Tag

Mergers

All articles tagged with #mergers

business1 day ago•9 min saved

States’ antitrust push stalls Paramount-WBD deal ahead of trial

Paramount’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery is blocked by a states-led antitrust challenge led by California, with a March trial looming; despite global regulatory clearance, California and 11 other states seek structural remedies (potential divestitures of pay-TV assets) and have pressed for concessions such as 30 films per year and 45-day theatrical windows, while Paramount has floated relocation as a pressure tactic, keeping the deal uncertain amid ongoing talks and cost concerns from delays.

via CNBC|

#antitrust #business #california-ag

artificial-intelligence2 days ago•15 min saved

Hugging Face Eyes a $13 Billion Acquisition, Sources Say

Hugging Face is reportedly pursuing a sale valued at about $13 billion, with insiders citing a bank backing the deal and no agreement yet. Its last known valuation was $4.5 billion in 2023, and a Nvidia offer around $7 billion was rejected; the company, founded in 2016, runs a model-hosting platform for AI and earns revenue by selling enterprise upgrades.

via Gizmodo|

#acquisition #artificial-intelligence #hugging-face

business5 days ago•1 min saved

Spectrum-Cox merger cements national telecom footprint with Liberty Broadband tie-in

Charter Communications’ Spectrum unit is finalizing a merger with Cox Communications and Liberty Broadband, creating a leading broadband, video and mobile provider with a 45-state footprint. The combined company will operate under the Spectrum brand in Cox markets, with Cox Kansas rebranding to Spectrum; Cox Internet customers will get a free year of Spectrum Mobile, and a full Spectrum product rollout is planned across former Cox markets within the year.

via KWCH|

#business #cable-tv #cox-communications

space8 days ago•161 min saved

Cosmic trio of supermassive black holes spotted in a distant galaxy

Using JWST/NIRSpec, astronomers found three active supermassive black holes in the distant galaxy J0148-4214—a central 80‑million-solar-mass hole, a 600,000-solar-mass companion, and a ~2‑million-solar-mass third hole—suggesting rapid early‑universe black‑hole growth via mergers; the third hole’s fate is uncertain, but such systems could emit long‑wavelength gravitational waves detectable by future space‑based observatories like LISA.

via Space|

#black-holes #galaxy-j0148-4214 #gravitational-waves

politics22 days ago•13 min saved

Ethics Complaints Question FCC Impartiality Over Paramount Gala Gifts

Two watchdog groups filed ethics complaints alleging FCC Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty violated ethics rules by accepting luxury Kennedy Center gala tickets from Paramount while the agency reviewed Paramount’s bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. ProPublica details show substantial gifts, including high-value skybox seats, and critics say the gifts could affect merger reviews. The groups urge repayment of the value of improper gifts, an inspector general probe, and disqualification from Paramount-related decisions, while the FCC has historically cleared such gifts and Paramount says it’s a longstanding practice as merger litigation continues.

via ProPublica|

#fcc #government-ethics #mergers

business1 month ago•1 min saved

Paramount-Warner Merger Put On Ice Amid Legal Challenge

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery pause their $110bn merger until June 2027 as lawsuits from 12 states and the Writers Guild challenge the deal, arguing it would harm competition; EU regulators had approved it with conditions; emergency hearings are canceled and the companies will operate separately pending a court decision, with a trial schedule to be set by July 31; Paramount argues the merger would boost competition and support about 30 yearly film releases.

via BBC|

#antitrust #business #entertainment

business1 month ago•5 min saved

California Sues to Block Paramount Skydance-WBD Deal Amid Netflix Speculation

California AG Rob Bonta filed suit to block Paramount Skydance's roughly $110 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that could derail the merger and trigger a lengthy court battle; Netflix is rumored to be shaping the case, adding political optics as regulators weigh potential injunctions.

