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Hackman Loses Culver City Office Campus
Troubled studio owner Hackman Capital Partners has lost control of the former Sony Pictures Animation campus in Culver City. The 198,000-square-foot
Ryan Garcia Controversies: Details of Boxer’s Polarizing Career Issues
Ryan Garcia has rebounded from a turbulent stretch involving a PED suspension, legal trouble and WBC expulsion to become a world champion. The post Ryan Garcia Controversies: Details of Boxer’s Polarizing Career Issues appeared first on HEAVY.
Divorcing couple fighting over crumbling NYC bakery business
Yoseph Raja and Zohal Azimi Raja, the couple who founded Thin Cookies, are at war with a divorce, business troubles and a new lawsuit.
Aware Recovery Care’s Financial Troubles Worsen, Sales Talk Emerges
Financial challenges at Aware Recovery Care have escalated, and new court filings suggest the Connecticut-based addiction
Oregon Gets Interesting Oklahoma State Game Prediction From CFB Analyst
The Oregon Ducks could have some trouble with Oklahoma State, according to one CFB analyst.
The Not-So-Secret Winner in Netflix and YouTube’s Streaming Wars Battle
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Here’s a good piece of advice: when someone tells you a company has “won” the streaming wars, just assume they haven’t. Remember the narratives about the streaming media over the last few years: 2024 - Netflix has won the streaming wars! 2025 - YouTube has won the streaming wars! Yet…in 2026, I’d categorize it as… 2026 - Netflix and YouTube are battling for talent! Netflix and YouTube are aggressively fighting for top creators, marking a fierce new battle in the streaming wars. For two companies that “won”, that certainly doesn’t seem like winning behavior. If you win, you don’t have to fight for talent, because talent has to come to you. This is a good reminder that, if the streaming wars are a war—and I think they are—we should know what type of war they are. So it’s worth revisiting one of my big theories of the streaming wars, that the war these battles most represent is… The Thirty Years’ War1 I prefer this war to other, simpler wars, because, while it featured two “sides”—based on religion—and the current war has two main sides—tech versus entertainment—it also featured a lot of smaller players battling it out, sometimes switching sides. And that’s still the case for entertainment and media, despite the above headlines. I’d recommend this truism: if someone has to tell you they won the streaming wars, they probably haven’t. To wit, if someone told you they were fighting in the Thirty Years’ War—and no, they didn’t call it that at the time—and in year five, they told you they won, well, obviously they had 25 more years to go. That’s a lot of preamble to say, the story of the week is the latest battles between YouTube and Netflix. Their battle for talent says a lot about how hard this war will be to win. All that, plus The Curse of the Mogul in action, Netflix providing more (theatrical) data, whether Apple TV is in trouble, AMC getting in on distribution, and a whole lot more. Subscribe Today’s article is sponsored by… Substack is hosting a live Emmys watch party, starting at 5PM on the East Coast (2PM on the West Coast) on Monday, 14-Sep. Check it out! Tune In Most Important Story of the Week - Who’s the Big Winner in the Netflix vs YouTube Showdown? Netflix spent a lot in 2025, and then even more in 2026 adding a host of “creators”—both podcasters and YouTube stars—to their TV lineup. Frankly, for years, I’ve thought that more major studios/streamers/channels should look to YouTube as the launching pad for future stars and IP. Either by poaching proven talent—albeit at good prices—or by treating YouTube as an arena for your “A&R” reps to scout new talent and emerging voices. Netflix started executing the former strategy—which I thought was smart—while Focus Features did the latter with Obsession. So what changed? YouTube finally responded! Yikes. That’s a strong response, and stronger than I’d argue most narratives about YouTube suggest. People often describe YouTube as a self-reinforcing flywheel of success. Get on YouTube or perish. So why did YouTube have to respond? Because other folks poaching their top talent could really damage their business, implying their flywheel is a pinch more rickety than most analysis suggests. Clearly, creators can envision a life off YouTube and potentially a much more lucrative one. The Curse of the Media Mogul is Playing Out In Real Time We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Who is the big winner in the Netflix versus YouTube battle… The biggest question about YouTube… Plus why YouTube’s saber rattling should worry talent… Why I’m skeptical that a U.S. federal tax credit for film will happen… What key change could pull Apple from the streaming business. AMC getting in on distribution… Some great reads on the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Legal troubles mount as REIT founders indicted for stealing from employees
Already facing an SEC lawsuit and state investigation, the founders of RAD Diversified REIT have been charged with raiding employee benefit programs.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Got in Trouble Again in August
Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson can't stay out of the news.
