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Hearst takes full ownership of A+E Global Media in $1.2bn Disney buyout
Hearst has finalised a deal to buy Disney’s 50% stake in A+E Global Media for $1.2 billion in cash, giving Hearst full ownership of the company behind Lifetime, History Channel and A&E Network. The agreement ends a 50-50 partnership that had lasted more than a decade and represents a significant expansion of Hearst’s presence in…
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EA is now a private company
Electronic Arts has officially become a private company after an investor group led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake and Affinity Partners completed its $55 billion (£43 billion) acquisition of the games publisher. The deal, first announced last September, closed on Tuesday and marks the largest leveraged buyout in history, raising questions…
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Stock market ROARS and oil prices plunge after Trump team signals Iran deal could be finalized ‘today or tomorrow’
Global stock markets rallied and oil prices fell sharply after members of Donald Trump’s administration indicated that a nuclear deal with Iran could be finalised within a day or two. The suggestion, reportedly made by Trump officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, eased fears of a prolonged Middle East conflict and boosted investor confidence, sending…
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Paramount “Fully Expects” WBD Merger To Close As It Reports Q2 Streaming Gains, Linear Challenges
Paramount reported mixed second-quarter results, roughly a year after Skydance’s takeover of the company, with strong streaming growth offset by ongoing declines in linear television and tough comparisons in theatrical revenue. The results landed just as a judge set a March trial date for the antitrust case brought by state attorneys-general against Paramount’s proposed merger…
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Paramount Q2 Profit Dips, With Streaming Boost Offset by TV Declines
Paramount Skydance reported a fall in second-quarter net profit, as growth in its streaming and studio businesses was outweighed by a sharper decline in its traditional television division. The results underline the ongoing shift in the company’s finances away from linear TV, which remains its largest segment but is losing advertising revenue and subscribers, even…
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Alarming missile report draws forceful response from Trump as Iran war tests America’s arsenal
The Trump administration has pushed back against concerns that the conflict with Iran has significantly depleted America’s stockpile of advanced long-range missiles, after a Reuters report claimed the US Army had used up “virtually all” of its supplies of two key precision weapons systems. The report, citing sources familiar with internal military data, raises questions…
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TriCoast Worldwide & Vitagraph Set Fall Release For Malcolm McDowell & James Paxton Western ‘Last Train To Fortune’
TriCoast Worldwide and Vitagraph Films have set a theatrical release for the Adam Rifkin-directed western comedy “Last Train to Fortune,” starring Malcolm McDowell and James Paxton. The film’s release matters as much for its lengthy backstory as its cast: the script was written 37 years ago by Rifkin’s mother Michele Rifkin and was originally meant…
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Anthropic signs $10 billion deal with AI cloud startup Volta
Anthropic has reportedly agreed a $10 billion, six-year cloud computing deal with AI infrastructure startup Volta, the latest in a string of major compute partnerships as it races to expand capacity amid fierce competition with rival AI labs. The agreement, first reported by Bloomberg citing anonymous sources, underscores the scale of investment AI companies are…
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Judge schedules Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery antitrust trial for March 2027
A US federal judge has finalised the trial schedule for the antitrust case seeking to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, setting proceedings to begin in March 2027 — later than Paramount had wanted. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ordered the trial to run 12 court days, from 2 to 19 March 2027, with a final…