Market Newsdesk

BlackRock and the Bipartisan Policy Center Chart a Path to Optimized Retirement Spending in New Paper

Research finds adding guaranteed lifetime income and adjusting asset allocation could result in nearly 30% more annual spending power in retirement

NEW YORK & WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Americans saving for retirement could benefit from a holistic approach to planning that considers guaranteed income, optimal asset allocation, and Social Security claiming, according to new research released by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, and the Bipartisan Policy Center, a leading Washington-based think tank. “Paving the Way to Optimized Retirement Income” examines the challenges Americans face when planning to spend their retirement savings, and how the public and private sectors can work together to find solutions to help savers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621853969/en/

As the report highlights, Americans with access to a retirement plan are frequently encouraged to save, but guidance on how much to spend once they reach retirement is lacking. “Retirement spending is one of the hardest problems retirees face, so the industry needs to give people affordable, innovative solutions and tools to help them navigate this challenge. We did this research because we think more people could use these levers if they knew about the benefits they can provide,” said Matt Soifer, Head of Distribution for BlackRock’s Retirement Business.

“The role of policymakers should be to make it as easy as possible for Americans to turn their hard-earned savings into income in retirement. Congress has made significant strides in recent years in the SECURE bills, but there’s more work to be done,” said BPC Vice President and Chief Economist Jason Fichtner.

The research outlines key findings and examples based on a typical American worker’s financial situation when they are ready to retire:

• Savers should consider a three-step framework to help chart their path to retirement spending: (1) determine retirement objectives, (2) consider key risk factors and (3) formulate a holistic strategy.

• Pulling a few levers within this framework, such as increasing Social Security benefits by claiming later and adding guaranteed income, can significantly boost spending power.

• For an average worker aged 65, adding guaranteed lifetime income and adjusting asset allocation resulted in nearly 30% more annual spending from savings alone (excluding Social Security) and reduced downside risk by 33% (compared to a standard 60/40 portfolio).

• Delaying the claiming of Social Security benefits can generate even more annual spending and further reduce downside risk.

Taken together, these strategies have the potential to extend retirement spending power well beyond the average person’s lifespan, providing a higher “spending floor” into a retiree’s 90s and beyond. The paper notes policymakers and the private sector each have an important role to play to help Americans understand what they can do to optimize their spending in retirement. While SECURE 2.0 demonstrated important progress to advance retirement security, the research proposes additional policy measures that could have a meaningful impact to help savers. Increasing participation through auto-enrollment and auto-escalation, minimizing early withdrawals, expanding the use of guaranteed lifetime income products, and understanding when to take Social Security benefits are all steps that can be taken to advance a more equitable retirement system.

About BlackRock:

BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:

The Bipartisan Policy Center is a mission-focused organization helping policymakers work across party lines to craft bipartisan solutions. By connecting Republicans and Democrats, delivering data and context, negotiating public policy, and creating space for bipartisan collaboration, BPC helps turn legislators’ best ideas into durable laws that improve lives. Since 2007, the Bipartisan Policy Center has helped shepherd countless bills across the finish line.

This material is provided for educational purposes only and should not be construed as research. The information presented is not a complete analysis of the global retirement landscape. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change at any time due to changes in the market, the economic or regulatory environment, or for other reasons.

The material does not constitute investment, legal, tax, or other advice and is not to be relied on in making an investment or other decision.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Asset allocation models and diversification do not promise any level of performance or guarantee against loss of principal.

The opinions expressed in third-party articles or content do not necessarily reflect the views of BlackRock or the Bipartisan Policy Center. BlackRock and the Bipartisan Policy Center make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of any third-party statement.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621853969/en/

BlackRock

Thomasin Bentley

[email protected]

(646) 231-1769

Bipartisan Policy Center

Erin Meade

[email protected]

(412) 389-4790

KEYWORDS: District of Columbia New York United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Consulting Banking Personal Finance Accounting Professional Services White House/Federal Government State/Local Small Business Public Policy/Government Insurance Finance

MEDIA:

Logo

Logo

Virpax Pharmaceuticals Enters into CRADA with the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council

BERWYN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Virpax^® Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Virpax” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VRPX), a company specializing in developing non-addictive products for pain management, post-traumatic stress disorder, central nervous system (CNS) disorders and anti-viral indications, today announced that it has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Translational Research which conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders. Virpax will be partnering with the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) whose mission is to identify novel agents to address unmet medical needs in epilepsy, including the identification of next generation products focused on addressing drug resistant epilepsy, disease prevention and modification. Under the CRADA, NINDS ETSP will evaluate Virpax’s NobrXiol^™ product candidate that is being developed for the management of rare pediatric epilepsy. NobrXiol utilizes a unique intranasal Molecular Envelope Technology (MET) delivery platform for pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD).

