House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee​ ranking member David Cicilline, D-R.I., plans to introduce legislation that would allow news publishers to negotiate collectively for advertising revenue from online platforms like Facebook and Google, said News Media Alliance CEO David Chavern. Chavern has argued that money generated by news audiences is disproportionately funneling into Facebook and Google coffers, when it should be going to reporters and publishers. This “Duopoly” is currently collecting “83 percent of all digital ad revenue growth and 73 percent of total U.S. digital advertising,” said Chavern. The bill would amend antitrust law to incorporate a “safe harbor,” in which the media outlets could negotiate together for ad revenue. Facebook, Google and Cicilline's office didn't respond to requests for comment.

Amazon is running a limited-time bundle deal, knocking $40 off the price of an Amazon Cloud Cam security camera and Fire HD 10 tablet when purchased together. Bundling the two in a promotion links the case for consumers using the products together, a spokeswoman said, such as for keeping "an eye on things at home while they’re out and about." Users can get motion detection alerts on a Fire HD 10 and view the Cloud Cam livestream by summoning Alexa, she said. "And, if you catch the dog jumping on the couch she’s not allowed on or the kids running late for the school bus, you can use two-way audio to speak to them directly." Bundle price is $229 through mid-March.

Best Buy welcomed Apple’s $349 HomePod smart speaker in a marketing email to customers Wednesday that also included iPhone deals: a $250 gift card with Sprint activation for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus or a $150 discount off the 8s on AT&T or Verizon. The retailer also showed $50 savings on the current-generation iPad and first-gen Watch and up to $200 savings on a MacBook Pro.

Samsung is giving away​ a six-month subscription to its Art Store in a promotion running through March 22 for customers who buy its 55-inch 4K Frame TV ($1,999). The TV comes loaded with 100 artworks from 37 artists covering 10 categories including landscapes, wildlife, architecture and patterns. Frame TV owners can buy additional designs from the art store for $19.99 to keep permanently or subscribe to a $4.99 per month plan to have unlimited access to the 400-plus works in the collection. The collection is updated regularly, a company spokeswoman said, but no set number is added each month. The promotion adds six months to the 30-day free trial.

Target pushed “deals” on Apple sale products Friday, led by Beats headphones gift card offers. Customers buying the Powerbeats3 wireless headphones for $199 receive a $40 Target gift card, and Beats Solo3 ($299) buyers get a $60 card, said Target. The Powerbeats3 were selling for $134 Friday at Walmart, $119 at Buydig.com, $159 at Macy’s and $199 at Best Buy, we found. The Solo3s were on sale at Apple for $239, $219 at Walmart and Amazon and $239 at Macy’s.

An email to customers of New York area grocery store chain ShopRite Tuesday blared “Slam Dunk Savings” and “FREE Shipping on Discounted Samsung TVs!” Sale price of the 32-inch 720p UN32J4001 TV was $124.99, down from $187.49, while supplies last (2,454 in stock), with a $25 ShopRite gift card tossed in the cart. Price excluded the $1.99 gift card shipping and handling fee. B&H Photo’s price for the UN32J4001 was $157.99, and Walmart showed it out of stock. Also on sale: a Samsung UN55MU6290F 55-inch 4K TV for $499 (35 in stock), which was selling for $599 at Best Buy and Samsung.com. Prices are good through March 31, ShopRite said.

Sonos emailed customers in 17 markets Friday with a free delivery and setup offer good for Saturday and Super Bowl Sunday. “Have a Sonos expert set up your home theater system while you prep for the party -- absolutely free,” said the email. The offer, Sonos' "up and running" service, applied to sound systems for TVs or music, it said, and was good 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday local time.

Video & Audio Center, on a mission to reinvent itself as a technology store after its recent ribbon-cutting (see 1801260025) in a tony Century City, California, mall, returned to its roots as a price-led AV dealer Friday in a full-page Los Angeles Times advertisement promising “store-wide savings at all locations” before Sunday’s Super Bowl. “Our prices are lower than the internet,” said a sticker. The retailer also offered no interest financing until February 2021 and a TV rental option. Brands included LG, Samsung and Sony. VAC Corporate Director Tom Campbell told us Friday the Century City store is getting solid traffic since its official opening Tuesday, including from shoppers curious about what the store offers and “impulse buyers.” One customer came in looking for a 40-inch TV and ended up spending $28,000 on two Sony OLED TVs, two Samsung Frame TVs and audio to go with the TVs, Campbell said. Salespeople in the store are taking orders and payment information using Samsung Galaxy tablets that customers can check for competitors’ pricing and product information, he said. Shoppers can bypass cashiers altogether if they prefer to shop that way; receipts can be sent directly from the tablets via email. The tablet enables a more “one-on-one” experience with shoppers, he said. Campbell called the new store a “showcase” that’s designed to allow customers to touch and feel products. “It’s the future of retailing,” he said, “versus stock it deep and sell it cheap.” He wouldn't disclose first week sales.

The FTC is reviewing a request from Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee leaders to probe social media marketing firm Devumi's activities, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and ranking member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., seek investigation amid reports Devumi “sells a panoply of social media actions, including followers,” on Twitter and other platforms. Devumi claims to “help clients increase their social media presence” but “in reality, the company allegedly uses bots to create fake social media accounts,” the senators wrote acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen. Those activities constitute a “unique kind of social identity theft” that could mean it's “engaged in unfair or deceptive practices,” grounds for an investigation under FTC Act Section 5, the senators said. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) also promised to investigate whether Devumi engaged in unlawful “impersonation and deception.” The company didn't comment.

Charter Communications should end its advertising claims about direct broadcast satellite signal vulnerability to rain, the National Advertising Division said Monday. NAD said DirecTV challenged the ads. NAD said Charter is appealing to the National Advertising Review Board one of its determinations that the company should discontinue a particular version of one of its rain commercials.