LIV Golf’s Bankruptcy Road Is Unlike Its Predecessors
The troubled golf entity is looking elsewhere across sports for inspiration.
New ownership announced at troubled football club
A club spokesperson says they are excited to embark on a new chapter.
Today’s Papers – Big Inter gifts, Juventus in trouble
La Gazzetta dello SportJuve, you need to get yourself blessed.Locatelli returns in 2027; stop for BogaAfter Yildiz and Thuram, the captain underwent surgery too (could be out for six months)Inter’s ...
Brian and Ellen court danger once again in ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ season 2 exclusive clip
Brian (Jamie Roy) and Ellen (Harriet Slater) find themselves in serious trouble in a clip from ‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’ season 2 exclusive to ‘Entertainment Weekly.’
Dr. Heavenly Kimes turns son’s legal trouble into mental health advocacy mission
Dr. Heavenly Kimes says her son’s legal trouble inspired her mental health advocacy and creating crisis centers in underserved communities.
Trail Blazers Can Win Games Before the Fourth Quarter
By weaponizing Ja Morant’s speed and relentless rim pressure, Portland can dismantle defensive structures early, forcing opponents into foul trouble and building insurmountable leads before the final whistle.
Into the last 16 with ease
Win quickly sealedOur team had no trouble against second-division side SKN St. Pölten, advancing to the round of 16 of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win. Our opponents in the next round w...
Keith Andrews Frustrated With Officials After Brentford Draw With Sunderland
Keith Andrews was unhappy with the way Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland was handled, admitting he risked talking himself “into trouble” if he said too much.
Chargers Predicted to Upgrade Backup Quarterback Position Via Trade
If Justin Herbert gets hurt again and has to miss some time, the Chargers could be in trouble — unless they trade for a more reliable backup quarterback.
Valve secretly leaked a Left 4 Dead 2 trailer to dodge the ESRB
I think we can't get in trouble for that now. It's like 20 years ago."
Full Court Magic Episode 34: Full Breakdown
Don Strouble analyzes Orlando’s low-risk gamble on Malaki Branham and how Paolo Banchero’s development shapes a roster navigating tight salary cap constraints ahead of training camp.
HawkeyeRoundtable's Iowa-Northern Illinois Game Prediction
Even with all the unanswered questions at the quarterback position, the Hawkeyes should have little trouble getting off to a 1-0 start.
Apple's Foldable iPhone Runs Into Early Trouble
Scarcity could boost hype while limiting near-term revenue
Bologna troubles continue as Orsolini ruled out until international break
Bologna are without a victory after their first two Serie A matches of the 2026-27 season and the troubles for head coach Domenico Tedesco have now increased as Italy international Riccardo Orsolini h...
Why Amen Thompson’s Extension Could Be Risky for the Rockets
While Ja Morant’s falloff was largely self-inflicted, it could’ve warned Houston of possible troubles to come in their future.
Jett Lawrence To Miss SuperMotocross Playoffs for Ankle Surgery
Three-time SMX champ goes under the knife Sept. 9 Photo by Honda. The reigning SuperMotocross World Champion won't defend his crown, after American Honda confirmed Jett Lawrence will sit out all three rounds of the 2026 SMX Playoffs. Lawrence will instead undergo follow-up surgery on the right ankle that has troubled him all year. The injury dates back to last December, when Lawrence hurt the ankle in training, keeping him out of the entire AMA Supercross Championship. He returned for the openin
A bankruptcy and big business takeover signal change in Washington's apple industry
A historic changing of the guard in Washington’s troubled apple business is underway in a Spokane bankruptcy court.
Stan Kroenke buys Angels, ending Arte Moreno's troubled tenure
Rams owner Stan Kroenke has purchased the Angels, marking the end of owner Arte Moreno's tenure and Kroenke's first move into Major League Baseball.
Paying Homage To “The Troublemaker Of Watchmaking” With The M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese
✓ Meet the new M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese ✓ Paying homage to the self-proclaimed troublemaker of watchmaking ✓ Check out this Baladin watch! ✓
OpenClaw 2.0 pours glitter on slow-burning security dumpster fire
Making installation easier and putting a new wrapper on the interface while leaving most of the security to users is a recipe for more trouble with the popular agent harness
The Trouble With Trump’s Attempt to Rename Lake Ontario
Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario is symbolic political theater aimed at diverting our attention away from the fallout of his trade war with Canada, write Reuben Rose-Redwood and Derek Alderman.
