#media-consolidation

#media-consolidation

A baby was born in a Waymo this week, and it wasn't even the first one. What started as a novelty story quickly became a reminder of how autonomous vehicles have quietly become part of everyday life, complete with all the messiness that entails. The real coming-of-age story this week, however, wasn't happening in San Francisco's robotaxis. It was playing out in Hollywood, where Netflix made an $82 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming and studio business.

The deal would mean the streamer would own some of the biggest franchises in the world: DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Looney Tunes and more. Critics argue the deal would make Netflix too dominant in the entertainment industry, could mean fewer movies in theaters in favor of streaming at home, and potential price increases for Netflix because consumers will have fewer options.

Paramount Pictures' official X account was hacked on Tuesday, briefly rebranded as a proud arm of a fascist regime message as it attempts a hostile takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. For several minutes, the pointed message was emblazoned on the account's bio. It quickly vanished restored to The official X account for Paramount Pictures but not before screenshots ricocheted across the internet.

Last Friday, Netflix announced that they would be acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, a massive megamerger that would let the number one streaming service acquire the third biggest streamer (HBO Max), the entire Warner Bros. film catalog, its cable channels, and the Discovery+ streaming service. But before any shareholders could celebrate, Paramount Skydance, the megaconglomerate led by the Trump-favored Ellison family, launched a hostile takeover. Which company will emerge victorious here...will the biggest loser be the cinephile consumer?

The guild and other unions are justifiably concerned about a future where either company seizes control of Warner Bros. - especially given the billions in so-called "synergies," a.k.a. mass layoffs, the two companies foresee in a purchase. Perpetually seen as a Hollywood disruptor, Netflix would snap up a more-traditional studio and streaming business while running its own versions of both: Its management projects $2 to 3 billion in synergies by the time the merged company turns three.

As we wrap up 2025, we're looking at the year's biggest winners: the people, companies, products and trends that made the most impact over the year. Almost at the top of the pile, of course, are the tech billionaires. According to a recent report by Oxfam, the 10 richest US billionaires (who are all tech leaders, save for Warren Buffet) increased their wealth by $698 billion in 2025. Some of that has been spent treating and lavishing donations on President Trump.

Timed to ruin holidays like a round of end-of-year layoffs, the streaming giant announced plans to buy Warner Bros, a movie and television studio with a full-century legacy. It's possible that the acquisition won't actually go through and if it does, it won't be for at least a year. But the news still looms over year-end awards and list-making, and it's going to take more than a jingle-bell heist to steal back any holiday cheer for the entertainment industry,

Omnicom began absorbing its former rival Interpublic Group (IPG) this week with a swath of redundancies up and down the org chart. Among the 4,000 people cut loose across the globe were Susan Credle, global chief creative officer of FCB until last year and most recently global creative advisor for IPG, and Eileen Kiernan, previously the global CEO of IPG Mediabrands (Kiernan didn't respond to a request for comment).

The owner of the Daily Mail has struck a 500m deal to buy the Telegraph titles, in a move that will create a right-leaning publishing powerhouse. Lord Rothermere's Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) has entered a period of exclusivity with RedBird IMI, which has been seeking a buyer since being forced to put the papers up for sale last Spring, to finalise the terms of the transaction. The two parties say that they expect this process to happen quickly, however the deal is likely to trigger an in-depth investigation by the UK competition regulator.

Lauren Tousignant will continue serving as Jezebel's Editor-in-Chief, with former Splinter EIC Jacob Weindling continuing to write every week as Splinter's Editor-at-Large, as we attempt to preserve everything he poured into the site these last two years, as well as the great work that came before. The entire Splinter archive is now available under the Splinter tab of Jezebel.com, from its beginnings as part of Fusion TV to its latest iteration under Weindling's leadership.

The disclosure followed public overtures from Paramount, which reportedly was willing to pay as much as $24 per share, or around $60 billion total, for the publicly traded media company. WarnerBros. Discovery rejected that offer as too low, and hopes to drum up additional interest by publicly putting itself up for sale. Any potential deal, regardless of the ultimate identity of the winning bidder, will almost inevitably reshape the streaming landscape, which in turn could have major consequences for consumers.

"level up [its] hip-hop and R&B coverage,"

"The acquisition of Galway Bay FM represents an exciting addition to Bay's growing radio portfolio and aligns with our strategy of investing in high-quality media assets. It has been the voice of Galway for over three decades, and with the support of Bay's experienced management team, we see a clear opportunity to strengthen its commercial performance, broaden its reach and move Bay into the position of being the second largest commercial radio group in Ireland."

Ellison, the founder of the tech giant Oracle, is quickly emerging as the new face of oligarchic power in the U.S. Oracle has become an AI powerhouse at the same time Ellison and his son David have acquired Paramount and its vast media empire. With Donald Trump's recent executive order, Ellison and Oracle will also now oversee TikTok's algorithms, shaping a platform that reaches 150 million U.S. users.

Will the as-yet-unnamed U.S. buyers of TikTok be paying the full market price? The White House is apparently valuing TikTok's U.S. business at $14 billion, 1.4 times its annual U.S. revenue. That's a shockingly low figure for a thriving tech operation. As Bloomberg News reported, YouTube's parent corporation, Alphabet, is valued at eight times its revenue. Instagram's parent, Meta, is valued at 10 times its revenue. The buzz among investors is that TikTok in the U.S. should be worth about $40 billion, perhaps more.

has a 20-year history of suppressing speech that she finds objectionable, especially when it's speech championing the rights of Palestinians and criticizing the state of Israel,

Trumpism wants to capture your attention. And it won't hesitate to colonize, with the approval of its leader, all the world's main information outlets, streaming media and video game platforms. Emerging from the effervescent magma of the MAGA universe, a group of powerful businessmen are in orbit around Trump, fattening his businesses and helping him expand the reach of his ultraconservative rhetoric.

The clearest sign yet of Ellison's willingness to ruffle feathers and fundamentally remake iconic American media brands was his Monday installation of Bari Weiss atop Paramount's CBS News, the 98-year-old institution home to the likes of Walter Cronkite and "60 Minutes." Weiss, a former New York Times Opinion writer who resigned from The Gray Lady in 2020, has spent the years since building an anti-woke alternative to traditional media. That effort, The Free Press, is far from CBS News in sensibility and approach.