ViacomCBS International Studios Appoints Kate Laffey as Vice President

VIACOMCBS INTERNATIONAL STUDIOS APPOINTS

KATE LAFFEY AS VICE PRESIDENT

NEW YORK, NEW YORK August 10, 2020 – ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS), a division of ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), announces the appointment of Kate Laffey as Vice President, ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS), effective immediately. Based in London, Laffey will report to Pierluigi Gazzolo, President, Studios and Streaming, ViacomCBS Networks International.

With direct oversight of all international studio development, production and commercial for VIS centrally, Laffey’s primary focus will be on growing VIS’ global studio footprint in all regions internationally. Laffey will collaborate closely with the company’s domestic and cluster studio leads by sourcing the best local hits and expanding them globally to create a unified global business.

Laffey will have oversight of an expanded central team that will include international development and production and will lead VIS UK’s scripted sourcing for export. Laffey will also align closely with VIS’ tape sales division, led by Lauren Marriott, as the company continues to grow its business around the world.

Laffey previously served as Vice President of Acquisitions at Cineflix Media’s UK-based distribution arm, Cineflix Rights, where she played a first-hand role in expanding the company’s third-party content offerings.

Prior to that position, Laffey served as a Senior Acquisitions Executive at ITV, where she was responsible for acquiring scripted and non-scripted content from third party producers, while also overseeing third party development and first look deals.

Pierluigi Gazzolo stated: “ViacomCBS International Studios has seen nearly 50 percent average revenue growth since inception, and with this steady growth, our studio business continues to play a crucial role in ViacomCBS’ overall content ecosystem. The phrase ‘Content is King’ has never been more pertinent than in today’s global streaming landscape, and I am confident that Kate will be a driving force in the evolution of our business for the future.”

Kate Laffey stated: “I’m excited to join ViacomCBS International Studios during such a critical time in our industry’s evolution. As the company readies for the future, I see tremendous potential to grow its international formats business and capitalize on strategic opportunities to support VIS’ continued advancement.”

ABOUT VIACOMCBS INTERNATIONAL STUDIOS (VIS)

Introduced in 2018, ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) is a division of ViacomCBS Networks International that produces content for ViacomCBS brands and platforms, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Channel, Channel 5, Network 10, Telefe and Porta Dos Fundos, as well as for third parties. VIS global sales include original productions, co-productions, formats sold for local adaptations, and sale of ready-made content. The content that VIS produces covers all genres, from soap operas to dramas, short and long-form comedy formats and, feature film productions.

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H/T: C21 Media.

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ViacomCBS, Disney, Others Will Limit Data Collection To Settle Children's Privacy Battle

Disney, ViacomCBS (formally Viacom) and other companies have agreed to limit data collection and behavioral advertising techniques in children's apps, to settle privacy lawsuits brought by parents.

“Children will be protected from advertising based on any past online activities or any previously collected data in the subject app or anywhere else on the internet,” class counsel writes in papers filed last week with U.S. District Court Judge James Donato in San Francisco.

“No personal data collected from a current app session can be used in any manner to target that user in future sessions in the same app, across other apps, or elsewhere on the internet,” the lawyers write in a motion asking Donato to grant the deal preliminary approval.

The plaintiff's attorneys expect to seek more than $9 million in fees and expenses.

The companies said in April that they had agreed to resolve the lawsuits, but details of the settlements were only unveiled until last week.

The potential settlement stems from three lawsuits dating to 2017, when parents whose children played gaming apps sued a host of businesses -- including Disney, Viacom, gaming developer Kiloo, and outside ad tech companies for allegedly violating young children's privacy by harvesting their data for ad-targeting purposes.

The complaints, brought in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleged that a number of gaming apps -- including Disney's Princess Palace Pets and Nickelodeon's Llama Spit Spit, based on a game featured in Game Shakers -- were embedded with tracking software from mobile ad-tech companies.

The parents said the ad-tech companies collected identifiers (like the Android Advertising ID) as well as data used for device fingerprinting (including the user’s language, time zone, and mobile network).

The following year, the parents also named Comscore and Twitter's MoPub as defendants.

The parents claimed the companies violated a principle prohibiting "intrusion upon seclusion" -- which involves violating people's expectations of privacy in a "highly offensive" way.

The parents specifically alleged that the companies designed apps "to surreptitiously obtain, improperly gain knowledge of, review, and/or retain" users' activity.

The class-action complaint also contended that the alleged data collection violated a California privacy law as well as the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The federal law prohibits web companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without their parents' consent.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is tasked with enforcement, has said persistent cookies and device identifiers fall within the law's definition of personal data.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) doesn't empower individuals to sue for damages, but the parents argued that law's restrictions prove that the alleged data collection practices are "highly offensive."

