Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising before you head off for the weekend.
1. Comcast is reportedly scouting "new media" companies for deals. The cable giant has held preliminary talks with several entities including Vice, BuzzFeed, and Business Insider, according to the report.
2. YouTube just launched a redesigned app. The video platform also shared more growth stats.
3. A once-hot startup that raised $4 million and rejected a $50 million Twitter acquisition has shut down. Selfie app Frontback will shut down on August 15.
4. There are thousands of legitimate-looking apps in the Apple, Android, and Windows Phone app stores running a harmful type of ad fraud. A study from Forensiq uncovered thousands of apps engaging in "mobile device hijacking," which could be running up consumers' data costs, and wasting millions of dollars in advertising budgets.
5. Japanese business media group Nikkei has acquired The Financial Times for £844 million ($1.3 billion.) The FT's current owner Pearson says it will now entirely shift its focus to education.
6. Yahoo has finally found a replacement for the sales boss Marissa Mayer fired in January last year. The company has promoted Lisa Utzschneider — who joined from Amazon late last year —to the chief revenue officer role.
7. Mobile pop-up ads that ask you to "Get the App" scare away 69% of users, a Google study found. When the team replaced the "interstitial" with a "Smart App Banner" which promotes an app less glaringly, the results were completely different.
8. Pandora's stock surged Thursday on an earnings beat. The CEO said he's not worried about Apple Music.
9. Apple has a clever idea that could make Apple TV a lot better. A patent application details a system that would allow you to log in and out of an Apple TV with just your fingerprint.
10. Twitter's latest tool for advertisers plays to one of its biggest strengths. The company is rolling out new tools that will capitalize on the frenzy of chatter that often accompanies real-world live events.
