1:05 AM ET, February 20, 2026
February 19, 2026
9:50 PM
CNBC:
James Cameron blasts Netflix's proposed acquisition of WBD, in a letter to Senator Mike Lee, calling it “disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business”
8:25 PM
Maxwell Zeff / Wired:
Perplexity's retreat from ads signals a strategic shift as it recognizes its product is not for a mass audience and expects growth to come from enterprise sales
6:40 PM
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Substack announces new tools to help writers use Polymarket data and adds Polymarket to its sponsorship pilot, prompting questions from some journalists
6:05 PM
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
A look at The Sun's video strategy, which includes a shift to longform news and sponsored lifestyle content; it has 6.4M YouTube subscribers on its main channel
4:10 PM
James Hibberd / The Hollywood Reporter:
After a backlash, AMC opts out of screening an AI short film during its pre-show, programmed by ad company Screenvision, before feature films
3:25 PM
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The UK CMA says Getty and Shutterstock's $3.7B merger could lead to a “substantial lessening of competition” in the UK editorial market for news events
3:00 PM
Anhata Rooprai / Reuters:
Apple TV has signed a distribution deal with EverPass Media to bring live sports content to US businesses such as bars, restaurants, hotels, and gyms
2:25 PM
Bloomberg:
Ted Sarandos says a winning Netflix bid for WBD would lead to more films in theaters because Netflix would distribute its films via WBD's distribution system
2:05 PM
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Reddit is testing an AI search feature that takes community recommendations and shows matching products from its advertisers in the results
1:40 PM
Selome Hailu / Variety:
Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet discuss AI's potential to replace actors and win awards; McConaughey said AI actors will “infiltrate” the Oscars
12:00 PM
Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
In a letter, six Democratic senators ask David Ellison to save communications with Trump, his family, lobbyists, and the DOJ about Paramount's pursuit of WBD
11:25 AM
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
Apple plans to release the delayed show The Hunt on March 4, after producer Gaumont resolved plagiarism claims by getting authorizations from rightsholders
9:20 AM
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Imax partners with Apple TV to show five 2026 Formula One races across at least 50 US Imax locations, as Imax continues to push into live events
8:45 AM
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Reach makes its national UK newspapers' ABC print sales circulation figures private, joining News UK, Telegraph Media Group, and The Guardian
8:25 AM
Deutsche Welle:
Germany public broadcaster Deutsche Welle's 2026 budget shrinks by €21M, prompting the closure of its Greek-language service, cuts to 160 positions, and more
7:55 AM
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
BAFTA Chair Sara Putt says the charity is adding “human creativity” as a guiding principle for its awards in 2026, as the film industry grapples with AI
6:35 AM
Michael Lynton / Wall Street Journal:
Book extract: ex-Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton recounts how greenlighting The Interview sparked North Korea's massive 2014 cyberattack
6:15 AM
Committee to Protect Journalists:
Palestinian journalists describe being systematically tortured, abused, beaten, and starved in Israel's prisons between October 2023 and January 2026
4:25 AM
Rob Tornoe / Editor and Publisher:
Q&A with Walt Handelsman, who retired at the end of 2025 as an editorial cartoonist at New Orleans' Times-Picayune, on the changes in a dwindling profession
3:20 AM
K.J. Yossman / Variety:
Barb: 54% of all YouTube viewing in the UK is on a TV set across all demographics, making the streaming platform a “significant part of the UK's AV ecosystem”
February 18, 2026
10:35 PM
Ece Yildirim / Gizmodo:
An experiment finds X's feed algorithm favored conservative content, and switching to the For You feed shifted users' views toward more conservative positions
9:35 PM
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Sony sends ByteDance a C&D letter over Seedance 2.0, joining Netflix, Paramount, WBD, and Disney in condemning the model's AI-generated copyright infringement
6:50 PM
Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg:
Sources: the US DOJ has summoned some of the largest theater chains to private conversations about the potential impact of a sale of WBD
6:40 PM
Pranav Baskar / New York Times:
Journalists say an AP reporter and three other journalists were detained in Cameroon while probing a secretive US program that deports migrants to Cameroon
5:45 PM
The Wrap:
UCLA cancels Bari Weiss' Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture on “the future of journalism”, following student protests; a source says it will be rescheduled
5:25 PM
David Shepardson / Reuters:
FCC Chair Brendan Carr says, “We're going to be moving forward” with Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna, a merger that requires lifting the station ownership cap
4:35 PM
Julianna Bragg / Axios:
Stephen Colbert's interview on YouTube with US Senate candidate James Talarico draws 7M+ views after it was posted on Monday, bypassing TV restrictions
3:40 PM
Katie Campione / Deadline:
The Writers Guild Staff Union calls a work stoppage, one month before the WGA begins AMPTP negotiations, accusing the WGA West of bad faith bargaining
3:10 PM
Melissa Heikkilä / Financial Times:
Q&A with Synthesia co-founder and CEO Victor Riparbelli on growing the London-based enterprise AI video platform, hitting a $4B valuation, regulation, and more