ETSP provides opportunities for researchers in the US and abroad to submit compounds for screening in a battery of rodent epilepsy and seizure models. There is no cost to participants for these tests and the ETSP staff provides advice on next steps for promising compounds. The Program has made important contributions to the development of numerous FDA-approved drugs for epilepsy, including Epidiolex^®, the only FDA-approved cannabidiol (CBD) for the treatment of epilepsy.

“We are developing NobrXiol for the management of rare pediatric epilepsy and believe that with our MET delivery platform we may achieve higher bioavailability via the nasal route, faster onset and reduce side effects. This is an exciting collaboration for us and we look forward to working with this extremely knowledgeable group that is solely focused on the unmet medical needs of epilepsy,” stated Anthony P. Mack, Chairman and CEO of Virpax.

About Virpax Pharmaceuticals

Virpax is developing branded, non-addictive pain management products candidates using its proprietary technologies to optimize and target drug delivery. Virpax is initially seeking FDA approval for two prescription drug candidates that employ two different patented drug delivery platforms. Probudur™ is a single injection liposomal bupivacaine formulation being developed to manage post-operative pain and Envelta™ is an intranasal molecular envelope enkephalin formulation being developed to manage acute and chronic pain, including pain associated with cancer. Virpax is also using its intranasal Molecular Envelope Technology (MET)) to develop two other product candidates. PES200 is a product candidate being developed to manage post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and NobrXiol™ is a product candidate being developed for the nasal delivery of a pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) for the management of rare pediatric epilepsy. Virpax recently acquired global rights to NobrXiol. Virpax is also seeking approval of two nonprescription product candidates: AnQlar, which is being developed to inhibit viral replication caused by influenza or SARS-CoV-2, and Epoladerm™, which is a topical diclofenac spray film formulation being developed to manage pain associated with osteoarthritis. For more information, please visit virpaxpharma.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended, including those relating to the Company’s planned clinical trials, product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, competitive position, possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, potential growth opportunities and other statements that are predictive in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management’s current beliefs and assumptions.

These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking expressions, including, but not limited to, “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions and the negatives of those terms and include statements regarding the opportunities to be provided with ETSP, the MET delivery platform achieving higher bioavailability via the nasal route, faster onset and reducing side effects and continuing to work with the extremely knowledgeable group that is solely focused on the unmet medical needs of epilepsy. These statements relate to future events or the Company’s financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including the Company’s ability to derive the expected benefits from the collaboration with ETSP, the ability of the MET delivery platform to achieve higher bioavailability via the nasal route, faster onset and reduced side effects , the Company’s ability to successfully complete research and further development and commercialization of Company drug candidates in current or future indications; the uncertainties inherent in clinical testing; the Company’s ability to manage and successfully complete clinical trials and the research and development efforts for multiple product candidates at varying stages of development; the effects of the outbreak of COVID-19 on the Company’s business and results of operations; the timing, cost and uncertainty of obtaining regulatory approvals for the Company’s product candidates; the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property; the loss of any executive officers or key personnel or consultants; competition; changes in the regulatory landscape or the imposition of regulations that affect the Company’s product candidates; the Company’s ability to continue to obtain capital to meet its long-term liquidity needs on acceptable terms, or at all, including the additional capital which will be necessary to complete clinical trials that the Company plans to initiate; and other factors listed under “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q that the Company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621301923/en/

Betsy Brod

Affinity Growth Advisors

[email protected]

212-661-2231

KEYWORDS: Pennsylvania United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Research Other Health Pharmaceutical Medical Devices Infectious Diseases Hospitals Surgery Science Veterinary Neurology Biotechnology Practice Management Health

MEDIA:

Logo

Members ATM Alliance Selects NCR ATM as a Service to Power Self-Directed Banking for Credit Unions

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a leading enterprise technology provider, today announced that it has partnered with Members ATM Alliance (MAA), a credit union service organization (CUSO) that assists credit unions with ATM processing and management. Through the partnership, NCR’s ATM as a Service (ATMaaS) solution will be available to MAA’s participating credit unions.

