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Sources: a Viacom-CBS merger could require that Shari Redstone vote her shares however CBS head Les Moonves prefers, so he can shore up a struggling Viacom — Les Moonves, the head of CBS, would need assurances on how owner Shari Redstone would vote her shares.
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Home Media Magazine, Bloomberg, @benfoxrubin, Forbes, Adweek, Variety, @wsj, @edmundlee, @recode, @edmundlee, @asharma, @pkafka, Broadcasting & Cable and Reuters
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Sources: Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. bidding to acquire Argentine TV broadcaster Telefe in deal valued at up to $400M — Deal could be worth as much as $400 million, sources say — Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. are among bidders circling Telefónica SA 's Argentine television …
Discussion:
Variety, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Deadline and The Wrap


National Amusements, controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom, publishes letter asking the boards of each company to consider a merger — Sumner Redstone's holding company says it is “not willing to accept or support any acquisition” of Viacom or CBS by a third party.


Arizona Republic says it has gotten death threats and canceled subs over its endorsement of Clinton, the first time it's ever supported a Dem for president — The decision, impact and reasons for endorsing Hillary Clinton. … PHOENIX - The Arizona Republic says it has received death threats …
Discussion:
New York Times, USA Today, @nytimes, @romenesko, Mediaite, Infowars, Politico, 4C, SPLICETODAY.com, @tusk81, @thetowncrier, @rexhuppke, @psbjroby, @patrickseitz, @donnamlarson, @kylegriffin1, @brentnyt, @melbournecoal, @indiecalp, @draperrobert, The Huffington Post, @jeneps, Newser, Arizona Republic and Shadowproof


Daily Mail owner DMGT says print advertising down 12%, digital up 17%, as it more than triples cost cutting from £15M to £50M amid challenging market conditions — Daily Mail and General Trust will make deeper cuts in staff and other operating costs as part of a strategic review …
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INMA survey of 37 news executives from Europe and the US finds that Facebook accounts for about 30% of total visits to their websites on average — For publishers, Facebook is the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room: They know they have to deal with it, but they aren't always sure of the best strategy for approach.
Discussion:
INMA, @niemanlab, @inmaeurope, @lauraelizdavis, @shansquared, @bubbaatkinson, @earljwilkinson, @earljwilkinson and @noahchestnut


Spotify launches in Japan with free ad-supported tier and an ad-free version at $9.70/month — Company will offer free service supported by advertising — Spotify has more than 40 million paying customers globally — Spotify Ltd. is bringing its popular online music service to Japan …
Discussion:
@vilavbhatt, @crtrud, @stanyee, MacRumors, Engadget and TechCrunch


CNN's Corey Lewandowski no longer receiving severance payments from the Trump campaign; a source says the remainder of his contract was paid off in one lump sum — Former Donald Trump campaign manager and now CNN contributor Corey Lewandowski is no longer receiving severance payments from the campaign.


Trade organization NCTA cancels its annual trade show after 65 year run as industry consolidates and its relevance declines — The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the trade group representing major cable operators and programmers, announced that it will no longer hold an annual convention.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable


Russian hackers harassed Bellingcat journalists who were investigating Malaysia Airlines crash — Russian government hackers began targeting a British citizen journalist in February 2015, eight months after he began posting evidence documenting alleged Russian government involvement …
Discussion:
@danlamothe, @nakashimae, @eliothiggins and Instapundit


Video Advertising Bureau report: 87% of streaming is done by only 6% of the US population — Hulu and Netflix have become the cereal aisle of streaming services. There are thousands of options for thousands of different tastes. And with the influx of original content available …
Discussion:
@zimbalist and @mathewi


The Times of London retiring Times Weekly, its $3.99/month app launched in January to reach international readers; last edition will be published on October 31 — The Times of London on Thursday said it was shutting down its Times Weekly app, a subscription app that the British paper launched …