That said, WBD board chairman board Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr. told CNBC on Wednesday that the company remains “very open” to a deal with Paramount, but it would have to be better than Netflix’s. “[Paramount] had that opportunity in the seventh proposal, the eighth proposal, and they haven’t done it,” said DiPiazza on “Squawk Box.” “And so from our perspective, they’ve got to put something on the table that is compelling and is superior.”

Matt Halbower, CEO of Pentwater Capital Management, the seventh largest shareholder in WBD, would beg to differ. Halbower told CNBC that Paramount’s eighth proposal was “economically superior” to Netflix’s $83 billion deal for WBD’s studio and streaming assets. “I understand that the board has some legitimate issues with it, but those legitimate issues don’t warrant giving Paramount the stiff arm and refusing to actually have a conversation,” said Halbower. “I want them to be willing to engage in a conversation with a party that has the ability to close a transaction and has indicated publicly that it’s $30 offer is not best and final.”

Meanwhile, trade association Cinema United has warned that Warner Bros. Discovery going to either Netflix or Paramount does not bode well for the movie business. An acquisition by Netflix would “further consolidate control over production and distribution of motion pictures in the hands of a single, dominant, global streaming platform in a market that is already highly concentrated,” said a statement to Congress from Cinema United. “If Paramount or another major studio ends up displacing Netflix as the buyer, our concerns are no less serious.”

FOX Entertainment announced the launch of FOX Creator Studios (FCS), a digital-first division designed to partner with creators to develop the next generation of global entertainment formats, IP and talent. The new studio debuts with a focus on food content and an inaugural roster that includes Gordon Ramsay, Rosanna Pansino, Jolly, Sorted Food, Food Theorists, and Little Remy Food.

Entertainment studio Cineverse has acquired media services provider Giant Worldwide – a deal that marks a “pivotal moment” for Cineverse’s Matchpoint platform, said Tony Huidor, President of Technology & Chief Product Officer at Cineverse. “We are immediately adding a significant base of prestigious Hollywood studio relationships by combining Giant Worldwide’s long-standing client relationships with Matchpoint’s advanced AI-native infrastructure,” noted Huidor. “The result is something the industry has never seen: a platform aided by artificial intelligence that can ingest, normalize, enrich, and deliver large studio film libraries across hundreds of endpoints with minimal manual intervention.”

Nominees were announced for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA (previously called the Screen Actors Guild Awards). To see who made the cut, go here. The ceremony will air Sunday, March 1 on Netflix.

It was also a big day for the Directors Guild of America, which revealed the TV, documentary and commercial nominees for the 78th Annual DGA Awards. The full list is available here. Awards will be handed out Saturday, February 7 at the Beverly Hilton.

World Cup audiences are growing, but viewing is splintering faster than ever across streaming and linear environments, according to a predictions report from adtech platform Nexxen on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Leveraging Nexxen’s proprietary data and resources to track past, present and future audience behavior, insights include:
· “Where to watch” confusion is widespread, with 90% of intended viewers incorrectly naming at least one platform they believe will carry matches.
· US interest in soccer is up by 48% – North America hosting has emerged as a top driver of increased interest.
· Streaming has become the default for a significant share of fans, with 43% planning to watch via streaming/apps and virtual multichannel video programming distributors, up +14% from 2022.
· If free streaming options appear, as they did just before the Super Bowl in 2025, 87% of fans say they would watch matches on a FAST service.

In a fragmented video market, leaders need truth—not trends. Convergent TV World delivers unfiltered conversations on AI, measurement, and where investment is shifting across streaming, linear, and emerging channels.

Save $500 when you register by TOMORROW Jan. 9.

REGISTER NOW

“Phoebe & Jay,” a children’s series that aims to boost literary skills, premieres Monday, February 2 on PBS Kids. Each episode features two 11-minute stories with an accompanying interstitial.

“The Lowdown” has been renewed for a second season by FX. Production on the western-noir drama starring Ethan Hawke will begin in Tulsa this spring.

Also renewed is HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” for two additional seasons. Season 24 premieres Friday, January 22 at 10p.

AMC’s Silicon Valley-set drama “Audacity” launches Sunday, April 12 at 9p. It’s the first series creation for Jonathan Glatzer (“Succession,” “Better Call Saul”).

Returning to Netflix: Virgin River” is back for season seven on Thursday, March 12. Anthology series “Beef” returns for season two on Thursday, April 2, and season five of romantic drama “Sweet Magnolias” debuts Thursday, June 11.

Family drama series “It’s Not Like That,” starring Scott Foley (“Scandal”) premieres with its first two episodes on Sunday, January 25 on Wonder Project’s subscription on Prime Video.

Wall Streeter Danny Moses is set to host “The Danny Moses Show,” launching Friday, January 23 on Scripps News. “Whether you’re invested in the markets or just a consumer trying to make sense of the financial world, I want to help decipher complex topics and provide clear and practical explanations that both inform and entertain,” said Moses.

