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Fox Corp.’s Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch might be part of the TikTok deal, Trump says

President Trump has said that Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, the chief executive of Fox, are “probably” going to be involved in the investor group looking to buy TikTok in the US.

In an interview with Fox News that aired on Sunday, Trump suggested that the conservative media magnates would join partners including Oracle and Dell in the proposed US deal for the popular social media app.

The potential investment would reportedly be made by the Fox Corporation, the media giant that operates Fox News and the Fox Network, rather than the Murdochs as individuals.

As noted by The New York Times, the conservative tone of the Murdochs’ media businesses will raise questions about whether TikTok’s new consortium of owners will be able to influence content on the app. Separately, Trump is currently suing Rupert Murdoch over The Wall Street Journal’s Epstein reporting.

In recent weeks, the US and China have been finalizing a deal for a US entity of TikTok separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, following a federal law passed last year forcing the app to divest or be banned (though the deadline for this has been pushed back four times now).

The potential investment would reportedly be made by the Fox Corporation, the media giant that operates Fox News and the Fox Network, rather than the Murdochs as individuals.

As noted by The New York Times, the conservative tone of the Murdochs’ media businesses will raise questions about whether TikTok’s new consortium of owners will be able to influence content on the app. Separately, Trump is currently suing Rupert Murdoch over The Wall Street Journal’s Epstein reporting.

In recent weeks, the US and China have been finalizing a deal for a US entity of TikTok separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, following a federal law passed last year forcing the app to divest or be banned (though the deadline for this has been pushed back four times now).

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Netflix is down amid reports it’s leading the Warner Bros. bidding war as Paramount cries foul

Netflix’s charm offensive appears to be working.

Netflix is reportedly emerging as the leader in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after second-round bids this week, edging out entertainment juggernaut rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

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Delta says the government shutdown will cost it $200 million in Q4

The 43-day government shutdown that ended last month will result in a $200 million ding for Delta Air Lines, the airline said in a filing on Wednesday.

That’s about $100,000 per shutdown-related canceled flight. (Delta previously said it canceled more than 2,000 flights due to FAA flight reductions.) When the company reports its fourth-quarter earnings, the shutdown will lop off about $0.25 per share.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

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