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12:55 AM ET, December 12, 2025

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Disney and OpenAI sign a three-year deal to bring 200+ Disney characters to Sora; Disney will make a $1B investment in OpenAI and become a major OpenAI customer  —  The Walt Disney Company on Thursday announced it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and will allow users …
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
In a message to members, the WGA says Disney's licensing deal with OpenAI “appears to sanction” OpenAI's “theft of our work”, and it plans to meet with Disney  —  SAG-AFTRA said it will ‘closely monitor’ the deal … “Disney's announcement with OpenAI appears …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney sends Google a cease-and-desist letter, accusing Google of “massive scale” copyright infringement and using AI to “exploit and distribute” its content  —  Disney sends cease-and-desist letter to internet giant  —  As Disney has gone into business with OpenAI …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Bob Iger says the OpenAI deal “does not in any way represent a threat to the creators at all” because it doesn't include name, likeness, or character voices
Axios:
The OpenAI deal gives Disney a fair amount of oversight and control over how its IP is used, including a joint steering committee to monitor user creations
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
The Washington Post's new Your Personal Podcast, which offers AI-generated customizable podcasts, was developed under a multiyear agreement with ElevenLabs  —  The Washington Post has used AI to build a pick-your-own-format news podcast, letting listeners choose the topics, hosts and length to create custom versions.
RELATED:
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: WaPo's top standards editor decried “frustrating” errors in its new AI-generated personalized podcasts, announced this week for users of its mobile app  —  The Scoop  —  The Washington Post's top standards editor Thursday decried “frustrating” errors …
RELATED:
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
The value of WBD's cable networks including CNN is a key number for Netflix and Paramount bidders; Ellison says they're worth ~$2.5B, while analysts say ~$10B
Reuters:
Reddit files a lawsuit against Australia over its social media ban for under-16s, saying the ban “infringes the implied freedom of political communication”  —  Message board website Reddit (RDDT.N) on Friday filed a lawsuit asking the High Court to overturn Australia's social media ban …
Alex Heath / Sources:
An interview with Nikita Bier, who wants to lure journalists back to X with a rebuilt recommendation algorithm with no keyword suppression or manual downranking  —  X wants its haters back Product chief Nikita Bier on journalists who left: “We have to earn their trust.”
Jacob Shamsian / Business Insider:
A Manhattan jury finds director Carl Rinsch guilty on all seven counts of defrauding Netflix of $11M when making sci-fi show White Horse  —  - A Manhattan federal jury found Carl Rinsch guilty on seven counts, including fraud.  — Rinsh went to trial over $11 million Netflix gave him for a futuristic sci-fi show.
Bloomberg:
A US appeals court upholds a contempt ruling in Epic v. Apple but says Apple can charge commissions on external links, with the rate to be set by a lower court  —  Apple Inc. lost its challenge to a judge's rebuke for disobedience but won a new chance to argue for charging developers …
Dan Friedman / Mother Jones:
Jack Posobiec, a new Pentagon press corps member, seems to be working in coordination with the Pentagon to threaten a journalist writing about a DoD official  —  Six weeks ago, Jack Posobiec asked me to comment on whether I have a “creepy fetish for Asian women.”
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
NY governor signs bills requiring ads to disclose AI-generated performers and mandating consent of heirs to use a deceased person's likeness commercially  —  The New York bill requires anyone producing or creating an ad to identify if it includes AI generated synthetic performers.
 
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 More News: 
Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli / Financial Times:
Journalists at Italian newspaper La Stampa go on strike to protest against a potential sale of its parent company Gedi to Greek media organization Antenna
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Pinterest agrees to acquire tvScientific, a CTV ad platform that automates and optimizes ad buying; tvScientific was founded in 2020 and has raised ~$60M
Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
UK sports publisher GRV cut ~60 staff since September, reducing its workforce to 94, citing drops in Google traffic; other sports sites report similar declines
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Mirror Editor-in-Chief Caroline Waterston steps down after less than two years, to be succeeded by Chloe Hubbard, currently UK editor at The Independent
Discussion: HoldtheFrontPage
 Earlier Picks: 
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
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify says it will test Prompted Playlist, which lets users describe what they want to hear and receive a unique set of songs based on their listening history
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
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
 

 
From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: OpenAI's first device will be a moveable, screen-free smart speaker with a camera and sensors, meant to serve as a humanlike AI companion

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
OpenAI says it is “not aware of any evidence” that Apple's lawsuit alleging trade-secret theft has merit, adding that it believes in fair competition

Derek B. Johnson / CyberScoop:
The Trump administration launches the “Gold Eagle” federal clearinghouse for sharing AI cyber threat information between the government and private sector
 
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