1:55 PM
Julia Black / Vanity Fair:
OpenAI hires Instagram VP of Global Partnerships Charles Porch as its first VP of global creative partnerships, seeking to win over a skeptical Hollywood
1:05 PM
Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:
Brendan Carr confirms FCC is investigating The View for potentially violating its equal-time rule and says he was “highly entertained” by the Colbert/CBS drama
11:55 AM
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Audible launches an “immersion reading” feature that lets readers switch between ebook and audiobook versions of a title in their Audible and Kindle libraries
11:25 AM
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Snap says its direct revenue business has reached a $1B ARR, driven primarily by Snapchat+ surpassing 25M subscribers since its 2022 launch
11:11 AM
The Keyword:
Google rolls out Lyria 3, a generative music model to make 30-second tracks with Nano Banana-generated cover art, in beta in the Gemini app in eight languages
10:40 AM
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The New York Times wins three 2025 Polk Awards, including for its Trump coverage; The Boston Globe, ProPublica, AP, and Business Insider also won
10:15 AM
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Apple launches Apple Music Connect, a new resource for music labels and distributors to manage promotional assets, upload press photos, and more
9:20 AM
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
Sources: CNN restricted staff from using its platforms for self-promotion, after Jake Tapper pushing his Joe Biden book turned into a “rolling infomercial”
8:20 AM
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The Irish Times says it now has ~150,000 print and digital subscribers, and it has reached a milestone where subscriber revenue fully funds its journalism
7:25 AM
Jack Dunn / Variety:
Stephen Colbert says CBS released its statement “without ever talking to me” and talk shows have long been exempt from “equal time” rules
6:35 AM
Olivia Empson / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of women-focused conservative magazine Evie, founded in 2019 and named for a modern take on the Bible's original woman, with 192K Substack followers
6:00 AM
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Netflix sends ByteDance a C&D letter over Seedance 2.0, joining WBD, Paramount, and Disney, saying “forensic evidence” shows “unauthorized derivative works”
5:00 AM
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
A US federal judge orders OpenAI to stop using the word “Cameo” for its Sora products and features, in a trademark lawsuit filed by celebrity video app Cameo
February 17, 2026
10:40 PM
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
WBD joins Disney and Paramount in claiming infringement on ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance and demands ByteDance cease training AI on Warner Bros. characters
10:30 PM
Cristina Criddle / Financial Times:
Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue ads, which it introduced in 2024, after phasing them out in late 2025 over fears they would erode user trust
9:25 PM
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:
Amnesty research: a government customer of spyware maker Intellexa hacked the iPhone of journalist Teixeira Cândido in Angola in 2024 via Predator spyware
6:10 PM
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Versant's MS Now signs a deal with Crooked Media to air highlights from Crooked podcasts such as Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, at 9pm ET on Saturdays
5:45 PM
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Automattic adds an AI assistant to WordPress.com, enabling users to perform site-wide layout and style modifications via natural language commands
5:34 PM
Krystal Hur / Wall Street Journal:
Filing: Berkshire Hathaway reports that it purchased 5.1M shares of The New York Times during the December quarter; NYT rises 3%+ pre-market
4:26 PM
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paramount says it is “prepared to engage” with WBD on takeover talks during a seven-day negotiating window, but doesn't say whether it will raise its bid
4:05 PM
Todd Spangler / Variety:
CBS says The Late Show was not prohibited from broadcasting a James Talarico interview and was given “legal guidance” that a broadcast could trigger an FCC rule
3:55 PM
John Stang / Columbia Journalism Review:
Three right-wing media figures, who were denied press credentials in WA because of political affiliation, sue to get permanent press passes to the statehouse
2:20 PM
Lucia Moses / Business Insider:
NBCU sues Group Black, a firm created to direct ad dollars to Black-owned and Black-led media, alleging $35.8M in unpaid invoices and guaranteed payments
1:55 PM
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Mediahuis is experimenting with AI agents for commissioning, writing, and more to “automate first line news”, which is reviewed by humans prior to publication
12:45 PM
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Memo: Hearst CEO Steve Swartz says 2025 revenue grew 3% YoY to $13.5B and the company hit record profit levels, with B2B business accounting for 60% of profits
12:30 PM
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Talent agency Night Media, which represents social media celebrities and owns a podcast network, raised $70M to expand into gaming, sports, and music
12:10 PM
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
By not airing Colbert's interview with Talarico, CBS bowed to FCC pressure preemptively as the agency hasn't formally eliminated talk show equal time exemptions
11:50 AM
