Mediagazer: Sources: Meta is exploring whether to show ads in WhatsApp and charge a subscription fee to use the app without ads; WhatsApp denies working on such a feature (Financial Times)

Top News:

Sources: Disney held talks exploring selling its ABC network and TV stations to Nexstar Media Group, which has 200 owned or partner TV stations in 116 markets — Walt Disney Co. has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to local broadcaster Nexstar Media Group Inc. …

Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:

Source: Byron Allen submits a preliminary $10B offer to Disney to acquire its ABC TV network, local stations, and the FX and National Geographic cable channels — - Disney said it hasn't made any decisions on sale of properties — Media mogul has made unsuccessful offers for other assets

Discussion: CNN, The Messenger, Cord Cutters News, The Verge, Next TV and Reuters

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Sources including ABC News staffers describe a feeling of dread and trepidation inside ABC; employees say they heard news of a possible sale from the press — Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review

Emma Roth / The Verge:

TikTok and Billboard launch the TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart to track the most popular songs on the app each week in the US, refreshed every Thursday morning — TikTok is partnering with Billboard to launch a top 50 chart that tracks the most popular songs on the platform.

Discussion: Billboard, TikTok, Music Ally, CNET, MediaPost, The Messenger, Billboard, Forbes, TMZ.com, TechCrunch and Variety

Haroon Siddique / The Guardian:

MailOnline to pay BBC presenter Gabby Logan and her husband “substantial damages” over false claims; ex-Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie will pay damages for a tweet — Payout relates to article that wrongly claimed pair had received £500,000 to promote tax avoidance schemes

Financial Times:

Sources: Meta is exploring whether to show ads in WhatsApp and charge a subscription fee to use the app without ads; WhatsApp denies working on such a feature — Talks are at an early stage, sources say, as Facebook parent looks for new ways to increase revenue

Discussion: @edzitron, @wcathcart and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Alyssa Boyle / AdExchanger:

Q&A with Rob Emrich, executive chairman of ad tech platform Infillion, on his plans for ad tech company MediaMath, which Infillion bought out of bankruptcy — Infillion is finally unveiling its intentions for MediaMath after buying the company out of bankruptcy during an auction last month.

Discussion: @kerrymflynn, Digiday, Insider and Axios

Joe Otterson / Variety:

Study: US major streamers canceled TV series at a combined average rate of 12.2% from 2020 to 2023; Max had the highest rate at 26.9%, Apple TV+, the lowest — WBD's Max wielded the heaviest ax from 2020 to 2023 while Apple TV+ was most merciful — The Streaming Era began with a promise …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

Hulu launches Top 15 Today, updated daily to list trending movies and TV shows; source: the list uses a formula weighing viewership, popularity surges, and more — Hulu is finally getting into the numbers game — but on its own terms. Vulture has learned that the Disney-owned streamer …

Discussion: Variety, The Verge, Decider, 9to5Google, The Streamable, The Walt Disney Company and Cord Cutters News

Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:

The WGA and studios agree to resume labor negotiations next week, in a meeting that would be their first since August 22 — Date for discussions has yet to be determined, AMPTP says — The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to resume negotiations next week.

Discussion: Variety, GLAAD, UPI, @lucas_shaw, @slack2thefuture, Los Angeles Times, Bleeding Cool News, TVLine, IndieWire, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Pixis, which sells AI tools that help marketers run and monitor campaigns, raised an $85M Series C1 led by Touring Capital, taking its total funding to $209M — Pixis, an AI-powered platform for brands to monitor and orchestrate their marketing campaigns, today announced that it raised $85 million …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney expects to fall far short of its Disney+ subscriber target for 2024, set in mid-2022; its Charter deal will add millions, at a reduced price — Walt Disney Co. expects to fall tens of millions of subscribers short of its last publicly stated 2024 target for the Disney+ streaming service …

Discussion: The Wrap and New York Times