Most of the companies that were sued allegedly engaged or facilitated behavioral advertising.

By contrast, the allegations against Comscore focused more on its alleged market research techniques. That company's ScoreCardResearch allegedly embedded tracking code for market research purposes in Disney's “Where's My Water?” app.

The propsed settlement requires Comscore to take steps aimed at insuring it isn't collecting data from children.

Disney, Viacom and the other companies previously urged Donato to dismiss the case, arguing that the alleged tracking didn't cause any concrete injury.

Donato rejected that argument last year, citing shifting privacy norms.

“Current privacy expectations are developing, to say the least, with respect to a key issue raised in these cases -- whether the data subject owns and controls his or her personal information, and whether a commercial entity that secretly harvests it commits a highly offensive or egregious act,” Donato wrote.

Source: MediaPost.

From USA Herald:

Disney, Viacom to settle child privacy class-action lawsuit

The Walt Disney Company, along with Nickelodeon, the parent company of Viacom, and others have agreed to settle with parents who filed a 2017 class-action lawsuit against them.

The agreement has been submitted to U.S. District Court Judge James Donato in the Northern District of California. The class-action complaints were brought by parents for violations of their children’s privacy rights.

There have been several high-profile cases regarding privacy concerns lately. Online users’ private data is at risk of being harvested for advertising purposes, and it would seem that even children are not safe.

The defendants here are a group of media and tech companies who have agreed to change how children’s data is collected and how it is used across their apps and games. And to practice new and stricter business practices to assure compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The lawsuit against Viacom, Walt Disney Company, and others alleges that the personal data of children was misused. Data is collected when children download and play the defendants’ apps and games. Embedded advertising software then gathers and sends the data to networks of advertisers.

The advertising networks use that data to target children. Both the gaming app developers and their ad partners share the revenue generated from the alleged breach of privacy.

“Current privacy expectations are developing, to say the least, with respect to a key issue raised in these cases — whether the data subject owns and controls his or her personal information, and whether a commercial entity that secretly harvests it commits a highly offensive or egregious act,” Judge Donato said last year when he ruled the case should go forward.

The plaintiffs issued a statement calling the settlement an “excellent result.” They feel certain that the agreement to restrict the collection and use of children’s data will affect “fundamental principles” reinforcing COPPA and further protect children from being exploited online for marketing purposes.

The parents are hopeful that the restrictions on the apps named in the suit will set a precedent. And can be used against the developers of thousands of other apps and games that harvest private data as a marketing tool.

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From Teller Report:

Disney and Nickelodeon promise to collect less data from children

Disney, Nickelodeon parent company Viacom and a number of other companies have reached a settlement in a case regarding the collection of children's data through apps and games, Law360 reports Thursday. The companies promise to collect less data from children.

The media companies agreed to restrictions on advertising and data collection in apps primarily aimed at children. These restrictions apply specifically to six apps, but can affect thousands of other apps and games.

American Amanda Rushing went to court last year, as many Nickelodeon and Disney mobile games collected her child's data. This data was used to show targeted advertisements.

The lawsuit is a so-called class action, or group claim, in which several parents could join. According to the parents, the companies broke the law because they never explicitly asked for permission to collect their children's data.

The parents call the settlement an "excellent result". According to them, the settlement causes some minor changes, but they affect "fundamental principles". This concerns the restriction of the collection and use of children's data and the setting of stricter requirements.

In addition, the parents say that the restrictions for these six apps can be used as a means of coercion against the makers of thousands of other apps and games.

The companies have not yet responded to the settlement.

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More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!

Originally published: Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

Additional source: nuul.

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Nickelodeon UK Ratings For Week Of Monday 27th July - Sunday 2nd August 2020

Nickelodeon UK Network Ratings for week of Monday 27th July - Sunday 2nd August 2020

Viewing figures across Nickelodeon and Nicktoons were up over the previous week, according to BARB data, with The Thundermans and The Loud House taking the top spots, respectively. Ratings were down over the previous week on Nickelodeon's preschool channels, Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. Too, with Peppa Pig and PAW Patrol taking the top spots, respectively.

