Whether or not Netflix’s $82.6 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. goes through, the deal encapsulates a fraught moment for Hollywood, as the entertainment business is increasingly overshadowed by tech giants. On the latest episode of the Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec and I discussed the deal’s implications, both for Netflix and the larger Hollywood ecosystem. Kirsten […]
Making sense of the risky Netflix-Warner Bros. deal Read More »
The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday that it has signed a three-year partnership with OpenAI that will bring its iconic characters to the company’s Sora AI video generator. Disney is also making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. Launched in September, Sora allows users to create short videos using simple prompts. With this
Spotify announced on Wednesday that, for the first time, it’s giving users more control over the streaming service’s algorithm. That’s at least how the company is framing the launch of its new “Promoted Playlists,” a feature that will initially be available to Premium subscribers in New Zealand. The feature, which is currently available in English
Spotify tests more personalized, AI-powered ‘Prompted Playlists’ Read More »
YouTube TV is launching more than 10 genre-specific channel packages in early 2026, the Google-owned company announced on Wednesday. The move will mark the first time YouTube TV breaks up its cable-like channel bundle. The new packages will give consumers more flexibility over the content that they want to pay for. The upcoming lineup of
YouTube TV to launch genre-based subscription plans in 2026 Read More »
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. News publishers participating in the pilot program include Der Spiegel, El País, Folha, Infobae, Kompas, The Guardian, The Times of India, The Washington Examiner, and The Washington Post, among others.
Google is testing AI-powered article overviews on select publications’ Google News pages Read More »
A new helper has arrived at the North Pole in recent years: AI. Tavus, the AI startup that creates digital replicas using voice and face cloning technology, has launched its AI Santa experience for the second year in a row. This allows parents and children to video chat with a virtual version of the jolly
AI startup Tavus founder says users talk to its AI Santa ‘for hours’ per day Read More »
Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a hostile, $108.4 billion bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), days after Warner agreed to be acquired by Netflix for $82.7 billion. Paramount is going straight to WBD’s shareholders with an all-cash offer of $30 per share, and it noted that its offer provides shareholders $18 billion more cash
Paramount goes to war with Netflix for Warner Bros. Discovery with hostile $108.4B bid Read More »
Will Netflix’s $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. get approval from federal regulators? While Paramount was assumed to be the frontrunner to acquire the storied movie studio thanks to CEO David Ellison’s connections to the Trump administration, new reporting in Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met with President
Netflix co-CEO reportedly discussed Warner Bros. deal with Trump Read More »
It’s only been a day since Netflix announced an $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros., and the acquisition has already been described as sending Hollywood into “full-blown panic mode,” “possibly a death blow to theatrical filmmaking,” and maybe even “the end of Hollywood” itself. Some of the firmest opposition has come from the Writers
How would the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal reshape Hollywood? Read More »
In one of the most groundbreaking deals the streaming world has ever seen, Netflix announced on Friday its acquisition of Warner Bros. with an enterprise value of $82.7 billion. This agreement involves both HBO Max and the HBO studio, marking one of the largest mergers in Hollywood’s history. By making this move, Netflix is not
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. in a disruptive deal valued at $82.7B Read More »
