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Data Centre Water Crisis Sparks California Regulation and Amazon’s $20M Conservation Pledge
California has enacted seven laws requiring data-centre operators to disclose more about their water and electricity use and consult communities over new facilities. The measures also address grid infrastructure costs, electricity rates, water resources, environmental reviews and companies’ contributions towards wildfire risks, reflecting growing public concern about the environmental and financial impact of AI expansion.…
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Paramount Settlement Protects Pluto TV, Sets BET & Comedy Central As Potential Divesture Targets While Omitting Premium Channels & TV Studios
The antitrust settlement of state attorneys general’s lawsuit over Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery requires Paramount to maintain an ad-supported streaming service like Pluto TV for five years. To ensure fair competition, Paramount must keep cable carriage negotiations separate from Warner Bros. Discovery’s offerings, or face mandatory divestiture of BET, VH1, and Comedy Central,…
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Amazon pledges $20m to Colorado River conservation amid data-centre water scrutiny
Amazon will invest $20 million in water conservation projects across the Colorado River Basin and help raise $100 million over two years. The initiative aims to support a river system supplying 40 million people, while addressing growing concern about water use by data centres, particularly those supporting artificial intelligence. The Colorado River has endured 26…
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Antitrust settlement keeps Paramount and Warner Bros studios in Los Angeles
California has settled its antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, ending months of legal opposition from Attorney General Rob Bonta. The settlement was driven largely by political pressure from Governor Gavin Newsom, who feared that prolonged litigation could cause Paramount to relocate its headquarters and hundreds of jobs out of…
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John Oliver Calls Out “Soon-To-Be Business Daddy” David Ellison & Throws Stephen Colbert Under The Bus
John Oliver mocked David Ellison as his “soon-to-be business daddy” while discussing UnitedHealthcare’s denial of insurance claims on Last Week Tonight. The joke referred to Ellison’s family wealth and his expected role overseeing HBO amid the proposed Paramount Global–Warner Bros. merger, while also teasing Stephen Colbert. Oliver cited a cancer patient who reportedly had to…
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Paramount To Keep Headquarters In Los Angeles Post-Merger: “We Aren’t Going Anywhere”
Paramount has confirmed it will remain headquartered in Los Angeles following its acquisition of WBD, ending weeks of speculation about a potential relocation. The anti-trust settlement brokered by 12 state attorneys general mandates that both the Paramount lot in Melrose and the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank be retained for at least five years, and…
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Paramount Shares Fall After Antitrust Deal, But Wall Streeters Marvel At Favorable Terms
Paramount shares fell after settlements with 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America removed major legal obstacles to its proposed $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. Although the agreements clear the way for completion, Paramount’s chief executive said the deal could take another two weeks to close, unsettling investors and increasing…
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Twelve Democratic attorneys general settle Paramount-Warner Bros merger dispute
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that twelve Democratic state attorneys general have reached a settlement with Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery over their proposed merger, ending months of contentious litigation that had been approaching the Supreme Court. The final agreement came together during intensive negotiations over the weekend, with Bonta revealing that the last…
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Free Streamer Pluto TV Gets a Lifeline in Paramount-Warner Bros. Consent Decree
Pluto TV, the free ad-supported streaming service owned by Paramount, has secured unexpected protections within the consent decree governing the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. Buried within the settlement agreement between Paramount and 12 states is a specific provision that requires the merged company to maintain a free streaming service under the Pluto…