Top News:
Edmund Lee / Recode:
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.
Discussion:
Home Media Magazine, Bloomberg, @benfoxrubin, Forbes, Adweek, @wsj, @asharma, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable, @edmundlee, @recode, @edmundlee, @pkafka and Reuters
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Wall Street Journal:
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 Hollywood Reporter
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
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.
Bryan West / KPNX:
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, SPLICETODAY.com, The Huffington Post, Infowars, 4C, Politico, @tusk81, @thetowncrier, @rexhuppke, @psbjroby, @patrickseitz, @donnamlarson, @kylegriffin1, @brentnyt, @melbournecoal, @indiecalp, @draperrobert, @jeneps, Newser, Arizona Republic, Shadowproof and The Daily Caller
David Bond / Financial Times:
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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Yuji Nakamura / Bloomberg:
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
Joseph Lichterman / Nieman Lab:
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
Hadas Gold / Politico:
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.
Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
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
Todd Spangler / Variety:
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
Sami Main / Adweek:
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
Max Willens / Digiday:
Time Inc. is launching two contributor networks: Springboard, for events, and Time Inc. Connect, using influencers to create content for editors and advertisers — Time Inc. is increasing its reliance on outside contributors as it seeks to grow its digital footprint and serve ad partners.
Discussion:
@breynoldsmn, @gsterling, @digiday and Media Wire Daily