CES Wednesday: Radio Takes A Tour; Entertainment Marketers Talk Pandemic

A Three (Plus)-Hour Tour

By PERRY MICHAEL SIMON in LOS ANGELES: For radio people, the annual JACOBS MEDIA tour was the main attraction on WEDNESDAY's schedule at the virtual 2021 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW (CES), even if there wasn't an actual in-person convention to tour. FRED JACOBS took radio executives on an over three-hour tour around the virtual convention, with AMAZON, FORD, LG, and MERCEDES-BENZ among the exhibitors making special presentations.

On the tour, AVRIO INSTITUTE Pres. and former CTA Chief Economist SHAWN DUBRAVAC pointed to how the things that aren't exactly radio-related at CES nevertheless impact and disrupt the radio industry (the "second-order effect"), with the proliferation of new possibilities for advertising, like windshield screens, likely to impact radio's business. DUBRAVAC also outlined some of the central themes of CES this year, including the pandemic's effect on everything, the continuing focus on the rollout and potential of 5G, and AI being more deeply integrated into new technology, not just controlling but "defining the product."

AMAZON's Alexa Auto Chief Evangelist ARIANNE WALKER gave a presentation on Alexa voice command in vehicles, which will, among other things, be able to access radio stations by their branded name. Quizzed by FRED JACOBS on whether the system will retrieve the broadcast or internet stream when asked for a station, WALKER said it will depend on the integration for that particular vehicle.

XPERI's JOE D'ANGELO touted the increase in HD RADIO-equipped vehicles, the DTS Autostage (formerly DTS Connected Radio) hybrid radio platform, and all-digital AM. Asked by JACOBS whether XPERI is saving AM radio, D'ANGELO said, "I hope so." Meanwhile, LG's JOHN TAYLOR, discussing audio's role in his company's product line, showed off his ZENITH Royal 500 vintage transistor radio from the 1950s (which still works).

FORD's SCOTT BURNELL showed off the fourth iteration of the company's SYNC automotive system, including "app cards" allowing for multiple apps to be visible at a glance at the same time, "smart suggestions" based on driver habits, as well as convenience controls. Asked about AM/FM's future, BURNELL advised radio to concentrate on quality content whatever the delivery technology. The elaborate MERCEDES-BENZ MBUX Hyperscreen dashboard -- a touchscreen (actually, three arranged into one) that fills up the entire dashboard, lets passengers pick their own individual entertainment or information options, and offers AI-enabled suggestions -- was also presented (after an initial technical glitch) by a team from the automaker.  And a segment introduced viewers to a robot named "Buddy."

TRITON DIGITAL's JOHN ROSSO offered a look at the growth in programmatic audio sales, based on TRITON's global platform and showing a 213% increase in spending, 109% increase in impressions, and 49% increase in pricing between 2018 and 2020. In 2020 alone, spending increased 341% from JANUARY to DECEMBER, with only a dip as the pandemic hit in MARCH and APRIL interrupting a generally steady year-long climb. Over the year, impressions rose 251% and pricing was up 26%. Driving that growth were some very big brands entering the programmatic market for the first time and connection to several more demand-side platforms. Political advertising generally did not use programmatic and did not materially contribute to the surge in programmatic sales.

A few content-related panels were on the schedule, but, as has been the case in past years, the discussions focused little on the technology and more on the marketing aspects of entertainment. Panelists focused on what they have done and are doing, and very little on how, technologically, they are doing it. WARNERMEDIA's ANN SARNOFF spoke at length on her company's reliance on franchises like the DC Universe to propel consumer engagement, but was more general about the shift to move the 2021 theatrical slate to simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO MAX. THE SPRINGHILL COMPANY CEO and LEBRON JAMES' business partner MAVERICK CARTER offered that "quality content will always rise to the top," whatever the manner in which the content reaches consumers might be.UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Head of Brand Partnerships RICH YAFFA lamented that "we've lost the events component" and "it's been devastating. I don't want to sugarcoat it," while noting that as the pandemic progressed, consumers increasingly wanted more of the live event experience from virtual concerts, including ecommerce.

In a morning keynote, MICROSOFT Pres. BRAD SMITH offered a video tour of one of the company's data centers in WASHINGTON state and thoughts on cybersecurity with a look at how the issue came to then-President REAGAN's attention via the movie "WAR-GAMES," leading to the first cybersecurity legislation. SMITH focused on security in the present, calling on the industry to tell leaders of all nations that no government or country should allow supply-chain disruption. He also warned not to allow AI technology to take control of itself over human input.

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