Warner Bros. Begins Exclusive Talks With Netflix; US Lobbies to Block EU Loan Plan for Ukraine

Bloomberg, Audio, Studios, podcasts, radio News.
Good morning, I'm Nathan Hager and I'm Lisa Matteo. Here
are the top stories we're following today.
Lisa, we begin with exclusive Bloomberg News reporting on what
could be one of the biggest media deals in history.
Sources tell us Warner Brothers Discovery has entered exclusive negotiations
to sell its film and TV studios and HBO Max
streaming service to Netflix. The streaming giant is offering a
five billion dollar breakup fee if regulators don't approve the deal.
Man well by Gory is a deal's reporter for Bloomberg.
It would be.
Definitely the biggest ever deal by Netflix. They've never done
a deal of this magnitude, and he will also be
very very consequential for competitors take Paramount, WALDISNI and others
that are also growing in these fields. Surprise also to
see a potential five billion dollar breakup fee. That is
quite remarkable and perhaps one of the reasons why Netflix
seems to be, according to our sources, pulling ahead of
the game.
Year Man Bloomberg's men, while by goryads the two companies
could announce the deal and as soon as the coming days.
Breaking news and geopolitics. This morning, Nathan, the US lobbied
several countries in the European Union in an effort to
block EU plans to use frozen Russian Central Bank assets
to back up massive loan to Ukraine. That's according to
European diplomats that are familiar with the matter. We get
more from Bloomberg, Stephen Carroll and Brussels.
Yeah, well, this is are aborting telling us that the
US officials have been arguing to individual countries in the
European Union that the frozen Russian assets shouldn't be used
to support Ukraine. This is a key plan that's been
under negotiation in the EU for some time now. Earlier
this week we had the proposal from the EU which
was meant to be either using these frozen Russian assets,
I mean they haven't been able to get agreement with
the moment member states, or to use alone backed by
the EU's own resources, to try and support Ukraine instead,
knowing full well that would be politically very difficult to
get agreement on as well. It was meant to exert
pressure on Belgium, one of the key holdout countries, for
the use of those frozen Russian assets Blilberg.
Stephen Carroll notes that the discussions come at a critical
time for Ukraine, with the US pressuring Kiev to agree
to a potentially lopsided peace deal with Russia the LISA.
This comes as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian
President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi.
The two leaders are looking to deepen their economic cooperation
in the face of pressure from President Trump. Putin's making
his first trip to India since Russia's full scale invasion
of Ukraine to showcase the long standing partnership dating back
to the Cold War. Ties with India have centered on defense,
but Mody and Putin wanted broaden cooperation to include deeper trade, migration,
and economic links.
Turning to Washington now, Nathan President Trump's standing by Defense
Secretary Pete Seth after a string of recent controversies, among
them a second strike on a suspected drug running boat
in the Caribbean that killed survivors of the initial attack.
The admiral who gave the order, Frank Bradley, was on
Capitol Hill yesterday telling lawmakers he was not ordered to
kill everyone on board. Republican Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton
spoke after the classified briefing.
I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat loaded
with drugs down for the United States back over so
they could stay in the fight.
But Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed
Services Committee, says he's not convinced those survivors still pose
a threat.
Two people without their shirts on on top of the
bow of a capsized boat as a tiny little portion
of the boat that was above the water, and they were.
There, just there along with the strike order. A Pentagon
Inspector General's report found Defense Secretary Hegseth could have compromised
sensitive information by using his personal cell phone in a
signal chat about Yemen attack plans.
Well elsewhere in the nation's capital, Lisa, A divided Supreme
Court has cleared Texas to use a new Republican drawn
congressional map in next year's election. Over three decents, the
justices lifted a lower court ruling that blocked the map.
It was drawn at President Trump's behest to help Republicans
try to keep their House majority in the next year.
Although the order formally applies only until the Justices resolve
Texas's appeal. The court suggests it will ultimately rule in
the States favor well.
