Inkhabar webdesk

By Milana Vinn Dec 4 (Reuters) – Netflix is in exclusive talks to buy Warner Bros Discovery's film and television studios along with its streaming assets, in a deal valued at $28 per share that could reshape the media landscape, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The streaming giant's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery's studios and streaming unit is expected to reduce streaming costs for consumers by bundling Netflix and HBO Max. Netflix has emerged as the top bidder for Warner Bros Discovery assets, Reuters reported earlier in the day. Bloomberg News reported that Netflix has offered a $5 billion breakup fee if regulators block the deal. The report added that the companies could announce the agreement within days. CNBC said earlier that Netflix had presented a proposal consisting of 85% cash for the assets it seeks to acquire. Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery did not immediately respond when contacted by Reuters for comment on the CNBC and Bloomberg reports. The news of a potential deal has prompted a consortium of leading film industry figures to urge the U.S. Congress to intervene if Netflix's bid succeeds, warning of looming economic and institutional crisis in Hollywood, Variety reported.  Warner Bros Discovery is seeking another round of bids from suitors by the end of Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal, after Paramount Skydance reportedly accused Warner Bros Discovery of running an unfair sale process that favors Netflix over other bidders. Warner Bros Discovery reportedly received sweetened offers from potential bidders — Paramount, Comcast and Netflix — earlier this week after it asked them to improve on initial bids submitted in late November.  In the letter to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Paramount's legal team has raised concerns over the "fairness and adequacy" of the bidding process, citing media reports that indicate Warner Bros Discovery's management favors Netflix's proposal, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.  David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance has requested confirmation on whether Warner Bros Discovery has formed an independent special committee of unbiased board members to evaluate offers and oversee the sale process, according to the letter. "We strongly urge you to empower such a special committee comprised of directors with no potential appearance of bias or beholdenness to others whose interests may differ from those of the stockholders," Paramount's legal team said in the letter. Paramount and Comcast did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.   Paramount has sought to purchase the entire company. In October, the Warner Bros Discovery board had turned down a roughly $60 billion bid from Paramount and subsequently launched a formal sales process. (Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York, Harshita Mary Varghese and Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru, Juby Babu in Mexico City, and Dawn Chmielewski, additional reporting by Gursimran Kaur; Editing by Leroy Leo, Maju Samuel and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Dec 4 (Reuters) – Netflix has put in the highest bid among suitors for Warner Bros Discovery, a source told Reuters on Thursday, upping the ante in a deal that could reshape the media industry. Bloomberg News reported late on Thursday that Netflix has entered exclusive talks with Warner Bros Discovery to acquire its studio and streaming service and is offering a $5 billion breakup fee if regulators don't approve the deal, adding that the companies could announce the deal in a few days. The streaming giant's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery's studios and streaming unit is expected to reduce streaming costs for consumers by bundling Netflix and HBO Max. CNBC said earlier that Netflix had presented a proposal consisting of 85% cash for the assets it seeks to acquire. The news of a potential deal has prompted a consortium of leading film industry figures to urge the U.S. Congress to intervene if Netflix's bid succeeds, warning of looming economic and institutional crisis in Hollywood, Variety reported. Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery did not immediately respond when contacted by Reuters for comment on any of the reports. Warner Bros Discovery is seeking another round of bids from suitors by the end of Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal, after Paramount Skydance reportedly accused Warner Bros Discovery of running an unfair sale process that favors Netflix over other bidders. Warner Bros Discovery reportedly received sweetened offers from potential bidders — Paramount, Comcast and Netflix — earlier this week after it asked them to improve on initial bids submitted in late November. In the letter to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Paramount's legal team has raised concerns over the "fairness and adequacy" of the bidding process, citing media reports that indicate Warner Bros Discovery's management favors Netflix's proposal, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance has requested confirmation on whether Warner Bros Discovery has formed an independent special committee of unbiased board members to evaluate offers and oversee the sale process, according to the letter. "We strongly urge you to empower such a special committee comprised of directors with no potential appearance of bias or beholdenness to others whose interests may differ from those of the stockholders," Paramount's legal team said in the letter. Paramount and Comcast did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Paramount has sought to purchase the entire company. In October, the Warner Bros Discovery board had turned down a roughly $60 billion bid from Paramount and subsequently launched a formal sales process. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese and Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru, Juby Babu in Mexico City, Milana Vinn in New York, and Dawn Chmielewski, additional reporting by Gursimran Kaur; Editing by Leroy Leo, Maju Samuel and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Corrects spelling of acquire in paragraph 1) Dec 4 (Reuters) – Netflix has entered exclusive talks with Warner Bros Discovery to acquire its studio and streaming service, a Bloomberg News reporter said in a post on X. Netflix has emerged as the top bidder for Warner Bros Discovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, raising the stakes in a potential deal that could reshape the media landscape. