This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
Netflix isn’t buying Warner Bros: all of the latest updates
27 Feb 2026, 2:06 pm by Verge Staff
Just months after Netflix struck a deal to acquire the Warner Bros. studio, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Games, the streaming giant has backed out of the arrangement, declining to raise its offer beyond Paramount’s “best and final” bid.
It’s just the latest twist in the acquisition saga, which started with a bidding war that reportedly also involved Apple, Amazon, and Comcast. Once Netflix and Warner Bros. came to an agreement on December 5th, Paramount tried to force its way into the deal, announcing a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion in cash. Unlike Netflix’s deal, Paramount’s includes an acquisition of all of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its cable networks.
But after several rejections, Paramount persistently upped its bid. It eventually came back with an all-cash offer at $31 per share and promised to cover the $7 billion regulatory termination fee if its deal with WBD doesn’t close, along with the $2.87 billion termination fee it must pay Netflix for abandoning its deal. Warner Bros. Discovery determined that the deal is “superior,” leading Netflix to walk away, saying it’s “no longer financially attractive.”
There are already questions about where the deal will go from here, and concerns from regulators about the proposed acquisition. You can follow along below for all of the latest updates as they come in.
- Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offer
- Warner Bros. says Paramount’s latest offer is superior to its current deal with Netflix.
- Paramount CEO David Ellison is Sen. Lindsey Graham’s guest at the State of the Union.
- Warner Bros. says Paramount Skydance’s new bid might become better than Netflix’s.
- Ted Sarandos: “This is a business deal, it’s not a political deal.”
- DOJ reportedly begins antitrust investigation into Netflix’s merger with Warner Bros.
- Trump says Netflix will ‘pay the consequences’ if it doesn’t fire Susan Rice
- Warner Bros. Discovery gives Paramount one week to present its ‘best and final’ offer
- Paramount ups its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, again.
- Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube
- Republicans haul Netflix before Congress for being too ‘woke’
- What Netflix’s Warner Bros. deal could mean for TVs and remotes
- Netflix is eating Hollywood — because it has to
- Netflix revises Warner Bros. bid to an all-cash offer
- Netflix is reportedly considering an all-cash offer for Warner Bros.
- Paramount sues after Warner Bros. Discovery rejects its latest deal
- Warner Bros. Discovery has rejected yet another Paramount bid.
- WBD has received Paramount’s amended offer.
- An update: Larry Ellison will guarantee his big boy’s offer.
- Netflix is “100% committed” to releasing WB films in theaters.
- Warner Bros. Discovery wants its shareholders to reject Paramount’s latest offer
- Even Jared Kushner thinks the Paramount WB bid sucks.
- Larry Ellison’s big dumb gift to his large adult son
- The art of the deal.
- David Ellison pitches Paramount’s $108 billion hostile bid for WBD as “pro consumer.”
- Paramount launches a hostile $108 billion bid to snatch Warner from Netflix
- Trump isn’t sold on the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal.
- Netflix CEO made a visit to the White House before buying Warner Bros.
- Welcome to the big leagues, Netflix
- Netflix’s leadership thinks the Warner Bros. deal won’t be like other big media mergers.
- Netflix is “highly confident” about the regulatory process for the deal.
- The Writers Guild of America published a statement on the deal.
- Netflix on its plans for WB’s theatrical slate:
- THR published WBD CEO David Zaslav’s memo to staff about the Netflix acquisition.
- Netflix’s Warner Bros. deal includes Warner Bros. Games.
- Netflix is buying Warner Bros. for $83 billion
- Netflix is reportedly looking into a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
- Warner Bros. mergers never work, but they’re trying again anyway
- Netflix, Amazon, and Apple are reportedly interested in buying Warner Bros.
- Warner Bros. Discovery is ready for a sale
TCL’s $7,000+ flagship TV is ready to fight
27 Feb 2026, 2:00 pm by John.Higgins
Since I saw the TCL X11L SQD-Mini LED TV at a pre-CES event in December, I’ve been eager to get a close look at it in my living room. At first glance, the TV impressed me enough that I named it the best TV of CES 2026.
From the moment I completed Google TV setup and started watching the TCL X11L I was amazed. I could immediately tell it’s the brightest TV I’ve had in my home, but it was the color vibrancy that I found most impressive. The colors we’re all most familiar with – skin tones, the sky, green grass and trees – all look as close to realistic as I’ve seen on a TV. And with the color vibrancy it looks staggeringly good.
