Top News:


eMarketer forecast: video ad spending in the US will grow ~30% to $27.82B in 2018, making up 25% of US digital ad spending, with Facebook capturing ~24.5% of it — Facebook dominates with a quarter share — This year will mark a milestone for digital video advertising in the US, according to eMarketer's latest ad spending forecast.
Discussion:
Marketing Land


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the State Department has contacted Saudi officials about Khashoggi case and calls on Saudi Arabia to support investigation — The State Department confirmed Monday that it has spoken with Saudi Arabia's government regarding the disappearance of a Saudi journalist …
Discussion:
Reuters, @wrightr, @karaswisher and @guyverhofstadt
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US official: Turkish investigators believe Kamal Khashoggi's body was dismembered, removed in boxes, and flown out of the country — ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Monday that Saudi Arabia prove that journalist Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on his own …
Discussion:
The Week, @karenattiah, @abuhilalah and Mediaite


Condé Nast is launching a new eight-episode series called “Risky Biz”, which was inspired by an article in The New Yorker, on Facebook Watch on Oct 21 — Facebook Watch will soon be home to a new unscripted series from Condé Nast Entertainment.


Ex-White House Director of Communications Hope Hicks has been named head of corporate communications for New Fox — Hope Hicks, the former White House communications director who served during the chaotic first year of the Trump administration, has been named head of corporate communications for New Fox …
Discussion:
21st Century Fox, CNN, The Week, CBS News, @grynbaum, @jbflint, @jbflint, @lehmannchris, @philippereines, @sdkstl, @sdkstl, @lucas_shaw, @scout_finch, @pbump, Fortune, NBC News, CNBC, Slate, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Media Matters for America, Newser, USA Today, Adweek, Broadcasting & Cable and CNBC


Walmart's streaming service Vudu strikes deal with MGM, under which it will create original series based on MGM's catalog of TV and film franchises — Streaming service also plans to launch ‘shoppable’ video ads in Q4 — Walmart, America's biggest bricks-and-mortar retailer, is taking its first crack at original entertainment.


As the smartest minds in science issue dire warnings about climate change, the press must cover the environment like it's the only story that matters — After a week of dire news — the certainty of our ruptured nation, the likelihood of a journalist being murdered — the United Nations' report …
Discussion:
Poynter, CNN, @un_jwfowler, @dino_grandoni, @cherylrofer, @mlcalderone, Al Jazeera English and NPR


Hindustan Times political editor and bureau chief Prashant Jha resigns after allegations of sexual harassment from a former colleague — Prashant Jha's name surfaced in an account posted as part of a Twitter thread that started last week and encouraged many women to name and shame people who had allegedly sexually harassed them
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Netflix is in final negotiations to purchase an eight sound stage production studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says it will create up to 1,000 jobs per year — - Streaming giant is in final talks for New Mexico facility ABQ — Company to create 1,000 jobs, spend $1 billion on production


Disney taps longtime Fox executives, Peter Rice and Dana Walden, to lead non-sports TV operations; Fox's John Landgraf and Gary E. Knell also move to Disney — Top 21st Century Fox television executives Peter Rice, Dana Walden, John Landgraf, and Gary E. Knell are officially headed to the Magic Kingdom.
Discussion:
NBC News, Broadcasting & Cable, Deadline, CNBC, MarketWatch, PR Newswire, Hollywood Reporter, Ad Age, New York Times, The Wrap, Radio & Television …, Deadline and Los Angeles Times


NBCUniversal launches WatchBack, an app that gives viewers a chance to win prizes; non-exclusive video includes full-length shows, clips, and digital series — The idea behind WatchBack is for the media giant to learn about consumption habits, data that is often not available to NBC when someone watches a show on linear television.
Discussion:
Variety, @tedgioia, Light Reading, Multichannel News, FierceVideo, Engadget and The Drum


Forbes partners with journalism blockchain network Civil to become the first major media company to experiment with publishing stories to the blockchain — Forbes, the century-old business publisher, is joining forces with Civil, a journalism blockchain network, to become the first major media company …
Discussion:
Civil


WeChat posts the top ten rumors every month so it can debunk them, and also offers a mini program to assist in debunking rumors, used by 300,000 people/day — In China, WeChat has become a primary news source for Chinese internet users, just as Facebook in the West.
Discussion:
@blackamazon and Fortune