MEXICO CITY (AP) — Fátima Bosch Fernández's Miss Universe victory resounded across Mexico on Friday, framed as the vindication of a disrespected contestant from a country where women have pushed their way into positions of power and are increasingly calling out traditional chauvinism.
The 25-year-old from the Gulf coast state of Tabasco was scolded by the competition's Thai director, Nawat Itsaragrisil, during a livestreamed sashing ceremony for the more than 100 contestants on Nov. 4. She allegedly did not follow his guidelines for taking part in local promotional activities. He called security when she spoke up to defend herself, and she responded by walking out with a number of other contestants following in solidarity.
The Miss Universe Organization president, Mexican business owner Raúl Rocha Cantú, had released a statement condemning Nawat’s conduct as “public aggression” and “serious abuse.”
Nawat later apologized for his actions, appearing both tearful and defiant at the same time.
The fireworks in Thailand earlier in the competition had already drawn Mexico's attention, leading even President Claudia Sheinbaum to hail Bosch.
So on Friday, Sheinbaum did not try to hide her pleasure that Mexico's contestant ended up winning the crown.
“I like that she spoke up when she felt that was an injustice and that is an example,” Mexico’s first woman president said during her daily news briefing. “That thing they said about being prettier when you’re quiet has been left behind. Women are prettier when we speak and we participate.”
Patricia Bustamente, a 72-year-old retiree in Mexico City, shared the president's enthusiasm.
“How good that she didn't let it slide and how good that she fought to stay there,” Bustamente said, noting that Mexican women used to be “submissive.” She called Bosch “very brave."
Briana González, a 40-year-old nurse, said in general she doesn't like beauty pageants because “beauty goes beyond the physical,” but she saw Bosch standing up for herself as a positive example. “For some time now, Mexican women have come out to defend ourselves and fight inequality.”
When Bosch was announced as the winner, cheers and screams erupted from the audience, with Mexican flags waved by elated supporters.
Her home state of Tabasco, where thousands watched the competition from a local baseball stadium in southeast Mexico, partied into the night.
In Villahermosa, Tabasco's capital, Gabriel Arcos, who sells eyeglasses, said Bosch had represented the state well.
“For us Tabasqueños, we're proud that she has gone so far despite the setbacks Miss Bosch had,” said the 37-year-old.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch, center, is celebrated by other contesters after winning the 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch celebrates winning the 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix struck a deal Friday to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and HBO Max, in a $72 billion deal that would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
If approved by regulators, the merger would put two of the world’s biggest streaming services under the same ownership — and join Warner's television and motion picture division, including DC Studios, with Netflix's vast library and its production arm, which has released popular titles such as “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.”
“For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture," David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement. "By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come.”
The cash and stock deal is valued at $27.75 per Warner share, giving it a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, including debt. The transaction is expected to close in the next 12 to 18 months, after Warner completes its previously announced separation of its cable operations. Not included in the deal are networks such as CNN and Discovery.
The proposed merger could draw intense antitrust scrutiny, particularly for its effects on movie making and streaming subscriptions.
“Netflix is the top streaming service today. Now combined with HBO Max, it will absolutely cement itself as the Goliath in the streaming industry,” said Mike Proulx, vice president and research director at Forrester, a market research company.
One of the big unanswered questions, Proulx added, is whether HBO Max and Netflix would “stay as separate streaming services or combine into a mega streaming service."
But either way, he said, customers could see some price relief in the form of a single subscription bill or bundle promotions, which would be a welcome change as streaming prices continue to rise and consumers feel the pinch of paying for multiple services.
Of course, that all depends on whether the deal goes through. Netflix on Friday maintained that the addition of HBO and HBO Max programming will give its members “even more high-quality titles from which to choose” and “optimize its plans for consumers.”
Others warned that a Netflix-Warner combo could create an even bigger entertainment titan with ramifications for both consumers and people working across the film and TV industry. Critics said the consequences could include job losses and a reduced variety of content.
