News
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State AGs Escalate to Emergency Motion Seeking Immediate Block of Paramount-WBD Merger
State AGs Escalate to Emergency Motion Seeking Immediate Block of Paramount-WBD Merger California AG Rob Bonta and a coalition of 11 other state attorneys general filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on July 13, seeking to immediately halt Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery after the companies declined to pause the deal voluntarily. The filing escalates the states' antitrust lawsuit filed hours earlier the same day, aiming to freeze the transaction before Paramount can close it as soon as July 22. Key takeaway: Moving from a lawsuit to an emergency injunction request signals the states see a real risk the deal closes before their case is heard, raising the stakes on one of the industry's largest pending mergers. Source: doj.state.or.us
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Fubo Names Former Disney+ President Alisa Bowen as CEO
Fubo Names Former Disney+ President Alisa Bowen as CEO Fubo's board named Alisa Bowen — nearly a decade at Disney, most recently president of Disney+ — as chief executive effective July 10, succeeding co-founder David Gandler after 11 years running the company. The appointment comes as Fubo operates under majority Disney ownership following its merger with Hulu + Live TV, with the board looking to sharpen sports, news and entertainment strategy. Key takeaway: Installing a senior Disney streaming executive atop Fubo signals Disney intends to actively steer strategy at the vMVPD it now controls, not simply hold a passive stake. Source: newscaststudio.com
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Netflix Reportedly Weighing Always-On Live TV Channels
Netflix Reportedly Weighing Always-On Live TV Channels Netflix is exploring a move into continuously running, always-on channels that would function more like traditional linear or FAST services, according to a July 10 report — a shift that would put it in direct competition with free ad-supported platforms like Pluto TV and Tubi. No launch timeline has been confirmed. Key takeaway: The largest SVOD platform moving toward an always-on format underscores how thoroughly FAST-style linear viewing has become a mainstream growth vector, not a fallback for smaller players. Source: techcrunch.com
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Disney+ Reportedly Considering a Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Tier
Disney+ Reportedly Considering a Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Tier Disney product and technology chief Adam Smith discussed a free streaming tier internally at a July 9 town hall, according to a July 10 report, as free ad-supported viewing reached 18.7% of U.S. watch time in April, up from 16.8% a year earlier. No timeline has been confirmed for a launch. Key takeaway: A free tier from Disney+ would intensify pressure on ad-supported streaming economics industry-wide, forcing every platform selling a paid ad tier to defend its value proposition. Source: techcrunch.com
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MFE-MediaForEurope to Merge Infinity and Joyn Into Single Pan-European Platform
MFE-MediaForEurope to Merge Infinity and Joyn Into Single Pan-European Platform MFE-MediaForEurope CEO Pier Silvio Berlusconi confirmed plans to combine Italy's Infinity front end with ProSiebenSat.1's German Joyn technology into one streaming platform launching in January 2027, spanning Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland. The unified platform targets a potential reach of 200 million users, building on MFE's majority stake in ProSiebenSat.1, Europe's largest free-to-air broadcast group. Key takeaway: A unified six-market platform built on Joyn's German tech stack raises the competitive bar for streaming products in Bedrock's German market, where Joyn is a direct rival platform. Source: broadbandtvnews.com
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Rakuten TV Expands European FAST Lineup With 20 New Sony Pictures Channels
Rakuten TV Expands European FAST Lineup With 20 New Sony Pictures Channels Rakuten TV and Sony Pictures Entertainment launched 20 free ad-supported channels — including branded titles like "Shark Tank" and "The Blacklist" alongside genre channels — across the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, the Nordics and Netherlands. Rakuten TV's FAST portfolio now exceeds 500 channels reaching more than 150 million households across 43 territories. Key takeaway: The expansion lands squarely in three of Bedrock's four operating markets (France, Germany, Netherlands), raising the volume of free ad-supported competition broadcasters there must differentiate against. Source: broadbandtvnews.com
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ProSiebenSat.1's Joyn to Embed ZDF On-Demand Content
ProSiebenSat.1's Joyn to Embed ZDF On-Demand Content ProSiebenSat.1 and German public broadcaster ZDF agreed that Joyn can embed ZDF's on-demand catalog, with ZDF retaining content rights and Joyn not monetizing the content; technical implementation begins in autumn 2026. No equivalent agreement exists yet with public broadcaster ARD. Key takeaway: Aggregating public-broadcaster content inside a commercial platform's app deepens Joyn's catalog in Germany without new licensing cost — a template Bedrock's German customers may face pressure to match. Source: turi2.de
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AI Startup Versus Deploys Churn-Fighting Interactive Overlays Across Disney+, Paramount+ and HBO Max
AI Startup Versus Deploys Churn-Fighting Interactive Overlays Across Disney+, Paramount+ and HBO Max Stealth-mode firm Versus — backed by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Eric Schmidt, Reid Hoffman and Kevin Mayer — has deployed AI-driven interactive overlays like trivia, polls and predictions across Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, the NFL, Lionsgate and Reddit to reduce subscriber churn. The tools aim to add engagement layers directly inside existing streaming apps rather than requiring a separate destination. Key takeaway: Backing from senior media and tech figures for an interactivity layer aimed squarely at churn signals that engagement tooling, not just content spend, is becoming a funded battleground in retention strategy. Source: deadline.com
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