Top News:


Spotify says Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency, launching in 2020, will help subscription services by reducing payment friction and opening new markets — When Facebook officially announced its plans for a new cryptocurrency called Libra Tuesday, it also revealed that Spotify was part …


Advertisers, agencies, and social platforms form the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition to develop methods for protecting brands and consumers — Google, Facebook team up with agencies and advertisers for the Global Alliance for Responsible Media
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, GroupM, @wsjcmo, Reuters, The Hill, @jeffjarvis, TechCrunch and AdExchanger


Amazon's Twitch has acquired social networking platform Bebo, source says for $25M, to bolster its esports business — While Facebook makes a bold move into cryptocurrency to capitalise on its multi-billion user base, a social network that was once a credible competitor to it has quietly been snapped up by a subsidiary of Amazon.
Discussion:
The Drum, The Guardian, @sirslaw_, GeekWire and @mathewi, more at Techmeme »


Eight women accuse Max Landis, the “Bright” screenwriter and son of director John Landis, of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse — Eight accusers have come forward against the ‘Bright’ screenwriter and Hollywood scion alleging a pattern of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse that spans a decade.


Sources: CBS is preparing an offer for Viacom in the coming weeks, following last week's CBS board meeting; Viacom's Bob Bakish likely to lead combined company — Offer could come in coming weeks; hurdles include determining price of stock transaction and picking new leadership team
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Adweek, @benmullin and @taralach, more at Techmeme »


TV station owners CBS, Cox, Scripps, Fox, and Tegna settle Justice Department antitrust charges that they illegally coordinated on sales of local ad spots — CBS, Cox and others agree to stop sharing competitively sensitive information for seven years — A group of five television station owners …
Discussion:
Reuters, U.S. Department of Justice and Broadcasting & Cable


Reuters report: 32% of global respondents, including 41% in US, actively avoid news mainly as it negatively affects their mood, not because they don't trust it — The modern digitally connected human (Homo smartphonicus, identifiable by its trademark slumped shoulders and bleary eyes) …
Discussion:
@shansquared, @b_fung, @nikkiusher, @spj_tweets, @jayrosen_nyu, @dankennedy_nu, @alanmillernlp, @madbair, @newsmary, @michaelkruse, @niemanlab, @amyoleary, @iroughol, Parse.ly, @chanders, @rozmurph, @jbenton and @niemanlab


Orlando Sentinel announces 17 months before the presidential election that it will not endorse Trump, citing his “successful assault on truth” — Donald Trump is in Orlando to announce the kickoff of his re-election campaign. — We're here to announce our endorsement for president in 2020 …
Discussion:
Poynter, @connieschultz, Washington Post, The Week, Splinter, @jaketapper, Fox News, The Independent, @kylegriffin1, @ironstache, Talking Points Memo, @drdenagrayson, Newser, Fast Company, Politico, UPI, Mediaite and Slate


Comcast adds eye control as an accessibility feature to its web-based remote control, says it supports all popular eye gaze hardware and software — Comcast is introducing eye control to its X1 cable platform, a new effort that the company says will improve the experience of watching TV …
Discussion:
Fast Company, VentureBeat, Comcast, @fastcompany, @fastcompany, TechCrunch, Multichannel News, Media Star, Light Reading, UPI and Quartz


After an Atlanta radio host spoke of gender discrimination, she was laid off; she filed a charge with the US EEOC, and now her old boss is out of the newsroom — One afternoon in June 2018, as Alison Tyler listened to the radio on her drive home from work, she realized a familiar voice had disappeared from Atlanta's airwaves.


Father of a child killed at Sandy Hook wins defamation lawsuit against the authors of a book that claimed the shooting never happened; publisher pulls book — HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The father of a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre has won a defamation lawsuit against the authors …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Week, @emilygorcenski, The Inquisitr, New York Post and Media Law Prof Blog


After WarnerMedia's exit from the TV audience targeting platform, OpenAP partners with NCC Media, letting advertisers use OpenAP to buy across NCC's inventory — Advertisers can use the audience targeting platform's segment definitions across NCC's 85 million households
Discussion:
Ad Age, Broadcasting & Cable, PR Newswire, FierceVideo and MediaPost