TikTok Finalizes US Restructuring Deal with Oracle, Avoids Ban

TikTok Finalizes US Restructuring Deal with Oracle, Avoids Ban

TikTok has finalized a deal to restructure its U.S. operations into a new entity majority-owned by American and allied investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, with ByteDance retaining a 20% stake. This hybrid model addresses data security concerns, avoids a nationwide ban, and sets a precedent for global tech sovereignty.

Posted on: by Roman Grant
AI Answers Demand New Rules: Why Google SEO Fails ChatGPT Citations

AI Answers Demand New Rules: Why Google SEO Fails ChatGPT Citations

Mike King reveals why Google SEO tactics fail AI engines like ChatGPT, from query fan-out to HTTP 499 timeouts and chunking boosts. Case studies show 661% visibility gains via GEO.

Posted on: by Chloe Ortiz
Oracle Data Center Failure Exposes Critical Vulnerabilities in TikTok’s Newly American Infrastructure

Oracle Data Center Failure Exposes Critical Vulnerabilities in TikTok’s Newly American Infrastructure

TikTok's first major technical crisis under American ownership exposed critical vulnerabilities in Oracle's data center infrastructure, disrupting posting capabilities and analytics for millions of users. The week-long outage raises urgent questions about the resilience of the platform's newly restructured operations.

Posted on: by Chloe Ortiz
CLICKFORCE’s AI Leap: Bedrock Agents Slash Ad Analysis from Weeks to Hours

CLICKFORCE’s AI Leap: Bedrock Agents Slash Ad Analysis from Weeks to Hours

CLICKFORCE harnesses Amazon Bedrock Agents in Lumos to automate ad market analysis, cutting weeks of work to one hour. Powered by AWS services, it delivers precise insights, setting a new benchmark for data-driven advertising efficiency.

Posted on: by Aria Brooks
TikTok’s Data Center Blackout: Power Failure Exposes Vulnerabilities in New U.S. Era

TikTok’s Data Center Blackout: Power Failure Exposes Vulnerabilities in New U.S. Era

A power outage at a U.S. data center crippled TikTok's services over the weekend, disrupting algorithms and feeds just after its U.S. ownership shift. The new joint venture blames technical failure, not censorship, as users face login woes and old videos.

Posted on: by Elena Brooks
AI’s Email Revolution: Leaders’ Guide to Smarter Campaigns in 2026

AI’s Email Revolution: Leaders’ Guide to Smarter Campaigns in 2026

This deep dive explores AI's transformative role in 2026 email marketing, offering executives strategies for content generation, integration, and measurement while navigating pitfalls and future trends for superior ROI.

Posted on: by Roman Grant
Boss Wallah’s UGC Pivot: Capturing the $8.4 Billion Creator Gold Rush

Boss Wallah’s UGC Pivot: Capturing the $8.4 Billion Creator Gold Rush

Boss Wallah Media launches a creator-first UGC platform targeting the $8.4 billion market, leveraging 400 million monthly views and AI tools to fix fragmented production. Backed by real client wins like 200% engagement boosts, it empowers creators amid booming demand.

Posted on: by Stella Evans
The Search Revolution: How AI Overviews Are Forcing Marketers to Rewrite Digital Strategy

The Search Revolution: How AI Overviews Are Forcing Marketers to Rewrite Digital Strategy

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming search marketing as AI Overviews replace traditional blue links. By 2026, over 60% of queries will generate AI-powered responses, forcing marketers to abandon decades-old SEO strategies and adopt new approaches for visibility in an AI-mediated discovery environment.

Posted on: by Elena Brooks
RealHomes Breach: How a File-Upload Flaw Put 30,000 WordPress Sites at RCE Risk

RealHomes Breach: How a File-Upload Flaw Put 30,000 WordPress Sites at RCE Risk

A critical file-upload flaw in RealHomes CRM plugin exposed 30,000+ WordPress sites to remote code execution. Patches are out, but slow updates leave many vulnerable amid active scans.

Posted on: by Layla Reed
OnlyFans’ $5.5 Billion Gamble: How a Sex-Work Platform Plans Its Path to Wall Street

OnlyFans’ $5.5 Billion Gamble: How a Sex-Work Platform Plans Its Path to Wall Street

OnlyFans is negotiating a $5.5 billion sale to Architect Capital, which plans to build financial infrastructure for adult content creators and pursue a 2028 IPO, challenging traditional finance's reluctance to service the sex work industry.