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Condé Nast names Adam Baidawi as GQ's global editorial director; Baidawi previously led British GQ and wants GQ to be a “North Star of masculinity”
11:20 AM
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Snapchat launches creator subscriptions in alpha, available to some creators in the US starting February 23; creators set custom monthly pricing
10:40 AM
Matt Hughes / The Guardian:
Sources: the English Premier League extends its South America and Caribbean broadcast contract with ESPN through 2031 in a £450M deal, up 25% from the last deal
9:55 AM
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Netflix says Paramount has caused “ongoing distraction” and “mischaracterized the regulatory review process”, and its WBD bid raises national security concerns
9:40 AM
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Stephen Colbert says CBS lawyers blocked an interview with Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico, citing the FCC's equal time guidance for TV talk shows
9:00 AM
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
WBD says Paramount informed WBD on February 11 that it would pay $31 per share, up from $30, if the sides engaged, and that $31 was not its best and final offer
7:41 AM
Todd Spangler / Variety:
WBD sets March 20 as the date for a special shareholder meeting to vote on the proposed $83B Netflix deal, which its board “continues to unanimously recommend”
7:12 AM
Financial Times:
WBD tells Paramount to make its “best and final offer” within seven days, or get out of the way of Netflix's agreed $83B deal; Netflix granted a weeklong waiver
5:55 AM
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Future launches Future Optic, a commercial Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO, service that aims to boost brand visibility on AI platforms like ChatGPT
4:50 AM
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
MPA: Japan's premium VOD sector hit a revenue of $7.2B in 2025, up 15% YoY; Netflix leads with 22% of revenue; Prime Video has the most subscribers at 19.3M
February 16, 2026
10:10 PM
Rei Nakafuji / Nikkei Asia:
Sony says it has developed tech to identify copyrighted music in AI-generated songs, aiming to help rights holders receive compensation if their music was used
7:55 PM
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: Anderson Cooper grew increasingly uneasy with the rightward direction of CBS News under Bari Weiss, a factor in his decision to leave 60 Minutes
4:26 PM
Lachlan Cartwright / Breaker:
Anderson Cooper is leaving 60 Minutes after almost 20 years; sources say he has decided to pass on a renewal offer with CBS
2:55 PM
Chris Quinn / Plain Dealer:
The Cleveland Plain Dealer says it has removed “writing” from some reporters' workloads; an “AI rewrite specialist” turns info gathered by reporters into drafts
1:35 PM
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Apple says it will bring “advanced video capabilities” to Apple Podcasts this spring, including allowing users to switch between watching and listening to shows
11:35 AM
Scott Roxborough / The Hollywood Reporter:
Mexico announces a 30% tax incentive for film and TV productions in Mexico, even as the Trump administration pressures studios to shoot more films in the US
10:10 AM
Ken Fisher / Ars Technica:
Ars Technica apologizes after publishing an article it says had fabricated quotations generated by an AI tool attributed to a source who did not say them
9:00 AM
The Times:
Sources: the UK has shelved proposed anti-SLAPP legislation, fearing a backlash from lawyers, despite appeals from the editors of The Times and The Sun
7:50 AM
Jeremy Barr / The Guardian:
CBS News staffers say they believe the network has decided to retain Peter Attia, who issued an apology for his inappropriate Epstein emails, as on-air analyst
6:05 AM
Max Tani / Semafor:
Guardian US plans to launch a daily video podcast in 2026, hosted by Kai Wright and Carter Sherman, to compete with The Daily; a source says it has 10 staff
5:45 AM
Osmond Chia / BBC:
ByteDance says it “respects IP rights and we have heard the concerns regarding Seedance” and it plans to “strengthen” safeguards, after Disney's legal threats
5:30 AM
Financial Times:
Patrick Drahi's new ~15% stake in Channel 13 prompts questions about media independence in Israel; Drahi owns the outlet i24, which supports Benjamin Netanyahu
5:10 AM
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
In the nearly two weeks since his arrest, Don Lemon gained 300K+ Instagram followers, 140K YouTube subscribers, and his Substack soared 73% to 140K+ subscribers
4:49 AM
Nathan Taylor Pemberton / New York Times:
Conservative creators are increasingly posting “slopulism”, low-quality political content that prioritizes populist rage, aiming to provoke policy action
February 15, 2026
11:35 PM
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Following Disney, Paramount sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging its AI-generated Seedance videos and Seedream images infringed Paramount's IP
10:35 PM
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: Apple partnered with the UK's Daily Mail soon after the Mail complained to the UK CMA in 2025 that Apple was stonewalling attempts to join Apple News
9:00 PM
Henry Chandonnet / Business Insider:
A look at Sourcery, a podcast and newsletter from Molly O'Shea, which gets big-name guests including Palantir CEO Alex Karp and Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey
3:00 PM
Bloomberg:
Sources: Warner Bros. Discovery is considering reopening sale talks with Paramount after receiving Paramount's most recent amended offer
1:00 PM
Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Former NPR host David Greene sues Google for allegedly replicating his voice in NotebookLM without permission; Google says the voice is based on a paid actor