It's been a while since I checked in on the Paramount-Warner Bros. saga. Last time I said the regulatory war was just beginning. Turns out that was accurate. Shareholders Say Yes (But Also: No) On April 23, WBD shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the Paramount deal — about 1.743 billion shares for, 16.3 million...

Last month, I closed out the Warner Bros. bidding war saga with this line: "Whether it's Netflix or Paramount holding the keys to Warner Bros., that part doesn't change. We're still paying $18/month for a streaming service that drops three episodes of a show and then makes us wait six months for the rest. The...

When I last updated you on February 24, Warner Bros.' board was "warming up" to Paramount's $31/share offer but hadn't formally flipped. Netflix had four days to counter. Netflix made its decision: they walked away. Officially because the deal was "no longer financially attractive." Then February 27 happened. The Deal...

When I last updated you on February 24, Warner Bros.' board was "warming up" to Paramount's $31/share offer but hadn't formally flipped. Netflix had four days to counter. Tonight, Netflix made its decision: they walked away. Netflix Declines to Raise Its Offer (February 26, 2026) Netflix officially announced it has...

It's been a week since I covered Warner Bros. giving Paramount a seven-day window to make their "best and final offer." Today that deadline arrived—and Paramount showed up with a higher number. Sort of. Paramount Raises to $31/Share (February 23-24, 2026) Remember back in January when Paramount said they weren't raising...

Four days ago, I wrote about YouTube killing background playback in browsers and how it was part of a broader pattern of systematically degrading free features to push people toward Premium subscriptions or their data-slurping app. Guess what happened this week? YouTube Music just put song lyrics behind a paywall. The...

Remember when you could open YouTube in Samsung Internet or Brave, lock your screen, and keep listening to music or podcasts while doing literally anything else on your phone? Yeah, that's done. As of this week, YouTube officially killed background playback through third-party browsers. No more workarounds. No more...

A week ago, I posted that a Senate hearing was scheduled for February 3 to examine Netflix's $82.7 billion Warner Bros. acquisition. Well, the hearing happened today. And it went exactly as messy as you'd expect. The Hearing: Antitrust Questions and Culture War Grandstanding Today: Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner...

Well, this bidding war just got even messier. Last week, I posted an update on the Netflix-Warner Bros. acquisition saga, noting that Paramount had launched a lawsuit and proxy fight after Warner Bros. Discovery officially rejected its hostile bid for the second time. Turns out, both sides had more moves to make....

Well, that didn't take long. A week ago, I posted an update on the Netflix-Warner Bros. acquisition saga, noting that Warner Bros. Discovery had officially rejected Paramount's hostile bid for the second time despite Larry Ellison's personal $40+ billion guarantee. Turns out, both sides were just getting started....

A few days ago, I posted an update on the Netflix-Warner Bros. acquisition saga, noting that Warner Bros. Discovery was expected to reject Paramount's hostile bid for the second time. Well, it's official. Warner Bros. Says No (Again) Today (January 7, 2026): Warner Bros. Discovery's board **unanimously rejected...

Three days ago, I wrote about Netflix's $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. and how consolidation would somehow make streaming "cheaper" for consumers. Turns out, the story wasn't over. Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid Today, Paramount launched a **$108.4 billion hostile bid** for Warner Bros....

What's Actually Happening Netflix is dropping $82.7 billion to acquire Warner Bros. following the separation of Discovery Global from Warner Bros. Discovery. At $27.75 per share, this deal brings Warner Bros. Studios, HBO, and HBO Max under Netflix's umbrella—combining a century-old Hollywood legacy with the streaming...