Top News:
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
President Trump told reporters “it's imperative” for CNN to be sold: “Any deal it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately” — President Trump indicated he'd like to see CNN be sold off as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery …
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Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Two representatives on the US House Financial Services Committee warn WBD CEO David Zaslav of national security concerns about the financiers of Paramount's bid — Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-CA) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) wrote in a letter to Zaslav, “This transaction raises national security concerns …
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, No Film School, Associated Press, Proactive, Financial Post, The A.V. Club and Reuters
Emily Graffeo / Bloomberg:
A look at Netflix's funding plan for WBD: $59B of debt financing via Wall Street banks, to be eventually replaced with bonds, term loans, and revolving credit
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, @devonheinen.bsky.social, Screen Rant and The Hill
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
Discussion:
@maxwelltani, NOTUS, The Wrap, Telegraph, Cord Cutters News and AzerNews
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
Discussion:
Business Insider, Status, CNN, Poynter, Screen, Variety, Media Play News, The Wrap, @semaforben, Wall Street Journal, @maxwelltani, Benzinga, Breaking the News and Daring Fireball
David Bauder / Associated Press:
The NYT says it won't be deterred in its work after Trump posted on Truth Social that reporting by The NYT and others about his health was “seditious” — The New York Times, attacked by President Donald Trump for reporting about his physical condition, said on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Deadline, @nytimespr, @trumpwarroom, @brunojnavarro.bsky.social, Straight Arrow News, @gregmorosoff.bsky.social, @karyncaplan, Raw Story, @mariopro.bsky.social, MS NOW, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, CNN, The Wrap, Alternet.org, The Hill, Suggest, @atrupar.com, Mediaite, New Republic, New Jersey Online, HuffPost, Mirror US and The Independent
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Google tests AI-powered overviews on some publications' Google News pages; publishers like Der Spiegel, El País, and WaPo in commercial partnerships get paid — Google is testing AI-powered article overviews on participating publications' Google News pages as part of a new pilot program, the search giant announced on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Press Gazette, The Information, 9to5Google and The Verge
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Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google rolls out Preferred Sources globally, letting users customize “top stories” in Search, and launches highlighted links from users' news subscriptions — Table of Contents — Spotlighting subscriptions are coming to Gemini first and then AI Mode and AI Overviews within Google Search.
Discussion:
BMI, Android Police, Android Central, Search Engine Journal, @glenngabe.bsky.social, The Keyword, KnowTechie and Phandroid
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:
Engadget, YouTube Official Blog, Deadline, Sports Business Journal, Wall Street Journal, Livemint, TheDesk.net, @willmckinley.bsky.social, Pocket-lint, @lucas_shaw, MacRumors, AppleInsider, The Shortcut, @tvgrimreaper, Los Angeles Times, The Athletic, Chrome Unboxed, Android Authority, TechCrunch, Thurrott, The Streamable, 9to5Google, Cord Cutters News, Droid Life, The US Sun, Streaming Better, Front Office Sports, Media Play News, Sportico, The Wrap, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, BMI and BGR, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify will begin testing a feature that lets a user write a prompt for a playlist and receive a unique set of songs based on the user's earlier behavior — Spotify announced on Wednesday that, for the first time, it's giving users more control over the streaming service's algorithm.
Discussion:
Spotify, Bloomberg, Android Authority, Gizmodo, Anna Lundström on LinkedIn, The Verge, Rasmus Zwickson on LinkedIn, Engadget, @techcrunch.com, Billboard, How-To Geek and T3
David Peisner / New York Times:
Timbaland's Stage Zero launches TaTa Taktumi, an AI pop artist created using Suno's tools; Timbaland says ~85% of the creative work is still done by humans — The producer dreamed up TaTa Taktumi and brought her to life with help from the software Suno. She's arriving at a fraught moment for artificial intelligence in music.
Kara Voght / Washington Post:
A profile of Brian Glenn, Real America's Voice WH reporter and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend, who is giving up his WH gig after the Trump-MTG split — The day before Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was quitting Congress, her boyfriend was outside the White House.
Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
McDonald's Netherlands pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad, made by ad agency TBWA\NEBOKO with film production company The Sweetshop, after social media backlash — There's just one issue: pretty much everybody hates it. — This year, McDonald's decided to get in on the corporate slopfest …
Discussion:
Mediaweek, Ad Age, Agence France-Presse, @yfcherries, Mashable, Entertainment Weekly, SiliconANGLE, Wil Reynolds on LinkedIn, Wagner James Au on LinkedIn, @peterwildeford, ZeroHedge News, Times of India, @joncomms, @aishamadeit, @chatgpt21, @erulez_23, @ronaldmannak, @mattwalshblog, @lukemiani, @writerofscratch, @lucian_armasu, @andymasley, @gnoofiest, @girldrawsghosts, @firagawalkwthme, @saberspark, @jacksfilms, @echotrx, @octanesam, @richarderoeper, @cinephiliabeyond.org, HuffPost, Newser, Fox Business, NewsMax.com, Breitbart, eWeek, @disabilitystor1.bsky.social, WCNC-TV, @culturecrave, Instapundit, BBC, WinBuzzer, @mutantastronaut.bsky.social, @spookycutewitch.bsky.social, @bcmerchant.bsky.social, New York Post, TheJournal.ie, Interesting Engineering, The Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, Forbes, Digital Trends, The Verge, Kotaku and IJR
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:
Engadget, WeRSM, Android Police, Social Media Today, Tech Times, The Verge, Reuters, @techcrunch.com and Reddit Upvoted, more at Techmeme »
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:
Lauren Johnson on LinkedIn, Search Engine Land and AdExchanger
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