MAA aggregates ATM managed services for the credit unions in its alliance. The CUSO was looking to update its legacy ATM fleet while simplifying back-office operations through vendor consolidation. With NCR ATM as a Service, MAA will be able to streamline its managed services offering, including deployment, operations, software management, transaction processing and cash management, all of which were previously managed in-house or through multiple vendor relationships.

“As a CUSO, we’re dedicated to providing valuable resources and support to our member credit unions,” explained Lindsey Cole, Chief Operating Officer of MAA. “Leveraging NCR ATM as a Service directly supports this mission. Shifting ATM management to NCR will allow us to have a more robust, streamlined offering and free more time to collaborate with member credit unions on their business strategies. We are confident that this partnership strongly positions us for success as we continue to grow.”

“With our ATM as a Service solution, MAA will be able to improve self-directed banking for its credit unions, including expanded availability and uptime and access to the latest features, contributing to an enhanced member experience,” said Don Layden, EVP, president, ATM, Network & Banking, NCR. “At the same time, the CUSO will be able to reduce costs and complexities by sourcing more of the services they offer from a single vendor. We look forward to supporting MAA on this transformation.”

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leader in transforming, connecting and running technology platforms for self-directed banking, stores and restaurants. NCR is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with 35,000 employees globally. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Web site: www.ncr.com

Twitter: @NCRCorporation

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ncrcorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ncr-corporation

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ncrcorporation

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621950451/en/

NCR Media Contact

Scott Sykes

NCR Corporation

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Georgia United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Payments Finance Banking Data Management Professional Services Technology Fintech

MEDIA:

Logo

Sprinklr Upgrades Generative AI Conversational Bots and Releases 110 New Features

Announced during CCW Las Vegas, latest quarterly release delivers AI and Generative AI capabilities designed to supercharge agent productivity.

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM), the unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform for modern enterprises, today unveiled more than 100 new capabilities, including AI and generative AI-powered capabilities, as part of the company’s spring platform release (v. 18.5) during Customer Contact Week (CCW) Las Vegas.

Release 18.5 continues to support Sprinklr’s momentum in the customer service and CCaaS market with more than 110 new capabilities added to the Sprinklr Service Product Suite. Updates include features built with Sprinklr AI+, Sprinklr’s AI-everywhere offering announced last month that unifies proprietary AI from Sprinklr with OpenAI’s generative AI.

“Sprinklr believes that customer service and CCaaS markets are ripe for disruption and customers and brands deserve more. As vendors rush to deliver new AI features, Sprinklr is demonstrating the real-world capabilities possible when AI is built across a unified platform and designed to be both open and scalable,” said Sprinklr Chief Technology Officer, Pavitar Singh. “New Sprinklr AI+ capabilities are helping the largest and most complex enterprises supercharge agent productivity and automate tasks and processes with AI. We are helping our customers transform their contact centers and customer experiences, while preserving the level of governance, compliance, and data privacy that large brands require.”

Starting today at CCW Las Vegas, attendees can visit Booth #10 for a deep dive into new features for the contact center including:

• Generative AI powered bots and more than a dozen new conversational AI features. Users can experience features like dynamic decision trees powered by Generative AI that help speed conversational bot building and implementation significantly. Knowledge base integration with conversational AI connects a brand’s knowledge base to large language models (LLMs) to train conversational AI bots on the information in the knowledge base for more accurate responses. This also allows users to continuously recalibrate and update AI models as the knowledge base evolves.
• The ability to quickly build your Knowledge Base by auto-expanding articles from bullet points, writing assistance, including paraphrasing and text simplification, smart search of articles and auto-translation capabilities.
• AI+ features to help ensure more accurate and quicker Live Chat conversations. Automated generation of chat responses in multiple languages, video call and case summaries, auto-generation of subjects for live chat conversations, and smart composition while customers are typing in the live chat widget all combine to improve customer and agent experience.
• More than 16 AI-powered CCaaS features designed to increase agent productivity. New capabilities include auto summarization of cases, reply assistance, extracting relevant responses from the Knowledge Base, auto dispositions for cases, and more.

