Netflix vs. Paramount: Inside the Epic Battle Over Warner Brothers
The Daily
12/09/25
•39m
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Netflix announced plans on Friday to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business, in a deal that would send shock waves through Hollywood.
On Monday, Paramount made a hostile bid for the studio, arguing that the Netflix deal would be “anti-competitive.”
The Times journalists Nicole Sperling, Kyle Buchanan and Lauren Hirsch discuss what it all means for the future of TV and film.
Guest:
- Nicole Sperling, a New York Times reporter in Los Angeles who covers Hollywood and the streaming revolution.
- Kyle Buchanan, a pop culture reporter and the awards-season columnist for The New York Times.
- Lauren Hirsch, a New York Times reporter who covers the biggest stories on Wall Street, including mergers and acquisitions.
Background reading:
- Netflix planned to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in $83 billion deal to create a streaming giant.
- Paramount made a hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Photo: Aleksey Kondratyev for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Previous Episode
Trump Sent Them to a Notorious Prison. Torture Followed.
December 8, 2025
•36m
Warning: This episode mentions suicide.
In March, the U.S. government sent more than 200 Venezuelan men to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Over four months, the men said they endured physical, mental and sexual abuse.
Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief at The New York Times, interviewed 40 of these prisoners. She explains what she found out about this part of President Trump’s program of mass deportation.
Guest: Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Bogotá, Colombia.
Background reading:
Photo: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Next Episode
The Liberal Justices Aren’t as United as You Might Think
December 10, 2025
•33m
The Supreme Court’s liberal minority has voted, over and over again, to oppose the court’s conservative majority in what might look like a united front of resistance. But behind the scenes, there are growing tensions between those liberal justices over the best way to mitigate the rightward lurch of the court.
Jodi Kantor, who uncovered the story, explains what she found.
Guest: Jodi Kantor, a New York Times reporter whose job is to carefully uncover secrets and illuminate how power operates.
Background reading:
- Read about the debate dividing the Supreme Court’s liberal justices.
Photo: Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, via Associated Press
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
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