Warner Bros. has an infamous history of being bought by other companies and then quickly ending up back on the market after its new owners realize how difficult it is to capitalize on a legacy production studio’s assets. Those challenges are part of what doomed WB’s mergers with AOL and AT&T, who bought the studio in attempts to reinvent themselves. But WB’s latest acquisition deal — this time with Netflix for $83 billion — feels like it has the potential to turn out differently because of how much of a major player within the entertainment industry the streamer has become. It also signals just how far Netflix has come: in less than two decades the streamer has gone from tech upstart to subsuming one of the most storied studios in Hollywood.
Technology
Welcome to the big leagues, Netflix
Assuming that the deal receives regulatory approval, Netflix will soon own the entirety of Warner Bros.’ (but not Discovery Global’s) assets, which includes HBO / HBO Max, DC Studios, and the legacy studio’s television and film production arms. This would make Netflix the corporate home to many more of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, and give the streamer a much larger operational footprint as a proper studio. Discovery Global — which retains ownership of networks including CNN, the Discovery Channel, and TLC — is set to become an independent corporate entity by Q3 in 2026.
This strategic bifurcation and sale of assets was obviously WBD’s desired outcome when the company first announced earlier this year that it planned to split Warner Bros. and Discovery back into two units. Back then, CEO David Zaslav had not yet announced that the company was open to acquisition offers. But you could glean as much from looking at the way that WBD was struggling to turn a profit with its linear cable networks.
Even though WBD managed to pay down a substantial portion of the $55 billion debt it inherited when Discovery bought WarnerMedia, the merged company’s flagging cable TV assets were a major factor in it receiving a significantly downgraded credit score earlier this year. That debt — a holdover from AOL’s disastrous merger with Time Warner — loomed over WBD for the entirety of Zaslav’s tenure as CEO.
A blend of money problems, misguided rebrands, and multiple rounds of layoffs left WBD in a very precarious position that made selling itself off to the highest bidder one of its only viable options to appease shareholders. Those challenges might also be difficult for Netflix to deal with, but this situation feels like it could shake out very differently for a handful of key reasons.
Unlike previous mergers where Warner Bros. was gobbled up by traditional tech giants and telecoms, the new deal is coming at a time when Netflix has long since established itself as a Hollywood power player. In addition to acquiring IP that goes on to become hits, the streamer has built out a robust production infrastructure to spin up wholly original projects of its own. And with many of the platform’s subscriber-generating projects like Stranger Things and Squid Game coming to an end, it’s easy to understand why it wanted to scoop up Warner Bros.’ sizable library of films and series. Netflix doesn’t have the strongest track record of building its own franchises — remember Rebel Moon? — and that’s exactly what it’s getting with WB.
Though Netflix feels like a better acquisition partner compared to Warner Bros.’ previous owners, this is still a consolidation and these kinds of mergers always come with casualties. And it is likely that we will soon start hearing about layoffs as Netflix begins dealing with internal redundancies created by its absorption of Warner Bros.’ employees and operations. But what is much less clear is how the newly merged studio will go about releasing its new projects.
In 2021 during the covid-19 pandemic’s height, WBD’s decision to debut movies on HBO Max as opposed to theaters prompted directors like Christopher Nolan to denounce the company for becoming “the worst streaming service.” Though box office numbers still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, theaters have reopened, and breakout hits like Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie and Superman features have made it clear that there is a demand to see movies on the big screen. Netflix has experimented with very limited theatrical releases that transparently read as plays to qualify its movies for major industry awards. But it has still primarily been a streaming company in the years since it got out of the DVD game.
Unlike MGM, which was on the decline when Amazon bought it, Warner Bros. has had a very strong track record with its recent theatrical releases. Netflix has said that it “expects” to keep putting Warner Bros.’ movies in theaters, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos has signaled that the company is thinking about shortening its theatrical windows in order to “meet the audience where they are quicker.”
“I’d say right now, you should count on everything that is planned on going to the theater through Warner Bros. will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros. and Netflix movies will take the same strides they have,” Sarandos said this week in a call with industry analysts.
Netflix has also made abundantly clear that it is open to cutting production costs by using generative AI. The company has not mandated that its collaborators use the technology as part of their production workflows, but it is easy to imagine gen AI becoming a bigger part of the studio now that it has taken on all of the projects Warner Bros. has in development.