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Olivia Le Poidevin, Klaus Lauer, Johnny Cotton and Cecile Mantovani GENEVA, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Israel was cleared on Thursday to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest by the organiser, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw over the Gaza war and plunging the competition into one of the biggest rows in its history. The broadcasters who had threatened to boycott the event cited the death count in Gaza and accused Israel of flouting rules meant to guard the contest's neutrality. Israel accuses its critics of mounting a global smear campaign against it. After a meeting in Geneva, the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, decided not to call a vote on Israel's participation, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest. Right after that announcement by the contest organiser, the Dutch, Spanish, Irish and Slovenian broadcasters said they would withdraw, meaning singers from their countries would not compete in the contest that draws millions of viewers worldwide. Ben Robertson, a Eurovision expert from fan website ESC Insight, said the contest's integrity was at its lowest ebb. "Never in the history of the contest have we had such a vote, and such a split, between the member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union," he said. Both the Israeli government and opposition leaders celebrated the country's inclusion. Golan Yochpaz, CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN, likened the efforts to exclude Israel to a form of "cultural boycott." Rounding on the countries withdrawing, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X: "The disgrace is upon them." IRELAND SAYS ITS PARTICIPATION 'UNCONSCIONABLE' The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU – more than the almost 128 million recorded for this year's U.S. Super Bowl, according to figures from Nielsen. Israel's participation has divided opinion in the competition that has a history of entanglement in national rivalries, international issues and political voting. Its 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival, a target of the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. A total of 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the assault by Hamas, according to Israeli tallies. More than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the ensuing conflict, according to health authorities in the enclave. Irish broadcaster RTE said it felt "Ireland's participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk". Jose Pablo Lopez, head of Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said on X: "What happened in the EBU Assembly confirms that Eurovision is not a song contest but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests and fractured." RTV Slovenija said it together with Spain, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Turkey, Algeria and Iceland requested a secret vote on Israel's participation, but it was not held. Icelandic public broadcaster RUV said its board will make a decision on Wednesday on whether to participate in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May. "I feel sad that other countries are not going to compete next year," said 33-year-old Tel Aviv Eurovision fan Jurij Vlasov, adding the Netherlands' song this year was his favorite. In Austria, which backed Israel, Eurovision fans welcomed its inclusion, even as some in Spain took the opposite view. "Why should the population, or a part of the population, not participate?," said Vienna resident Bernhard Kleemann. "If countries decide not to participate because they condemn the government and the prime minister, that's their decision." "BORN FROM THE ASHES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR" Instead of voting on Israel, the EBU said its members backed rules intended to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to sway voters after allegations that Israel unfairly boosted its 2025 entrant. "This vote means that all EBU Members who wish to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and agree to comply with the new rules are eligible to take part," it said. Israel's President Isaac Herzog thanked his country's supporters, saying he hoped the song contest would continue to champion "culture, music, friendship between nations". Germany, a major Eurovision backer, had signalled it would not take part if Israel was barred. Germany's culture minister Wolfram Weimer told the Bild newspaper he welcomed the decision. "Israel belongs to the Eurovision Song Contest like Germany belongs to Europe," he said. Martin Green, the contest's director, said EBU members showed they wanted to protect the neutrality of the competition. "Eurovision was born from the ashes of the Second World War," he said. "It was designed to bring us together, and it will hit bumps in the road, and we have a complicated world, but we hope it's a temporary situation, and we'll move forward." (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, John Cotton and Cecile Mantovani; Additional reporting by Klaus Lauer, Andreas Rinke and Miranda Murray in Berlin, Emma Pinedo Gonzalez, Sergio Goncalves and Silvio Castellanos in Madrid, Andrei Khalip in Lisbon, Steven Scheer in Jerusalem and Roleen Tafakji in Tel Aviv, Gerhard Mey, Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Sam Tabahriti in London, Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam, Elviira Luoma in Gdansk, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo, Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Francois Murphy in Vienna Writing by Dave GrahamEditing by Toby Chopra, Alexandra Hudson, Andrew Heavens and Diane Craft)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Dec 4 (Reuters) – A consortium of leading film industry figures has urged the U.S. Congress to intervene, warning of a looming economic and institutional crisis in Hollywood if Netflix succeeds in acquiring Warner Bros Discovery, Variety reported on Thursday. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Comcast declined to comment. Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Netflix has emerged as the top bidder for Warner Bros Discovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, raising the stakes in a potential deal that could reshape the media landscape. In an email to members of Congress, the consortium, calling themselves "concerned feature film producers", said they left their letter unsigned out of fear of retaliation, citing Netflix's significant clout both as a buyer and distributor, according to Variety. The group, which Variety described as including several prominent filmmakers, urged lawmakers in the House and Senate to publicly oppose the acquisition and ensure the proposed deal faces "the highest level of antitrust scrutiny". Warner Bros Discovery has reportedly received sweetened offers from potential bidders, including Paramount Skydance, Comcast and Netflix, earlier this week, after it asked them to improve on initial bids submitted in late November. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Dec 4 (Reuters) – A consortium of leading film industry figures has urged the U.S. Congress to intervene, warning of a looming economic and institutional crisis in Hollywood if Netflix succeeds in acquiring Warner Bros Discovery, Variety reported on Thursday. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Comcast declined to comment. Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Netflix has emerged as the top bidder for Warner Bros Discovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, raising the stakes in a potential deal that could reshape the media landscape. In an email to members of Congress, the consortium, calling themselves "concerned feature film producers", said they left their letter unsigned out of fear of retaliation, citing Netflix's significant clout both as a buyer and distributor, according to Variety. The group, which Variety described as including several prominent filmmakers, urged lawmakers in the House and Senate to publicly oppose the acquisition and ensure the proposed deal faces "the highest level of antitrust scrutiny". Warner Bros Discovery has reportedly received sweetened offers from potential bidders, including Paramount Skydance, Comcast and Netflix, earlier this week, after it asked them to improve on initial bids submitted in late November. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – American actor and playwright Jeremy O. Harris, known for the Tony-nominated "Slave Play", was arrested last month at an airport in Japan on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the country, local authorities said late on Thursday. Harris, 36, was stopped on November 16 at Naha Airport on Okinawa island after a customs officer discovered 0.78 grams of crystal containing the synthetic narcotic MDMA in his tote bag, an Okinawa Regional Customs spokesperson said. He was immediately arrested on suspicion of violating Japan's Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act. Local customs officials filed a criminal accusation with the regional prosecutor's office on Thursday to begin formal charging proceedings against Harris. An official with a police station in Tomigusuku city in southern Okinawa confirmed that Harris remains in custody. The official declined to comment on whether Harris has admitted to the allegations. Harris' representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it was unclear whether he has retained legal representation in Japan. Harris had arrived in Okinawa for sightseeing purposes, travelling from Britain via Taiwan, where he had a flight layover, the customs spokesperson said. Okinawa is a popular resort destination some 1,500 km (930 miles) southwest of Tokyo, known for its beaches and American military bases. Japan maintains strict drug laws with severe penalties for possession and smuggling offences. The country has some of the toughest narcotics regulations among developed nations, with even small amounts of illegal substances resulting in criminal prosecution. Punishments, however, are not as harsh as in other Asian countries such as China and Singapore, where drug offenders can face the death penalty. Foreigners arrested in recent years in Japan for suspected drug offences include former Australian rugby league player Blake Ferguson in December 2021. In 1980, former Beatle Paul McCartney was arrested after arriving in Tokyo with a bag of marijuana and was banned from entering Japan for years. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Hogue)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – American actor and playwright Jeremy O. Harris, known for the Tony-nominated "Slave Play", was arrested last month at an airport in Japan on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the country, local authorities said late on Thursday. Harris, 36, was stopped on November 16 at Naha Airport on Okinawa island after a customs officer discovered 0.78 grams of crystal containing the synthetic narcotic MDMA in his tote bag, an Okinawa Regional Customs spokesperson said. He was immediately arrested on suspicion of violating Japan's Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act. Local customs officials filed a criminal accusation with the regional prosecutor's office on Thursday to begin formal charging proceedings against Harris. An official with a police station in Tomigusuku city in southern Okinawa confirmed that Harris remains in custody. The official declined to comment on whether Harris has admitted to the allegations. Harris' representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it was unclear whether he has retained legal representation in Japan. Harris had arrived in Okinawa for sightseeing purposes, travelling from Britain via Taiwan, where he had a flight layover, the customs spokesperson said. Okinawa is a popular resort destination some 1,500 km (930 miles) southwest of Tokyo, known for its beaches and American military bases. Japan maintains strict drug laws with severe penalties for possession and smuggling offences. The country has some of the toughest narcotics regulations among developed nations, with even small amounts of illegal substances resulting in criminal prosecution. Punishments, however, are not as harsh as in other Asian countries such as China and Singapore, where drug offenders can face the death penalty. Foreigners arrested in recent years in Japan for suspected drug offences include former Australian rugby league player Blake Ferguson in December 2021. In 1980, former Beatle Paul McCartney was arrested after arriving in Tokyo with a bag of marijuana and was banned from entering Japan for years. