Digest: Comcast in Talks to Buy ITV's Broadcast Arm; Apple Nears $1bn Deal to Power Siri; EU to Weaken AI Act Amid Big Tech Pressure - ExchangeWire.com

"Comcast, the American media giant behind Universal Studios and owner of Sky, is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire ITV's broadcasting division for approximately £2bn. The deal would encompass ITV's traditional TV channels and its streaming platform ITVX, but notably exclude ITV Studios, which remains the subject of separate acquisition interest. Apple nears $1bn Deal to Power Siri Apple Inc. is nearing a billion-dollar annual agreement with Alphabet Inc. to license Google's Gemini AI model."

"The deal, expected to be finalised soon, would grant Apple access to the 1.2 trillion-parameter system, one of the most powerful AI models publicly known to support a comprehensive revamp of Siri. The almost finalised partnership follows an evaluation period during which Apple evaluated models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Ultimately, Google's Gemini emerged as the preferred choice. The AI model will be integrated into Siri's backend to enhance capabilities such as contextual understanding, summarisation, and multi-step task execution."

"The European Commission is preparing to soften parts of its landmark AI legislation in response to mounting pressure from major tech firms and the US government. A draft proposal is being prepared to ease elements of its sweeping digital legislation, expected to be unveiled on 19th November as part of a broader simplification package which would delay enforcement of certain provisions in the AI Act."

Comcast is in advanced talks to acquire ITV's broadcasting division for approximately £2bn. The proposed purchase would include ITV's traditional TV channels and the ITVX streaming platform while excluding ITV Studios, which remains separately targeted. Apple is nearing a near-$1bn annual licensing agreement with Alphabet to use the 1.2 trillion-parameter Gemini AI model for a comprehensive Siri overhaul, internally code-named "Linwood", planned for iOS 26.4 next spring. The European Commission is preparing a draft to soften elements of the AI Act, including proposed delays and a one-year grace period in response to pressure from major tech firms and the US government.

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