The more glaring concern to come out of the new merger is the way that this could impact competition between the major studios and streaming platforms. Netflix has effectively replaced Warner Bros. as one of the Big Five, which will likely change the entertainment industry’s power dynamics. But streaming customers will probably feel these shifts more directly as Netflix and its competitors settle into a new status quo.
Netflix’s prices could go up yet again under the auspice that the service has become more premium with Warner Bros.’ offerings. It’s still not clear how Netflix will handle the HBO / Max brands long term. The company has said that it thinks “HBO and HBO Max also provide a compelling, complementary offering for consumers,” but it would not be surprising to see those brands ultimately going the way of Hulu, which has been turned into a section within Disney Plus.
It has been years since Netflix was a rowdy upstart fighting to be taken seriously. But even though the company has already cemented itself as the world’s biggest TV / movie streamer, this new deal will take it to a different level of prominence. The Netflix / WBD merger will undoubtedly result in changes — some of them bad — that reverberate through the entire entertainment landscape.
But as tumultuous as things will likely feel in the immediate future, it doesn’t seem likely that Netflix will end up trying to sell off Warner Bros. in a couple of years. Acquisitions of this scale aren’t the company’s usual MO, but it has been bullish about wanting Warner Bros. since the studio went on sale. If the deal goes through, Netflix is undoubtedly in the big leagues — now it has to prove it belongs.
Technology
The Bumpboxx BB-777 is the ultimate in boombox nostalgia
Bumpboxx is fully embracing nostalgia with its latest boombox, the BB-777, which is modeled very closely on the legendary Sharp GF-777. A real deal GF-777 will set you back over $2,000 for one in working order. Plus, that vintage unit lacks modern amenities like Bluetooth or a rechargeable battery. Heck, it doesn’t even have a CD player.
The BB-777 takes the core of the GF, right down to the dual-cassette decks, control layout, and speaker specs printed above the subwoofers. It’s undeniably a gorgeous piece of gear with its vintage silver finish and extensive physical controls. But then it adds a replaceable battery pack, Bluetooth, and an LCD screen. One unfortunate loss is the analog VU meters, something that We Are Rewind managed to include on its Blaster boombox.
There are six speakers: Two Super Woofers with dedicated gain control, two coaxial speakers, and two horn tweeters. They’re pushing out a total of 270W, so volume shouldn’t be a concern. Unless, of course, you’re worried about it being too loud. The speakers are ported too, to help with bass response.
In addition to the dual cassette decks, the BB-777 has a slot-loading CD player, an AM / FM / shortwave radio, USB audio playback (MP3 / WMA / WAV / FLAC / ACC), an aux input (with an included RCA adapter), plus Bluetooth. It can even record directly to a USB drive from the tape decks, CD, or radio for digitizing and archiving. Basically, the only thing it can’t do is stream audio directly over Wi-Fi.
There are also two microphone inputs on the front in case you want to get real old school and use the BB-777 to host a rap battle in the park or MC a break dancing competition. There are also two built-in mics for reasons that I’m not entirely sure of. But it might come in handy if you just want to quickly record your kid saying something funny on cassette.
There is a handle for lugging it around, but you’ll probably want to make use of the shoulder strap if you’re going more than a few yards, as the BB-777 weighs in at a chunky 28-pounds. Instead of going straight to market, Bumpboxx is taking the BB-777 to Kickstarter first. A pledge of $649 will secure you one when they start shipping, supposedly in June. After that, they’ll cost $1,049 at retail.
Technology
If someone gets into your email, they own every account you have. These 3 moves lock them out for good
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
My friend Lisa called me last night, voice shaking. Someone had cleaned out her PayPal. Then her Amazon. Then they tried her bank. Three accounts in 40 minutes. The criminals never touched her passwords. They didn’t have to.
They had her email.
10 SIMPLE CYBERSECURITY RESOLUTIONS FOR A SAFER 2026
Think about what lives in yours right now. Bank statements. Medical results. Your retirement account, your mortgage company, every streaming service, every store you’ve ever bought anything from. And here’s the part that should stop you cold: every password reset link on the planet gets delivered straight to your inbox.
A criminal doesn’t need to hack your bank. They just need your inbox. One account. Every other door swings wide open. That’s not a flaw in the system. That’s how email was designed to work. And most people protect it with the same password they’ve been using since the Bush administration.
Nope. Not anymore.
