Comcast to spin off NBCU cable TV channels

You’ll find familiar names from Big Tech as well as a number of very promising startups: Abridge, ElevenLabs, Mistral, Runway, et cetera. I encourage you to check out the full list.

By the way: I’m pleased to say that the CEOs of quite a few of them read this newsletter and will be at our upcoming Fortune Brainstorm AI in San Francisco. Y’know, just in case you needed an excuse. —Andrew Nusca

P.S. Fortune’s latest magazine issue is out and features a wonderful story from colleague Sharon Goldman about how Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebuilt the company around its Llama AI model. Give it a read.

Want to send thoughts or suggestions to Data Sheet? Drop a line here.

Comcast to spin off NBCU cable TV channels

Comcast will reportedly announce that it will spin out NBCUniversal’s cable television networks into a separate, publicly traded company.

The new $7 billion company would include MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, E!, USA Network, Syfy, and Golf Channel—but not the flagship NBC broadcast network, according to various reports. (Reports disagree about Bravo’s fate.) Mark Lazarus would reportedly serve as its CEO.

The rationale behind the move? Shed slow-growth businesses and reinvest in the rest, including its Universal Studios theme parks and (still unprofitable) Peacock streaming service.

It wasn’t so long ago that NBCU’s cable assets were among its most lucrative, but even the biggest legacy broadcasters haven’t been able to resist the ill effects of cord-cutting. In the span of two days this summer, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, and AMC Networks collectively wrote down more than $15 billion in cable TV value.

Google’s Anthropic stake is OK, UK regulator says

Google’s $2 billion investment into Anthropic doesn’t break British antitrust rules, the country’s Competition and Markets Authority has concluded.

This is important because the CMA is one of the most proactive regulators when it comes to probing potential issues with the frenzy of Big Tech investment in AI model companies.

So far, no serious problems have been confirmed, even though regulators have vague suspicions that Big Tech is using its cash to gain control over the growing AI sector. The U.K. agency already cleared Amazon’s $4 billion Anthropic investment and is still looking into Microsoft’s big OpenAI infusions.

The Microsoft-OpenAI relationship is also still under EU scrutiny, even though regulators there have concluded that Microsoft does not have control over OpenAI.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is similarly examining the big AI partnerships and investments, but who knows where that will go under the incoming Trump administration. —David Meyer

Apple plows money into Indonesia to reverse iPhone ban

Did you know that Apple’s iPhone 16 is currently unavailable in Southeast Asia’s largest economy?

The government of Indonesia blocked its sale last month because the model didn’t meet the country’s 40% domestic content requirements for smartphones and tablets.

Now Apple is looking to invest almost $100 million in a bid to get Jakarta to lift its ban, according to a Bloomberg report. 

The investment would be spread out over two years and is 10 times more than the $10 million Apple is said to have proposed earlier this month.

Apple’s reported maneuvering reflects the growing importance of the Indonesian market, which has a population of 278 million. Even still, the country still lacks an official Apple store and instead relies on third-party partnerships for official reselling. —Lionel Lim

Microsoft rolls out $349 Windows cloud PC

Microsoft on Tuesday announced a new miniature desktop computer that exists solely to run on the company’s Windows 365 cloud service. (Or as IT folk call it, a “thin client.”) 

Microsoft says its Windows 365 Link is its first “cloud PC,” with more to come. 

If you’re asking why anyone would want to buy an unadorned plastic box that can’t run conventional Windows locally, you’re probably not the target audience.

IT professionals love a thin client because they’re cheap, secure, and they can swap them in and out without transferring user data. Basic business users love them because their services, data, and preferences are always accessible from a centralized server. (Advanced business users, however, complain about their lack of processing power.)

Of course, companies like Microsoft love thin clients because they’re vehicles for all sorts of subscription services that drive revenue. “We’ll build more endpoints and form factors … to unlock more value and options,” the company said in a blog post.

Windows 365 Link will launch in April for $349.

Sony may acquire ‘Elven Ring’ maker Kadokawa

Sony is reportedly in talks to acquire Kadokawa, the Japanese media company behind the popular Elden Ring video game. 

A deal “could be signed in the coming weeks,” according to Reuters.

Sony already owns a small stake in the game publisher, which the market valued at $2.7 billion before the news hit. An acquisition would give Sony control of one of the world’s leading game makers.

Kadokawa has several game studios in its portfolio, as well as an extensive library of anime and manga titles. But its most prized asset is likely its controlling stake in FromSoftware, which develops Elden Ring. 

In June, the developer announced that the action RPG had sold 25 million copies. Co-created by George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame, the title was released in 2022.

More data

—Trump taps Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary. The Cantor Fitzgerald CEO is a vocal cryptocurrency supporter.

—Clara Shih jumps from Salesforce to Meta to lead a new business AI product team.

—Ben Affleck weighs in on Hollywood AI. The machines can’t replicate taste, the actor says. (Long live our DunKing.)

—Keychain, which connects retailers and suppliers, raises money from General Mills and others.

—You had me at “autonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires.”

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