Posted on: by Maya Grant

Ellisons’ Media Gambit: Paramount’s Hostile Warner Bid Amid Trump Ties and News Storms

Emily Chen | 2026-02-14
Ellisons’ Media Gambit: Paramount’s Hostile Warner Bid Amid Trump Ties and News Storms

David Ellison, CEO of the newly formed Paramount Skydance, and his billionaire father Larry are pushing aggressively to expand their media holdings with a $108.4 billion hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The all-cash offer of $30 per share, extended to February 20, 2026, challenges Warner’s agreement with Netflix and highlights the duo’s ambitions in a consolidating industry. Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder with a net worth nearing $243 billion, provided an “irrevocable personal guarantee” of $40.4 billion in equity financing to bolster the bid, as reported by Variety .

Warner Bros. Discovery’s board has repeatedly rejected the offer, calling it inadequate and risky due to its leveraged buyout structure with $87 billion in debt and 7x leverage on 2026 EBITDA. The board favors Netflix’s deal for Warner’s studios and streaming assets, valued at $27.75 per share after spinning off linear networks into Discovery Global. Paramount responded with a Delaware Chancery Court lawsuit seeking more financial disclosures and plans a proxy fight to nominate friendly directors, according to CNBC .

Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters dismissed the bid as not passing the “sniff test,” reliant on Larry Ellison and massive debt. Paramount argues its offer preserves Warner intact, including CNN and HBO, unlike Netflix’s carve-out, and leverages synergies in sports rights. David Ellison told CNBC, “We’re really here to finish what we started,” emphasizing $17.6 billion more cash for shareholders.

Political Ties Fuel Regulatory Speculation

The Ellisons’ close alliance with President Trump looms large. Larry Ellison’s relationship smoothed Paramount Skydance’s $8 billion merger with Paramount Global, approved by the FCC on July 24, 2025, shortly after a $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against CBS over a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview edit. Trump claimed an additional $20 million in PSAs from Skydance, denied by Paramount, sparking bribery probes from Democrats like Reps. Jamie Raskin and Frank Pallone, as detailed by House Judiciary Democrats .

FCC conditions included CBS hiring an ombudsman for bias monitoring and dropping DEI programs. Trump praised the hiring of Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief, reporting to David Ellison. The Ellisons tout easier regulatory clearance versus Netflix, amid White House discussions on CNN changes, per The Guardian .

Funding draws scrutiny: backers include Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners (later withdrawn), Saudi PIF, Qatar Investment Authority, and Abu Dhabi funds. Warner called prior claims of full Ellison backing misleading. LightShed’s Rich Greenfield warned on TBPN against over-levering for Warner amid AI debt concerns at Oracle, whose stock halved recently.

Editorial Firestorm at CBS News

Bari Weiss sparked outrage by pulling a “60 Minutes” segment on Trump deportations to El Salvador’s CECOT prison hours before air on December 22, 2025. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi emailed colleagues it was spiked for political reasons after Trump officials declined interviews; Weiss said it didn’t “advance the ball.” The piece aired January 19, 2026, with minor changes, as covered by PBS News .

Critics link the hold to Paramount’s Warner bid needing Trump approval. Weiss demanded Trump official interviews like Stephen Miller. Trump attacked “60 Minutes” post-merger. Alfonsi stood by the reporting, cleared by lawyers. The incident fueled claims of a rightward shift, including canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Paramount Skydance did not comment on Axios inquiries about these issues. David Ellison’s film credits include “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible,” and post-merger UFC rights signal content aggression despite linear TV declines, streaming maturation, and box office lags.

Macro Pressures Test Empire Vision

Linear ad revenue erodes as viewing fragments; streaming wars escalate with live sports bids. Paramount+ eyes HBO Max merger if Warner falls, per David Ellison’s October 2025 statement, mirroring Disney’s Hulu-Disney+ play, noted in Wikipedia . Domestic box office trails pre-pandemic peaks.

Oracle’s value drop raises funding questions. Greenfield advised cheaper growth via licenses over Warner debt. Paramount secured UFC rights post-merger, but Warner adds CNN regulatory headaches, as Axios’ Sara Fischer observed. Oracle’s 15% TikTok U.S. stake involves exec Kenneth Glueck, not Larry directly.

Buying scale succeeds; operating amid debt, politics, and audience shifts tests mettle. As bids drag into 2026, Ellison’s quest reshapes Hollywood power dynamics.

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