Top News:
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Netflix agrees to acquire WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal, set to close after WBD splits into two companies 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 …
Discussion:
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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:
The Wrap, Deadline, Business Insider, Screen and UNIC
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 …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Business Insider, Sports Media Watch, The Hollywood Reporter and AppleInsider
Tony Maglio / The Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix says it “expects to maintain Warner Bros.' current operations..., including theatrical releases for films” — Now that that's settled... Netflix just solidified itself as the leading entertainment company (and then some), and all it cost was $83 billion.
Discussion:
Screen Rant, Variety, /Film, CinemaBlend, Fortune, Forbes, The Athletic, Cinema United, CNBC, Screen, TV Insider, NDTV Profit, British Cinematographer, The Film Stage, Empire, Deadline, Comic Book, The Daily Upside and GameSpot, more at Techmeme »
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 …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, The New York Times Company, TVNewsCheck, Engadget, The Information, CNBC, Blockonomi, Windows Central, Tech Times, MediaPost, Joe.My.God., TechCrunch, nextbigwhat and Decode TV
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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
Discussion:
Axios, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, HotAir, Bloomberg, GV Wire, Crypto Briefing, Insurance Journal and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Meta strikes multiyear commercial AI data deals with news publishers, including CNN, Fox News, and Le Monde, 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. …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, TechCrunch, Digiday, The Verge, Benzinga, Digital Journal, @mgsiegler, The Decoder, Le Monde, Reuters, Sherwood News and Meta Newsroom, more at Techmeme »
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
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
The EU fines X €120M for breaching online content rules, the first fine under the DSA, citing issues like its deceptive blue checkmarks, after a two-year probe — Elon Musk's social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($140 million) by EU tech regulators on Friday …
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The Guardian:
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and the Netherlands exit Eurovision after Israel received an all-clear to compete; the BBC and Germany's SWR plan to participate — Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands pull out after decision not to hold vote on Israel's participation
Discussion:
Reuters, Screen Rant, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Metro.co.uk, CMU, Breitbart, WTOP News, Reuters, spiked, France 24, Los Angeles Times, RTÉ, The Times of Israel, About RTÉ, PinkNews, TheJournal.ie, DAWN.COM, GB News, One America News Network, @adachika192@hcommons.social, The National Pulse, Agence France-Presse, Middle East Monitor, Lapresse.US, The Daily Caller, @petemarchetto.bsky.social, The Japan Times, Australian Financial Review, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Sun, @dacig@mastodon.social, Mirror, @mgb5000.bsky.social, TV Tonight, @tryangregory.bsky.social, The Wrap, @charlieangus104.bsky.social, Politico, CNN, @ptfen.bsky.social, Al Jazeera, Rolling Stone, Sky News, NBC News, @englishmanadam.bsky.social, The Scottish Sun, Daily Star, HuffPost, @b9AcE@todon.eu, Haaretz, Associated Press, Financial Times, nltimes.nl, @nemobis@mamot.fr, Algemeiner.com, @victinibcn.bsky.social, @Miro_Collas@masto.ai, Euro Weekly News, Billboard, DutchNews.nl, New York Times, Digital Music News, KVIA-TV, KDFX-TV, Semafor, Stereogum, Associated Press and EVOKE
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Bloomberg Media COO Julia Beizer is leaving the company, a source says to lead Microsoft's AI news product, working under Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman — The longtime media veteran will work under Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman — The chief operating officer of Bloomberg Media …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CBS Evening News co-anchor Maurice DuBois will exit CBS News on December 18, as EIC Bari Weiss and President Tom Cibrowski overhaul the evening newscast — DuBois follows his co-anchor John Dickerson, who will leave CBS at the end of the year. — CBS Evening News co-anchor Maurice DuBois …
Discussion:
Maurice DuBois on Instagram, HuffPost, CNN, Variety, New York Post, Barrett Media, RADAR, The Independent, Decider, Plain Dealer, Suggest, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, @themassspy.bsky.social, HELLO!, New York Post, @barbararybolt.bsky.social, @hammbear2024.bsky.social, TV Insider, TVLine, Showbiz411, The Wrap, New York Daily News, Mirror US and Politico
