According to Reuters, Paramount’s latest approach keeps its headline offer unchanged at USD 30 per share and an all-in valuation of about USD 108.4 billion, but adds new financial sweeteners aimed at addressing WBD board concerns.

Among those is an offer to fund the USD 2.8 billion termination fee that WBD would owe Netflix if it walked away from the existing deal, as well as support for debt refinancing and a proposed quarterly “ticking fee” of USD 0.25 per share starting in 2027 if a transaction is delayed. Reuters said this would be worth around USD 650 million.

Members of Warner Bros.’ board are reportedly discussing whether Paramount could offer a path to a superior deal, according to Bloomberg. The report added that the board has not yet decided how to respond and may stick with the current deal with Netflix.

Warner Bros. Discovery said yesterday that it “unanimously recommends shareholders vote for the Netflix merger.” The vote will take place at the announced special meeting on March 20.

WBD also announced today that Netflix has provided a limited waiver under the terms of the merger agreement, permitting the company to engage in discussions with Paramount Skydance for a seven-day period ending February 23 to seek clarity for WBD stockholders and allow Paramount Skydance to make its best and final offer. Netflix retains its matching rights as defined in the merger agreement.

Read up on the full press release here with commentary from Mediavision’s Principal Analyst Fredrik Liljeqvist.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has launched a consultation on a possible social media ban for children under 16 and on restricting features such as infinite scrolling. It is now working to change legislation so that any measures could be introduced within months of the consultation concluding.

Spain, Greece and Slovenia have also said they are working on bans, after Australia became the first country in the world to block access for under-16s. Scrutiny has intensified further after Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was found to be generating non-consensual sexualised images.

Britain’s 2023 Online Safety Act is one of the world’s strictest safety regimes, but it does not cover one-to-one interactions with AI chatbots unless they share information with other users – a loophole that technology minister Liz Kendall said would soon be closed.

Britain cannot allow regulatory gaps to persist after the act took nearly eight years to pass and come into force, Kendall said.

“I am concerned about these AI chatbots, as is the prime minister, and the impact they are having on children and young people,” Kendall told Times Radio, adding that some children were forming one-to-one relationships with AI systems that were not designed with child safety in mind.

Speaking to British media on Monday, Kendall said tech firms would be responsible for ensuring their systems complied with British law.

Many parents and safety advocates back a social media ban for children, but Kendall said some child-protection groups worry it could push harmful activity into less regulated spaces or create a sharp “cliff edge” at 16. She added that the government still needs to define legally what counts as social media before any ban can take effect.

Så skakar Spotifys ljudbokssatsning om den svenska marknaden – Dagens Media

Swedish Video Spending Hits Record High as Streaming Drives Market Reshaping – Señal News