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Warner Bros favours Netflix offer over $108bn Paramount bid

Warner Bros Discovery has told its shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance’s $108.4bn (£80.75bn) takeover bid.

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

But in a dramatic plot twist in the story of who will take control of one of Hollywood’s oldest and most famous movie studios, Warner Brother’s board “unanimously” recommended rejecting the offer and agreed the deal with Netflix was in the firm’s best interests.

The media giant put itself up for sale in October after receiving “multiple” expressions of interest from potential buyers, including approaches from Paramount Skydance.

On 5 December, Warner Bros Discovery said it had agreed to sell its film and streaming businesses to Netflix.

In a lengthy legal filing, Warner Bros Discovery’s board said the offer from Paramount poses numerous and significant risks, and strongly rejects the idea that the Ellison family – one of America’s richest – is financially supporting the bid.

Paramount is backed by the billionaire Ellison family, which has close ties to the president.

In a reflection of where power now lies in the entertainment industry, the Warner Bros board says the offer from streaming giant Netflix is well financed and offers better long term value to shareholders.

Netflix welcomed the recommendation from Warner Bros. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive, called the company’s merger agreement “superior” and “in the best interest of stockholders”.

In a letter to Warner Bros shareholders, Netflix reiterated its stance that its bid for Warner Bros involves a clearer funding structure and less regulatory risk.

Paramount could still come back with another offer, meaning the take-over saga gripping Hollywood isn’t over yet.

The are considerable differences between the Netflix and Paramount offers.

Netflix wants to buy Warner Bros. movie studio and its HBO streaming service, which would also give it access to Warner Bros’ rich library of content and secure access to those movies and shows for its subscribers.

But it doesn’t want the media giant’s pay-TV channels. If Warner Bros. goes with the Netflix deal it would leave Warner Bros to sell off its television networks, such as CNN and TNT, into a separate company before the takeover is completed.

Paramount, on the other hand, wants to buy Warner Bros in its entirety, which would mean acquiring competitors to its own TV channels such as CBS, MTV and Showtime.

Regulators might raise questions about an erosion of consumer choice, as the entertainment industry continues to consolidate ownership. (BBC)

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Oscars to stream exclusively on YouTube from 2029

The Oscars will be shown only on YouTube from 2029, the Academy said Wednesday, in a radical gambit for a movie industry that remains wary of streaming platforms even as viewing habits shift online.

The new five-year deal means Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony will be viewable exclusively online for the first time, ending a decades-long relationship with US broadcaster ABC.

The decision will allow the Academy Awards to reach “the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and President Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement.

The annual Oscars, which celebrate the year’s top achievements in film and draw the world’s biggest A-list stars, are regularly watched by around 20 million Americans, and millions more globally.

ABC’s latest contract to broadcast the show had been due to end in 2028, with the 100th Academy Awards. The Disney-owned channel will continue to air the Oscars up until then.

But the new deal with Google-owned YouTube represents a bold new direction for the show at a time when audiences increasingly watch all types of content online.

Streamers owned by Silicon Valley firms have lured top talent away from traditional Hollywood studios with massive contracts — despite filmmakers’ concerns that they rarely show movies on the big screen in theaters for extended runs.

Streamers have also gradually gained wider acceptance at the Academy Awards, where Apple won best picture for “CODA” in 2022.

The SAG Awards, another important Hollywood awards gala which recently rebranded as The Actors Awards, have already moved to Netflix.

YouTube accounts for the biggest share of television viewing time in the United States of any streaming platform, dwarfing even Netflix.

“This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy,” said the Academy statement.

Financial terms of the new Oscars deal were not disclosed.

Industry website Deadline said “the amount that YouTube was willing to pay didn’t make sense for Disney,” citing anonymous insiders.

An ABC Entertainment spokesperson told AFP: “ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century.

“We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”

Like Hollywood more broadly, the Oscars have endured a challenging time in recent years, as younger generations’ viewing habits shift.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oscars ratings sank as low as 10.4 million.

The most recent Oscars were viewed by 19.69 million people — the highest in five years — as the ceremony was shown live simultaneously on Disney’s streamer Hulu along with ABC.

But the Hulu stream suffered technical glitches that left some viewers unable to see the final prizes.