It’s a flag …
Pokémon Presents 2026: All the news and trailers
27 Feb 2026, 1:50 pm by Andrew Webster
It’s that time of year: A whole bunch of Pokémon news is incoming. February 27th is the date the franchise first debuted, and The Pokémon Company uses it as a chance to outline its plans in a Pokémon Presents showcase. Last year’s event included the announcement of Pokémon Champions, and the 2026 edition should be particularly big, as this year represents the franchise’s 30th anniversary.
TPCi says simply that it will feature “the latest news and updates from the world of Pokémon,” without getting into any specifics. But there’s a good chance we’ll hear about the next mainline entry in the series, given that Scarlet and Violet launched back in 2022. Personally, I’m hoping for an unexpected spinoff along the lines of Pokémon Sleep.
One thing we do know is that after the show ends, both Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are getting a re-release on the Switch.
The showcase airs at 9AM ET, and you can keep up with the most important news right here.
Jeffrey Epstein saw promise in Bitcoin — and its far-right supporters
27 Feb 2026, 1:00 pm by David Morris
The tranche of Jeffrey Epstein emails and files released on January 30th tie the infamous pedophile, sex trafficker, and influence peddler to elite figures across the tech industry. The world of cryptocurrency is no exception. Epstein’s connections are intriguing, disturbing – and worth mapping closely.
With his interest first piqued as early as 2011, Epstein was ahead of the game on crypto. The financier understood it as a tool for clandestine payments and shady international finance, and found prominent community members more than willing to welcome him. Bitcoin wasn’t even invented until 2009, which means all of Epstein’s crypto connect …
Ultrahuman’s new flagship smart ring has a 15-day battery
27 Feb 2026, 12:00 pm by Jess Weatherbed
Ultrahuman is expanding its health monitoring ecosystem with the launch of a new flagship smart ring and a “biointelligence AI” platform upgrade. The Ring Pro is Ultrahuman’s third-generation smart ring, and promises up to 15 days of battery life before needing to recharge, alongside 250 days of on-device health history storage.
Those are some significant improvements compared to its predecessor, the 2023 Ring Air, which provides 4-6 days of battery life and several days of offline data storage, according to user estimates. Ultrahuman has also made other upgrades to the Ring Pro, including a redesigned heart-rate sensor that improves signal …
Phones are going to get weird next week
27 Feb 2026, 12:00 pm by Dominic Preston
With rare exceptions, phones are pretty boring these days. The good news is, a boatload of those rare exceptions are about to show up at once, courtesy of Mobile World Congress.
The tech industry’s biggest mobile show may not quite have the clout it once did, when the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG, and HTC showcased new flagships there each year, but it still attracts more phone launches than CES does two months earlier. It’s especially popular with the Chinese manufacturers who are still fighting for space in the global market, along with niche manufacturers who turn up with extra-durable “rugged” devices, or battery beasts that are more powe …
Notes from a Burmese Prison
27 Feb 2026, 12:00 pm by Danny Fenster
This story is a comic by Danny Fenster and Amy Kurzweil and is not compatible with RSS readers. But you can (and should) read it at The Verge’s website.
MWC 2026: all the phones, gadgets, and announcements from Barcelona
27 Feb 2026, 11:49 am by Dominic Preston
The Verge is heading to Barcelona, Spain, for Mobile World Congress, the biggest phone show of the year.
CES may dominate the headlines when it comes to TVs, computer components, and AI inanity, but for all things mobile, MWC has it beat. Since it’s a global show, that includes all manner of announcements of phones, tablets, and wearables that won’t necessarily release in the US.
Xiaomi has already teased a European launch for its 17 and 17 Ultra flagships, Honor is promising not only its Robot Phone but a full pivot to humanoid robotics, and Nothing is almost certain to drop more details on its Phone 4A ahead of a planned London launch on March 5th.
The likes of Samsung and Google will be there too, but mostly to talk about the already-announced 10A and S26 models, while Apple is launching something during the same week as MWC, but not actually in Barcelona.
We’ll also be looking out for oddities. Last year featured camera phone concepts with detachable lenses, a Lenovo laptop with a folding screen, and an Infinix handset with a solar panel in its back. We’ll be hoping this year gets just as weird.
Keep this page bookmarked for all the news, commentary, and first looks from the show floor.
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
