Top News:
Steven Portnoy / ABC News:
Members of the Senate Commerce Committee accused FCC Chairman Brendan Carr of making “mafia threats” and encroaching on broadcasters' First Amendment rights — Sen. Markey calls him “chairman of the ‘Federal Censorship Commission.’” — Brendan Carr, commissioner …
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Axios:
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr tells a Senate committee the FCC “is not an independent agency”; the agency removed “independent agency” from its site as he testified — FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in his Wednesday Senate testimony that the agency he governs “is not an independent agency, formally speaking.”
Discussion:
@sarafischer, NBC News, The Hill, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, Mediaite, Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian, New Republic, CNBC, Free Press Action Fund Feed, Raw Story, NOTUS, @samstein, The Independent, Barrett Media, @bulwarkonline, @atrupar, Associated Press, @cspan, @sarafischer, @lutherlowe, @patriotprogressive …, @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social, San Diego Union-Tribune, Alternet.org and Washington Examiner
Wall Street Journal:
WBD recommends shareholders reject Paramount's unsolicited cash bid, calling the offer “illusory” and saying it believes Netflix's proposal is still superior — Warner raised concerns about the credibility of Paramount's ‘illusory’ offer and its backing from the Ellison family
Discussion:
StreamTV Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, The Wrap, The Times, @dylanbyers, Business Insider, Morningstar, Wrestling Inc., Courthouse News Service, TechRadar, Business Insider, Ukrainian National News, New York Times, Implicator.ai, Bloomberg, @pkafka, Sharecast, @danprimack, HotAir, @sherman4949, Axios, @edmundlee, Proactive, Gulf News, The Wrap, @sherman4949, @pkafka, @brianstelter, Reuters, Barrett Media, @pkafka, @scottnover and AfroTech, more at Techmeme »
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
SEC filing: WBD says the Ellisons offered David Zaslav a compensation package of several hundred million dollars, which Zaslav said was inappropriate to discuss — The Ellisons came promising boatloads of cash. … Over a four-month stretch, David Ellison pressed his case aggressively …
Discussion:
The Wrap, TV Tech, Forbes, Business Insider, The Movie Blog, Reuters, Benzinga, GamesIndustry.biz, The Hollywood Reporter, @xpangler, The Ankler, CBS News and Financial Times
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paramount reaffirms its $30/share all-cash bid after WBD's board officially rejected it, saying its bid offers “superior value and certainty” for shareholders — For now, David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is signaling that it will fight for the hearts and minds of Warner Bros. Discovery …
New York Times:
WBD says the Ellisons have “consistently misled” shareholders, including claiming Paramount's proposal had a “full backstop” but it “does not, and never has”
Charles Gasparino / New York Post:
Source: Paramount has no immediate plans to sweeten its $30 per share, all-cash bid for WBD
Source: Paramount has no immediate plans to sweeten its $30 per share, all-cash bid for WBD
Discussion:
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Peter Grant / Wall Street Journal:
The WBD deal could worsen soundstage vacancies as productions may shift to the studio's facilities, affecting companies like Hackman, owner of 60+ soundstages
The WBD deal could worsen soundstage vacancies as productions may shift to the studio's facilities, affecting companies like Hackman, owner of 60+ soundstages
Discussion:
The Real Deal and Daily Mail
Bloomberg:
Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners is exiting from Paramount's takeover bid for WBD, citing changed investment dynamics since it joined the bid in October
Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners is exiting from Paramount's takeover bid for WBD, citing changed investment dynamics since it joined the bid in October
Discussion:
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Scott Feinberg / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Academy signs a multi-year deal that will give YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars, beginning in 2029 and running through 2033 — The Academy announced on Wednesday: — LOS ANGELES, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and YouTube signed a multi-year deal …
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Associated Press:
A US federal judge denied Sarah Palin's bid for a new libel trial against the NYT and rejected her motion for his recusal, after a jury found no libel in April — Regarding the request to recuse himself, the judge said the trial transcript shows he frequently ruled in Palin's favor during the trials.
Discussion:
@lmariev.bsky.social, @volts.wtf and @daviddarmofal.bsky.social
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Meta is testing limiting Facebook professional accounts and Pages to posting just two links per month, unless they subscribe to $14.99+/month Meta Verified — In a new experiment, Meta is limiting the number of links users can post on Facebook, unless they have a paid Meta Verified subscription.
Discussion:
@mattnavarra@threads.com, @TechCrunch@mstdn.social and Social Media Today
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Sources: Disney has not partnered with or licensed its IP to Roblox, unlike Netflix, Lionsgate, and others, because it doesn't consider Roblox a safe platform — Here's a stat that might shock anyone who isn't the parent of a Gen Alpha kid: As of October 2025, online gaming platform Roblox boasted …
Discussion:
The Record, Dexerto and Glossy
Joseph Berger / New York Times:
Norman Podhoretz, who transformed Commentary magazine into a controversial and influential neoconservative voice as its EIC from 1960 to 1995, has died at 95 — A New York intellectual and onetime liberal stalwart, his Commentary magazine became his platform as his political and social view turned sharply rightward.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix signs a deal with Barstool Sports to stream video versions of three podcasts, initially in the US; full video episodes will be removed from YouTube — Netflix also has podcast distribution deals with Spotify and iHeartMedia — Netflix has gone into business with Dave Portnoy …
Discussion:
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BBC Press Office on LinkedIn:
BBC News hires Lindsay McIntosh, previously Head of News at The Sunday Times, as its Executive News Editor — We are delighted to announce Lindsay McIntosh as the new Executive News Editor, BBC News. — As Executive News Editor, Lindsay will be at the heart of the BBC newsroom …
