iWorld
AT&T unveils live video streaming service, DirecTV Now
MUMBAI: To win over subscribers who avoid pay-television subscriptions, AT&T has launched its streaming service DirecTV Now. The service will launch at prices ranging from $35 a month for over 60 channels to $70 for over 120 channels.
The company has also announced that, for a limited time, more than 100 channels will be available for $35. The video service joins competitors like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue in drastically undercutting traditional cable and satellite packages, which often cost more than $100 per month. Dish Network launched Sling TV streaming service more than a year ago, and Sony PlayStation has its own package called PlayStation Vue. Next year, online video service Hulu plans to offer its own bundles of TV channels.
The platform’s content will include live and on-demand video from Walt Disney, Twenty-First Century Fox, Viacom Inc and Scripps Networks Interactive. According to reports, the company is actively working to bring CBS Corp programming to its service.
AT&T is counting on the mobile video market for new revenue as most U.S. consumers already have wireless service and further growth is limited. AT&T acquired DirecTV for $48.5 billion last year, making it the largest U.S. pay-TV operator with 25.3 million video subscribers, in an effort to diversify into the media and entertainment business.
AT&T is also at near talks to acquire Time Warner for about $86 billion. This deal would create a media behemoth that offers TV, wireless, and the content that goes with it.
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
