#media-consolidation

#media-consolidation

During the first Trump Administration, Sinclair, a company that owns almost two hundred local TV stations across the United States, and is known for its conservative bent, instructed its news anchors to recite a near-identical script on air. The sharing of bias and false news has become all too common on social media, and more alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories without checking facts first.

Glen Walker and Lu Parker, anchors of KTLA's late morning and midday newscasts, are out along with meteorologist Mark Kriski. Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, while Walker has been at the station's anchor desk since 2010. Parker joined KTLA in 2005.

A terrifying moment. We appeal for your support. The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. Yet, Trump-aligned billionaires and other allies have taken over many legacy media outlets - the culmination of a decades-long campaign to place control of the narrative into the hands of the political right. We refuse to let Trump's blatant propaganda machine go unchecked.

There's a crisis of creativity in mainstream American culture. We have fewer and fewer studios and record labels fewer and fewer platforms online that serve independent artists and creators. At its core, copyright is a monopoly right on creative output and expression. It's intended to allow people who make things to make a living through those things, to incentivize creativity. To square the circle that is "exclusive control over expression" and "free speech," we have fair use.

This is one of those moments in Donald Trump's presidency when an event that would otherwise be recognized as a death knell for democracy somehow fails to elicit the outrage it deserves. Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN, whose coverage Trump views as hostile to his administration. So he is abusing the government's merger-approval power in order to insist that the next owner of the venerable outlet mold its journalism to his liking.

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on 22 January, according to an internal memo seen by he Associated Press and Reuters. The TikTok chief executive officer, Shou Zi Chew, said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.

However, the potential 1.6bn takeover of ITV's broadcasting arm and streaming service, which would end 70 years of independence, is laden with regulatory, political and competition concerns. At a stroke Comcast would control Sky News and ITV News (including its sprawling regional news operation) and become the largest shareholder in ITN, which produces news for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

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 developing ParamountSkydance effort to acquire Warner Bros Discovery involves outreach to sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Reuters reported that Jared Kushner helped connect David Ellison's team with those funds as they explored financing options for a potential hostile bid. These investments are not confirmed or finalized, and Axios has reported that the foreign investors have agreed to forgo any governance rights including board representation associated with their non-voting equity investments.

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).

Throughout the staffing changes, Weiss has been equipped with a reported $10k-per-day security detail as she " do[es] the fucking news ." She had a bit of a viral moment earlier this week when she said that she views her position as the opportunity to shut out voices like Hasan Piker and Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes in order to elevate "normal" voices like, uh, Alan Dershowitz to debate the NRA on guns.

What they're saying: In a Truth Social post linking to a Newsmax story with Ruddy's comments, Trump said removing the cap "would also allow the Radical Left Networks to 'enlarge,' I would not be happy." "ABC & NBC, in particular, are a disaster - A VIRTUAL ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. They should be viewed as an illegal campaign to the Radical Left. NO EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS. If anything, make them SMALLER!"

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.

We examine whether the increased concentration of media ownership will create a more restrictive narrative. Recent developments in United States tech and media have prompted concerns about media consolidation and its impact on free speech. The US government is pushing ByteDance to reduce its control over TikTok, with Oracle proposed to oversee the platform's algorithm for national security reasons. Meanwhile, Skydance Media's $8bn merger with Paramount Global raises further concerns about media ownership centralisation.

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.