Trump says if Netflix buys Warner Bros. its market share ‘could be a problem’

After Netflix announced that it was acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery last week, observers immediatley wondered when or if the deal could obtain regulatory approval. Now, President Trump has made comments indicating that said approval is likely to take awhile if it happens at all, Bloomberg reported. 

“Well, that’s got to go through a process, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters in a recent Q&A scrum. “But it is a big market share. It could be a problem.” The President added that he will be personally involved in the approval process. 

As we pointed out last week, Netflix and HBO Max combined would account for around 33 percent of the US streaming video market, ahead of Prime Video’s 21 percent share and likely enough to attract the antitrust division of the US Justice Department. For its part, Netflix has said that it will “maintain Warner Bros. current businesses,” which includes HBO Max and HBO, theatrical releases for films as well as movie and TV studio operations. 

Headwinds were likely with any deal, so in November Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly met with Trump at the White House, arguing that the acquisition wouldn’t create a monopoly. Trump said that Warner Bros. Discovery should sell to the highest bidder, and Sarandos left the meeting feeling that Netflix wouldn’t face White House opposition in the short term.

Even before regulators address the acquisition, more drama may ensue. Paramount, which first expressed interested in buying WBD when it wasn’t even for sale, may launch a hostile bid. And Hollywood’s unions and guilds are up in arms over fears that Netflix may significantly reduce Warner Bros.’ theatrical distribution, along with its back end profits and production jobs. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/trump-says-if-netflix-buys-warner-bros-its-market-share-could-be-a-problem-123004774.html?src=rss 

Apple Watch Series 11 drops $100 to an all-time low price

Sure, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but you can still find a last-minute deal on the best tech gifts. Take the Apple Watch Series 11, which has dropped to an all-time low of $299, from $399. The 25 percent discount is an even better deal than we saw on either of those sale holidays. 

We gave the Apple Watch Series 11 a score of 90 when it came out in September. That’s thanks, in part, to an upgraded 24 hours of battery life — which lasted closer to a day and a half — compared to the 18 hours promised by the Series 10. It also features a thin, light design and a wrist flick gesture for everything from dismissing a notification to ending calls. Plus, it has Apple’s new hypertension tracker and comprehensive health monitoring. 

This deal is available for the Apple Watch Series 11 with a 42mm case and a small to medium band. It also comes with just GPS capabilities and in three colorways: Jet Black aluminum case with Black sport band, Space Gray aluminum cause with Black sport band and Rose Gold aluminum case with Light Blush sport band. 

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-watch-series-11-drops-100-to-an-all-time-low-price-130006591.html?src=rss 

Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 drop to $230 on Amazon

If you haven’t yet upgraded to Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, you can pick up the company’s latest model at a discount through a deal on Amazon right now. The AirPods Pro 3, which came out in September, are currently $20 off, bringing their price down to $230. With the new AirPods Pro, Apple made some big improvements, including better battery life and sound quality, and introduced useful new features, such as Live Translation.

The AirPods Pro 3 are the best AirPods available today, with Apple’s H2 chip, and earned a score of 90 out of 100 in Engadget’s review this fall. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is one of the biggest selling points of the AirPods Pro, and Apple has made the experience even better with the AirPods Pro 3. They sport new foam-infused ear tips that create a better seal to improve passive noise isolation, and as Engadget’s Billy Steele wrote in his review, “Ultra-low-noise microphones combine with advanced computational audio to silence even more background noise.” In testing, they had no problem blocking out the chatter of people nearby or otherwise noisy environments.

With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple introduced heart-rate sensing, so you’ll be able to see your heart rate data from the earbuds in the Fitness app and other workout apps. The AirPods Pro 3 also boast Live Translation, which you can activate via controls on the earbuds themselves. As long as you have an Apple Intelligence-capable device, you’ll be able to translate in-person conversations in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin).

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-3-drop-to-230-on-amazon-222806114.html?src=rss 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy returns to theaters in January for 25th anniversary

One does not simply spend more than 11 hours watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy in a single weekend at home when the opportunity to do so in theaters arises. As The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring turns 25, Fathom Entertainment and Warner Bros. announced theatrical screenings of the Peter Jackson trilogy in their extended editions, according to an exclusive report from Variety.

