Geographic are using the app to push out content. The app worked on the concept of exclusive and impromptu instead of the old and recycled. The app allows users to converse and respond to 'stories' using text-based responses or image 'stories' in-turn.

The text based messages disappear as soon as you exit the chat thread unless you long press and save the messages. The company has added stickers in addition to emoji and bitmoji to the images, videos or chat conversations as a response. Snapchat also offers animated face filters which work on a face detection algorithm to superimpose animations on the faces of users. The core functionality of image scribbling and drawing has recently been adopted by WhatsApp, Telegram and Google Allo. On the top of that, Snapchat is bandwidth and battery intensive and often criticised by users and developers as the most unoptimised app around. There is nothing unique and exclusive offered by Snapchat except for the animated face filters.

Telegram: The underdog

Telegram has to be the underdog in the list. It offers a host of features that cover everything being offered by WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Allo, iMessage and Snapchat. Most of the features like Channels for broadcasting information, bot support, file transfer, user tagging and hashtags arrived on Telegram first and was later adapted by other messaging apps. The platform is end-to-end encrypted.

The messaging app does not include voice or audio calling as supported in Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp and also lacks a dedicated store. The available bots aren't very intelligent, but you do get some unique bots, like a dedicated bot for managing your torrents or one to manage your cloud-storage subscriptions. This is the only platform to include pinned posts, passcode lock, full-fledged photo editing, trimming and compressing videos in addition to ability to make 'super groups' where the maximum number of members can be 5,000. The developers are working on implementing drawing and scribbling on photos before sharing. There is no support for animated face filters as supported in Snapchat.

All the Messages specific features are not available on Telegram because of the lack of an expanded platform with a unified app or sticker store. However, Telegram supports file transfers up to 1.5GB each with no restriction file format, full resolution image transfer, two-factor-authentication, secret chats, channels, 3D touch support for iOS, picture in picture video player for youtube links and bots. One of the main strengths for Telegram it's not locked to your phone number or a particular device. This is the only messaging platform to allow users to login on multiple devices ranging from native Windows app to web app and apps available for web platforms. Essential features like contact, document, file, full resolution image sharing and sharing pictures and videos from camera or gallery are all available on this app.

Hangouts: In limbo

Hangouts is the current default messaging app offering provided by Google. It will remain despite the launch of Google Allo. The messaging platform allows essential messaging functions like video and audio calling in addition to sharing images and videos from the camera or gallery. Features like sticker support and location sharing are also available on the platform. Also, the messaging platform does not allow document sharing or provide two-factor-authentication.

Hangouts is the only app that supports Archive function for conversations, in addition to the option to turn history off. However, this is the only messaging platform that does not provide the search function to comb through the message thread or across the conversation.

And the winner is…

Before I say anything else, one thing is certain: No matter how good another messaging app may be, you'll use the one that everyone else is on because you have to. You don't have an option in that regard. To be frank, it is hard to convince all your friends to switch to a particular messaging app, unless it is really that good and worth it or you're just that persuasive.

Ignoring the above aspect and judging these apps purely from a functionality and feature perspective, I would heartily recommend Telegram. I really wish that Telegram was more used because it seems to have everything going for it, except a user base, It has native clients for just about every platform, has tonnes of useful features, it's open, has strong privacy and security features and is not limited by device. What more can you ask for from a messaging app?

Related: #Apple iMessage #encryption #Facebook Messenger #Google Allo #Google+ Hangouts #Line #Snapchat #Telegram #Whatsapp

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Google Duo Hits 10 Million Downloads in a Month on Android Alone

Google Duo, which was recently launched on the Android Play Store and Apple App Store is now installed in over 10 million Android smartphones across the globe. The app was unveiled only a month back. These are monthly active users to be precise.

"Google Duo is over 10M users on Android, thanks for the love," tweeted Google's Amit Fulay, who handles Group Product Manager of Communications.

The app had touched 5 million downloads within the first week of its launch on the Android Play Store. This has pushed the app on number 27, in the top charts section of the Play Store.

Introduced at Google I/O in May, Duo registers its user based on his/her existing phone number, and taps into your contact list—making it easy to begin a video call with a single tap.

Google Duo stands to fight against other video calling apps like Apple's FaceTime and Skype. The app touts the easy signing up process and a stable call even with a change in connectivity.

Call quality automatically adjusts to changing network conditions. When the app notices the drop in Internet speeds, Duo reduces the resolution to keep the call moving smoothly. The app also promises seamless switching between Wi-Fi and cellular data without dropping the conversation.

Google Duo also gets the Knock Knock feature, similar to FaceTime on an iPhone, which shows users a video preview of who's calling. One key feature about Duo is the privacy factor. All calls on Duo are end-to-end encrypted. This basically means your conversations remain safe with you and no third party can access them.

Google Duo might not be the best video calling app available in the market today, but it surely does pack some neat tricks up its sleeve.

Google Duo was announced alongside a new messaging app called Allo, which still hasn't been released. Allo will be a new messaging platform, which Google hopes will take on the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook messenger.

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PS4 Pro, PlayStation VR News & Updates: Sony Taking Next Gen Consoles on UK Tour Starting Today [DETAILS]

By Mariel Peralta , CP Contributor

September 22, 2016|2:31 am

PlayStation Official Website

The PlayStation VR with the PlayStation Camera and PlayStation Move

UK gamers will have the chance to test out the PlayStation VR and PS4 Pro for free starting today.

