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https://blackgirlnerds.com/can-warner-bros-discovery-compete-in-the-streaming-wars/

As of Monday, April 11, 2022, the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery started trading on NASDAQ and closed at $24.78 on its first day.

AT&T, the former parent company of WarnerMedia, and Discovery were finally able to close their deal for $43 billion on Friday, April 8.

Not only does this bump up Warner Bros. Discovery into the big leagues with Disney and Netflix, but it will also be the biggest entertainment conglomerate merger since the pandemic first began.

If you recall, in 2019, Disney acquired the Fox Media empire for a whopping $71.3 billion dollars. Talk about a payday! And it’s safe to say that this acquisition was instrumental in cementing Disney as a major contender in streaming entertainment.

So, why on earth are we talking about Warner Bros. Discovery?

Well, for starters, this new empire has the potential to really steal some thunder from other big players in streaming entertainment, i.e, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney, and Apple.

Now, let’s just take a minute to process how real it’s about to get. 

Prior to the merge, WarnerMedia housed the following networks: 

HBO, HBO Max, CNN, Warner Bros., DC Films, New Line Cinema, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Turner Sports and Rooster Teeth, among other brands, and is part owner of The CW Network along with Paramount. 

It doesn’t stop there, either! Meanwhile, Discovery oversaw these following networks:

Discovery Plus, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).

Thanks to Discovery’s reach overseas, this puts the new Warner Bros. Discovery in a position to break ground internationally in a way that other major competitors haven’t so far. 

Who’s leading the charge? 

No one other than Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav, who has been appointed as the president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

This week, Zaslav has been flying all over the country to meet with employees across WarnerMedia’s subsidiaries. 

Why? Well, if you recall, WarnerMedia employees went through years of tumult and layoffs after AT&T first acquired Time Warner in 2018. 

Does this mean there won’t be any layoffs with the new merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery? Unfortunately, no.

According to Variety, Zaslav has acknowledged the fact that “as part of the $3 billion in cost saving synergies . . . there will be layoffs.”

Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see David Zaslav race across the country in order to ensure that this merger is a smooth transition for as many people as possible.

Now, I’m sure some of you are wondering  —  what does the merger mean for consumers?

But we all know that’s code for “Will I have to pay more for HBO Max?!”

Currently, the answer is still a little unclear. However, what we do know is that HBO Max and Discovery Plus will unite under one platform as Warner Bros. Discovery moves to integrate its vast number of streaming services into one domain.

So, never fear! You should still be able to watch some of your favorite shows and movies like the DCEU Collection, The Matrix 4, Dune, Game of Thrones, and more! 

And thanks to the merger, you’ll eventually get access to all things TLC, awesome home improvement and design reveals via HGN, those guilty pleasure Lifetime shows, more enticing recipes and food exploration with the Food Network, aaaaand the GOAT of daytime television: Oprah!

^^^You heard the man. 

That’s not even all that Discovery Plus has to offer. What has been mentioned so far was just the appetizer.

Don’t forget that the streaming service also hosts a plethora of educational content like its award-winning BBC collection on natural history, which offers a lot of variety for more audiences.

My hope is that Warner Bros. Discovery can boost the quality of creative content that WarnerMedia formerly struggled with for decades. With that said, there should be concern that as more major media conglomerates merge, smaller businesses will run into bigger hurdles to stay afloat. 

Who might the next acquisition targets be? 

Let’s just say that Paramount+ and NBCUniversal’s Peacock might have to start making some moves. Fast. 

Sony has also been long desired, but I believe they’ll be able to sustain their autonomy for a while longer. After all, Sony has managed to survive on the sidelines of the ever-growing streaming war between media giants. 

Although the company hasn’t made any major moves to start their own streaming service, their strategy to license popular content to streaming vendors has worked in their favor so far. 

Via their subsidiary, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the empire has managed to continue licensing franchises such as Spider-Man, James Bond, Men in Black, Venom, Ghostbusters, Resident Evil, Hotel Transylvania, and several other legendary sagas.

