• Markets: The three major indexes finished the week as green as the World Cup pitches, thanks to SK Hynix’s blowout Wall Street debut. Oil prices fell, even though tensions continue to rise between the US and Iran (more on that below).

READY, WILLING, AND CABLE

Morning Brew Inc., Photos: Adobe Stock

While some people turn into their parents as they get older, some streaming companies turn into cable television. Netflix is considering adding live channels and bundles to boost sagging engagement, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The report states that Netflix is concerned about a decline in engagement (i.e., how often a viewer stays with a show, movie, or series), which can signal subscription cancellations. Among the solutions being discussed, per the WSJ, is Netflix edging closer to the very thing it disrupted—traditional TV:

• Executives are reportedly weighing adding live channels that constantly stream shows and movies of a specific genre, because the one thing Netflix subscribers were missing was a random weekday airing of Couples Retreat at 2pm.
• Also on the table: Bundling with other subscription-based streaming platforms and selling those packages through the main app, similar to what rivals Amazon and Apple already do.

Live TV means more ad sales: Netflix generated ~$1.5 billion in ad revenue last year and projects to double that this year. A new channel showing Golden Girls on a 24/7 loop, for example, would certainly increase that number.

Isn’t Netflix the No. 1 streamer? By subscribers, yes, but shares are down 40% over the past 12 months. Some recent projections have come in below analyst expectations, and its TV viewership in April reached its lowest level since May 2025, according to Nielsen.

Netflix is also reportedly in the running to purchase Letterboxd, the app for people who love movies and miss writing book reports. Sony, Paramount, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian are also reportedly showing interest in the app, per Puck News.

Letterboxd has more than 30 million global members ready to be targeted with ads by whichever corporation lands the social media site. LionTree, an investment bank handling the sale, is “floating” a $250 million valuation.—DL

      

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World

Tour de headlines

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

🏛️ Bipartisan housing affordability bill becomes law, though Trump refused to sign it. Yesterday morning, President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would not sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, “which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.” However, the White House confirmed yesterday that he would not veto the bill, either, meaning that, in accordance with constitutional law, it went into effect at midnight today, after a 10-day waiting period following the presentation of the bill for Trump’s signature expired.

🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Trump said “1000 Missiles” will be launched against Iran if he is assassinated. The president issued the declaration on his Truth Social account late last night, referencing the Iranian government’s “threat pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Images from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funerary procession earlier this week showed some Iranians in the streets with signs and banners that read “Kill Trump.” Earlier yesterday, Trump told the New York Post, “I’ve left instructions—if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

⁉️ A passenger was partly sucked through plane window, but survived. A 61-year-old man on board a Boeing 737, operated by the Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air and flying from Greece to Germany yesterday, experienced a horrifying ordeal when a window was damaged during the flight and he was partially ejected from it. According to reports, the man’s head was outside the window as his wife held onto his legs. The plane made an emergency landing back in Greece, where the passenger was treated for friction burns at a hospital, but was conscious. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.—HVL

HOOKED ON A REEL-ING

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

A European Union investigation has determined that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram apps are too addictive, presumably after regulators lost half a day watching cooking reels and clips of 20-year-old TV shows. Now, the European Commission wants Zuck and company to make some changes, or face massive fines.

What happened? EU investigators announced yesterday that Meta is currently in breach of the bloc’s Digital Services Act. Regulators said Meta didn’t fully consider how some of its app features fuel compulsive use by sending users, especially younger ones, into a zombified “autopilot mode.” Meta will now have time to propose remedies before a final judgment—and fines—are handed down. The European Commission has some suggestions:

• Disable autoplay and infinite scroll.
• Implement screen time breaks.
• Make its recommendation algorithm less “engagement-oriented.”

Fine line: If the preliminary findings are upheld, Meta could get fined up to 6% of its annual global revenue. The company said it disagrees with the report, pointing to its recent efforts to strengthen parental controls, but that it will “continue to engage constructively” with regulators.

And elsewhere in the Meta-verse…the company removed its controversial new Muse Image feature from Instagram, following days of complaints from users and Hollywood agencies and unions over how all IG accounts were opted in for their images to be used in the tool.—BC

      

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ICYMI

Have you heard...

Here’s everything that didn’t make it into this week’s newsletters but we immediately sent to the group chat.

➡️ Justin Bieber will co-headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show alongside Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop group BTS, which means we’ll be needing even more hydration breaks.

➡️ Zookeepers celebrated the viral hippo Moo Deng’s 2nd birthday by giving her a pile of flower-cut fruits and vegetables, instead of her demand for Punch the Monkey’s head on a platter.

