Mar 30, 2017

Tech giants capitalize on YouTube's loss

Twitter announced Tuesday it will make pre-roll ads available on its crowdsourced live video app, Periscope. Like Facebook, Twitter will only run pre-roll ads next to vetted content from select, trustworthy publishers.

Facebook later announced it's adding more Snapchat-like photo and and video features, including a camera button that will let users post video directly to Facebook's app.

Why it matters: Companies are taking advantage of YouTube's ad crisis by rolling out timely video updates. According to Jason Beckerman, the CEO of social intelligence firm Unified, it's a smart pitch.

"Brands are recognizing that programmatic video advertising on the internet is a risky endeavor. It's a safer bet to run video ads in closed ecosystems, like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat Discover, where those companies have full control to police their video content."

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Axios

South Korea on red alert as coronavirus cases soar past 600

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus has spread to more nations as South Korea and Italy in particular scramble to deal with spikes in their countries.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed at least 2,446 people and infected almost 79,000 others, mostly in mainland China. South Korean President Moon Jae-said country would increase its infectious disease alert to red, the highest level possible, the New York Times reports, as the number of cases in the country jumped to 602 and the death toll to five. Italy's government announced emergency measures Sunday after infections rose to 79.

Go deeperUpdated 21 mins ago - Health

Axios

Bernie Sanders wins Nevada caucus

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders waves to supporters at a campaign rally on Friday in Las Vegas. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders is projected to handily win the Nevada Democratic primary caucus, becoming the clear frontrunner among 2020 Democratic presidential primary election candidates.

Why it matters: Nevada is the first state with a diverse population to hold a nominating contest, highlighting candidates' abilities to connect with voters of color — particularly Latino voters.

Go deeperUpdated 48 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Rebecca Falconer

Heat wave melts 20% of snow cover from Antarctic island in days

The effects of February's record heat wave on Eagle Island in Antarctica. Photo: NASA

Antarctica's Eagle Island now has a side that's almost ice-free following this month's searing heat wave in the region, images released by NASA show.

Why it maters: "The warm spell caused widespread melting on nearby glaciers," NASA said in its report. It's the third major melt event of the 2019-2020 Southern Hemisphere summer, following warm spells in January and last November, according to the United Nation's World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Go deeper3 hours ago - Energy & Environment