What others are saying

• Keith Dawson, Ventana Research: “As a company born in the digital and social world that has introduced new technology to compete with legacy CCaaS providers, Sprinklr is a formidable player in this space and well positioned to help digitally-focused and digital-native enterprises transform their service operations.”

• Sheila McGee-Smith, McGee-Smith Analytics:“With its expanding technology and roadmap, combined with an enviable existing customer base, Sprinklr is in a position to disrupt the CCaaS market.”

• Diane Myers, Metrigy: “Hearing from several customers cemented our view of Sprinklr as a CCaaS provider to be taken seriously…Sprinklr should be on the CCaaS short list for any company evaluating new CX platform vendors.”

For more information on how Sprinklr is changing the customer service market, visit – https://www.sprinklr.com/products/customer-service/.

In addition to Sprinklr Service, release 18.5 includes updates across the three other Sprinklr core product suites Sprinklr Insights, Sprinklr Marketing, and Sprinklr Social. With new features available now, Sprinklr users can:

• Sprinklr Insights: Harness Generative AI+ for faster more powerful Insights.
  • Using AI-generated queries themes, CX professionals can enter a simple description of a search topic and automatically generate themes, queries, keywords, hashtags, and phrase suggestions. Users can then refine and launch a search, reducing the time to insights by as much as 90%.

  • On-demand, AI-generated summaries of long-form content (news, blogs, etc.) help users quickly understand content and extract meaningful insights.

• Sprinklr Marketing: Improve productivity and efficiency for paid and organic content.
  • Simplify and accelerate the briefing process using generative AI to create key campaign messages, social media content, and more.

  • Improve the quality of your content and save time by using AI to simplify, reword, translate, fix the spelling/grammar, alter the length, or modify the tone of advertising and marketing content.

  • Produce high-impact advertising content and lower costs using AI-powered features to edit image templates, such as auto-cropping, background removal, auto-color, and automated text resizing.

• Sprinklr Social: Enhance community management, governance, and team productivity.
  • New integrations with WeChat, Amazon Q&A and Microsoft teams help social teams manage communities more effectively and speed up engagement.

  • Scale up governance with share configurations at the user/user group and workspace/workspace group levels for all audience profiles. Unauthorized users will not be able to access any audience profiles (or associated PII data). These profiles can be shared manually and automatically with users using rules or macros.

  • Enhance efficiency with support for multiple translations of names and descriptions for entities such as macros. If the translation for the selected language is unavailable, the default translation will be displayed. Appropriate translation can be provided based on preference.

For more information on new capabilities and availability for release 18.5, visit https://www.sprinklr.com/releases/18-5-spring-2023/.

About Sprinklr

Sprinklr is a leading enterprise software company for all customer-facing functions. With advanced AI, Sprinklr’s unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform helps companies deliver human experiences to every customer, every time, across any modern channel. Headquartered in New York City with employees around the world, Sprinklr works with more than 1,000 of the world’s most valuable enterprises — global brands like Microsoft, P&G, Samsung and more than 50% of the Fortune 100.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621882443/en/

Press

Austin DeArman

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Nevada New York United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: VoIP Software Mobile/Wireless Internet Social Media Professional Services Technology Artificial Intelligence Public Relations/Investor Relations Marketing Communications Finance

MEDIA:

Logo

The company is one of the first in the U.S. with complete end-to-end gene therapy capabilities in Massachusetts, from research and development to therapeutic production at scale

Quantum-Si Announces the Appointment of Industry Veteran Johan Denecke as Senior Vice President of Operations

BRANFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Quantum-Si Incorporated (Nasdaq: QSI) (“Quantum-Si,” “QSI” or the “Company”), The Protein Sequencing Company™, today announced the appointment of Johan Denecke as Senior Vice President of Operations, effective June 20, 2023. Mr. Denecke will be responsible for scaling up production and driving operational and quality excellence in support of the commercialization of Quantum-Si’s next-generation, single-molecule protein sequencing platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621345723/en/

Mr. Denecke brings more than 20 years of experience as a cross-functional operations executive in engineering, quality assurance and best-in-class manufacturing practices. Having held executive positions in both private and public sectors, including at Illumina as Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering, and Thermo Fisher Scientific as Vice President of Quality Assurance, he brings a wealth of experience to the table. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Atomica where he scaled the organization yielding significant growth, efficiency, and waste reduction.

