Top News:
CNBC:
Paramount launches a hostile bid to acquire WBD, offering WBD shareholders $30/share in a $108.4B all-cash deal; sources say WBD rejected the same bid last week — Paramount Skydance is launching a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after it lost out to Netflix in a months-long bidding war …
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, Paramount Skydance Corporation, The Guardian, TechCrunch, TV Tech, MediaPost, Awful Announcing, Wall Street Journal, /Film, Reuters, The Streamable, Deadline, Fox Business, NBC News, The Hill, Business Insider, Mediaite, UPI, Thurrott, PCMag, Breitbart, WTTG-TV, Washington Times, @joecarlsonshow, Gizmodo, Barrett Media, CBS News, Mirror US, Engadget, France 24, @panda-news.bsky.social, @kcfennessy.bsky.social, @sherman4949, @sternbergh.bsky.social, The Information, Yahoo Finance, Blockchain.News, @lucas_shaw, Canoe, Washington Post, Telegraph, Livemint, @rosesbloom24.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, @newsguy.bsky.social, Comic Book, The Standard, KDFX-TV, @renegadecut.bsky.social, Fortune, The Indian Express, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, MS NOW, @schooley.bsky.social, @stephentotilo.bsky.social, @kristoncapps.bsky.social, @franciswilkinson.bsky.social, @lucas_shaw, @mattmcneilshow.bsky.social, Anadolu Ajansı …, Entrepreneur, Dow Jones Newswires, Quartz, @danprimack, @laurenshirsch, Business Today, The Independent, Financial Times, Far Out Magazine, Media Play News, @sherman4949, Sharecast, Associated Press, Sports Media Watch, @rabichakra.bsky.social, @teroterotero, @alaynatreene, @teroterotero, Straight Arrow News, today.rtl.lu, Screen, WPXI-TV, @danprimack, Pulse 2.0, @sarafischer, @sherman4949, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @markjacob.bsky.social, The Post Millennial, MacDailyNews, @figgityfigs.bsky.social, The Verge, @edmundlee, @sherman4949, @brianstelter, @annmlipton@esq.social, Just The News, World of Reel, CBC News, Jerusalem Post, BelfastTelegraph.co.uk, Realscreen and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
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Bloomberg:
Paramount secures up to $54B in bridge loan financing, one of the largest of its kind, from Bank of America, Citigroup, and Apollo Global for its WBD bid — Paramount Skydance Corp. has lined up as much as $54 billion of financing from Wall Street's biggest firms to help support …
Discussion:
Fortune and @devonheinen.bsky.social
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Filing: Paramount's outside partners for its WBD bid include Saudi Arabia's PIF, Abu Dhabi's L'imad, Qatar Investment Authority, and Jared Kushner's Affinity — Paramount on Monday launched a hostile takeover bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, going directly to shareholders with an all-cash, $30-per-share offer.