How England are building an attack to trouble Australia
Former England captain Michael Vaughan predicts England's new pace quartet will trouble Australia - so what is making them effective against Pakistan?
Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ for Iran Must Overcome a Troubled History
The U.S. has spent 20 years promising ‘crippling sanctions’ on Iran. But the latest effort comes with a reverse twist, after military action failed to accomplish President Trump’s goals.
Newsom returns to a defining California fight: Who pays for wildfire damage?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking state lawmakers to shield utilities from financial trouble if their equipment sparks a wildfire by limiting the amount they have to pay victims and attorneys.
Amazon hikes hardware prices by 60 percent, blaming memory shortage
As the memory shortage continues to cause trouble for hardware makers, Amazon says it is now being forced to pass on the costs to its consumers.
Amazon hikes hardware prices by 60 percent, blaming memory shortage
As the memory shortage continues to cause trouble for hardware makers, Amazon says it is now being forced to pass on the costs to its consumers.
KPMG Australia's troubles deepen as it cuts 5% of its workforce
The Big Four firm plans to cut hundreds of employees as its annual consulting revenue falls 16.9% and a whistleblower-led scandal continues.
Los Angeles Dodgers Owner’s Troubles Roil Insurance World
Federal investigations of Mark Walter’s business empire have put a spotlight on private-equity-owned insurers that invest premiums in risky assets.
AliExpress was silently running audio in your browser to fingerprint and track your device
The issue only surfaced after a developer had trouble using multipoint Bluetooth headphones while an AliExpress tab was open: the headphones wouldn't switch properly from the computer...
5 Common Problems Owners Have With Apple AirPods
If your Apple Airpods have some of these common issues, these are ways to troubleshoot.
Phillies Jump All Over Mathews, Clobber Cardinals Saturday Night
The St. Louis Cardinals have played some very tight one-run games lately. Saturday night was not one of those games as the Philadelphia Phillies jumped all over Quinn Mathews early and clobbered the Cardinals Saturday night in Philly. The trouble for Quinn Mathews started in the bottom of the 1st inning when he walked Kyle […]
Va. health dept. improves nursing home inspection backlog, reforms sanction criteria for facilities
With reform efforts underway, the Virginia Department of Health officials said they aim to adopt sanction criteria by the end of the year to rein in bad actors and get troubled facilities back on track.
The top three spots in Evanston’s entertainment scene
There is no shortage of great art being performed by Northwestern students. From recitals and plays to dance and a cappella shows, Wildcats will have no trouble getting their entertainment fix. But staying inside the campus bubble can sometimes get a bit repetitive, so here are three spots around Evanston that will scratch that same...
Guerrilla Is Reportedly Overhauling Horizon Hunters Gathering To Make It More Of A Traditional Co-Op Game
Yet another Sony live-service game seems to be in trouble after reports of poor player feedback.
Kindergarten vaccine exemptions are climbing
Doritos as "real" "food," public-sector health care in trouble, and more health news from Morning Rounds
The Trouble with the Soft Sciences
The tale of Jason Arday is a reminder of how today’s social scientists often care little about seeking the truth.
The trouble with getting used to miracles
Success has a strange effect on wonder. It turns miracles into infrastructure!
5 Common Issues With Waze (And How To Fix Them)
If Waze isn't working properly on your phone, Android Auto, or Apple CarPlay, these fixes cover the most likely trouble spots.
Turning science students into problem solvers
BELIEVE Academy science teacher Seyi Akoko can trace his love of science back to a seventh-grade classroom. Curious about a lesson on evaporation, he went home and mixed salt with water in an attempt to recreate the experiment for himself. His experiment may have gotten him into trouble at home, but it also ignited a […]
Focused mental healthcare for young people delivers big savings to Canadian healthcare
A youth mental-health program, national in scale, has been shown to save a country’s public health system $4,000 a year per patient. And while it’s at it, the program helps young people overcome or better manage serious behavioral issues.
‘Heated Rivalry’ actor says he got ‘in trouble’ after seemingly leaking info about upcoming episodes
Dylan Walsh, who plays David Hollander on ‘Heated Rivalry,’ paused his Cameo account after a video where he talked about season 2 of the hit hockey romance went viral.
3 takeaways from David Crowley’s comeback: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the troubled Trump-Netanyahu alliance.
