General TV News

[Hatredsheart]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj69xzpzrdyo

[Wrathbone]

This level of monopoly can’t be good in general, but I’d much rather have Paramount win than Netflix. Netflix would cause the death of cinema (as we know it, at least) and physical media.

[eny]

Guess who is involved in the funding? Kushner, SA, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

[Animalmother]

So this is why Trump is suddenly concerned about it then.

[Wrathbone]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz687wv9vqxo

Paramount had said its offer was "superior" to a $72bn deal that Warner Bros struck with Netflix for its film and streaming businesses.

But Warner Bros's board "unanimously" recommended a rejection of the offer and agreed the deal with Netflix was in the firm's best interests, a statement to shareholders said.

Welp. So long, cinema.

[Raid]

Was there actually a good ending here? The Paramount bid was the one backed by Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner.

[Wrathbone]

No, probably not. Netflix winning means every film they produce will have that generic Netflix sheen of uniformity and banality. It also means talented directors who insist on theatrical releases will be eschewed in favour of directors who will make do with going straight to streaming. And once Paramount's 5 year physical media deal expires, discs from WB will almost certainly end for good.

[Raid]

It's a really minor point in the scheme of things, but Warner Bros. are the company that own HBO. HBO are the company that bankroll Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which is one of the few in-depth outlets for US current affairs I actually trust. I am extremely glad there's not going to be a link between that programme's purse strings and the White House via Kushner, as I think Oliver's one of the few obviously liberal late-night show hosts not being threatened at the moment.