Gaining Warner’s legacy studios would mark a notable shift for Netflix, particularly its presence in theaters. Under the proposed acquisition, Netflix has promised to continue theatrical releases for Warner’s studio films, honoring Warner’s contractual agreements for movie releases.
Netflix has kept most of its original content within its core online platform. But there have been exceptions, including qualifying runs for its awards contenders, including this year’s “Frankenstein,” limited theater screenings of a “KPop Demon Hunters” sing-a-long and its coming “Stranger Things” series finale.
“Our mission has always been to entertain the world,” Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said in a statement, adding that merging with Warner will “give audiences more of what they love.”
Critics said a Netflix-Warner combo would be bad news for people who love to go to movie theaters and for those who work in them. Cinema United — a trade association that represents more than 30,000 movie screens in the U.S. and another 26,000 screens internationally — was quick to oppose the deal, which it said “poses an unprecedented threat to the global exhibition business.”
“Netflix’s stated business model does not support theatrical exhibition. In fact, it is the opposite,” Michael O’Leary, CEO of Cinema United, said Friday. "Theaters will close, communities will suffer, jobs will be lost.”
The Writers Guild of America sound a similar alarm and called for the merger to be blocked. The Producers Guild of America said the Netflix deal must prove that it protects workers' livelihoods and theatrical distribution.
“Legacy studios are more than content libraries — within their vaults are the character and culture of our nation," it added.
Warner Bros., which is 102 years old, is one of the “big five” studios left in Hollywood. If the Netflix sale goes through, the remaining legacy studios would be Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures and Universal.
Friday’s announcement arrived after a monthslong bidding war for Warner. Rumors of interest from Netflix, as well as NBC owner Comcast, started bubbling up in the fall. Skydance-owned Paramount, which completed its own $8 billion merger in August, also reportedly made several all-cash offers.
Paramount seemed like the front-runner for some time, and unlike Netflix or Comcast, it was reportedly vying to buy Warner’s entire company, including its cable networks and news business.
Beyond combining two of Hollywood's legacy studios, that would have brought Paramount-owned CBS and Warner's CNN under the same roof. Such sizeable consolidation would have vastly reshaped America's TV media landscape, and perhaps raised questions about shifts in editorial control — as seen at CBS News both leading up to and following Skydance's purchase of Paramount.
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday from The Associated Press.
While Netflix's bid won over Warner's approval, experts stressed that a bumpy regulatory road lies ahead.
“No doubt politics are going to come into play,” Proulx said. He pointed particularly to the Trump administration’s relationship with the family of Larry Ellison, whose son David runs Paramount, and reports of that company’s frustrations over Warner's sale process — both of which, he noted, “can’t be ignored as part of the calculus as to the outcome of all of this.”
Christina DePasquale, a Johns Hopkins University professor who specializes in antitrust issues, said the government might be skeptical of a streaming behemoth controlling both the production and distribution of content.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which was formed just three and a half years ago, announced its intention to split its streaming and studio operations from its cable business back in June. The move arrived as more and more consumers continue to “cut the cord” and rely almost entirely on streaming.
The company outlined plans for HBO, HBO Max, as well as Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group and DC Studios, to become part of a new streaming and studios company. That is what Netflix is now acquiring. Meanwhile, networks such as CNN, Discovery and TNT Sports and other digital products will make up a separate cable counterpart called Discovery Global.
Warner signaled that it was open to a sale of all of parts of its business back in October, citing “unsolicited interest" it had received. Now that it's agreed to Netflix's bid, Discovery Global is set to become a new publicly traded company by the third quarter of 2026.
Ott reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matt Sedensky in New York and Lindsey Bahr in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
The Warner Bros. water tower is seen at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Warner Bros. water tower is seen at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An aerial view shows Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
FILE - A visitor walks past portraits of DC Comics superheroes as she enters the "Action and Magic Made Here" interactive experience at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood media preview on June 24, 2021, in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - The Netflix logo is shown in this photo from the company's website on Feb. 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