Sony has announced that they will be taking their next generation gaming devices for a tour in the UK. The tour is scheduled ahead of the official launch of the devices to give UK fans a chance to test it out for themselves. The PlayStation VR will be launched by October 13 and the PS4 Pro will be released on November 10.

PS4 Pro, PlayStation VR UK Tour DatesAccording to Sony's PlayStation website, the tour starts in EGX, Birmingham and then to Glasgow, Sheffield, Bristol, and Manchester.

The tour starts Sept. 22 to Sept. 25 at EGX in Birmingham. It then resumes Sept. 29 to October 2 in the Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow. Then, it will be on October 6 to October 9 in Meadowhall, Sheffield. The PlayStation VR, PS4 Pro continues on October 12 to October 16 at the Kachette, Shoreditch in London. Then on October 20 to October 23, it will be at Cabot Circus in Bristol. The last leg of the tour will be on October 27 to October 30 at Sackville Street in Manchester.

The time for these tours do vary so fans will have to visit Sony's website for the exact time as registration is also needed to be able to try out the PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. A survey will have to be taken first before the registration can proceed.

Videogamer points out that Sony has recommended fans to pre-register ahead of time so their slots can be guaranteed. The sessions will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis so other people who may turn up on the spot at the last second may not be able to get in.

PS4 Pro Not Playable During Tour?During the tour, Sony will include PlayStation 4 demos, but it isn't known if the PS4 Pro will be playable. It is only known that the PS4 Pro will be "on display", but no games for it were mentioned during their announcement.

PlayStation VR UK Tour Game DemosAccording to Metro, the games that will be included in the tour are: "Resident Evil 7 Biohazard", "Until Dawn: Rush of Blood", "DriveClub VR", "Batman: Arkham VR", "Farpoint", "EVE Valkyrie", "PlayStation VR Worlds", "Battlezone", "RIGS", and "Robinson: The Journey."

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Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan want to fund research into disease prevention, and not just treatments

Protests have rocked the city of Charlotte following the death of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man, who was shot by police outside of an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon.

Late into the night through Wednesday morning, demonstrators blocked Interstate 85 to voice their outrage, reportedly setting ablaze vehicle cargo and hurling debris at officers, who launched tear gas into the crowds to break up the gathering. 

Police were serving an arrest warrant to a different person on Tuesday when, the department said, Scott emerged from a parked vehicle with a gun, allegedly "threatening officers" and ignoring commands. Members of Scott's family had told media that he was in his car reading; Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference this morning that they had found the gun that Scott had allegedly wielded. The officer who shot and killed Scott was black.

The shooting marks the third high-profile death of a black male at the hands of U.S. law enforcement in less than a week. Last Wednesday, 13-year-old Tyre King was killed when Columbus, Ohio, police officers responding to a robbery shot him three times while running away with a BB gun; on Saturday, 40-year-old Terence Crutcher was tasered and shot by Tulsa police after his vehicle stalled on his way back from a college class.

People on social media have expressed skepticism toward the gun discovery, given two recent instances of officers getting caught fabricating evidence an charges. On Monday, video surfaced depicting Connecticut officers trumping up charges against a protester, while new documents from the murder trial of a former St. Louis officer suggests that he planted a gun on his victim. 

Meanwhile, pressure mounts for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to address the U.S.'s growing epidemic of police violence against people of color. Trump told a church this morning—after being introduced by an n-word-dropping Don King—that he was "troubled" by Crutcher's death, while Clinton's campaign tweeted, "This has got to end."

JJM

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YouTube Launches #voteIRL Campaign With Franchesca Ramsey, Cenk Uygur, Laci Green, And More

YouTube has launched a new site-wide social campaign dubbed #voteIRL, which aims to get young out to the polls. The campaign will put registration reminders on YouTube's homepage, watch pages, and search results pages on National Voter Registration Day, which is Sept. 27. Viewers will also be able to register to vote directly on YouTube using registration tools built by Google.

There is also, of course, a creator component to #voteIRL. Top YouTube talent — including Anna Akana, Philip DeFranco, Hank Green, Laci Green, Hannah Hart, Kingsley, Bethany Mota, Franchesca Ramsey, Cenk Uygur, and Mark Watson — have lent their hands to an anthem video encouraging young people to vote.

And because YouTube says it takes exactly one minute and 34 seconds to register, creators including Timothy DeLaGhetto, The Fung Bros., and even Ryan Seacrest have made so-called '1:34 Videos' in which they complete various mundane activities, including singing The Star-Spangled Banner, painting their nails, or drinking fancy water. New 1:34 Videos will drop daily leading up to National Voter Registration Day, YouTube said in a blog post.

At the same time as #voteIRL, YouTube also announced its plans for debate coverage, kicking off next Monday. The site will stream the Presidential debates in partnership with PBS, The Washington Post, and Telemundo, it says — "more news organizations than ever before." Additionally, creators like The Young Turks and Complex News will attend the debates and broadcast updates using YouTube's new mobile streaming capabilities.

YouTube says election-related content has exploded in the wake of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, with over 200,000 election-related videos uploaded to the platform every day since, as well as 110 million of consumed hours of candidate and issues-related content.

Check out the #voteIRL campaign flagship video below:

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