The re-releases will be available in DBOX presentations from January 16 to 19, complete with movements and vibrations to make you feel like you’re making the journey to Mordor with Frodo and his entourage. If you prefer a traditional experience, the trilogy will be available in standard format from January 23 to 25.

Fathom Entertainment
Fathom Entertainment

For the collectors out there, the screenings will also feature limited-edition themed concession items. Fans can purchase popcorn buckets that showcase maps of Middle-earth at AMC locations, while Regal venues and other local cinemas will have buckets with designs of the One Ring. Tickets are already on sale at Fathom’s website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-returns-to-theaters-in-january-for-25th-anniversary-202433217.html?src=rss 

OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT says posts appearing to show in-app ads are ‘not real or not ads’

Those might not exactly be ads you’re seeing on ChatGPT, at least according to OpenAI. Nick Turley, OpenAI’s head of ChatGPT, clarified the confusion around potential ads appearing with the AI chatbot. In a post on X, Turley said “there are no live tests for ads” and that “any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads.” The OpenAI exec’s explanation comes after another post from former xAI employee Benjamin De Kraker on X that has gained traction, which featured a screenshot showing an option to shop at Target within a ChatGPT conversation.

OpenAI’s Daniel McAuley responded to the post, arguing that it’s not an ad but rather an example of app integration that the company announced in October. However, the company’s chief research officer, Mark Chen, also replied on X that they “fell short” in this case, adding that “anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care.”

“We’ve turned off this kind of suggestion while we improve the model’s precision,” Chen wrote on X. “We’re also looking at better controls so you can dial this down or off if you don’t find it helpful.”

There’s still a lot of uncertainty about whether OpenAI will introduce ads to ChatGPT, but in November, someone discovered code in a beta version of the ChatGPT app on Android that made several mentions of ads. Even in Turley’s post debunking the inclusion of live ads, the OpenAI exec added that “if we do pursue ads, we’ll take a thoughtful approach.” Turley also posted that “people trust ChatGPT and anything we do will be designed to respect that.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-head-of-chatgpt-says-posts-appearing-to-show-in-app-ads-are-not-real-or-not-ads-190454584.html?src=rss 

‘Pluribus’ Season 2: Updates on the Future of Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV+ Series

Gilligan is hoping his show could go on for several more seasons. Here’s what we know so far about season 2 of ‘Pluribus.’

Gilligan is hoping his show could go on for several more seasons. Here’s what we know so far about season 2 of ‘Pluribus.’ 

X shuts down the European Commission’s ad account the day after major fine

Just a day after receiving a roughly $140 million fine, X has terminated the ad account of the European Commission. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, accused the European Commission of using an exploit to artificially boost the reach of its post announcing the major fine.

In the post, Bier said that the commission “logged into [their] dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer” and posted “a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach.” Bier explained in a separate post that the exploit has “never been abused like this” and “is now patched.” However, X still revoked the European Commission’s ability to buy and track ads on its platform.

While X decided to remove the European Commission’s ad account, it still needs to submit specific measures and an action plan to address the concerns associated with the $140 million fine. The European Commission’s spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty, Defence, Space and Research, Thomas Regnier, said that this is the first-ever fine under the Digital Services Act. The European legislative body claimed that X has a deceptive system when it comes to verified accounts, lacks transparency with its advertising repository and doesn’t provide effective data for researchers. In response, X’s owner, Elon Musk, replied to the European Commission’s post, calling it “bullshit.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-shuts-down-the-european-commissions-ad-account-the-day-after-major-fine-173553267.html?src=rss 

Critics Choice Awards 2026 Nominations: See the Full List of Nominees

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards nominations are out, with ‘Sinners’ leading and Ariana Grande scoring a nod for ‘Wicked: For Good.’ See all the nominees here.

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards nominations are out, with ‘Sinners’ leading and Ariana Grande scoring a nod for ‘Wicked: For Good.’ See all the nominees here. 

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