Finally, what does the recent merger indicate for the streaming industry’s future? 

Well, one thing is certain after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger: the media empires that wish to maintain a stake in streaming services need to be able to scale quickly, merge, or sell.

What are your thoughts about the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery? Are you excited to access new content? Do you think this is a good move for the industry or is the market slowly growing into one big monopoly? We’d love to hear your thoughts on social media!

http://www.afronerd.com/2022/04/chaos-sunsetparknyc-voice-actorcomedic.html

 

Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes

Prince's huge hit, 1999, seems to be more prescient than ever in the wake of a violent attack on subway riders that occurred early yesterday in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn..... Mommy, Why does everybody have a bomb?   Anywho, check out the latest episode of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review, airing this Wednesday at  8 p.m. eastern on BTalk 100.  Listen to your Khonshu-empowered AFROnerdist hosts analyze and discuss the following issues: the aforementioned chaotic NYC incident which resulted in multiple gunshot victims and the eventual apprehension of a person of interest will be discussed as well thoughts about public safety going forward; legendary comedian and voice actor, Gilbert Gottfried passes at 67:

   

Rumors are asserting that fans might see a TV version of Batman come to the CW Universe in the near future (Jenson Ackles?) and conversely, we might see an updated version of Robin come forward for The Batman movie sequel;  NFL quarterback and free agent, Cam Newton is in a bit of hot water over remarks that some deem to be misogynistic; our impression of the third episode of Disney plus' streaming series, Moon Knight; Was the Ezra Miller dysfunction story overshadowed by the Will Smith debacle?   popular scribe, Ta-Nehisi allegedly presented his first draft for his highly anticipated "Black" Superman story; Lastly, in more comic-related news, the rare and highly-coveted Captain America #1 Golden Age CB purportedly sold for 3.1 million dollars recently. 

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

https://blacknerdproblems.com/you-will-never-escape-kingdom-hearts-4-announced/

Square Enix just celebrated the 20th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts (20 years!? Wow I feel old) and fans were foaming at the mouth for any bit of news of the future for the franchise. Square did not disappoint and gave the masses what they wanted.

That Hot Line Bling

Firstly, we are getting a conclusion to the phone game Kingdom Hearts Union χ. The series is known for having plenty of spinoff games but all of them are important to the overall story, and Union χ is no different. Serving as a prequel to the main conflict, the conclusion will show the fall out between main antagonist Xehanort and Keyblade Master Eraqus. Second, we are getting a brand-new phone game Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. Not much is known about this aside from the brief trailer we got showing off some combat and level design of Scala ad Caelum, the final level of KH3. There will be a beta for it “in select regions” I the fall.

What We Came Here For

And finally, what we all came here for, the announcement trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4. We find a slightly older Sora in the world of Quadratum which is basically modern-day Japan. It’s a bit strange to see Sora with somewhat realistic hair and proportional shoes, but I like the new look. We get introduced to a brand-new unnamed character and a bit of combat which all look great. It’s being dubbed the “Lost Master Arc,” so we can expect plenty more from our boy.

You can check out the trailer, the press release, and get hyped. Don’t expect the mainline game to show up for a few years now. But even so, it was a good day for Kingdom Hearts fans.

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The post You Will NEVER Escape! – ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Announced appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/justice-ketanji-brown-jackson-and-where-we-go-from-here/

We were always bound to see the reactions to the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson that we have seen over the last few days.

Of course, Democrat senators like Elizabeth Warren and representatives like AOC would rightly laud Jackson’s historic appointment.

And of course, Republican members of Congress like Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn would lament a future in which, by their estimation, the country’s first Black female Supreme Court Justice would let criminals run wild while refusing to define what a “woman” is (even when science can’t quite answer that).

In all, the entire process was unsurprisingly, yet still somehow shockingly, rote.

Still, despite a few depressingly typical reactions from the right’s most vocal and histrionic members, there were some gratifying upsets in the confirmation process.

