Mediagazer: Pluto TV, which wants to build a Spotify-like free service for TV content, has raised $8.3M in a round led by Samsung's venture capital arm (Todd Spangler/Variety)

4:00 PM ET, October 17, 2017

Top News:

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

Harvey Weinstein resigns from Weinstein Company board during Tuesday meeting, still holds 22% of company stock — Harvey Weinstein resigned Tuesday from the Weinstein Co. board of directors, as the company continues to try to distance itself from the disgraced mogul.

Discussion: Variety, Deadline, The New York Observer, CNNMoney, Deadline and IndieWire

Business Wire:
The Weinstein Company announces investment from Colony Capital, says it's in talks about selling all or part of the company

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Gothamist, @raju, Variety, Associated Press, Vanity Fair, Crain's New York Business, The New York Observer, The Daily Caller, Polygon, Variety and TVWeek.com

The Guardian:

Son of murdered investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia accuses the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and others of being “complicit” in her murder — Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed because she ‘stood between rule of law and those who sought to violate it’, says son Matthew

Press Gazette:

Mexican broadcast journalist Cecilia Mendez shot dead on her way home from work, on the same day Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed — A journalist was shot dead in Mexico on her way home from working on a TV programme. — Cecilia Mendez was driving her red Mazda …

Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed:

Content recommendation ad network Outbrain is investigating whether Russian ads or other forms of meddling occurred on its platform during 2016 election — The content recommendation ad network Outbrain, whose clicky content sprawls across the web, is investigating whether Russian ads …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, Fast Company, @buzzfeedben, @nycsouthpaw, @kylegriffin1 and @jwherrman

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:

Verizon FiOS pulls Univision's signal amid new distribution talks, says Univision seeks more than double what they currently charge for access — Both sides unable to come to terms on new distribution agreement — Spanish-language broadcaster Univision has gone dark in Verizon FiOS homes Monday afternoon …

Discussion: KABE-LP, Multichannel News, Verizon Forums, Cablefax, Variety, TVNewser, Deadline, Radio & Television … and Consumerist

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:

Industry gatekeepers like Harvey Weinstein and The New York Times have less power thanks to proliferation of online entertainment and news sources — I'd be remiss in not stating the obvious: Harvey Weinstein is a despicable human being, who did evil things.

Discussion: People.com, The Guardian, @kottke, @carljackmiller, @rjs, @randw, @dannynemer, Fortune, Vox, The Daily Caller, The Wrap, The Loop, Slate and Gothamist

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Snap and NBCUniversal form studio joint venture, with 50-50 ownership, to create original programs for mobile devices, announce first deal with Duplass brothers — Snap and NBCUniversal are creating a Hollywood studio dedicated to the future of app-centric entertainment.

Discussion: The Wrap, Ad Age, Hollywood Reporter, The New York Observer, Engadget, TechCrunch, FierceCable, Wall Street Journal, City A.M. and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

New York Times:

Some say China's increasingly tight control of online content is vindicated as US probes foreign digital influence amid its election — HULUNBUIR, China — In the United States, some of the world's most powerful technology companies face rising pressure to do more to fight false information and stop foreign infiltration.

Discussion: @naval, @jwherrman, @davewiner, @davewiner, @benthompson, @lukeccp, @benthompson, SupChina and Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check

Ken Doctor / TheStreet:

A look at the staff, programming, and revenue at The Daily, The New York Times news podcast, which has passed 100M downloads — Within nine months of its launch, it looks like The New York Times (NYT) has more than a success on its hands. “The Daily” is becoming a phenomenon …

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @mathewi and @rafat

Mike Shields / Business Insider:

Google wants to expand into the TV ad market with its ad-serving technology; CBS All Access and Bloomberg Media are both using it — - Google wants to become an integral player in the TV ad landscape. — The company is trying to get TV companies to adopt its video ad tech software …

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Pluto TV, which wants to build a Spotify-like free service for TV content, has raised $8.3M in a round led by Samsung's venture capital arm — Pluto TV, the startup aiming to build a Spotify-like free service for TV content, has received $5 million in funding from Samsung Venture Investment Corp. …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Radio & Television … and Cord Cutters News

Tony Romm / Recode:

In a subtle rebuke of Trump, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says his agency does not have the authority to revoke networks' licenses based on content of a newscast — Ajit Pai broke his days of silence at an event Tuesday — Breaking days of silence, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai subtly shot …

Discussion: Washington Post and Forbes

The Guardian:

ESPN host Samantha Ponder calls out Barstool Sports over sexist commentary, after the network announced a partnership with the sports publication — ESPN's decision to partner with members of Barstool Sports, a publication known for its crude humour and sexist jokes, has already been met …

Discussion: @sam_ponder, USA Today, @sam_ponder, The Big Lead and @claytravis