➡️ After publicly pleading to be cast in a soap opera, John Oliver guest-starred on General Hospital for a three-episode arc that ended with his character getting slapped in the face, per his own request. Oliver allegedly called Chris Rock for advice before the appearance.

➡️ Anthony Hopkins recently signed a record deal as a composer and is set to release an orchestral album he wrote over the course of six decades. Finally, at the age of 88, he can soundtrack the evening when he has an old friend for dinner.

➡️ Ford fired an electrician after accusing him of stealing a $1.95 cookie, and then offered him his job back once the man proved with bank statements that he paid for the snack. We hear the automaker is now investigating another employee who left work with a pocket full of posies.—ML

News

What else is brewing

• UK police arrested a man suspected of murdering former Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe, who was found dead in her home with serious injuries on Thursday.
• Apple sued OpenAI, accusing the company of “stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information.”
• Maersk, the shipping giant, said it would resume Middle East-to-US East Coast service via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal with US-flagged ships, an attempt to offset some of the difficulties of shipping via the Strait of Hormuz.
• Campari is cracking down on companies selling copycats of its famous Aperol apéritif, the product responsible for most of its recent growth.
• Phia, a shopping app co-founded by Phoebe Gates, the daughter of Bill Gates, is claiming online sales it didn’t actually drive, according to multiple investigations.
• Delta CEO Ed Bastian said yesterday that fliers can afford the higher fares the company has been charging recently, saying consumers continue to prioritize travel and Delta’s going rates are “certainly not expensive.”
• NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said yesterday that Taylor Swift had already paid the city back for wedding security and other costs, totaling over $160,000.

community

Crowd work

Last week, we asked, “Where would you host a once-in-a-lifetime bash and what would the celebrations entail if you, like TSwift, had over $1 billion?” Here are some of our favorite responses:

• “I would rent out Dollywood for the weekend, and have all the food courts open, with several bands throughout the park for all of my friends and family to enjoy.”—Steve from Tennessee
• “I’d take over the entire Chicago Riverwalk and shut down the river for the night. No tourist boats or kayakers, just a floating stage anchored between the bridges at Wacker Drive with Earth, Wind & Fire performing live, because they’re from Chicago, and frankly, they’re legally obligated to play any billion-dollar party held in their hometown.”—Bob
• “It’s always been a desire of mine to completely rent out a mall, with access to all the stores and food, and hook my music up to the aux and have a free-for-all with all my friends. Not like the scene in The Last of Us that ends tragically—positive vibes only!”—Sam from San Francisco
• “While I no longer live there, I love my adopted hometown of Los Angeles in all its sprawling but vibrant glory. I would have a party charter bus bring us on a weekend-long crawl so I can share all my favorite things…glorious food, architectural tours, farmers markets, Hollywood Bowl concerts, botanical gardens and city parks, museums, and beaches…and shield newbies from having to find parking.”—Michelle (Midwesterner who still loves LA)

This week’s question

What’s the nicest thing a neighbor has done for you?

Sam’s answer to get the juices flowing: “On top of regularly bringing me craft donuts from her work, one of my neighbors was an absolute angel when I lost the spare car key that she gave me in case she was ever blocking our shared driveway. Not only did she not act annoyed, she told me I don’t have to get a costly replacement.”

Submit your response here.

recs

• Beeswax is a free daily game that asks you to spell five words, spelling-bee style.
• These methods can help you get used to exercising in the heat and humidity.
• Refresh your memory of who’s who in The Odyssey, and see what actors are playing each of the characters in the upcoming movie adaptation.
• Glass tumblers that give your table setting an elevated feel, without elevated pricing.**

^{*A message from our sponsor. **This is a product recommendation from our writers. When you buy through this link, Morning Brew may earn a commission.}

Play

Brew Crossword: Your sample clue from our biggest puzzle of the week is “Et follower.” Play the Crossword here.

Open House

Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that uses the parking brake. We’ll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price.

Today’s home was built in 2010 and sits on 15.9 acres in Hyde Park, VT. It’s a two-hour drive to Montreal and home to the Lamoille County Players, a community theater group putting on a hot dog roast fundraiser today. Amenities include:

• 7 beds, 7 baths
• 2 heated two-car garages
• A boathouse

How much for the secluded hideaway?

Answer

$2.75 million

Word of the Day

Today’s Word of the Day is: apéritif, meaning “an alcoholic drink that serves as an appetizer.” Thanks to Steve from Hudsonville, MI, for the potent suggestion. Submit another Word of the Day here.