via New York Post|

#antitrust #business #entertainment-industry

regulation1 month ago•31 min saved

Paramount Gifts to FCC Officials Stir Ethics Questions in Mega Merger Review

ProPublica reports that FCC commissioners Olivia Trusty and Brendan Carr attended the Kennedy Center honors with expensive tickets gifted by Paramount, part of gifts totaling over $308,000 from CBS/Paramount over a decade. Experts say accepting these gifts while ruling on Paramount’s deals creates a clear conflict of interest and could require recusal from merger decisions, as the agency weighs Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance and other deals. The story highlights ongoing debates over ethics guidelines, the FCC’s limited quorum, and the potential for litigation or challenges to approvals, while Paramount defends the long-running practice of inviting officials to the gala.

via ProPublica|

#conflict-of-interest #ethics #fcc

business1 month ago•5 min saved

Knitting Joins the Agenda at Sun Valley’s Billionaire Summit, Reflecting Media’s Uncertain Future

Sun Valley’s annual Allen & Co. gathering includes a knitting class on the schedule, joining panel interviews with media and tech leaders and underscoring industry consolidation and anxiety about the traditional media model amid cord-cutting and streaming shifts.

via New York Post|

#billionaires #business #knitting

world1 month ago•13 min saved

Paula Reid to Exit CNN as Paramount Merger Looms and Weiss Leadership Debates Emerge

CNN’s Paula Reid is set to leave the network this summer as Paramount’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery moves forward, fueling uncertainty about CNN’s future editorial independence under CBS News chief Bari Weiss; Weiss’s controversial tenure has already sparked staff upheaval, while Paramount and regulators weigh the deal’s implications.

via The Independent|

#bari-weiss #cnn #mergers

business2 months ago•20 min saved

Paramount Seeks Dismissal of Antitrust Challenge to Warner Bros. Merger

Paramount asked a California federal court to dismiss a federal antitrust lawsuit brought by five Paramount+ subscribers who sought to block Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the plaintiffs’ claims lack factual support and amount to a politicized use of antitrust law. The suit also targets Skydance Media’s merger with Paramount Global (completed Aug. 2025). Plaintiffs say the deal would raise prices and reduce viewing options, while Paramount contends the merger will boost competition, investment and content. A hearing is scheduled for July 16 in Oakland, and the case has drawn significant industry and political attention.

via Variety|

#antitrust #business #mergers

business3 months ago•10 min saved

Hollywood’s image crisis shadows Ellison’s mega-merger bid

David Ellison’s $111-billion bid to merge Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery has sparked a Hollywood backlash—thousands signed an open letter opposing the deal amid fears of media concentration and political entanglements, even as Ellison argues the merger would boost competition and pledges to keep producing films; critics warn of job losses and give the administration leverage over outlets like CNN and CBS News.

via Los Angeles Times|

#business #david-ellison #hollywood

energy-policy3 months ago•8 min saved

AI-era energy merger promises lower bills, but affordability politics loom

NextEra Energy’s proposed $67 billion merger with Dominion Energy would create a utility giant to speed AI-era infrastructure and, proponents say, lower bills via a two-year $2.25 billion payout that could shave about $25/month through 2028. Regulators at FERC, NRC, and state commissions in North and South Carolina and Virginia must approve, and Virginia’s political leadership—already wary of rate increases—will closely scrutinize long-term affordability and potential settlements to win clearance.

via Politico|

#data-centers #energy #energy-policy

space3 months ago•4 min saved

Giant Black Holes Likely Grow by Chains of Mergers in Dense Star Clusters

New analysis of GWTC4 gravitational-wave data suggests the universe’s heaviest black holes did not form directly from collapsing stars but grew through successive mergers in crowded star clusters, creating a distinct high-mass population with spins indicative of hierarchical growth. The study also finds evidence for a pair-instability mass gap near 45 solar masses, shedding light on stellar evolution and the nuclear reactions inside massive stars.

via SciTechDaily|

#black-holes #gravitational-waves #mass-gap

business3 months ago•8 min saved

GameStop launches a $56B bid to buy eBay, but financing questions loom

GameStop made an unsolicited offer to acquire eBay for about $56 billion, arguing that combining its physical-store network with eBay could cut costs and unlock live-commerce opportunities. However, financing remains uncertain: analysts question how the cash-and-stock deal could be funded given the large valuation gap, and GameStop says it has a financing plan, including a debt package and third-party funding, while eBay’s board will review the proposal.

via Ars Technica|

#business #e-commerce #ebay