Thursday Wake-Up Call: Bye, ‘Big Bang Theory.’ Plus, Apple scolds Facebook | Advertising

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device. Search for “Ad Age” under “Skills” in the Alexa app. What people are talking about today: “The Big Bang Theory” will end after its 12th season, which starts Sept. 24. The makers of the CBS hit about loveable nerds say it will have aired 279 episodes by the end, making it the longest longest-running multi-camera comedy in TV history, as Ad Age’s Anthony Crupi writes. Also, he notes that “‘Big Bang’ ratings are consistently stellar, which has allowed the network to squeeze more than $1 billion out of advertisers over the life of the series.” In a joint statement, Warner Bros. Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions promised to “deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close.” In other words, it will go out with a bang.

Disappearing app

Apple told Facebook that one of its apps was violating the company’s policies on data collection, and Facebook removed it from Apple’s app store, The Wall Street Journal reports. Facebook bought the security app, Onavo Protect, in 2013. It offers users a virtual private network to browse online with more privacy, but Facebook acknowledged using Onavo data to keep tabs on how people use other apps on their phones. The Journal says “data from Onavo has helped shape Facebook’s product and acquisition strategy, paving the way for its 2014 purchase of WhatsApp and push into live video in 2016, among other efforts.”

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