Discussion:
Mediaite, CNN, Business Insider, BNN Bloomberg, Reuters, PC Gamer, @lucas_shaw, @hshaban, Washington Examiner, @scottnover, @sarafischer, @jczive, Agence France-Presse, @semaforben, @emptywheel.bsky.social, @bmdrew73.bsky.social, @sarafischer, @lucas_shaw, Blockchain.News, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance and Barrett Media
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Ted Sarandos met with Trump in November, arguing that Netflix wasn't a monopoly; Sarandos agreed with Trump that WBD should sell to the highest bidder — Netflix Inc. co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos ventured to the White House in mid-November for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Discussion:
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Bloomberg:
President Trump says Netflix's WBD deal has “got to go through a process”, its big market share “could be a problem”, and he will be involved in the decision
Discussion:
Fox Business, The Wrap, Business Insider, Benzinga, Sports Business Journal, Yahoo Finance, CNBC, Taipei Times, New York Post, What's Trending, The Daily Caller, mxdwn Television, The Post Millennial, New York Times, The American Bazaar, Crypto Briefing, Engadget, MediaNews4U, Blockchain.News, Fortune, The Streamable, TheJournal.ie, @senwarren, @rphilly.bsky.social, Washington Post, @ronfilipkowski, Stratechery, @tracinski.bsky.social, Livemint, @nick_field90, Irish Examiner, iPhone in Canada, Truth on the Market, @scottnover, @brianstelter, @caseynewton.bsky.social, @rapidresponse47, Nairametrics, USA Today, @mrgq.bsky.social, Business Standard, Far Out Magazine, World of Reel, NBC Bay Area, Mobile World Live, Bloomberg Law, Daily Sabah and CNN, more at Techmeme »
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
WBD CEO David Zaslav, criticized for cutting costs, scrapping movies, and laying off thousands, may end up having the last laugh thanks to the Netflix-WBD deal
WBD CEO David Zaslav, criticized for cutting costs, scrapping movies, and laying off thousands, may end up having the last laugh thanks to the Netflix-WBD deal
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and Kotaku
Committee to Protect Journalists:
After the building fire, Hong Kong summoned AFP, FT, NYT, AP, Bloomberg, and WSJ journalists, telling them to avoid “trouble making”, and arrested a commentator — Chinese and Hong Kong authorities must immediately stop harassing journalists, release news commentator Wong Kwok-ngon …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, @sensehofstede.nl, @newsguy.bsky.social and The Daily Caller
Trishla Ostwal / Adweek:
Sources: Google has told advertising clients that it plans to bring ads to Gemini in 2026, separate from ads in AI Mode — Google has told advertising clients in recent days that it plans to bring ads to its AI chatbot Gemini, according to agency buyers familiar with the conversations.
Discussion:
Search Engine Journal, WinBuzzer, Homepage | IAB UK and Search Engine Roundtable
Mark Kleinman / Sky News:
Source: Piers Morgan's YouTube-based venture Uncensored is raising £22.5M from The Raine Group, Theo Kyriakou, and others at a £97M pre-money valuation — The US-based merchant bank Raine and Greek media mogul Theo Kyriakou are among the backers of the former Mirror editor …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, Barrett Media, Mirror and Lawyer Monthly
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.
Variety:
Netflix scores the most 2026 Golden Globe nominations, with 35 nominations across film and TV; Warner Bros. and HBO got a combined 31 nominations — “One Battle After Another,” a blisteringly funny look at a repressive society riven by political violence, dominated the 2026 Golden Globe Awards nominations …
Discussion:
Billboard, TVNewsCheck, New York Times, TVLine, IndieWire, The Wrap, Deadline, DiscussingFilm, FemaleFirst, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, Gold Derby, Daily Star, al.com, Vanity Fair, The Movie Blog, E! Online, San Francisco Examiner, @hollywoodspin, Dexerto, Showbiz411, 9to5Mac, Page Six, Mashable, Wall Street Journal, Media Play News, Mirror US, Oh No They Didn't!, Full Feed, People, Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, Mercury News, WPXI-TV, Mirror, World of Reel, Rolling Stone, Extra, Just Jared, Decider, TODAY.com, KDFX-TV and Offscreen Central
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.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Offscreen Central, Screen Rant, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, The A.V. Club, Deadline and @discussingfilm.net
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 …
Discussion:
Marketing Dive, MediaPost, WPP Media, GeekWire, TVNewsCheck, Communicate Online, Blockchain.News, AdExchanger, Mumbrella, Adweek, The Drum and campaignlive.co.uk
Kerry Flynn / Axios:
Samba TV raised up to $60M in venture debt to scale through acquisitions and new AI-powered measurement tools; Samba previously raised $69M in equity funding — Samba TV has secured up to $60 million in venture debt to scale through acquisitions and new AI-powered measurement tools, CEO Ashwin Navin exclusively tells Axios.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck
