Cynopsis

Tuesday January 27, 2026    IN THE NEWS The date for the Senate hearing on the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery/Netflix deal has been set for February 3. Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Bruce Campbell, Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer for Warner Bros., are scheduled to testify about the transaction, which has raised antitrust concerns. Netflix […]

Monday January 26, 2026    IN THE NEWS Two days after ByteDance announced a deal with non-Chinese investors to create a new US TikTok, the platform’s updated privacy policy sparked backlash on Saturday for listing the collection of sensitive personal data, including immigration status, gender identity, and sexual orientation. However, similar language appeared in TikTok’s […]

Friday January 23, 2026    IN THE NEWS Paramount Skydance has extended the deadline for its hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery – WBD shareholders now have until February 20 to sell their shares to Paramount for $30 each. The previous deadline was January 21. Responded WBD, “Once again, Paramount continues to make the […]

Thursday January 22, 2026    IN THE NEWS It might get trickier for talk shows to book political figures as guests. The FCC’s Media Bureau said Wednesday that talk shows will no longer automatically be treated as news programming, which is exempt from the agency’s political equal time rule. That rule requires broadcast stations to […]

Wednesday January 21, 2026    IN THE NEWS Netflix revised its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max streaming and studio operations. Amid a hostile takeover bid for WBD by Paramount Skydance, Netflix amended its original deal to offer all cash rather than a mix of cash and stock. The transaction’s value remains $72 […]

Tuesday January 20, 2026    IN THE NEWS Faced with the massive costs of AI infrastructure, OpenAI is looking to monetize its 800 million weekly users by advertising in ChatGPT. The company says it plans to test ads in the free tier, as well as ChatGPT Go, a low-cost […]

Friday January 16, 2026 Cynopsis will not publish on Monday, January 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.    IN THE NEWS IAB released its AI Transparency and Disclosure Framework, designed to help brands use AI responsibly without losing consumer trust. “The digital industry is embracing AI in all of […]

Thursday January 15, 2026    IN THE NEWS In the fourth quarter, Netflix reclaimed its position as US SVOD market leader with a 20% share, according to JustWatch’s Q4 2025 US Market Share Report, and Prime Video slipped to second. While each service lost share year-over-year, Disney (14%) and Apple TV (9%) each gained 2 […]

Wednesday January 14, 2026    IN THE NEWS Trevor Noah will return for a sixth and, it appears, final time hosting the Grammy Awards. Noah will also serve as executive producer for the event, which is moving to ABC from CBS, its broadcast home since 1973, next year. “I am beyond thrilled to welcome Trevor […]

Tuesday January 13, 2026    IN THE NEWS Paramount Skydance is pressing ahead with its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, filing a lawsuit to force WBD to disclose details of its $82.7 billion agreement with Netflix, which Paramount argues is inferior to its own $108.4 billion offer. “WBD’s stockholders have an immediate need for […]