The Academy Awards telecast regularly topped 40 million just over a decade ago. (Vanguard)

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Jimmy Kimmel slams Donald Trump as ‘‘hateful and vile’’ for saying Rob Reiner had ‘‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’’

Jimmy Kimmel slammed Donald Trump during his Monday night broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for saying Rob Reiner died “due to the anger he caused others” through his “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“What we need at a time like this, besides common sense when it comes to guns and mental health care, is compassion and leadership. We did not get that from our president, because he has none of it to give. Instead, we got a fool rambling about nonsense,” Kimmel said. “For Rob and Michele Reiner, we got this post.”

Kimmel then recited Trump’s Monday morning Truth Social post, which read, “A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”

The president continued, “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”

“It’s so hateful and vile,” Kimmel said of the post. “When I first saw it, I thought it was fake. My wife showed it to me this morning. I was like, ‘Even for him, that seemed like too much.’ But nothing is ever too much for him.”

Kimmel then turned his attention to an Oval Office press conference, where Trump was given “the chance to take another shot to act like a human being” and take back his post on Reiner. Trump instead doubled down.

“I wasn’t a fan of his at all,” Trump told reporters Monday. “He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned. He knew it was false. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. He said I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. You know, the Russia hoax. He was one of the people behind it. I think he hurt himself career-wise. He became like a deranged person. Trump derangement syndrome. So, I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country.”

“That corroded brain is in charge of our lives,” Kimmel said. “If you voted for that, it’s OK to reconsider. It’s perfectly fine. I have to say, I know from my personal interactions with Rob Reiner that he would want us to keep pointing out the loathsome atrocities that continue to ooze out of this sick and irresponsible man’s mouth. So we’re going to do that over and over again until the rest of us wake up.”

Kimmel wasn’t the only late-night host to discuss Reiner. Colbert opened his Monday night broadcast with a preface in light of Reiner’s death, as well as the shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University.

“Hello, everybody,” a somber Colbert said at his desk. “Normally, we start the show with a short cold open about a major news story of the day. But after the terrible news this past weekend, the horrifying Hanukkah massacre at Bondi Beach, the tragic shootings at Brown University and the heartbreaking deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, all of the major stories are too dark for that. Other people’s tragedy is sacred ground, and we try very hard not to walk there. But we are going to do a comedy show tonight, in light of and in spite of the darkness.”

Reiner, a prolific filmmaker who broke into Hollywood starring in “All in the Family” before directing films like “Stand by Me,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “This Is Spinal Tap” and “A Few Good Men,” was found stabbed to death Sunday afternoon in his Brentwood home alongside his wife of 36 years, Michele Singer. Reiner was 78, and Singer was 70. (Variety)

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Mariah Carey to perform at Milan Cortina opening ceremony

Mariah Carey is going to add some American pop-star pedigree to the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

The local organizing committee announced on Monday that the 56-year-old Carey — the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer — is the first international star named to perform in the Feb 6 ceremony at Milan’s San Siro soccer stadium.

“Ci vediamo a Milano” — ‘See you in Milan’ — Carey said on Instagram.

Carey sang the U.S. national anthem at the 2002 Super Bowl but has never performed at the game’s halftime show. She has won six Grammy awards.

Carey has recorded 19 No. 1 hits, according to Billboard, which lists her as the fourth-greatest recording artist of all time, trailing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elton John.

A crowd of 60,000 spectators is slated for the opening ceremony, with millions more expected to watch on television.

“Mariah Carey fully represents the emotional atmosphere that accompanies the run-up to the Games,” the committee said. “Music is a universal language that attracts different stories and sensibilities, and intertwines with the opening ceremony’s theme of harmony.”

The only other detail announced for the ceremony so far is that there will be a tribute to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died at his home in Milan in September at the age of 91.

The Games will be spread over northern Italy, and simultaneous but smaller opening ceremonies are to be held in three mountain clusters as well.

The main ceremony will put a spotlight on the San Siro, which is home to the Inter Milan and AC Milan soccer clubs. It is set to be torn down and replaced by a new stadium after the Games.

Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is slated for Verona’s ancient Roman Arena on Feb 22. (JapanToday)

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Bayelsa deputy gov’s passing, monumental loss, Fubara mourns

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has condoled with his Bayelsa State counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, over the death of his deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, describing it as a monumental loss.

Fubara, in a statement he personally signed and released on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, said Ewhrudjakpo’s demise is not only a loss to Bayelsa but also to Rivers State.

He described the late deputy governor as a man of rare calibre whose life in the public service was exemplary, adding that he combined intellect with humility.

The statement partly reads, “On behalf of the Government and the people of Rivers State, I extend our deepest condolences to you, my brother Governor Douye Diri and all the people of Bayelsa State over the news of the sudden passing of your Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.

The sad news resonates across our borders, leaving us in a state of collective mourning alongside our brothers and sisters in Bayelsa State.

“Senator Ewhrudjakpo was a man of exceptional calibre whose life was a masterclass in public service.
Throughout his distinguished career, he navigated the complexities of governance with a rare blend of intellectual depth and profound humility. Ewhrudjakpo was not merely a political figure; he was a steadfast anchor for your administration and a beacon of hope for his constituents.

“His transition represents a monumental loss that echoes far beyond the walls of the Government House. To his family, he was a devoted pillar; to the state, he was a tireless advocate for progress. The vacuum left by his departure is a testament to the magnitude of the space he occupied in the hearts of those who knew him and the lives he touched through his dedication to duty.

“May you, my brother Governor, find the inner resolve to lead your people through this dark hour. Our prayers remain with the bereaved family and the entire people of Bayelsa State. We pray that the soul of the departed finds eternal repose in the bosom of the Lord, and that those he left behind are granted the fortitude and grace to carry forward his noble legacy.”

Ewhrudjakpo died on Thursday, after he collapsed at the Government House in Yenagoa.

The Peoples Democratic Party, in a statement on Thursday night, by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, announced his death.

The statement read, “The National Working Committee, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and indeed the entire membership of our great party, especially our faithful members in Bayelsa State, are in profound grief.” (Punch)_

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Egypt beat Nigeria 2-1 in pre-AFCON friendly

Egypt beat Nigeria 2–1 in a pre-Africa Cup of Nations friendly at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday as both sides completed their final preparations for the tournament, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The hosts took the lead in the 28th minute through Ahmed Saber after neat work down the right by Zizo, whose low cross found the midfielder unmarked for a close-range finish. Nigeria responded with increased urgency and went close before the break, Paul Onuachu forcing a fine save from Mohamed El-Shenawy with a glancing header from Frank Onyeka’s long throw.

The Super Eagles were rewarded in first-half stoppage time when Chidozie Awaziem equalised. Zaidu Sanusi’s delayed free-kick from the right caused confusion between El-Shenawy and his near post, allowing Awaziem to nod into an empty net to draw Nigeria level at the interval.

Egypt restored their advantage eight minutes after the restart as Mostafa Mohamed capitalised on a poorly coordinated Nigerian offside trap, continuing his run before rifling past Amas Obasogie. (Punch)

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Dembélé and Bonmatí crowned at Fifa Best 2025 as Wiegman and Hampton win awards

The France forward Ousmane Dembélé and the Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí were crowned the Fifa Best men’s and women’s players of 2025 respectively at the world governing body’s awards ceremony in Doha.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Dembélé won the trophy for the first time after his club’s maiden Champions League triumph, while Barcelona’s Bonmatí won for the third consecutive year, after her club reached a Champions League final and Spain were Euro 2025 runners-up.

The best women’s coach prize was awarded to Sarina Wiegman for the fifth time, in recognition of England’s successful defence of their European title, while PSG’s Luis Enrique received the men’s coach honour.

Wiegman, in a pre-recorded acceptance speech, said: “Thank you to the FA for their continued support for me and the team. This award is actually for players and staff. We’ve shown so much conviction, belief and togetherness that led us to our second Euro win. Moving into 2026, let’s keep pushing the women’s game forward together.”

Four Lionesses – Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo – were named in a best women’s XI that was otherwise made up of Spain internationals: the Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey and six Barcelona players.

The men’s best XI included England’s Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer – who starred at the Club World Cup – in a team otherwise dominated by PSG and Barcelona players. Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was named as the goalkeeper but the timeframe for these awards took into account performances between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025, when Donnarumma was playing for PSG. There was no place for Harry Kane, but the 18‑year‑old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was included.

