What you need to know in advertising today

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by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Twenty-two regional sports networks are expected to come up for
sale soon, and the very companies leading the cord-cutting
revolution could end up bidding for these linear-television
networks.

It’s all part of Disney’s deal to buy assets from
21st Century Fox. The US Department of Justice approved
Disney’s proposed purchase with one big condition:
that Disney
sell the regional sports networks that Fox
owns to avoid anticompetitive conflicts,
given its majority ownership of ESPN.

The size of the RSNs coming to market has attracted broad
interest from buyers. Fox has 22 networks and analysts have
predicted they could draw as much as $20 billion in value. While
traditional broadcasters like Sinclair are among the parties
interested in purchasing the RSNs, Amazon and Youtube have also
expressed interest, according to Bloomberg.

These two tech companies are seemingly unlikely players in the
regional media buyer space. To read more about why this move
actually might make sense for Amazon and YouTube,

click here.

In other news:

Facebook is warning 4 million users that another app may
have mishandled their data. It took action on
“myPersonality” after it failed to submit to the Facebook app
auditing process.

Speaking of Facebook, one of the company’s key dealmakers
is leaving the company to be with his family in
Hawaii. Facebook VP of Partnerships Dan Rose is
leaving the company early next year, he says.

Google wants to help people suffering from “negative news
fatigue.” People who use Google Assistant can
now say “Hey Google, tell me something good,” and Google
Assistant will then provide a brief summary of stories about
“people who are solving problems for our communities and our
world.”

BuzzFeed is making another live TV show for Twitter
following ‘AM to DM.’ Made in London, weekly show
“#What2Watch” will tell viewers what they should be watching on
television and online, on services like Netflix.

Brands are direct-messaging 13-year-olds on Instagram to
promote products without a contract. According
to a
report by the Atlantic’s Taylor Lorenz on
Wednesday, small startup brands are apparently paying between $5
and $20 for teens to post sponsored content. 

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said he was taught to be seen, but
not heard — which is why he can be so shy with his
employees. Until recently, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel
never presided over companywide meetings, and he rarely
interacted with employees, according to a new Bloomberg report.