Yahoo DSP announced the integration of Agentic AI as a next-generation intelligence layer built directly into the platform. At the center of the launch is the Yahoo DSP Yours, Mine, and Ours flexible framework that lets advertisers bring their own AI models, use Yahoo DSP native agents, or connect both through secure, interoperable Model Context Protocols or APIs. ‍“Agentic AI changes how media buying actually gets done,” said Adam Roodman, GM, Yahoo DSP. “By building it directly into Yahoo DSP and allowing advertisers to connect their own AI alongside ours, we’re giving teams a faster, more flexible way to plan, optimize, and act, without sacrificing transparency or control.”

DirecTV Advertising will be bringing more premium CTV video options to the DOOH marketplace with the programmatic enablement of inventory from DirecTV Remote. “When it comes to TV, it’s no longer just about the destination, it’s about the journey – and brands can now meet consumers at every step along the way,” said Amy Leifer, Chief Advertising Sales Officer, DirecTV Advertising. “This programmatic enablement of our DOOH inventory allows advertisers to reach Live TV audiences beyond the living room with the same ease, automation and optimization that they’ve come to expect from our premium entertainment platform.”

NBCUniversal, independent agency RPA, FreeWheel and Newton Research have partnered for an approach to buying premium video using agentic AI across both linear and digital, enabling an agency to execute and optimize a single premium video investment across platforms in seconds. “This step forward will redefine how inventory is bought and sold, and what better place to start than within our live sports inventory,” said Mark Marshall, Chairman, Global Advertising & Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “Together, we’re on the leading edge of innovation and this is just the beginning of how technology and premium content will transform the advertising industry.”

Newton Research and RPA are also expanding their piloting of an AI-driven media operations solution with Yahoo DSP and Locality. “This expansion removes operational friction that increasingly has the potential to influence where investment flows, enabling RPA to easily engage the most impactful publishers for each campaign and allow our human teams to focus on our strategic expertise in service of our clients’ business outcomes,” said Lisa Herdman, SVP Executive Director Video Investment and Marketplace Intelligence, RPA.

Football was a winner for ESPN, too – the net’s “Monday Night Football” scored its second-most-watched regular season in the company’s 20-year history of airing the franchise, with an average 15.8 million viewers, up +9% vs. 2024.

ABC Hockey Saturday delivered ESPN’s second most-viewed regular season game of the new rights deal. Saturday’s Penguins-Red Wings game averaged 1.6 million viewers, up +89% vs. last year’s NHL on ABC average, and up +51% vs. last year’s first ABC Hockey Saturday game. Through 13 games, NHL on ESPN is averaging 618,000 viewers, up +33% YoY.

This year’s simulcast of the “Critics Choice Awards” on E! and USA Network averaged 726,000 P2+ viewers, up 125% from its airing on E! alone in 2025.

CBS’ “60 Minutes” delivered 9 million total viewers and 1.7 million in the A25-54 demo, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel ratings for Sunday, January 4. Fifteen weeks into the season, the newsmagazine is pacing up +11% in viewers and +7% in the demo compared to last year.

Tony Dokoupil’s Monday debut as anchor of “CBS Evening News” averaged 4.5 million Live+SD viewers, according to Nielsen, down 22% from the same period last year. “ABC World News Tonight” drew 8.1 million viewers on Monday, while “NBC Nightly News” averaged 7.2 million.

The season 18 premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on MTV was up +17% among P18-49 (0.674) versus season 17 –the highest premiere in the demo ever – and ranked as the number one cable telecast of the night among P18-34 and P18-49.

Fox News Media wrapped 2025 as the top news brand in the competitive set with YouTube video views for the full year, securing its best year in history, according to Emplifi. With 4.5 billion video views in 2025, Fox News grew 69% vs. 2024.

Conservative political commentator Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former president Ronald Reagan, died January 4 at age 80. “Michael Reagan was far more than a political commentator,” said Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, where Reagan was a founding analyst and contributor. “He was the living embodiment of his father’s legacy, and throughout his life he worked tirelessly to carry forward Ronald Reagan’s torch for freedom, family, and faith.”

Today’s Trivia Question
Which product’s 1975 TV commercial featured a monk? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)

Lifetime is continuing its partnership with Mary J. Blige for three new original films. The first film under her new deal, “Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy,” marks a collaboration between Blue Butterfly Productions, Blige’s production company, and Mona Scott-Young for Monami Productions and is produced in association with Motion Entertainment and Swirl Films.

Jason Isaacs and Sigourney Weaver have joined the cast of Amazon’s “Tomb Raider” series, according to reports. Isaacs will play Atlas DeMornay and Weaver will be Evelyn Wallis, joining Sophie Turner, who is playing the lead. Phoebe Waller Bridge is writer, creator, executive producer and co-showrunner, while Chad Hodge serves as co-showrunner and executive producer.