Take, for example, the “yes” votes by Republican senators Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski. In an era of hyper-partisan politics, these three voted for a nominee based on her clear qualifications and years of work as a district court judge, law clerk, and assistant federal public defender. They voted for Jackson in spite of the fact that they have Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene as a rising star in their party, a star who quickly disparaged them for their votes. 

What’s interesting is that, in previous times, three confirmation votes from the opposing party would not be newsworthy. Look at the 1994 confirmation of Justice Stephen G. Breyer, the justice whom Justice Brown is replacing. 

There, one sees that Clinton nominee Breyer received an 87-9 confirmation vote. And no, dear reader, this was not some wild moment in time in which the president happened to be working with a nearly one-hundred percent Democratic Congress. Instead, Clinton was dealing with a legislative branch that, although split 53-47 in the Democrats’ favor, still had Republicans who worked to vote for the right Supreme Court Justice rather than against the president’s nominee. 

And don’t think that Republican senators voted for a Clinton nominee because they loved him so much. They hated his policies enough to have an historically protracted government shutdown the following year.

So, what changed? 

It could be that this is the payback for the razor-thin margins by which Trump’s nominees were confirmed. 

The appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, respectively, were all close calls, and each for different reasons. For Gorsuch, it was likely political payback for the previous Republican-majority Senate’s refusal to consider Obama appointee Merrick Garland for appointment. For Kavanaugh, it was largely due to sexual assault allegations levied against him by four different women, the most prominent of whom was Christine Blasey Ford. Finally, for Justice Barrett, concerns similar to those marring Gorsuch’s nomination during an election year loomed over her confirmation.

It could be that, in a post-Trump world, partisan politics have become an everyday part of ostensibly non-partisan appointments.

A United States Supreme Court Justice should not represent one party or the other.

Yes, justices and judges the world over can have more liberal or conservative interpretations of statutes and constitutions. That is an inevitable fact of life.

What should not be inevitable, however, is governmental gridlock due to concerns over the “other side” scoring a point. It’s a country, not a football game.

We should celebrate the appointment of America’s first Black woman justice. We should celebrate the fact that she is one of a few Black justices earning historic appointments to their states’ highest courts. We should be ecstatic for KBJ and all these other Black and Brown justices breaking persistent racial disparities in supreme courts on the state and national level. As this is a site that celebrates Black Excellence (especially Black female excellence), you know we damn happy about it.

But this positivity does not erase the hurdles ahead of us.

Commentators noting the increasing political gridlock have begun to wonder if Justice Jackson may become “the last Democratic justice” for the foreseeable future. Writing for New York Magazine, Jonathan Chait wonders if the steadily increasing correlations between a state’s presidential vote and senatorial elections will lead to a permanent Republican Senate majority, one that, should there be a Democratic president, would see Supreme Court nominations dead on arrival. 

So, what’s the solution?

If I’m being honest, reader, I’m not sure. 

It’s easy to say “get over partisan politics,” but that may be as simplistic advice as “get over your ex,” or, even, “get over your dead parents.” Americans hold their political beliefs strongly and close to their hearts — in fact, much more than other countries. It may be social media. It may be echo chamber stations like Fox and MSNBC. Who knows? Much smarter people than I have been asking this question in a much more in-depth way.

What is certain, however, is that we have a long road ahead of us.

With Mitch McConnell already promising (threatening?) that a newly-elected Republican Congress would not have a Supreme Court hearing until after the 2024 elections, we can already see that the partisan divide isn’t going anywhere soon. 

So, congrats to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She is well qualified and the right woman for the job. Certain Republican senators balked at the idea of a former public defender becoming a justice, as if only prosecutors and those lobbying for corporate interests should interpret the Constitution. Those senators clearly need to read up on that Fiiif Amendment and remember that she is exactly the type of legal mind we need in order to more fully represent our nation’s legal ideals. 

But let’s remember that we need to figure out a way to get back to a time where ostensibly non-political entities like Supreme Court nominees were not subject to ridiculous political theater like what we saw for Justice Jackson.

We need to figure this out, or fringe, haranguing figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene will become the political norm.