• PepsiCo Inc. halted production of Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew in Russia roughly six months after the company said it would stop the sales and production of its products in the country due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The announcement came after Reuters found Pepsi products that were produced in Russian factories in July and August at dozens of businesses in Moscow and other areas of the country. (Reuters)
• YouTube will begin to pay creators next year a segment of advertising revenue from its Shorts category based on the number of views a short-form video receives, the company’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan said, as the platform tries to gain ground on TikTok. Under the new model, creators will receive 45% of the monthly ad revenue generated by Shorts, which receive 30 billion daily views, Mohan said. (CNBC)
• Gap Inc. is cutting about 500 corporate jobs, mainly in its New York, San Francisco and Asia offices, according to people familiar with the matter. In addition to layoffs, the clothing company, which is dealing with declining sales and profits, is also reportedly eliminating job openings across multiple divisions. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Starting Oct. 18, Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch will ban live streaming gambling sites that “aren’t licensed either in the US or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection,” the company said. The decision to block sites like Stake.com, Rollbit and Duelbits.com arrives after backlash against Twitch personalities’ recent multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals with gambling properties. (Bloomberg)

A Clear Majority of Book Readers Support Casting Actors of Color in ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘The Rings of Power’

Morning Consult

Walmart Connect expands with TikTok, Snap

Ryan Barwick, Marketing Brew

Executives at Walmart are learning those embarrassing dances only teenagers should know.

This Ad’s for You (Not Your Neighbor) 

Natasha Singer, The New York Times 

Over the last few weeks, tens of thousands of voters in the Detroit area who watch streaming video services were shown different local campaign ads pegged to their political leanings.

Golden Globes to return to NBC in January after year off-air

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 

After a year spent off-air, the Golden Globe Awards are returning to NBC in January, as the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association seeks a primetime comeback after more than a year of turmoil.

Spotify Makes a Bet on Audiobooks 

Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris, The New York Times 

The streaming service that transformed the music industry is expanding into audiobooks, and will offer more than 300,000 titles on a pay-per-book model.

MLB, NBA and NHL may buy biggest owner of regional sports TV networks: sources 

Josh Kosman, New York Post

MLB, the NBA and the NHL may orchestrate a buyout of the nation’s dominant owner of regional sports TV networks, whose shaky finances pose an increasing threat to their teams, The Post has learned.

ABC Renews ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for Three More Years 

Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter 

The new deal will make Kimmel one of the longest-tenured talk show hosts in U.S. TV history.

The Atlantic goes Hollywood

Sara Fischer, Axios

The Atlantic is pushing aggressively into film and TV projects as part of a wider licensing revenue push.

Roseanne Barr finds a home on Fox News streaming service 

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times 

Roseanne Barr, whose career imploded over a racist tweet she posted in 2018, is getting a stand-up special on Fox Nation, the streaming service operated by Fox News.

YouTube will let creators monetize videos with licensed music 

Mia Sato, The Verge 

YouTube is working on a new program to let creators monetize their longform videos that use licensed music.

Can the NFL Push Virtual Reality Into the Mainstream? 

Matthew Townsend and Vanessa Perdomo, Bloomberg

One of the hurdles to virtual reality going mainstream has been a lack of hit content to lure the masses. The National Football League and two former football players are trying to change that.

Courtney Coupe Exits CNN, Joins LinkedIn Original Programming Head 

Todd Spangler, Variety 

Courtney Coupe, most recently SVP of content strategy and operations for CNN Digital, is joining LinkedIn as the company’s first head of original programming.

Peloton adds $3,195 rowing machine to fitness machine lineup 

Lillian Rizzo, CNBC

Peloton is adding a line of rowing machines to its lineup as the company works through a restructuring to expand its customer base and return to a profit.

Nordstrom adopts ‘poison pill’ days after Mexican peer buys stake 

Reuters 

Nordstrom Inc. has adopted a “poison pill” to prevent investors from amassing 10% or more of its shares, the company said on Tuesday, just days after a Mexican retailer built a stake in the luxury department store chain.

Who’s Hogging All the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Ice Cream?

Ray A. Smith and Jaewon Kang, The Wall Street Journal

After loading up on several boxes of Trader Joe’s ube-flavored mochi ice cream, Natasha Fischer brought them home, recorded a video for her Instagram account and put them straight into her freezer.

Lowe’s Tests Interactive Virtual Models of Two Stores

Isabelle Bousquette, The Wall Street Journal

Home-improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. said it’s created immersive, interactive three-dimensional models of two of its U.S. stores to achieve better visibility into inventory data and store layouts.

American Airlines plans premium suites in race for high-paying travelers 

Leslie Josephs, CNBC

American Airlines on Tuesday unveiled new suites for some of its longest-range planes, a bid to chase high-paying customers as travel demand returns.

The North Face makes two new appointments

Jennifer Braun, Fashion Network 

The North Face has appointed Sophie Bambuck as chief marketing officer and Jennifer Ingraffea as chief product and merchandising officer.

McDonald’s buys Chicago Tribune ad after CEO’s criticism 

Ally Marotti, Ad Age 

Less than one week after McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski blasted Chicago and its crime issues, the fast-food giant took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune underscoring its commitment to the city.

Hertz Customers Allege False-Arrest Problem Continues After Bankruptcy

Dean Seal, The Wall Street Journal

A lawsuit by five Hertz Global Holdings Inc. customers has accused the rental giant of faulty inventory tracking that caused the drivers to face wrongful arrest for car theft.

Beyond Meat COO Suspended for Biting Man’s Nose After College Football Game

Daniela Sirtori-Cortina and Deena Shanker, Bloomberg 

Beyond Meat Inc.’s chief operating officer was suspended after he was arrested on allegations that he bit a man’s nose during an altercation after a college football game in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

NyQuil Sleepy Chicken Challenge Sparks Warning From FDA on Health Dangers 

Omose Ighodaro, Bloomberg 

US health regulators are warning about the dangers of a new TikTok challenge that has teens cooking chicken with the cold medication NyQuil.

Walgreens to buy remaining stake in Shields Health for $1.37 billion 

Reuters 

Walgreens Boots Alliance said on Tuesday it would buy the remaining stake in specialty pharmacy company Shields Health Solutions for $1.37 billion.

FTC seeks more data on Amazon’s $1.7-billion deal for vacuum maker iRobot 

Reuters 

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has asked Amazon.com Inc. and iRobot Corp. for more information on the e-commerce giant’s $1.7-billion buyout of the Roomba vacuum maker.

Eataly Near Deal to Sell Majority Stake

Cara Lombardo, The Wall Street Journal

A European private-equity firm is close to a deal to buy a controlling stake in Eataly SpA, with the aim of helping the Italian-marketplace chain continue to expand globally, according to people familiar with the matter.