🔥 Hollywood Will Never Be the Same — Netflix Acquires WBD
Netflix has reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), including its streaming division (HBO Max, DC Comics, and the Harry Potter Universe), for approximately $82.7 billion.
News
👥 Russian Video Platforms Expand Their Audience
The audience of Russian video services grew by 36.2 million over the past year, reaching 166.7 million, according to the Association of Bloggers and Agencies (ABA).
🗄 Media Companies Bring Archives Back In-House
According to a report by DataCore, the global media market is seeing an unexpected rise in the popularity of on-premises archiving.
☁️ Pantone Names "Cloud Dancer" the Color of the Year
The Pantone Color Institute has selected a neutral white shade called Cloud Dancer as the Color of the Year 2026. Its official identifier is PANTONE 11-4201.
🏴☠️ ACE Targets Sideloaded Apps
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is stepping up its fight against digital piracy, focusing on apps installed on devices outside of official app stores — the so-called sideloaded applications.
⚖️ Italy Files Its First Lawsuit Against AI
Italian media companies RTI and Medusa Film, both part of the Mediaset Group, have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. company Perplexity AI, a developer of generative AI.
📽 Cinema Attendance in Russia Declines for the Third Year
Over the first 11 months of 2025, Russian cinemas recorded 108.4 million admissions, 8 million fewer than the year before.
‼️ Italian Media Sound the Alarm
Italian media associations have issued an urgent appeal to the government, warning that the unchecked power of Big Tech is undermining their role as guarantors of information freedom.
⚙️ A Third of Netflix Viewing Now Runs on the AV1 Codec
Netflix has reported that roughly 33% of all viewing on the platform is powered by the AV1 codec.
🔍 People Can’t Tell AI-Generated Content From Real
Every fifth resident of Russia (21%) regularly encounters AI-generated content. At the same time, 43% of respondents admitted they cannot distinguish a deepfake from material created by a human.