• Apple TV+ launches today on various Apple Inc. products in 100 countries with 15 programs in its initial slate, though fewer than 10 will be immediately available, and the service will work on third-party devices such as Samsung TVs and Amazon set-top boxes. The streaming service, which is starting out at $4.99 a month and is focused exclusively on original content, said it has plans to add more titles on a monthly basis and it is promoting Apple TV+ through TV ads, billboards in major cities and showcasing future shows on its website and social media. (Bloomberg)

• A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Barneys New York Inc. to Authentic Brands Group LLC, which could result in the loss of more than 2,000 jobs as Authentic Brands is likely to shut down nearly all of the Barneys stores and license its name. While a Barneys spokeswoman said that other bidders can still come forward until the sale closes today, Authentic Brands is poised to pay, in conjunction with investment bank B. Riley Financial, just over $271 million for the brand. (The Wall Street Journal)

• Medina Bardhi, who previously served as chief of staff to now-ousted WeWork co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in New York alleging she was discriminated against and twice demoted for being pregnant and said that Neumann referred to her maternity leave as “vacation” or “retirement.” Gwen Rocco, a WeWork spokeswoman, said the company has no tolerance for any sort of discrimination and that WeWork will “vigorously defend itself against” the EEOC complaint. (The New York Times)  

YouTube Advertisers Feature More Men, But Women Draw More Eyeballs
David Cohen, Adweek

Google and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media studied 2.7 million videos uploaded over four years.

The Lyrics to ‘I Will Survive’ Become Powerful Words of Defiance in This Cancer PSA
Shannon Miller, Adweek

Kate Winslet also joins the passion project from U.K. creatives.

BBC Studios Takes Over Spotify to Back Seven Worlds, One Planet
David Cohen, Adweek

BBC Studios is conducting a global first takeover of streaming platform Spotify Thursday to back its new documentary series from David Attenborough, Seven Worlds, One Planet.

How Deadspin Imploded
Marc Tracy, The New York Times 

The last meeting for many of Deadspin’s journalists took place on Wednesday in a conference room adorned with fake black cobwebs, a large spider and bloody handprints beside the words: “HELP US.” 

Direct-to-consumer brands are flooding TV with more ads than ever, but cable networks — not big networks — are the biggest beneficiaries
Lauren Johnson, Business Insider Prime

Big TV networks like NBC and CBS are vying for direct-to-consumer brands ad dollars, but most DTC company TV advertising is going to cable networks, new research from analytics firm iSpot.TV found.

CBS News, ESPN, and The Weather Channel are assembling Quibi teams as Jeffrey Katzenberg’s video-streaming platform gears up for an April 2020 launch
Tanya Dua, Business Insider Prime 

CBS News, ESPN and The Weather Channel are hiring as they ramp up production for the Hollywood veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg’s planned video-streaming service Quibi.

Baseball Fans Are Too Old, Too White and Too Few
Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg

One thrilling World Series can’t make the sport’s viewership problems go away.

Facebook has a new policy on ‘sexual’ emoji (yes, that means the peach)
Lilly Smith, Fast Company

The platform is selectively censoring emoji in an effort, it says, to curb requests for “nude imagery, sex or sexual partners, or sex chat conversations.”

Twitter, Facebook Divergence on Political Ads Shows Tension in Regulating Speech
Emily Glazer, The Wall Street Journal 

Move by Twitter to ban political and issues-based advertisements shows complex challenge in monitoring paid speech.

Brands on Facebook Messenger get three new features to better connect with customers
Amy Gesenhues, Marketing Land 

Businesses will be able to add “icebreakers” – commonly asked questions – to their profile via the API to help jump start conversations with users.

How Mucinex enlisted TikTok creators to push cold medicine
Deanna Ting, Digiday 

Advertisers exploring how to reach people on the hottest, new app, TikTok, might not know where to start in such unfamiliar terrain.

McDonald’s is adding chicken to its breakfast menu next year, opening a new battleground in the chicken sandwich wars with Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s
Kate Taylor, Business Insider 

McDonald’s is adding chicken to its breakfast menu across the US in 2020, according to leaked internal documents viewed by Business Insider.

J.C. Penney Plots a Comeback: Less Clutter, More Yoga Classes
Suzanne Kapner, The Wall Street Journal 

A glimpse at a future for J.C. Penney Co. can be found in Hurst, Texas, where a remodeled store has a fitness studio, a videogame lounge and style classes.

Kraft Heinz Beats Profit Expectations as Sales Slide
Annie Gasparro, The Wall Street Journal 

Shares in the ketchup-and-lunch-meat maker rose despite signs of slack demand. 

McDonald’s Brings Back Retro Happy Meal Toys In A Nostalgic Play To Boost Restaurant Visits
Jessica Wohl, Ad Age

Happy Meal toys parents might remember – Furby, anyone? — will return in November.

Nike just dropped a ’90s-themed collab with Nordstrom’s Olivia Kim, complete with Air Jordan IVs
Lauren Steele, Fast Company

Fashion insider Olivia Kim brought zebra print and bright colors to this ultra-cool throwback line.

Armed For Sales Success, Target Unleashes Holiday Campaign
Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age

Retailer worked with Mother New York on jam-packed anthem spot.

Budweiser Holds ‘funeral’ To Mark The Death Of Utah’s ‘3.2 Beer’ Law
E.J. Shultz, Ad Age

Stores can now sell stronger beers, leaving Minnesota as the only state operating under the Prohibition-era ‘3.2 beer’ rule.

Herschel Supply Turns to Private Equity as Backpack Brand Branches Out
Laura Kreutzer, The Wall Street Journal

Raising outside capital for the first time, the Vancouver-based company sold a minority stake to Eurazeo Brands, Alliance Consumer Growth and a Canadian pension fund affiliate.

Pizza Already Unites the World, But This Progressive Chain Thinks It Can Do More
Shannon Miller, Adweek

MOD Pizza and Observatory created new book about belonging.

PepsiCo looks to boost sartorial brand equity with e-commerce platform
Katie Deighton, The Drum 

PepsiCo is looking to simultaneously strengthen its licensing business and establish its brand as an icon in the fashion world with the launch of a dedicated e-commerce site dubbed House of PepsiCo.

Susan Desmond-Hellmann Steps Down From Facebook’s Board of Directors
David Cohen, Adweek

She had been a member since March 2013.   

How the scrunchie rose and fell and rose again in popularity
Maria Teresa Hart, Vox

From Heathers to VSCO Girls, the scrunchie has always been about far more than hair.

Toward Agelessism: Reflections On Turning 50 In Advertising
Chapin Clark, Ad Age

‘Cultural literacy isn’t like skin elasticity or hair. It’s not something you’re hardwired to lose over time. You do have to maintain a sense of curiosity, however.’

Killing ‘review gating’ doesn’t hurt scores and grows overall volume
Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land

GatherUp’s examination of internal data shows benefits of inclusive process.

In-app advertising: How marketers can take advantage of rising CPMs
Shawn Lim, The Drum 

Effective cost per thousand (eCPM) in the in-app advertising industry saw a 27% increase globally in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the previous year as advertisers’ desire to gain the attention of engaged mobile users soared.