The night of the big announcement, Netflix wrote to US subscribers to assure them, “Nothing is changing today. Both streaming services will continue to operate separately.” The note included a link to the streamer’s Help Center that answers questions like, “What if I already have an HBO Max subscription, should I cancel?” (No.)

What’s to prevent the Netflix/Warner Bros. deal from becoming another media industry debacle, like the merger of AOL and Time Warner in 2000, or AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner in 2018? “A lot of those failures that we’ve seen historically is because the company that was doing the acquisition didn’t understand the entertainment business,” said Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters during a call with analysts. “They didn’t really understand what they were buying. We understand these assets that we’re buying, the things that are critical in Warner Bros. are key businesses that we operate in…. A lot of times, the acquiring company, it was a legacy non-growth business that was looking for sort of a lifeline. That doesn’t apply to us. We’ve got a healthy, growing business that we’re super, super excited about.”

The WGA East and West came out swinging after the Netflix/WD sale was announced. “The world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent,” read their statement. “The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers, and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers. Industry workers along with the public are already impacted by only a few powerful companies maintaining tight control over what consumers can watch on television, on streaming, and in theaters. This merger must be blocked.”

More comments on the Netflix/WBD agreement: LightShed’s Rich Greenfield: “I think they’re looking at this like, how do they use Warner Bros. to re-accelerate the overall engagement growth and time spent…. This is all about the IP.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “This deal looks like an anti-monopoly nightmare.” Former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar: “I could not think of a more effective way to reduce competition in Hollywood than selling WBD to Netflix.” SAG-AFTRA: “A deal that is in the interest of SAG-AFTRA members and all other workers in the entertainment industry must result in more creation and more production, not less.”

Apple TV has renewed “Platonic” for a third season. The comedy stars Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne as friends who reconnect after a long rift.

Also coming back for a third season is Paramount+’s “Landman.” No surprise there – season two drew 9.2 million streaming views for its November 19 premiere episode in the first two days on the service. Views increased by +262% from the first season premiere, making it the most watched premiere for any original series for Paramount+.

Paramount+ also announced new seasons of UFC fight series “The Ultimate Fighter” and “Dana White’s Contender Series.” “The Ultimate Fighter,” launched on Spike TV in 2005, and “Contender,” launched in 2017 on UFC Fight Pass, were most recently available on ESPN/ESPN+. The addition of the two series expands upon the seven-year media rights partnership between UFC and Paramount announced in August.

Mandy Moore (“This is Us”) is set to star in and executive produce “Teach Me,” and erotic thriller in development at Peacock. The project, from creator Lisa Rubin (“Gypsy”), A24, Universal Television and Pacesetter Productions, centers on the twisted relationship between a teacher and her student.

To reflect NBCUniversal networks going dark on Fubo amid a carriage dispute, Fubo has reduced the price of Pro and Elite to $73.99/month and $83.99/month respectively for new customers.

The inaugural Cynopsis 25 for 2025 list honors companies and associations helping redefine how audiences connect and how brands grow. To see who we’re saluting this year, go here!

Season three of supernatural high school drama “School Spirits” kicks off Wednesday, January 28 on Paramount+ with three episodes.

Hulu’s “The Testaments,” sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” will debut in April. The drama, based on the book by Margaret Atwood, focuses on a new generation of young women in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead.

Season two of “Paradise,” starring Sterling K. Brown, premieres with three episodes on Monday, February 23.

The CW has picked up “Taylor,” a documentary about Taylor Swift. The film, which originally aired on UK’s Channel 4, hits The CW on Saturday, December 13 at 8p.

BET+ original film “Vera’s Holiday Flop” starts streaming Thursday, December 12. The movie centers on a 20-year high school reunion.

ROCK Networks struck an agreement with NBCUniversal International Networks and Direct-to-Consumer to launch a branded entertainment block, “Universal DIVA,” on its flagship channel, ROCK Entertainment. Through the agreement, ROCK Entertainment will deliver reality TV content from Bravo and true-crime series from Oxygen to key Asian markets.

During Thanksgiving Week, Hallmark Channel ranked as the #1 most-watched entertainment network across all key measurements, with its Merry Thanksgiving Weekend stunt drawing 10 million unduplicated viewers.

In the month of November, Fox News averaged 2 million viewers in primetime, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel, and 1.4 million viewers across total day. FNC commanded 57% of the cable news share in total day and 58% in primetime.

Top 10 Broadcast Rankings for the Week of 11/24

Today’s Trivia Question
Which 1990s series aired on Fox for three seasons, then moved to Sci-Fi Channel for its final two? (Email your answer to trivia@cynopsis.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.