Virginia man has been charged with placing pipe bonds outside
Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on the
eve of January sixth, twenty twenty one. Riot it's capping
a five year federal investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi announce
the charges in a news conference.
He has been charged with violating eighteen USC. Eight forty four,
which is use of an explosive device. This investigation is
ongoing as we speak. Search warrants are being executed and
there could be more charges to come.
Attorney General Pam Bonnie identify the suspect as Brian Cole,
Junior of Woodbridge, Virginia. Cole was arrested earlier yesterday by
the FBI.
Turning to the economy and the FED now, LISA National
Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett says the Federal Reserve should
cut interest rates at its meeting next week. Hassett was
asked on Fox News if he thinks the Federal Open
Market Committee will cut.
Rights if you look at the communications from the FED
governors and some of the regional presidents. They now seem
much more like they're leaning in the direction of a
rate cut, which.
Is I believe the right and how much would you
like it to be?
You know, in the long run, we've got to get
to a much lower rate. If there's consensus around twenty
five basis points, which it looks like there is, then
I'll take it.
Yeah, that was White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett speaking
on Fox News.
Well, someone else would also like to see a rate
cut by the Fed. Naden. That's Bank of America CEO
Brian moynihan. He spoke with Bloomberg's Francine Lacuah.
Would a FED cut help?
A FED cut helps? Our team believes if FED will
cut next week, they came to it slowly because the
inflation is still higher than the target rates that the
FED would have. It's sticky and it's sticky. Although right
when they started raising rates, people told me it takes
five years to actually squeeze out inflation, and people just
aren't patient.
Well.
Bank of America CEO Brian moynehead added that his team
thinks long term, the FED will get down to a
three percent FED funds rate well.
The S and B five hundred lisa is on track
for a new all time high as investors tilt toward
risk on growing confidence in the economy and the prospect
of rate cuts. Futures are within a half percent of
a fresh record. In the commodities market, Copper is at
a record, giving fresh impetus by a bullish price outlook
from City Group. Traders there anticipate a shortage caused by stockpiling.
In the US.
Copper rows as much as one point nine percent to
more than eleven six hundred dollars a ton, that surpassed
a previous high set just this week Oliver.
In company news, Hewlett Packard Enterprise shares are down eight
percent stand in pre market as after the company gave
an outlook for sales in the current quarter that fell
short of high expectations for the AI server business. Sales
in the fiscal fourth quarter missed. Analyst Estimas says some
deals for servers to power artificial intelligence workloads were pushed
into twenty twenty six.
And Meta Platforms has confirmed its plans to meaningfully cut
resources for building the so called metaverse, an effort that
CEO Mark Zuckerberg once framed as the future of the
company and the reason he changed its name from Facebook.
Meta executives are considering potential budget cuts as high as
thirty percent for metas Metaverse next year.
Time now for a look at some of the other
stories making news in New York and around the world.
For that were joined by Bloomberg's Michael barg Morning, Michael.
Good Morning, Lisa. Federal grand jury in Virginia has refused
to indict New York State Attorney General Letitia James for
a second time over mortgage fraud claims. Prosecutors had sought
charges against Aimes less than two weeks after a federal
judge dismissed the earlier case, saying that Lindsay Halligan, the
US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, had been
improperly appointed. The James charges against her, as she put it,
are baseless and called for an end to the unchecked
weaponization of our justice system. Bondo Lob heading outside this morning. Oooh,
there is a shivering cold in the northeast and some
snow from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest. Bloomberg
Media relagis Craig Allen has the.
Latest unseasonable cold continues to pour down out of Canada
and with January like chills over more than fifty percent
of the eastern US, and the actual readings are as
low as single digits and below zero in the plains
in the upper Midwest and as low as minus thirties
north of the border. And as for snow, there is
a storm tracking towards the mid Atlantic coast bringing snow
in winter weather advisories from Kentucky to Virginia and up
towards DC. One to three inches of snow will accumulate
on all untreated surfaces.
