Out of hand

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Paramount says not so fast Netflix, there’s a new flavour trend in town, an iconic Lego set is back, and how about some hops with that seltzer 🍺

Let’s get into it!

Paramount was in the running to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery before it was announced that Netflix had purchased the beleaguered conglomerate for $72 billion. Paramount wouldn’t be denied, though, and is now pursuing a hostile takeover for $108.4 billion before the Netflix transaction can close.

Unlike the Netflix deal, Paramount’s $30-per-share offer includes the acquisition of WBD’s debt, along with its cable assets TBS, TNT, and CNN.

The hostile bid carries more risk, given the extra $36 billion needed to finance it and who is doing the financing. Lawmakers have already begun highlighting the conflicts of interest, antitrust implications, and potential national security concerns.

The sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar are all involved in the takeover bid, drawing attention from those concerned about the increasingly-foreign-influenced media landscape in America.

Nonalcoholic beer has been growing in popularity as consumers have become increasingly health conscious. So it only makes sense that the next logical step for brewers in the space is to start highlighting the health components of the beverage.

Hop Wtr is one of the original players in the nonalcoholic space. It's product isn’t a nonalcoholic beer, but rather a sparkling water that contains the hops that give beer its taste.

According to NielsenIQ, the nonalcoholic beer market grew 18% in the year leading up to Oct. 25, but Hop Wtr sales actually fell 7.3%. Experts say it’s not product problem, but a marketing problem for the expanding category.

Kaleigh Theriault, NIQ’s director of beverage alcohol thought leadership, says consumers who have experimented with hop flavoured beverages were driven more by curiosity than function. Functionally, however, hop water has “better-for-you” advantages over nonalcoholic beer, including its lack of sugar, calories, carbs, and gluten.

Theriault sees “potential for renewed growth as brands innovate in flavor, functionality, and distribution.”

The auto sales industry runs on annual targets and by December of every year dealerships and manufacturers have a good idea of where they stand, and what they have to do to reach their goals.

Often times, that involves offering the most consumer-friendly deals to move that metal off the lot.

According to Edmunds, December is almost always the month that offers the largest average discounts off the sticker price for both new and used cars, and those offers traditionally get sweeter the later into the month it gets.

As new-model-year vehicles start to arrive late in the year, they’ll drive last year’s models out of style unless they’re advertised with a favorable price cut for the buyer who’s kind enough to consider taking it off the dealer’s hands.

Money is certainly going to change hands when you’re buying a car, but adding to the incentive of a price reduction, many dealers are more likely to arrange for 0% financing in December—especially for older models they need to get off the lot.

Spice maker McCormick has officially declared blackcurrant as its 2026 Flavor of the Year, with predictions that the berries will play a main role in next year’s culinary story.

The report the company released, along with its declaration, predicts consumers will be looking for “small luxuries” while remaining otherwise cash-strapped in a weakening economy. McCormick expects blackcurrant to be the defining taste of that pursuit.

It’s part of a trend known as “attainable opulence.”

“It really does signal opulence,” said Hadar Cohen Aviram, McCormick’s executive chef, suggesting the berry could be acting as a totem for consumers looking to take a break from the grind of getting by in a rough economy.

According to Datassential Menu Trends, while blackcurrant is currently found on just 1% of restaurant menus, its online mentions have risen 34% in the last year.

A Christmas miracle came early this year in the form of one of the most iconic LEGO sets to ever grace the collections of builders everywhere.

A new generation officially has the chance to get their hands on the LEGO Icons: Star Trek U.S.S Enterprise, exclusively available on the LEGO Store website.

The classic 3,600 piece set returned earlier this month, and unsurprisingly sold out instantly. Interested buyers had to sign up to receive an email and wait a week just to be informed the set was restocked, but only available on backorder.

So the good news is (at the time of writing) the resupply hasn’t run dry, and collectors can place their order at the LEGO Store. The bad news is if you’re thinking about giving someone Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s vessel for Christmas, LEGO isn’t able to ship it until Dec. 27.

Still more good news, however, is the set comes with mini figures of almost every main character to appear on Star Trek: The Next Generation, including Picard, Rier, Data, and Worf.

It costs US$399, though once the restock runs out, resellers will surely be listing theirs for at least twice that.

‘Tis the season

It’s that time of year when you hear that jing, jing, jingling eveywhere 🤣

So we figured we may as well go with it! You’ll find all kinds of classic holiday tunes in today’s trivia! Complete the game, and you’ll earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Friday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder!*