“Mr. Denecke has a proven track record of leading high-growth, cross-functional teams that have delivered products with quality, speed and cost efficiency,” said Dr. Patrick Schneider, President and Chief Operating Officer of Quantum-Si. “His expertise across multiple aspects of global operations and integrated supply chain strategically positions Quantum-Si for growth as it continues its mission to solve complex biological problems through accessible protein sequencing.”

“With a passion for driving operations excellence, I am honored to serve as a senior member of Quantum-Si’s executive team as we work to optimize our supply chain and increase operational efficiency to drive higher gross margins. I look forward to leveraging my expertise to help the company achieve its strategic goals and deliver innovative solutions to our customers,” said Mr. Denecke.

Mr. Denecke holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Michael McKenna, Ph.D., whose service and leadership were integral to the Company’s product development and pre-revenue stage, will transition out of his role as Executive Vice President of Product Development and Operations at Quantum-Si at the end of July 2023.

About Quantum-Si Incorporated

Quantum-Si, The Protein Sequencing Company^TM, is focused on revolutionizing the growing field of proteomics. The Company’s suite of technologies is powered by a first-of-its-kind semiconductor chip designed to enable next-generation single-molecule protein sequencing and digitize proteomic research in order to advance drug discovery and diagnostics beyond what has been possible with DNA sequencing. Learn more at www.quantum-si.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The actual results of the Company may differ from its expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance and development and commercialization of products and services. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside the Company’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s business; the inability to maintain the listing of the Company’s Class A common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market; the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of the Company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; the Company’s ongoing leadership transition; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of the Company to raise financing in the future; the success, cost and timing of the Company’s product development and commercialization activities; the commercialization and adoption of the Company’s existing products and the success of any product the Company may offer in the future; the potential attributes and benefits of the Company’s commercialized Platinum^TM protein sequencing instrument and the Company’s other products once commercialized; the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for its products, and any related restrictions and limitations of any approved product; the Company’s ability to identify, in-license or acquire additional technology; the Company’s ability to maintain its existing lease, license, manufacture and supply agreements; the Company’s ability to compete with other companies currently marketing or engaged in the development or commercialization of products and services that serve customers engaged in proteomic analysis, many of which have greater financial and marketing resources than the Company; the size and growth potential of the markets for the Company’s products and services, and its ability to serve those markets once commercialized, either alone or in partnership with others the Company’s estimates regarding future expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; the Company’s financial performance; and other risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621345723/en/

Investors

Juan Avendano

[email protected]

Media

Michael Sullivan

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: Connecticut United States North America

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Health Technology Health Semiconductor

MEDIA:

Logo

Photo

(Photo: Business Wire)

FreeWheel Launches TheViewer Experience Lab in Partnership with MediaScience to Help the TV Industry Improve the Ad Environment for Users Across All Video Platforms

Components include the new State of TV Advertising Viewer Experience (VX) Report, a commitment to ongoing VX research, and continued innovation in FreeWheel’s growing suite of VX products.

Advisors include major programmers and streaming-first companiesfrom the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video, including A+E Networks, AMC, FOX, Paramount, Warner Brothers Discovery and NBCUniversal.

CANNES, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Today, FreeWheel, a global technology platform for the television advertising industry, announced that it is spearheading a new initiative, The Viewer Experience Lab, in partnership with MediaScience, a leader in media and advertising innovation, research and technology. The goal of the project is to help media companies ensure a quality experience for viewers across the growing array of traditional and emerging advertising channels that support their premium content.