Online criminals prowl the web for information on your banking, personal documents and other related accounts. Experts say your email could be a gateway for this activity. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Here’s how fast it actually happens
The criminal goes to your bank’s website. Click “forgot password” and type in your email address. The bank sends a reset link to your inbox. The criminal, already inside your email, clicks it, creates a new password and walks right in. Then they do it to your Amazon. Your PayPal. Your brokerage. Your health insurance portal.
Each account takes about 60 seconds. It’s less effort than ordering a pizza.
The FBI calls this account takeover fraud, and it cost Americans $2.7 billion last year alone. The part that should really bother you: 81% of victims said they thought they were “pretty careful” about security beforehand. (Their words, not mine).
BE AWARE OF EXTORTION SCAM EMAILS CLAIMING YOUR DATA IS STOLEN
Three moves. No excuses
1. Get a real password for your email right now.
If your email password is under 16 characters or reused anywhere else, change it today. I use NordPass ($1.43 a month) to generate passwords that look like a cat walked across my keyboard. You remember one master password. It handles the rest. That’s the whole deal.
Experts say that securing your email can limit your exposure and vulnerability to cybercrime. (Cyberguy.com)
2. Turn on two-factor authentication. But not the text message version.
Two-factor means even if someone steals your password, they still can’t get in without a second code. Good. But here’s what most people don’t know: SMS text codes can be hijacked through something called a SIM swap attack. A criminal calls your cell carrier, sweet-talks a customer service rep and transfers your phone number to their device. Now your “secure” text codes go straight to them.
Use Google Authenticator instead. It generates codes on your physical phone, not through your carrier. Go to your email account’s security settings and swap SMS verification for an authenticator app. Takes five minutes.
NEW EMAIL SCAM USES HIDDEN CHARACTERS TO SLIP PAST FILTERS
3. Audit every app connected to your inbox.
Every time you clicked “Sign in with Google” to access some website or app, you handed that app a key to your email. Some of those apps can read your messages. Some can send emails posing as you. I did this audit last year and found 34 apps with access to my Gmail. Thirty-four. Apps I’d completely forgotten existed, still holding a master key to everything.
Go here right now: myaccount.google.com > Security > Third-party apps with account access. Revoke anything you don’t recognize or actively use. Gone.
Experts say taking a few simple steps to audit apps and emails will protect you from cybercrime vulnerabilities. (CyberGuy.com)
Your bank has a fraud department. Your credit card has zero-liability protection. Your email? Nobody’s covering that one but you.
Twenty minutes. Three moves. Lisa wishes she’d done it on a boring Sunday afternoon instead of a panicked Tuesday night.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Your inbox is either a fortress or an open door. There’s no in between. And unlike your front door, this one doesn’t even need a deadbolt. Just strong security.
Kim Komando is America’s Digital Goddess, heard on 510 radio stations nationwide. For more tips on staying safe online, visit Komando.com.
Technology
Apple launches iOS 26.4 with AI playlists, purchase sharing, and more
iOS 26.4 is here, and it comes with a bunch of small but notable updates. That includes a new Playlist Playground launching in beta in Apple Music, which uses AI to generate a song playlist — complete with a title, description, and tracklist — based on a text prompt.
Apple Music is also adding a new concert discovery feature, allowing you to find nearby shows featuring artists from your library, as well as new ones recommended by the app. Other updates include full-screen backgrounds for album and playlist pages, along with a new Offline Music Recognition tool that “identifies songs without an internet connection and delivers results automatically when you’re back online.”
Apple’s Family Sharing feature, which allows you to share Apple subscriptions with up to six other people, will now let each adult member add their own payment methods to make purchases (instead of just using the method belonging to the group organizer). Additionally, iOS 26.4 adds eight new emoji, including an orca, trombone, landslide, ballet dancer, and distorted face. It also improves the accuracy of its keyboard when typing quickly, according to Apple.
There are a few new accessibility features, too, including an update to Apple’s “reduce bright effects” setting that now minimizes flashes that occur when tapping on certain elements like buttons. Apple is making subtitle and caption settings easier to find as well, and says its “reduce motion” setting now “more reliably reduces the animations of Liquid Glass.”
Apple released its macOS 26.4 update as well, which introduces a new compact tab bar option in Safari and the ability to set charging limits from 80 to 100 percent to help preserve the lifespan of your device’s battery.
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