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8:25 AM ET, December 8, 2025

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 Top News: 
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Ted Sarandos met with President Trump in November, and both agreed WBD should go to the highest bidder; Sarandos argued that Netflix wasn't a monopoly  —  Netflix Inc. co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos ventured to the White House in mid-November for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
President Trump says Netflix's planned acquisition of WBD will have “to go through a process” and he will be personally involved in the decision-making process  —  US President Donald Trump raised potential antitrust concerns around Netflix Inc.'s planned $72 billion acquisition …
Financial Times:
Sources: WBD's board wanted a proposal it could sign immediately, and Netflix was the only bidder whose paperwork was fully executable the night of December 4
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Documents and a source: WBD CEO David Zaslav's stock in WBD would be worth close to $660M if the Netflix deal closes
Barbara Moens / Financial Times:
The EU says Meta agreed to make changes to its “pay or consent” model in the EU, including ad-lite Instagram and Facebook versions, but “the case is not closed”  —  Facebook agrees changes to ‘pay or consent’ model after talks with European Commission
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Academy reports fiscal 2025 revenues of $269.2M, up from $263.1M in 2024, after cutting expenses from $220.1M to $208.1M; Oscars revenue grew to $150.5M  —  “It is so important that we continue to diversify revenue streams and control expenses to allow for a sustainable and impactful future," Academy CEO Bill Kramer tells THR.
Discussion: Variety
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
A look at the auction for the Oscars' TV rights, as sources say Netflix is out, NBCUniversal gains ground, and YouTube and ABC remain active bidders  —  There are eight weeks left on the holy Hollywood awards calendar until Oscar nominations are announced, and it's not just artists and craftspeople hunting for trophies.
Megan Graham / Wall Street Journal:
WPP Media expects global ad revenue, excluding US political ads, to grow 8.8% YoY in 2025 to $1.14T, and says AI investment drives more spending than expected  —  A new report from WPP Media says global ad revenue will reach $1.14 trillion this year  —  Advertising spending will grow …
Variety:
The WGA, which routinely opposes media mergers, says the Netflix-WBD deal must be blocked, and the Producers and Directors guilds express concern over the deal  —  SAG-AFTRA says proposed pact raises ‘serious questions about its impact on the future of the entertainment industry’
RELATED:
Jody Godoy / Reuters:
Congressional Democrats and Republicans criticize the Netflix-WBD deal, saying it would raise streaming subscription prices and lessen workers' pay and control
Katie Campione / Deadline:
SAG-AFTRA puts off taking a position on the Netflix-WBD deal but says a deal benefiting its members “must result in more creation and more production, not less”
Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
Vanity Fair and Olivia Nuzzi agree to part ways and let her contract expire at the end of the year, following new allegations about her affair with RFK Jr.  —  Nuzzi joined the magazine as an editor earlier this year  —  Vanity Fair and Olivia Nuzzi have agreed to part ways following …
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: OpenAI privately complained to NBC News that the author of a story about OpenAI pressuring nonprofits was backed by a nonprofit involved in the story  —  The Scoop  —  Last month, NBC News broke the news that the artificial intelligence behemoth OpenAI had quietly issued a series …
Chris Kerr / Game Developer:
WBD confirms that Netflix is set to acquire Warner Bros. Games along with its wider streaming and TV business  —  A Warner Bros. spokesperson has confirmed the video game division will be acquired by Netflix alongside its wider streaming and television business.
Pamela McClintock / The Hollywood Reporter:
A look at Paramount's culture shift under David Ellison, where the focus is on male-driven action movies, and not on prestige films seen as critics' darlings  —  It's a brand-new day at the legacy studio, where prestige films are out, testosterone-heavy tentpoles are in and Brett Ratner is back on the call sheet.
RELATED:
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: David Ellison's interference in WBD's failed summer talks to extend HBO Max's South Park licensing deal left David Zaslav distrustful of Ellison
 
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 More News: 
Kat Tenbarge / Wired:
Some Reddit moderators say a surge of AI slop on the site is eroding its authenticity and could lead to a feedback loop of AI models training on AI content
 Earlier Picks: 
Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters:
The Trump administration orders enhanced vetting of H-1B applicants and their families for past work in “censorship”, including fact-checking and online safety
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
 

 
From Techmeme:

Lauren Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
IBM agrees to acquire data streaming software maker Confluent for ~$11B in cash, above its ~$8B market value as of its December 5 close, paying $31 per share

Bloomberg:
President Trump says he will sign “a ONE RULE” EO on AI “this week” and “you can't expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something”

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Internal memo: Johny Srouji, who oversees Apple's chip division, tells his employees that “I don't plan on leaving anytime soon”
 
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