Status illustration.
How will Donald Trump continue to use the powers of government to attack the Fourth Estate? And what will media executives and press advocates do to combat the assault on their newsrooms? Will the parent companies of news giants have the backbone to stand up to Trump in a major way—or will most continue to look for ways to appease him?
What lies ahead for Warner Bros. Discovery? Will David Ellison succeed in his hostile bid to take over the company? Or will the deal that David Zaslav and the board struck with Netflix hold? And regardless of who prevails, what will regulators say?
What does the future hold for CNN? Will the Mark Thompson-led network be spun off this year and fall under notorious cost-cutter Gunnar Wiedenfels’ purview? Or will it prepare to slide under Ellison’s control?
How will CBS News fare under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and Ellison’s ownership? Will staffers revolt against her meddling? Will any of the famed “60 Minutes” correspondents exit in protest? Will the network continue drifting into more Trump-friendly waters? Will Gayle King remain at “CBS Mornings”? And will Weiss’ programming changes hurt or help ratings that have been mired in third place for years?
How many more major journalists will choose to leave legacy newsrooms and go independent? And at what point does the newsletter/subscription market become oversaturated?
What is the fate of Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News? Will the right-wing network settle, or will the case barrel toward trial—potentially as soon as this year?
Will the MAGA Media civil war come to an end or get even uglier? Will major figures like Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Megyn Kelly find a way to make peace, or will they keep feuding?
What will Dan Bongino do after leaving the FBI? Will the right-wing figure, who surged in popularity on Fox News and then via a podcast, return to MAGA Media? If so, how will he mend his damaged reputation, after taking several hits over the FBI’s handling of the Epstein Files, among other issues?
How will the The New York Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI end? Will the two sides settle out of court, or is this headed toward a full-blown, high-stakes trial?
What happens to Trump’s growing slate of lawsuits against news organizations? He is currently suing The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. Will he file additional suits—and how might the WSJ litigation affect his relationship with Rupert Murdoch?
How will MS NOW and CNBC fare after being cleaved off Comcast and placed under the leadership of Versant chief Mark Lazarus? Will the newsrooms be able to chart a successful path forward to succeed not only on linear, but in the evolving digital landscape?
At NBC News, will Cesar Conde remain at the helm—or finally depart now that the Versant spinoff is complete? Industry insiders have long expected him to exit, yet he has remained despite the noise.
How will Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis attempt to turn around The Washington Post’s fortunes? Do they have a meaningful vision. If so, what exactly is it and when will it bear fruit?
What lies ahead for the Los Angeles Times under red-pilled owner Patrick Soon-Shiong? Will the paper continue to decline and cut costs? And will Soon-Shiong proceed with preparations for a 2027 IPO?
Will Olivia Nuzzi attempt another return to journalism? And if not, where does she land?
How will TikTok’s divestment of its U.S. entity unfold? Will the short-form app’s fortunes fade amid competition from Instagram and YouTube?
Will Elon Musk announce any surprises or make any changes at X? Or will he continue serving as the platform’s shitposter-in-chief?
Will Google surpass OpenAI in the A.I. race? And how will Sam Altman’s behemoth fend off its well-equipped rival?
Will the A.I. boom continue, or will the bubble pop? How will we see the technology further integrated into our daily lives—for better or worse?
Who will Disney name as Bob Iger’s successor? Will it be Josh D’Amaro or Dana Walden? Or could the board appoint both as co-chief executives?
How will Netflix’s foray into podcasting play out? Will it create public relations headaches as the company wades into political commentary through deals that bring content from Barstool and “The Breakfast Club” to the streamer? Also, will the company dipping its toes in such waters make it more willing to eventually enter the news space?
After eclipsing Netflix and other streamers in the living room, can YouTube sustain that lead—or will Netflix and its rivals claw viewers back?
Will Stephen Colbert find a new home after “The Late Show” comes to an end in May? If so, where will he land?
How big will the 2026 box office be? With blockbusters like “Dune: Part Three,” “The Odyssey,” and “Avengers: Doomsday” slated for release, will domestic theaters see their first $10 billion year since the pandemic?
Who will dominate the Oscars? Will “One Battle After Another” or “Sinners” prevail, or could a late-breaking contender steal the spotlight?
What are we not asking, but should be?
The latest episode of Power Lines just dropped.
In this week’s special episode, we drop our top predictions for what will take place in 2026 across the news media, Hollywood, and Big Tech.
You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Tony Dokoupil. (Screen grab via CBS News)
Tony Dokoupil recorded a message as he prepares to take over the "CBS Evening News," telling viewers that they are his priority: "You come first. Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you.” [Deadline]
Dokoupil, however, made some comments in the remarks that are sure to please David Ellison & Co. The anchor weighed in on legacy media losing the trust of audiences and panned outlets for having put too much focus on "academics" and "elites." 🤔 [The Hill]
Ahead of Dokoupil's debut, CBS News also created a social media video in which he asked random passersby how to pronounce his last name. [Instagram]
Megyn Kelly, who has been feuding with CBS News boss Bari Weiss, weighed in on the changing of the guard: “Nothing will happen at CBS. Nothing. Legacy media is dead and evening news has been totally irrelevant for a long time. CBS has not had evening viewers in any competitive way in more than a decade. It’s not reversible.” [Mediaite]
Making TV is hard: CBS’ New Year’s Eve special was knocked off the air for nearly an hour after the network suffered tech issues. [Deadline]
The New York Post received a wave of criticism on social media after publishing paparazzi images of a “distraught” Jack Schlossberg entering his sister’s residence after her tragic death.
The WSJ published a story on Donald Trump's health, reporting that he "is showing signs of aging in public and private." The piece, of course, comes after the Emma Tucker-led paper received criticism for questioning Joe Biden's health, but largely not subjecting Trump to the same treatment. [WSJ]
Charlie Sykes said he asked MS NOW to let him out of the final year of his contributor contract so that he can double down on his newsletter and YouTube channel. [To the Contrary]
MAGA civil war continues: Candace Owens closed out 2025 appearing to take jabs at Erika Kirk, Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool, and more. [Mediaite]
George Clooney responded after Trump targeted him in one of his unhinged Truth Social posts. The actor said in a statement, “I totally agree with the current president,” Clooney said. “We have to make America great again. We’ll start in November.” [THR]
The series finale to "Stranger Things" dropped—and fans are mixed on how the Netflix show concluded. [The Wrap]
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" continued to inch closer to $1 billion at the box office, which it is expected to cross this weekend. The James Cameron picture has now printed more than $250 million at the domestic box office, and more than $600 million internationally, totaling about $860 million. [Box Office Mojo]
The 2025 box office ended with $8.9 billion in domestic ticket sales, a 1.5% increase from 2024. [Variety]
