Top News:
Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
Sources: some WBD investors warm to David Ellison and his top team, after they were reassured that Paramount's Middle Eastern financing is secure — THE SCENE — Paramount CEO David Ellison spent Tuesday morning and afternoon meeting with major shareholders in Warner Bros. Discovery …
Discussion:
Status, CNN, @semaforben, Benzinga, @maxwelltani, Breaking the News, Axios, Business Insider, Raw Story, Poynter, Daring Fireball, TVNewsCheck, Proactive and primetimer.com
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Max Tani / Semafor:
Democrats warn that their party, when it returns to power, may attempt to block or unravel any Paramount acquisition of WBD due to national security concerns — The Scoop — As the battle over Warner Bros. Discovery grows, two Democratic lawmakers are warning that their party may try …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Telegraph, Cord Cutters News and @maxwelltani
Tim Wu / New York Times:
WBD merging with either Netflix or Paramount should be challenged by US antitrust authorities and would be bad for US streaming market competition
WBD merging with either Netflix or Paramount should be challenged by US antitrust authorities and would be bad for US streaming market competition
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Kidscreen, @dougieg633.bsky.social, New York Magazine, American Prospect, Barrett Media, Financial Times, New York Times, @cmthiede@social.vivaldi.net, Washington Examiner, Variety, The Entertainment Strategy Guy, JD Supra, Benzinga, Daring Fireball, AzerNews, @ppopiel.bsky.social, Benzinga, Courthouse News Service, Cord Cutters News, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
CBS names Tony Dokoupil as the new anchor of CBS Evening News as part of a major overhaul under Bari Weiss; Dokoupil is currently an anchor on CBS' morning show — Dokoupil, currently an anchor on the CBS morning show, will lead an overhaul of the evening newscast under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Discussion:
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Bloomberg:
Australia's under-16 social media ban excludes Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam, Google Classroom, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids — Young teenagers in Australia have been barred from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in one of the toughest crackdowns …
Discussion:
Forbes, @nvbinder.io and @davezatz, more at Techmeme »
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The Guardian:
Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says under-16s slipping through the cracks of the social media ban will be “booted off” the platforms in time
Discussion:
Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC and Telegraph, more at Techmeme »
Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
As Australia enacts the world's first under-16 social media ban, a look at the implications, reaction from parents and teens, and more
As Australia enacts the world's first under-16 social media ban, a look at the implications, reaction from parents and teens, and more
Discussion:
CBS News, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Engadget, The Cyber Express, BBC, France 24, CNBC, RTÉ, Mirror, USA Today, KDFX-TV, Scripps News, The Free Press, SBS News, Associated Press, The Register, The Conversation, New York Times, Tom's Guide, IJR, Fox News, NDTV Profit, Forbes, YouTube, NBC News and Fortune
Josh Taylor / The Guardian:
Australia's ban on under-16 social media users takes effect, as Meta, YouTube, and others remove users; platforms that don't comply risk up to AU$49.5M in fines
Australia's ban on under-16 social media users takes effect, as Meta, YouTube, and others remove users; platforms that don't comply risk up to AU$49.5M in fines
Discussion:
The Week, iPhone in Canada, WNYW-TV, Fortune, KDFX-TV, ABC, Time, Mirror, Hollywood Life, CGTN, Chicago Tribune, NDTV Profit, Digit, Sydney Morning Herald, Nicola Trotman on LinkedIn, KnowTechie, People, Information Age, CNN, Forbes Australia, PC Gamer, @amirattaran.bsky.social, @lizhighleyman.bsky.social, @publictorsten@mastodon.social, The Hill, Wansoo Im on LinkedIn, UPI, Talal Shamoon on LinkedIn, Al Jazeera, The Cyber Express, ABC, @kate@aus.social, @claesdevreese.bsky.social, CNET, The Verge, @rlstollar.bsky.social, Android Headlines, @hammancheez.bsky.social, Semafor, @jan6risingvoice.bsky.social, today.rtl.lu, Kyodo News, Breitbart, Silicon Republic, Tom's Guide, Le Monde, Moneycontrol, Los Angeles Times, BBC, Firstpost, Mashable, Tech in Asia and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Nick Vivarelli / Variety:
The UK's Channel 4 names Priya Dogra as CEO, starting March 2026, replacing Alex Mahon, who stepped down after eight years; Dogra currently works for Sky — Priya Dogra has been appointed as the next chief executive of U.K. public service broadcaster Channel 4, replacing Alex Mahon who stepped …
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Reddit starts a limited test of verified profiles, an opt-in feature that places a gray checkmark beside the usernames of notable people or businesses — Reddit is starting a limited test of verified profiles, which places a grey checkmark beside the username of a notable person or business.
Discussion:
Reuters, Reddit Upvoted, @techcrunch.com, Engadget and Reddit Help
Lauren Johnson / Adweek:
Shopify launches Product Network, an ad tool that lets merchants recommend and advertise products on other merchants' storefronts — Shopify is taking a big step forward in its much-watched advertising business. The e-commerce firm is formally rolling out a product that allows its merchants …
Discussion:
AdExchanger and Search Engine Land, more at Techmeme »
Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media:
Instagram appears to be generating often misleading SEO-style headlines and long descriptions for users' Instagram posts, appearing in Google Search results — Instagram is generating headlines for users' Instagram posts without their knowledge, seemingly in an attempt to get those posts to rank higher in Google Search results.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon plans to let authors offer their DRM-free ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats through Kindle Direct Publishing, starting January 20, 2026 — Amazon says it will allow authors to offer their DRM-free ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats through its self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing.
Discussion:
Android Authority, more at Techmeme »
Emma Roth / The Verge:
The RSL Collective, backed by Ziff Davis, Yahoo, and others, launches RSL 1.0, which lets publishers set licensing and compensation rules for AI web crawlers — RSL 1.0 helps publishers outline how AI companies should pay for the content they scrape across the web.
Discussion:
RSL Internet Collective and Search Engine Journal, more at Techmeme »
Reece Rogers / Wired:
Instagram launches Your Algorithm, which shows users an AI analysis of their activity to let them customize the topics shaping their Reels recommendations — In the battle for your attention, Instagram is betting that more control over the algorithm could keep you scrolling on Reels.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, TechCrunch, The Economic Times, Search Engine Land, @chriscox@threads.com, WeRSM, Inc.com, TechRadar, Fast Company, The Verge, 9to5Mac, MediaPost and Verdict, more at Techmeme »
Jem Aswad / Variety:
TikTok launches a podcast series called TikTok in the Mix, featuring four 30-minute episodes streamed live on TikTok; the first episode stars Demi Lovato — TikTok is launching a brand-new live podcast series called “TikTok in the Mix,” a four-episode season of conversations with major artists.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTube TV plans to launch over 10 genre-specific, cheaper YouTube TV Plans in early 2026, including a Sports Plan featuring ESPN Unlimited and Fox Sports 1 — YouTube TV's base package currently costs $82.99 per month. But early next year, the streaming service will roll out a range …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, YouTube Official Blog, Deadline, Sportico, The Wrap, Sports Business Journal, Wall Street Journal, Android Authority, Thurrott, Chrome Unboxed, Engadget, The Streamable, 9to5Google, @tvgrimreaper, Cord Cutters News, Droid Life, The US Sun, Streaming Better, @lucas_shaw, Business Insider, Front Office Sports, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg and BGR, more at Techmeme »
