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DCN’s media industry must reads: week of December 18, 2025
This week's digital media industry must-read news stories curated by DCN, the only trade association that exclusively serves media companies.
December 18, 2025 | Curated by Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCNConnect on
Here are some of the best media stories our team has read so far this week:
- The Wall Street Journal | Behind the Deal That Took Disney From AI Skeptic to OpenAI Investor (6 min read)
- The Hollywood Reporter | Oscars Bolt from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029 (5 min read)
- The New York Times | Elon Musk Taunts Europe and Tests Willingness to Enforce Online Laws (5 min read)
- Axios | FCC chair suggests agency isn’t independent, word cut from mission statement (2 min read)
- The New Yorker | Why Video Podcasts Multiplied Beyond the Man Cave (8 min read)
- Business Insider | What smart people are saying about Disney’s licensing deal with OpenAI (6 min read)
- The New York Times | Trump Files $10 Billion Suit Against BBC Over Documentary (3 min read)
- Variety | While Diversity in Streaming Television Slips, Underrepresented Stories Increase Share, Finds UCLA Hollywood Report (3 min read)
- Digiday | Publishers are hunting for AI prompt data — now they’re starting to get it from third-party companies (5 min read)