Hampton was named the 2025 Fifa Best women’s goalkeeper, completing a global goalkeeper award double after she received the Ballon d’Or prize for keepers in September. Wiegman, Luis Enrique, Bonmatí, Dembélé and Donnarumma were also Ballon d’Or winners.

Hampton saved two penalties in the European Championship final shootout and helped Chelsea to win a domestic treble last season. She is also on the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, which will be announced on Thursday.

Hampton is the sixth winner of Fifa’s Best women’s goalkeeper award since its inception in 2019, after Sari van Veenendaal, Sarah Bouhaddi in 2020, Christiane Endler in 2021, the two-time winner Mary Earps and the winner last year, Alyssa Naeher of the US.Votes are collected from national team coaches and captains, specialist journalists and fans, each making up 25% of the poll. Hampton thanked those who had voted for her, before namechecking her coaches: “To Sarina [Wiegman] and to Sonia [Bompastor] for the belief in me this year. Both at club and country, we’ve achieved so much and there’s still so much set out for us to go and get.”

Donnarumma took the men’s prize after lifting the Champions League for the first time at the end of a campaign in which PSG won a domestic treble. “It was an incredible year, one that will live long in my memory, and it’s touching to be recognised for my role in the success achieved over that period,” Donnarumma said.

Lizbeth Ovalle won the Marta award, for the most popular goal scored in women’s football in 2025, named after the Brazil legend Marta, who was also nominated. Ovalle took the prize for her remarkable and unusual flicked goal scored for Tigres against Guadalajara in Liga MX Femenil action on 3 March. She later signed for the American club Orlando Pride for $1.5m.

The Puskas award for the best men’s goal went to Santiago Montiel, who scored with a breathtaking overhead kick for the Argentinian side Independiente against Independiente Rivadavia. His cousin Gonzalo Montiel scored Argentina’s decisive penalty kick in the 2022 World Cup final against France. (Guardian)

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Osun 2026: Accord faction picks another candidate days after Adeleke’s emergence

Four days after Governor Ademola Adeleke emerged as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, another faction of the party held its own governorship primary, where a different candidate was produced.

Mr Clement Bamigbola emerged as the faction’s governorship candidate for the August 8, 2026, Osun State election.

Recall that the party, under the leadership of Mr Maxwell Mgbudem, on Wednesday held a similar exercise which produced Governor Adeleke as the party’s candidate.

However, a faction of the party rejected him, stating that Maxwell Mgbudem is not a legally backed National Chairman of the party.

In a fresh twist, on Sunday, 300 delegates of the Accord Party across Osun State elected Bamigbola as the factional party candidate during the exercise held at Regina Suite, Osogbo.

He emerged after a voice vote by the delegates and the electoral committee.

Olufemi Ogundare was pronounced elected as the candidate of the party for the 2026 poll.
Meanwhile, Pelumi Olajengbesi, convener of the Imole Grassroots Mobilisation Network and a hopeful for the Obokun/Oriade federal constituency seat, has endorsed Governor Adeleke for a second term in the 2026 Osun governorship election, describing the incumbent as having no formidable opposition.

Speaking on Saturday, the Abuja-based lawyer said Adeleke’s chances of winning the August 8 poll remain intact despite his recent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party.

Olajengbesi attributed Adeleke’s electoral strength to his longstanding connection with the people of Osun, which he traced back to the governor’s tenure as senator and his current position.

“As far as I am concerned, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election in the August 8, 2026 governorship poll is a walkover, as there is no serious contender in the race who can compete favourably with Adeleke let alone defeat the incumbent governor,” Olajengbesi said. (Guardian)

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Liverpool ‘united as one’ after Salah return – Van Dijk

Captain Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool “are absolutely united and go forward as one” after Mohamed Salah returned to the squad for Saturday’s win over Brighton.

Salah came off the bench for his first Liverpool appearance since claiming after last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Leeds that he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club.

The 33-year-old was left out of the squad for the midweek Champions League win at Inter Milan, but returned for the Brighton game following talks with manager Arne Slot – and claimed an assist in the 2-0 win.

