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NBCUniversal may soon be pulling its programming from Google’s YouTube TV. The news comes as a dispute between the companies over carriage fees and terms is ramping up. NBC began warning customers on Thursday evening that its programming would leave the streaming platform if the companies don’t reach an agreement by Sept. 30, the date its contract is set to renew. If a blackout were to occur, popular programs such as Sunday Night Football, The Voice, NBA games, and the Oct. 4 premiere of Saturday Night Live, wouldn’t be viewable on the platform. However, a separate spat between YouTube TV and TelevisaUnivision comes at the same time, as both companies’ contracts are set for renewal on Sept. 30. If both networks pulled their programming, two major hispanic networks, Univision and NBCU-owned Telemundo, would no longer be accessible on the platform. TelevisaUnivision alleged that YouTube TV was being discriminatory in an open letter published on Sept. 24. “YouTube TV will force millions of Hispanic viewers to pay an 18% premium a Hispanic tax to maintain access to trusted Spanish-language news, sports, and entertainment,” it said. NBC issued its own statement on the dispute. “Google, with its $3 trillion market cap, already controls what Americans see online through search and adsnow it wants to control what we watch, NBC said, per Axios. YouTube TV has refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplaceall under the false pretense of fighting for the consumer. NBCUniversal has never before pulled its programming from a streaming platform. YouTube says it’s committed to negotiating with the network, but the price is too high. “NBCUniversal is asking us to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock, which would mean less flexibility and higher prices for our subscribers,” it said in a Sept. 25 statement. The company announced it would reimburse customers $10 if the blackout occurs for an extended time. While the dispute could have big implications, it seems to mark a growing trend, as digital live TV providers, like YouTube TV which has more than 10 million subscribers, continue to grow. And it’s not the first time YouTube TV has dug its heels in. In August, the company said it would drop Fox Corp. channels if an agreement wasn’t reached ahead of football season. The companies reached an agreement days later. “We have reached a short-term extension with Fox to prevent disruption to YouTube TV subscribers as we continue to work on a new agreement,” YouTube TV said in an Aug. 25 blog post. “We are committed to advocating on behalf of our subscribers as we work toward a fair deal and will keep you updated on our progress.”
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Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national carrier, has announced plans to add 225 Boeing aircraft to its fleet.In an a declaration to the Istanbul Stock Exchange on Friday, the airline said it has decided to purchase 75 Boeing B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft and has completed negotiations with Boeing to acquire 150 737-8/10MAX models.The announcement was made a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.Turkish Airlines will place 50 confirmed and 25 optional orders for the B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft, scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2034. The B787-9 and B787-10 are advanced, fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft designed for international travel, the airline said in a statement.The company is in negotiations with Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace for the procurement of engines, spare parts and maintenance services for the aircraft, the statement said.Separately, Turkish Airlines said it has finalized negotiations with Boeing for 150 737-8/10MAX aircraft, with 100 confirmed and 50 optional, and will proceed with the order once talks with engine supplier CFM International are successfully concluded.Turkish Airlines operates one of the world’s largest flight networks.On Thursday, Trump signaled the U.S. may soon lift its hold on the sale of advanced fighter jets to Turkey, a NATO ally. During Trump’s first term, the U.S. removed Turkey from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 following Ankara’s purchase of a Russian-made air defense system. Associated Press
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A federal judge on Thursday approved a $1.5 billion settlement between artificial intelligence company Anthropic and authors who allege nearly half a million books had been illegally pirated to train chatbots.U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued the preliminary approval in San Francisco federal court Thursday after the two sides worked to address his concerns about the settlement, which will pay authors and publishers about $3,000 for each of the books covered by the agreement. It does not apply to future works.“This is a fair settlement,” Alsup said, though he added that distributing it to all parties will be “complicated.” About 465,000 books are on the list of works pirated by Anthropic, according to Justin Nelson, an attorney for the authors.“We have some of the best lawyers in America in this courtroom and if anyone can do it, you can,” Alsup said.The Association of American Publishers called the settlement a “major step in the right direction in holding AI developers accountable for reckless and unabashed infringement.”“Anthropic is hardly a special case when it comes to infringement. Every other major AI developer has trained their models on the backs of authors and publishers, and many have sourced those works from the most notorious infringing sites in the world,” said Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the publisher group.San Francisco-based Anthropic said it is pleased with the preliminary approval.“The decision will allow us to focus on developing safe AI systems that help people and organizations extend their capabilities, advance scientific discovery, and solve complex problems. As we’ve consistently maintained, the court’s landmark June ruling that AI training constitutes transformative fair use remains intact. This settlement simply resolves narrow claims about how certain materials were obtained,” said Aparna Sridhar, deputy general counsel at Anthropic.The Authors Guild, meanwhile, said the settlement “marks a milestone in authors’ fights against AI companies’ theft of their works. It sends a clear signal to AI companies that infringement of authors’ rights comes at a steep price and will undoubtedly push AI companies towards acquiring the books they want legally, through licensing.”A Monday filing sought to convince the judge that the parties have set up a system designed to get out robust notice to all authors and publishers covered by the agreement, ensuring they get their cut of the pot if they want to sign off on the settlement or opt out to protect their legal rights moving forward.They also tried to assure him that the author and publishers group that cobbled the deal together are not doing any “back room” dealings that would hurt lesser-known authors.Alsup’s main concern centered on how the claims process will be handled in an effort to ensure everyone eligible knows about it so the authors don’t “get the shaft.” He had set a September 22 deadline for submitting a claims form for him to review before Thursday’s hearing to review the settlement again.The judge had raised worries about two big groups connected to the case the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers working “behind the scenes” in ways that could pressure some authors to accept the settlement without fully understanding it.Attorneys for the authors said in Monday’s filing they believe the settlement will result in a high claims rate, respects existing contracts and is “consistent with due process” and the court’s guidance.Alsup had dealt the case a mixed ruling in June, finding that training AI chatbots on copyrighted books wasn’t illegal but that Anthropic wrongfully acquired millions of books through pirate websites to help improve its Claude chatbot.Bestselling thriller novelist Andrea Bartz, who sued Anthropic with two other authors last year, said in a court declaration ahead of the hearing that she strongly supports the settlement and will work to explain its significance to fellow writers.“Together, authors and publishers are sending a message to AI companies: You are not above the law, and our intellectual property isn’t yours for the taking,” she wrote.Alsup also said in the courtroom Thursday that he plans to step down from the bench by the end of the year. President Bill Clinton nominated him for the federal bench in 1999.AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this story from Providence, Rhode Island. Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writer
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