Yahoo (YHOO) will start letting advertisers use outside vendors to verify that real humans rather than robots are viewing their ads, taking aim at an issue that continues to irk advertisers as more advertising goes digital. Yahoo on Wednesday announced it’s partnering with several third-party measurement firms that provide “independent viewability and fraud measurement.” Dennis Buchheim, Yahoo vice president of product management, said in a
Electronic sports, or e-sports, have defied skeptical parents everywhere to become a big new category of professional sports. In a report Wednesday, market research firm Newzoo estimates that global e-sports revenue will hit $252 million this year, with a fan base of 113 million enthusiasts. Revenue is forecast to grow 30% year over year in 2015. This revenue includes sponsorships, online advertising, media rights, consumer spending on merchandise and tickets. At e-sports tournaments, teams compete in multiplayer video games, usually strategy, shooting or combat games. Top games played include “League of Legends” from Riot Games, majority owned by Tencent Holdings (TCEHY); “Dota 2” from Valve; and “Call of Duty” and “StarCraft II” from Activision Blizzard (ATVI). North America is the largest and fastest-growing major market, with $93 million in expected revenue this year and year-over-year growth of 32%, Newzoo said. Asia Pacific is a close second with $85 million in…
Cisco Systems (CSCO) is positioned to capitalize on the data center market. So concludes Jeffrey Kvaal, an analyst for Nomura Equity Research, who initiated coverage on the computer networking giant on Wednesday with a neutral rating and a price target of 32. “We view Cisco as well positioned to become the data center winner given its vast customer base, broad vision, and crisp execution,” Kvaal wrote in a research note. “In the near term,