Top News:
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Netflix agrees to acquire WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal, including debt, to close after WBD splits in two in Q3 2026 — As part of the deal, WBD will continue with plan to spin off its cable television networks — Netflix has agreed an $83bn takeover …
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Tony Maglio / The Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix says it “expects to maintain Warner Bros.' theatrical releases for films” but “the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly” — Now that that's settled... Netflix just solidified itself as the leading entertainment company (and then some), and all it cost was $83 billion.
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Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Netflix's WBD bid marks a striking strategy shift for a company long known for pivots, especially after years of avoiding full commitment to theatrical releases — The streaming giant has changed its strategy many times over the years. But the decision to get deeply into theatrical releases may be the most startling yet.
Scott Roxborough / The Hollywood Reporter:
A European theater owners group says Netflix's Warner Bros. acquisition “represents a double risk” of fewer films being produced and getting theatrical releases — The UNIC, which represents cinema exhibitors across Europe, fears the streamer will downgrade the theatrical experience.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Business Insider, The Sun, The Wrap, Inverse, Deadline, UNIC, Screen, Den of Geek and Irish Independent
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Netflix CEOs say the WBD deal won't fail because “we understand these assets that we're buying” and they're not buying to compensate for business deterioration — Netflix Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters sought to reassure investors that their game-changing deal …
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
A look at the hurdles Netflix will have to clear for the WB acquisition to go through, including DOJ and EU approval and a possible response from Paramount — Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors on Friday that he was “highly confident in the regulatory process” win approval …
Discussion:
@laurenshirsch, @laurenshirsch, Benzinga, Media Play News, Mediaite, World of Reel and TVNewsCheck
Jane Fonda / The Ankler:
Jane Fonda warns that a WBD merger in any form is an alarming escalation in media consolidation, threatening the entertainment industry and the First Amendment
Jane Fonda warns that a WBD merger in any form is an alarming escalation in media consolidation, threatening the entertainment industry and the First Amendment
Discussion:
Pressing Issues, Press Association, Breitbart, Truth on the Market, Variety, Bloomberg, Common Dreams, Deadline, ZeroHedge News, BIG by Matt Stoller, @jbflint, @tdogmedia.bsky.social, @markruffalo.bsky.social, @philthepill.online, @theankler.skystack.xyz, @jessicapancakes.bsky.social, @timkarr.bsky.social and @labuzamovies.com
Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
The Chicago Tribune sues Perplexity for copyright infringement, alleging Perplexity's platforms lift Tribune content verbatim and divert traffic from the paper — The Chicago Tribune filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Thursday in New York federal court against Perplexity AI …
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New York Times:
The New York Times sues Perplexity, claiming the AI startup violated its copyrights and kept using its content despite repeated demands over the past 18 months — IDEAS — Hannah Arendt Is Not Your Icon … Photo illustration by Ricardo Tomas — ADVERTISEMENT — LIVE
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Sara Fischer / Axios:
Meta strikes commercial AI data deals with news publishers, including CNN, Fox News, and The Daily Caller, to provide real-time answers in its Meta AI chatbot — Meta on Friday said it has struck several commercial AI data agreements with news publishers ranging from USA Today, People Inc. …
Liam Scott / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at the First Amendment Watch's SLAPP Back Initiative, a US SLAPP tracker; in 2024, 69 of 500 cases involved the media, of which 46 were dismissed — As Donald Trump tests the limits of anti-press litigation, a new initiative aims to document the wave of nuisance suits.
Discussion:
Victoria Diana Baranetsky on LinkedIn
Will Sommer / @willsommer:
The Blaze retracts its article accusing a former Capitol Police officer of being the January 6 pipe bomber after the FBI arrested a different person — The Blaze has finally retracted its story accusing a former Capitol Police officer of being the Jan 6th pipe bomber, after a different person was arrested today. [image]
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Mediaite, DNYUZ, Media Matters for America, The Independent, New York Times, CBS News and Washington Examiner
David Pierce / The Verge:
Yahoo launches Game Breakdowns in beta, offering AI-generated game summaries, stats, and play recaps, all updated live, to Yahoo Fantasy Plus subscribers — AI models are very useful for mining stats to see exactly what's going on in the game you're watching.
Discussion:
David Fucillo on LinkedIn