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway in Los Angeles; Editing by Tom Hogue)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Olivia Le Poidevin, Klaus Lauer, Johnny Cotton and Cecile Mantovani GENEVA, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Israel was cleared on Thursday to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest by the organiser, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw over the Gaza war and plunging the competition into one of the biggest rows in its history. The broadcasters who had threatened to boycott the event cited the death count in Gaza and accused Israel of flouting rules meant to guard the contest's neutrality. Israel accuses its critics of mounting a global smear campaign against it. After a meeting in Geneva, the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, decided not to call a vote on Israel's participation, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest. Right after that announcement by the contest organiser, the Dutch, Spanish, Irish and Slovenian broadcasters said they would withdraw, meaning singers from their countries would not compete in the contest that draws millions of viewers worldwide. Ben Robertson, a Eurovision expert from fan website ESC Insight, said the contest's integrity was at its lowest ebb. "Never in the history of the contest have we had such a vote, and such a split, between the member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union," he said. Both the Israeli government and opposition leaders celebrated the country's inclusion. Golan Yochpaz, CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN, likened the efforts to exclude Israel to a form of "cultural boycott." Rounding on the countries withdrawing, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X: "The disgrace is upon them." IRELAND SAYS ITS PARTICIPATION 'UNCONSCIONABLE' The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU – more than the almost 128 million recorded for this year's U.S. Super Bowl, according to figures from Nielsen. Israel's participation has divided opinion in the competition that has a history of entanglement in national rivalries, international issues and political voting. Its 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival, a target of the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel that triggered the Gaza war. A total of 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the assault by Hamas, according to Israeli tallies. More than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the ensuing conflict, according to health authorities in the enclave. Irish broadcaster RTE said it felt "Ireland's participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk". Jose Pablo Lopez, head of Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said on X: "What happened in the EBU Assembly confirms that Eurovision is not a song contest but a festival dominated by geopolitical interests and fractured." RTV Slovenija said it together with Spain, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Turkey, Algeria and Iceland requested a secret vote on Israel's participation, but it was not held. Icelandic public broadcaster RUV said its board will make a decision on Wednesday on whether to participate in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May. "I feel sad that other countries are not going to compete next year," said 33-year-old Tel Aviv Eurovision fan Jurij Vlasov, adding the Netherlands' song this year was his favorite. In Austria, which backed Israel, Eurovision fans welcomed its inclusion, even as some in Spain took the opposite view. "Why should the population, or a part of the population, not participate?," said Vienna resident Bernhard Kleemann. "If countries decide not to participate because they condemn the government and the prime minister, that's their decision." "BORN FROM THE ASHES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR" Instead of voting on Israel, the EBU said its members backed rules intended to discourage governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to sway voters after allegations that Israel unfairly boosted its 2025 entrant. "This vote means that all EBU Members who wish to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and agree to comply with the new rules are eligible to take part," it said. Israel's President Isaac Herzog thanked his country's supporters, saying he hoped the song contest would continue to champion "culture, music, friendship between nations". Germany, a major Eurovision backer, had signalled it would not take part if Israel was barred. Germany's culture minister Wolfram Weimer told the Bild newspaper he welcomed the decision. "Israel belongs to the Eurovision Song Contest like Germany belongs to Europe," he said. Martin Green, the contest's director, said EBU members showed they wanted to protect the neutrality of the competition. "Eurovision was born from the ashes of the Second World War," he said. "It was designed to bring us together, and it will hit bumps in the road, and we have a complicated world, but we hope it's a temporary situation, and we'll move forward." (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, John Cotton and Cecile Mantovani; Additional reporting by Klaus Lauer, Andreas Rinke and Miranda Murray in Berlin, Emma Pinedo Gonzalez, Sergio Goncalves and Silvio Castellanos in Madrid, Andrei Khalip in Lisbon, Steven Scheer in Jerusalem and Roleen Tafakji in Tel Aviv, Gerhard Mey, Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Sam Tabahriti in London, Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam, Elviira Luoma in Gdansk, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo, Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Francois Murphy in Vienna Writing by Dave GrahamEditing by Toby Chopra, Alexandra Hudson, Andrew Heavens and Diane Craft)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)