Salah joins up with the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on Monday and could miss up to eight Liverpool games if his country go all the way to the final on 18 January.

“We showed this week that we are absolutely united. We go forward as one,” said Van Dijk, who made his 250th Premier League appearance for Liverpool on Saturday.

“Mo is going to Afcon and we all hope that he’ll be successful there and he’ll come back and be important for us for the rest of the season.

“The other side of it is that we all know football and we have no idea what is going to happen. I hope that he stays because he is one of my leaders and still very important for the football club. But there’s more parties to this situation.”

Van Dijk also praised Slot for how he handled the events of recent days, with Liverpool now unbeaten in five games since losing to PSV at Anfield in the Champions League.

“I think he has handled the situation very well – calm in his own way and it’s a very tricky situation,” said the Netherlands defender.

“There’s a lot of noise and pressure from the outside world and rightly so because we’ve not been up to the standard we’ve shown in the last few seasons.

“We’ve just got to keep going. He’s at a club which is very together and that’s how it has been before our time at the club, and that’s something we have to keep going.

“We go through the good times together, as a team, as a club and as a fanbase, but sometimes when the difficult moments arise we also have to stick together. This moment of time is a very good moment to see how everyone responds.” (BBC)

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Disney accuses Google of using AI to engage in copyright infringement on ‘massive scale’

As Disney has gone into business with OpenAI, the Mouse House is accusing Google of copyright infringement on a “massive scale” using AI models and services to “commercially exploit and distribute” infringing images and videos.

On Wednesday evening, attorneys for Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, demanding that Google stop the alleged infringement in its AI systems.

“Google is infringing Disney’s copyrights on a massive scale, by copying a large corpus of Disney’s copyrighted works without authorization to train and develop generative artificial intelligence (‘AI’) models and services, and by using AI models and services to commercially exploit and distribute copies of its protected works to consumers in violation of Disney’s copyrights,” reads the letter to Google’s general counsel from law firm Jenner & Block on behalf of Disney.

The letter continued, “Google operates as a virtual vending machine, capable of reproducing, rendering, and distributing copies of Disney’s valuable library of copyrighted characters and other works on a mass scale. And compounding Google’s blatant infringement, many of the infringing images generated by Google’s AI Services are branded with Google’s Gemini logo, falsely implying that Google’s exploitation of Disney’s intellectual property is authorized and endorsed by Disney.”

According to the letter, which Variety has reviewed, Disney alleges that Google’s AI systems and services infringe Disney characters including those from “Frozen,” “The Lion King,” “Moana,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Deadpool,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Toy Story,” “Brave,” “Ratatouille,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Lilo & Stich,” “Inside Out” and franchises such as Star Wars, the Simpsons, and Marvel’s Avengers and Spider-Man. In its letter, Disney included examples of images it claims were generated by text prompts in Google’s AI apps, including of Darth Vader

The allegations against Google follows cease-and-desist letters that Disney sent earlier to Meta and Character.AI, as well as litigation Disney filed together with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery against AI companies Midjourney and Minimax alleging copyright infringement.

Asked for comment, a Google spokesperson said, “We have a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship with Disney, and will continue to engage with them. More generally, we use public data from the open web to build our AI and have built additional innovative copyright controls like Google-extended and Content ID for YouTube, which give sites and copyright holders control over their content.”

According to Disney, the company has been raising its concerns with Google for months — but says Google hasn’t done anything in response, and that i anything, Google’s infringement has only increased during that time.

Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, in an interview with CNBC Thursday, said, “Well, we’ve been aggressive at protecting our IP, and we’ve gone after other companies that have not honored our IP, not respected our IP, not valued it. And this is another example of us doing just that.”

Iger said Disney had been in discussions with Google “basically expressing our concerns” about its AI systems’ alleged infringement. “And ultimately, because we didn’t really make any progress, the conversations didn’t bear fruit, we felt we had no choice but to send them a cease-and-desist [letter].”

Disney’s letter to Google demands that Google “immediately cease further copying, publicly displaying, publicly performing, distributing, and creating derivative works of Disney’s copyrighted characters” in “outputs of Google’s AI Services, including through YouTube’s mobile app, YouTube Shorts and YouTube.” (Variety)