BREAKING: Oregon State Hospital superintendent ousted after resignation of health authority leader
This is a developing story and may be updated The superintendent of the Oregon State Hospital who was appointed less than a month ago by a since-departed director of the Oregon Health Authority is out as head of the troubled state-run mental hospital, the health authority said Wednesday. Oregon Health Authority Interim Director Fariborz Pakseresht […]
Browns’ Demoted Starter Now ‘Fighting’ to Keep Roster Spot
The Cleveland Browns moved rookie Spencer Fano ahead of Dawand Jones at left tackle. Now, Jones is in some trouble. The post Browns’ Demoted Starter Now ‘Fighting’ to Keep Roster Spot appeared first on HEAVY.
Brad Pitt no longer sober, talks feeling 'suicidal' amid family drama
Brad Pitt opened up about his mental health journey amid his legal troubles with ex-wife Angelina Jolie in a new interview with Esquire.
Can would-be buyer afford to take over more Chicago-area hospitals?
Insight Health Systems is in talks to take over West Suburban Medical Center and Weiss Memorial Hospital, which closed in the last year. But records show its Chicago hospital has money troubles.
Splatoon Raiders' August Update Introduces the Change Most Requested by Players
No more trouble with the tank's limiter!
Halo Studios is the latest Xbox Games Studio to be hit by layoffs just days after Campaign Evolved launch, as reports reveal "troubled" development
A number of developers previously employed at Halo Studios have posted on LinkedIn confirming layoffs at the studio.
Media Mogul Tom Rogers sees trouble in Disney's ad business
Tom Rogers, Versant Media senior advisor, joins 'Fast Money' to talk Disney earnings and AI usage in Hollywood.
Inside the Oval Office showdown between Trump and Jeanine Pirro
The showdown shows anyone who is willing to contradict a theory trumpeted by the president is in trouble, even if the dissenter happens to be among his closest family friends.
Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her in charge of a public health agency beleaguered by political meddling and low morale.
Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, placing her in charge of a public health agency beleaguered by political meddling and low morale.
Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC director, bringing new leadership to troubled agency
Dr. Erica Schwartz has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rihanna Is ‘in the Studio Right Now’ & She’s ‘Cooking,’ Teases A$AP Rocky
"I'ma get in trouble for this," the rapper playfully admitted.
Microsoft warns hackers have compromised many hotel WiFi networks
Here's how to avoid trouble.
Steam's Cyberpunk Sale Has Genre Classics At Their Lowest Ever Prices
Cyberpunk 2077 and RoboCop: Rogue City will barely trouble your wallet
Marmots got money troubles: UCLA scientists turn to OnlyFans
A UCLA marmot lab has opened an OnlyFans account called OnlyMarms to raise funding for its research. So far, it's raised about $4,000.
Ken Martin hunkers down at the Democratic National Committee as a storm gathers around party leader
Desperate to save his job as chair of the Democratic National Committee, he is avoiding media appearances, monitoring his critics' social media posts and refusing — at least so far — to make any substantive changes at his troubled organization.
Struggling With Balance As You Age? Experts Say There Might Be A Simple Solution.
People who were having trouble walking confidently said they saw improvement in just two weeks.
Xbox Series Prices Surge up to €200 in Europe as Microsoft Refuses to Bankroll the Troubled Division
Microsoft has raised Xbox Series S|X prices by up to €200 in Europe and £170 in the United Kingdom, making its sales prospect even more dire.
John Oliver Staying With 'Last Week Tonight' Amid Merger "Denial"
Late-night's Emmy heavyweight is sticking with 'Last Week Tonight' for at least another year as he tries his best to ignore his parent company's future and follow a favorite motto: "You always want to be exactly as much trouble as you are worth."
Ohtani out of Dodgers lineup with nagging knee trouble
Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani was held out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Thursday because of lingering discomfort in his left knee, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.He had remained in the Dodgers' batting lineup, however, with the team saying the knee was only a problem when he pitches.
Will Killie find goalscoring touch in time for season opener?
Four games, no defeats or goals conceded in 90 minutes, it's been a stellar start to the season defensively for Kilmarnock. Across 360 minutes of Premier Sports Cup action, Neil McCann's side could only muster two goals: a last-minute winner against Elgin City and a second-half strike against Hamilton Academical. A strong finish to last season avoided any relegation trouble, with Joe Hugill scoring eight goals in 15 appearances, while Tyreece John-Jules scored five in his final four games before an injury ruled him out of the last stretch of matches.
Xbox service is down, with outages meaning players can't play any digital or physical games, after similar PlayStation Network issues last week
Shortly after PlayStation Network's outage last week, Xbox's online services are facing trouble too, with the support team saying work is underway.