“Over the past few years, the ability for media companies to provide a uniform, quality experience across all of the diverse platforms into which they now serve advertising has grown exponentially harder,” said Mark McKee, General Manager, FreeWheel. “Couple this with the reality that protecting their relationship with viewers has become paramount in an increasingly competitive ad marketplace, and you can see why we’re committed to helping our clients solve this complex challenge.”

The added intricacy in dynamically serving advertising outside of the traditional linear ad environment, whether on AVOD, FAST or other streaming platforms, can result in problems such as latency, ad repetition, the showing of slate and other unwanted consequences. As a result, both the viewing experience and advertising effectiveness can suffer.

To help address these issues, the goal of FreeWheel’s Viewer Experience Lab is two-fold:

• Conduct quantifiable research to help advertising buyers and sellers understand the impact of different ad experiences on viewer experience and performance, including viewer response to new and evolving ad formats;

• Develop solutions and interoperable technologies fueled by these new insights that allow video content providers to implement best practices and provide seamless ad viewing experiences in a multi-platform, premium video ecosystem.

FreeWheel chose MediaScience as an inaugural research partner to provide bespoke research for The Viewer Experience Lab. MediaScience has one of the strongest track records in the industry for testing new media innovations.

“We have completed extensive research into viewing experience, especially as it relates to the impact on advertising performance, but as the media world changes, our research needs to keep on evolving,” said Dr. Duane Varan, CEO, MediaScience. “We are thrilled that FreeWheel, with the support of its council of leading media companies, has chosen us to spearhead this important initiative.”

As its first output, The Viewer Experience Lab today released a new State of TV Advertising Viewer Experience Report, which is a comprehensive analysis of viewer experience today and an exploration of how our industry should define and approach this important subject.

FreeWheel today provides publishers with many capabilities to enhance the viewer experience, including a system for dynamically adjusting the ad load based on time spent viewing, a dynamic ad scheduler for connected TV (CTV) environments, and the ability to frequency cap across devices within the same household. Moving forward, as part of The Viewer Experience Lab, FreeWheel will use emerging insights and recommendations to enhance and build new products within its VX suite.

Companies supporting the new initiative through their work with the FreeWheel Council for Video Excellence represent the full spectrum of viewing platforms and distribution channels, including A+E Networks, AMC, FOX, NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers Discovery and Paramount.

“Our viewer relationships are at the center of everything we do as a media company and the unique value we are able to deliver to our advertising clients. These relationships are rooted in a viewer-first strategy across a broad, ad-supported distribution ecosystem that spans linear networks, streaming services and emerging, connected TV/FAST platforms,” said Evan Adlman, executive vice president of commercial sales and revenue operations for AMC Networks. “We are focused on offering the best data targeting capabilities across all of our inventories, so having insights into the consumer experience that allow us to deliver the best products is invaluable in this dynamic and changing environment. We are thrilled to partner with FreeWheel in this new and novel effort.”

In addition to launching the State of TV Advertising Viewer Experience Report, FreeWheel and MediaScience have begun work on a custom analysis into viewing experience that will analyze consumers’ responses to viewer experience stimuli in a lab environment and provide best practices for the industry. Initial findings are expected to be released in January 2024.

For additional VX information and access to all VX research, visit https://www.freewheel.com/viewerexperiencelab.

About FreeWheel

FreeWheel empowers all segments of The New TV Ecosystem. We are structured to provide the full breadth of solutions the advertising industry needs to achieve their goals. We provide the technology, data enablement and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, across all data types, and all sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal – results for marketers. With offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, Beijing, and across the globe, FreeWheel, A Comcast Company, stands to advocate for the entire industry through the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video. For more information, please visit freewheel.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About MediaScience

MediaScience is the leading provider of lab-based audience research, incorporating a range of technology and tools to measure human emotion directly, through neurometrics, facial expression analysis, eye tracking, EEG, and more. With state-of-the-art labs in New York, Chicago, and Austin – MediaScience is discovering key insights in advertising, emerging digital technology, media, and consumer trends.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621382233/en/

Media:

Elaine Wong

[email protected]

KEYWORDS: France Europe

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Software Media Networks Internet Data Management Technology Other Communications Marketing Advertising Audio/Video Communications Other Technology Telecommunications

MEDIA:

Logo