Nickelodeon Total:

1. THE THUNDERMANS (SUN 10:00) - 108,200
2. VICTORIOUS (SAT 12:31) - 75,800
3. VICTORIOUS (SAT 13:00) - 63,300
4. VICTORIOUS (SAT 13:31) - 61,000
5. VICTORIOUS (SAT 15:00) - 60,700
6. VICTORIOUS (SAT 14:00) - 56,600
7. HORRID HENRY (SUN 07:00) - 49,400
8. HORRID HENRY (SUN 06:43) - 49,400
9. THE THUNDERMANS (WED 17:00) - 46,200
10. HORRID HENRY (WED 16:43) - 45,200
11. VICTORIOUS (SAT 14:31) - 43,300
12. VICTORIOUS (SAT 12:00) - 40,300
13. HORRID HENRY (MON 06:15) - 39,600
14. THE THUNDERMANS (TUE 12:31) - 38,100
15. THE THUNDERMANS (TUE 12:00) - 37,900

NickToons Total:

1. THE LOUD HOUSE (WED 06:44) - 128,400
2. THE LOUD HOUSE (THU 06:29) - 125,800
3. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 06:44) - 121,500
4. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (FRI 15:15) - 113,600
5. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (FRI 15:00) - 112,800
6. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 06:29) - 110,600
7. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 07:14) - 110,100
8. THE LOUD HOUSE (THU 06:44) - 110,100
9. THE LOUD HOUSE (WED 06:59) - 106,100
10. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (FRI 14:45) - 105,100
11. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 06:59) - 101,800
12. THE LOUD HOUSE (THU 06:14) - 100,500
13. THE LOUD HOUSE (THU 06:00) - 97,000
14. ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNKS (FRI 15:29) - 96,500
15. THE LOUD HOUSE (FRI 07:14) - 91,700

Nick Jr. Total:

1. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:34) - 187,200
2. PAW PATROL (SAT 11:01) - 158,200
3. PEPPA PIG (TUE 10:50) - 142,200
4. PEPPA PIG (TUE 07:19) - 141,600
5. PEPPA PIG (SAT 07:04) - 133,300
6. PEPPA PIG (SAT 06:59) - 126,700
7. PAW PATROL (SAT 10:45) - 118,600
8. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:49) - 112,100
9. BLUE'S CLUES & YOU (FRI 08:30) - 107,700
10. PAW PATROL (SAT 10:30) - 100,800
11. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:29) - 100,100
12. PAW PATROL (SAT 10:15) - 98,700
13. PAW PATROL (SAT 11:15) - 94,200
14. PAW PATROL (TUE 20:29) - 92,500
15. PEPPA PIG (THU 14:14) - 91,400

Nick Jr. Too:

1. PAW PATROL (SUN 17:45) - 110,300
2. PEPPA PIG (FRI 13:14) - 104,000
3. PAW PATROL (FRI 15:59) - 102,100
4. PEPPA PIG (MON 16:50) - 98,200
5. PEPPA PIG (FRI 22:15) - 97,500
6. PEPPA PIG (SUN 16:44) - 95,600
7. 44 CATS (FRI 16:14) - 94,300
8. PEPPA PIG (FRI 15:50) - 94,300
9. PEPPA PIG (FRI 16:30) - 94,300
10. PEPPA PIG (FRI 16:35) - 94,300
11. PEPPA PIG (SUN 16:35) - 90,800
12. PEPPA PIG (SUN 16:30) - 90,800
13. PEPPA PIG (SUN 16:20) - 90,800
14. PEPPA PIG (SUN 16:15) - 90,800
15. 44 CATS (SUN 15:59) - 90,800

Note: Nick Jr. Too is listed as Nick Jr 2 on BARB.

Nickelodeon Network:

1. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:34) - Nick Jr Total - 187,200
2. PAW PATROL (SAT 11:01) - Nick Jr Total - 158,200
3. PEPPA PIG (TUE 10:50) - Nick Jr Total - 142,200
4. PEPPA PIG (TUE 07:19) - Nick Jr Total - 141,600
5. PEPPA PIG (SAT 07:04) - Nick Jr Total - 133,300
6. THE LOUD HOUSE (WED 06:44) - NickToons Total - 128,400
7. PEPPA PIG (SAT 06:59) - Nick Jr Total - 126,700
8. THE LOUD HOUSE (THU 06:29) - NickToons Total - 125,800
9. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 06:44) - NickToons Total - 121,500
10. PAW PATROL (SAT 10:45) - Nick Jr Total - 118,600
11. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (FRI 15:15) - NickToons Total - 113,600
12. LEGO CITY ADVENTURES (FRI 15:00) - NickToons Total - 112,800
13. PEPPA PIG (WED 10:49) - Nick Jr Total - 112,100
14. THE LOUD HOUSE (TUE 06:29) - NickToons Total - 110,600
15. PAW PATROL (SUN 17:45) - Nick Jr 2 - 110,300

Ratings data provided by BARB.

Programmes of less than 5 minutes duration are excluded from these reports.

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