Ph.D. admissions have dropped 15% for the new school year
That could weaken the doctoral pipeline — and spell trouble for the future of science and innovation in the U.S.
Supreme Court tees up new test of FERC’s political independence
A recent ruling could spell trouble for the agency that oversees gas pipelines and the nation’s grid.
State to lay off hundreds at troubled southern Illinois mental health facility
Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center to reduce patient population, staff amid operational changes.
Inside the Phone-Throwing Drama at the Troubled, Broke Democratic Party
The Democrats should be well positioned to make gains in this year’s midterms. But inside party headquarters, every week brings paranoia, worries about money and, on occasion, emotional eruptions.
Opinion | Boston's traffic troubles: Elected officials need to act now
If you’re driving into the city you’re going to pay. It’s just a question of whether you pay with your time, or your money.
State to lay off hundreds at troubled southern Illinois mental health facility
Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center to reduce patient population, staff amid operational changes
State to lay off hundreds at troubled southern Illinois mental health facility
Article Summary About half of the staff of 524 employees will be laid off at the Choate Mental Health and
Paramount merger lawsuit could spell trouble for California’s entertainment industry
If Paramount ultimately concludes that California’s regulatory climate is too hostile to remain here, Bonta will have no one to blame but himself.
Troubled UDFA Cowboys Rookie Predicted to Make 53-Man Roster
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport predicts UDFA rookie tight end Michael Trigg will make the 53-man roster for the Dallas Cowboys. The post Troubled UDFA Cowboys Rookie Predicted to Make 53-Man Roster appeared first on HEAVY.
Farage, Reform in ‘trouble’, as UK braces for crypto influence in politics
Farage's crisis after revelations of substantial crypto donations prompts broader political questions over donor clout.
Draymond Green already knows his role if LeBron James decides to join the Warriors
Draymond Green has no trouble accepting his role if LeBron James does end up joining the Warriors.
Once-Thriving Burger Chain Hangs On at LA's Airport
SFGate does a deep dive into once-hyped Umami Burger and its troubled founder
‘Good Trouble Lives On’: ICE protestors rally at Liberty Square Park
Utahns joined in on a national movement called “Good Trouble Lives On” Saturday, honoring former Congressman John Lewis and his legacy of nonviolent civic action, education, and advocac…
I Watch TV for a Living and These Are My 3 Favorite Shows of 2026 (So Far)
With so many new and returning TV shows this year, three have stood out to me as the best shows of 2026 so far. From ‘Widow’s Bay’ to ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles,’ here are my picks.
Health Brief: Trump’s Obamacare gamble hits court trouble
Plus: A federal advisory panel is facing scrutiny over members’ ties to peptide products
A clear message – wildfire smoke plus summer heat is double trouble for heart health
DALLAS, July 16, 2026 — Parts of the U.S. are experiencing smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting down and summer temperatures pushing up, creating a potentially deadly situation, according to the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing...
Report: Trump administration policies cost the average Ohio household $2,175
Two new reports suggest Trump administration policies are hitting Americans' pocketbooks. Being tied to those policies could spell trouble for Republican candidates in November's elections.
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?
Matt Damon reveals insane advice he got from Sean Penn about his daughters dating
Matt Damon hasn’t run into any trouble when it comes to his daughters’ dating lives — but if he ever does, he has some memorable advice from Sean Penn to guide him.
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s New Missions Have Me Obsessing Over the Series’ Ambitious, Troubled Expanded Universe All Over Again
Halo: Campaign Evolved's new Operation METEORITE missions could be a gateway to the series' ambitious expanded universe.
Kalshi’s Core Business May Already Be in Serious Trouble
States are cracking down on sports betting, and a major court ruling bodes poorly for the prediction-market giant.
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.
Cody Bellinger Takes Subtle Shot at Yankees Teammate Aaron Judge
There could be trouble in paradise with the New York Yankees.New York has one of the top teams in the MLB this season, and that is without star hitter Aaron Judge on the injured list. However, despite Judge being considered one of, if not the best hitter in baseball, it appears his teammate, Cody Bellinger, […] The post Cody Bellinger Takes Subtle Shot at Yankees Teammate Aaron Judge appeared first on HEAVY.
Building the tools behind the science
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Gaming is in serious trouble. GTA VI may be the nail in the coffin
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Trump’s DC beautification push navigates troubled waters
At a ceremony in front of the iconic cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top US officials touted President Donald Trump’s efforts to make the city “safe and beautiful.”