Paramount's $108 billion offer to force Netflix out turns the battle for Warner Bros. into a showdown
Paramount Skydance throws down $18B gauntlet in Netflix-WBD battle
AV1 codec now powers 30% of Netflix streaming as company looks forward to AV2
License-free codec improves bandwidth for cellular connections, HDR content, and more
Blockbuster merger: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion
TL;DR: Netflix has agreed to purchase Warner Bros. as part of a colossal deal valued at $82.7 billion. The purchase, which includes HBO and HBO Max, works out to $27.75 per share of Warner Bros. Discovery – a modest premium over the $24.57 the stock closed at on Thursday afternoon. The deal isn't expected to close until late next year – that is, if regulators don't step in first.
The MP3 is almost 30, and it still sounds like the early internet
Through the looking glass: Nearly three decades after its US patent date, the MP3 is no longer the cutting edge of audio compression. Yet support for it remains ubiquitous in media players, browsers, automotive systems, and embedded devices. For many people, it also evokes a particular moment in internet culture, when ripping, cataloging, and sharing files felt like core digital rituals rather than background processes handled by cloud services.
Spotify plans US subscription price hike for early 2026
Spotify Premium currently goes for $11.99 a month
Major League Baseball inks multi-million dollar broadcast deals with Netflix, ESPN, and NBC
Live baseball comes to Netflix for the first time
Streamflation intensifies as Netflix, Disney+, and others continue raising prices
Streaming costs keep climbing as platforms chase profit
Samsung TVs set to debut HDR10+ Advanced to rival Dolby Vision 2
Coming to a Samsung TV near you in 2026
YouTube rolls out AI upscaling and higher-res thumbnails to cater to couch viewers
YouTube's living room takeover continues
Stranger Things will wrap up with series finale in theaters
Will you watch at home or on the silver screen?
AI-generated screensaver ads coming to DirecTV in 2026
Because more ads on idle TV screens is what consumers want
Amazon is relaunching Luna with new social features and family-friendly gaming
If at first you don't succeed...
Amazon's new budget Fire TV stick ditches Fire OS for Vega OS
Coming October 15 for $40
Streaming YouTube over dial-up: how one creator hit 668 kbps with 12 modems
A multilink PPP modem array and Windows XP combined to surpass dial-up era broadband thresholds
Disney to hike streaming prices again next month by up to $7
Rapid turnaround on Jimmy Kimmel Live! suddenly makes a lot more sense
AV2 codec to succeed AV1 with improved compression, enhanced streaming capabilities
The next generation of the royalty-free video codec will be here soon
Roku plans massive rollout of AI-generated ads on its streaming platform
Selling uncanny ad space to hundreds of thousands of new advertisers
Spotify rolls out long-promised lossless streaming to Premium subscribers
The new feature comes after years of delays
YouTube rolls out multi-language audio dubbing to millions more creators
Breaking the language barrier
New York politician wants Netflix to bring back its DVD-by-mail service
Netflix is unlikely to comply
YouTube copyright fight: Rick Beato warns UMG claims over short music clips could end his channel
"We have successfully fought thousands of these now. But it literally costs me so much money to do this"
Spotify rolls out in-app messaging for music and podcast sharing
Get word-of-mouth recommendations without leaving the app
FFmpeg adds first AI feature with Whisper audio transcription filter
An optional speech recognition model supercharged by GPU acceleration