Advertising news today: Facebook earnings, Comcast cord-cutting

Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg
(Photo by Drew
Angerer/Getty Images)

Facebook’s revenue came in lighter than expected during the third
quarter, but Wall Street breathed a big sigh of relief that users
in the US did not flee the social network in droves after a
string of scandals.

Facebook’s daily users in the US — its most valuable market —
flatlined at 185 million during the three months ended September
30, the same level as at the end of Q2.

Not long ago such a lack of growth would have been considered a
big cause for concern among Facebook investors. But in a sign of
how low the expectations have become, investors celebrated the
fact a feared user exodus did not materialize.

Click here to read more about Facebook’s
third-quarter earnings.

In other news:

‘The cord is still intact’: A Comcast exec explains why
America’s largest TV provider can survive the death of cable
TV. “Some say the future of TV is apps — we really
believe it is more and more around aggregation,” Matt Strauss,
the executive vice president of Xfinity Services, said.

Brands are demanding more sophisticated measurement for
TV ads — and a startup claims to have cracked the code by using
advertisers’ own data. VideoAmp’s platform plugs
into TV viewership, digital ad logs, and set-top data to help
brands plan out how much they should be spending in TV.

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark says there’s a forgotten
weapon in the online information war — and he’s putting his money
where his mouth is. Newmark, founder of craigslist
and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, writes about why local news is
vital to maintaining a healthy democracy.

Facebook approved fake political ads ‘paid for’ by
Cambridge Analytica. Business Insider ran two fake
ads listed as “paid for by” the defunct political consultancy
Cambridge Analytica, despite the fact Cambridge Analytica is
banned from Facebook.

‘#StopLying’: Steve Madden slams Nicki Minaj on Twitter
as the rapper’s feud with Cardi B escalates. On
Monday, Nicki Minaj claimed that Steve Madden originally
approached her for a partnership, but eventually made a deal with
Cardi B instead.

Ad veteran Bob Greenberg is stepping down from agency
R/GA after 40 years, reports Adweek. US president
Sean Lyons will succeed Greenberg.