Bloomberg Media religis Craig Allen. New York City Mayor Eric
Adams issued executive orders aimed at addressing anti Semitism, including
one prohibiting city agency heads from engaging in procurement practices
that discriminate against the state of Israel. Adams recently returned
from a trip to Israel. President Trump and First Lady Milania,
who lit the National Christmas Tree at the White House.
During brief remarks, President Trump delivered a message of peace
and thanked first responders, police, ice and service members.
Thank you to the men and women of the United
States military, including the brave hears of our National Guard
here in Washington, d C.
The event also featured performances from The Beach Boys, Christian
music singer Matthew West, and country artist Gabby Barrett. Global
News twenty four hours a day and whenever you want
it with Bloomberg News Now. Michael Barr. This is Bloomberg Lisa.
Thanks Michael. Time now for our Bloomberg Sports Update, and
for that we bring in John stash Hour.
A big game in the NFC, the Cowboys and Lions
hoping to make the playoffs. Detroit never trailed and the
game that had seven touchdowns and eight field goals. The
Lions won forty four to thirty. They were up by
eighteen in the second half. Dallas cut that lead to three,
but Jamier Gibbs with two fourth quarter touchdowns. He had
three in the game. The Lakers with a three point
win in Toronto. Lebron James scored only eight points. It
was the first time since two thousand and seven that
he was held to single figures as a streak lasting
almost thirteen hundred games at the Bloomberg Sports Update.
Stay with us more from Bloomberg Daybreak coming up.
After this.
Coast to coast on Bloomberg Radio, nationwide on Sirius XM,
and around the world on Bloomberg dot Com and the
Bloomberg Business opp This is Bloomberg Daybreak.
Good Morning on Nathan Hager and The bid war over
one of Hollywood's most storied movie and TV studios may
be over, sources tell Bloomberg News. Netflix has entered exclusive
talks to buy Warner Brothers Discoveries film and TV studios
and the HBO Max streaming service, pulling ahead in a
race with paramount, sky Dance and Comcast. For the very latest,
we were joined by Bloomberg Deal's reporter Manuel by gory Man. Well,
thanks for being with us. I mean, this bidding war
had the makings of a soap opera. How did Netflix
come out on top?
Definitely, definitely a soap opera or who knows, maybe a
Netflix show down there. It's been fascinating to observe and
to report on it. You know, very very well known
brand companies all around the world, and you know, it's
pretty remarkable that we are approaching the final stages as
the year comes to an end, and these could be
very transformative for the entertainment industry. Not just in the US,
but globally given the sheer size of these companies. So
it's just a matter of days before we might see
a resolution to these sale poscess that has kept advisors
and dealmakers very very busy over the Thanksgiving break and
we are now very close to an end, so very
very much looking forward to it. Netflix is pulling ahead.
They're offering a five billion dollar breakup fee that is
really remarkable. Now remains to be seen also if they
get designed and announced, whether it will get past regulators,
that is the next big question mark as well.
Yeah, I mean, just the fact that we see that
sizeable breakup fee. Is this the kind of thing that
could face an anti trust challenge or a continued challenge
from Paramount Skydance, which it really made clear that they
wanted the company.
Yeah, it's a really good point. I mean, there is
going to be a serious look from regulators how these
impact consumers. At the end of day, Netflix is already
such a big name, such a house name, such a
big company. Now adding more assets into an HBO max
among them, It's definitely gonna attract the interest from regulators.
I mean, But the same if Paramount or Comcasts were
also to require I mean, the industry is quite consolidated
at the end of the day, so regulators are going
to take a close look. But perhaps the fact that
Netflix is offering such big breakup fee also indicates their
eagerness to try to get this across. The line is
a very important asset as the company tries to keep growing,
find new sources of revenue, and diversify, which is not
easy because they're already a very large organization already.
This is Bloomberg Daybreak, your morning podcast on the stories
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