# Regulatory Shifts, AI Pricing Wars, and Streaming Evolution

**Podcast:** TechCrunch Daily Crunch
**Published:** 2026-07-11

## Transcript

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Face a fine.
You see, the tech giant is in breach of the Digital Services Act by focusing on features like infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation algorithms, the European Commission said.
The commission says these features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into autopilot mode.
which contributes to unhealthy habits and compulsive use.
It found that Meta failed to adequately assess the risks posed by the addictive design of its platforms to users' physical and mental well-being, including minors and vulnerable adults.
The commission also accused Meta of ignoring evidence about the amount of time minors spend on Instagram and Facebook.
at night, and how features such as Reels and Stories could encourage excessive or compulsive use of the platforms.
It's calling on Meta to disable key addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default and to introduce effective screen time breaks, as well as modify its recommendation algorithm to make it less focused on user engagement.
The findings are not final, and Meta will now have the opportunity to review the evidence against it and submit a formal response.
If the commission's findings are confirmed, Meta faces a fine of up to 6% of its total global annual turnover.
Meta did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
In other Meta news, the company publicly launched a new version of MuseSpark on Thursday, a multi-modal AI model designed for agentic coding that aims to compete with similar products offered by OpenAI and Anthropic.
Spark 1.1, the first version of which was announced all the way back in April, can engage in multi-step reasoning and handle complex processes, manage digital workflows, and deploy new features in enterprise systems, the company says.
Now, Meta is a bit behind its competitors here.
You see, Anthropic and OpenAI have offered similar models for quite some time.
But that doesn't mean Meta's entry into the market isn't a threat.
An ongoing source of competitiveness within the AI industry remains the cost of usage, and Meta appears to be offering a competitive rate.
Reuters reports that the company will charge $1.25 for a $1.25.
per million input tokens and $4.25 per million output tokens.
Meta has released a handful of Foundation AI models over the past few years.
The Muse Spark release was apparently important enough to compel CEO Mark Zuckerberg to post on X for the first time in three years.
You see, the Zuck's last post was in July 2023, around the time the platform rebranded from Twitter to Axe.
In his post, the Zuck called Spark a strong agentic encoding model at a very low price, noting that the model was strongest at agentic performance, tool use, and computer use.
As Netflix searches for new ways to keep viewers engaged amid signs of slowing engagement, the streaming giant appears to be exploring yet another avenue, always on live TV channels.
Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix is considering launching live channels that continuously stream content, giving subscribers something to tune into 24-7.
Rather than committing to binge-worthy dramas like Avatar The Last Airbender or the newest thriller I Will Find You, subscribers could leave a channel running in the background for hours of entertainment.
Sounds like that old thing we used to have, what was it called?
Broadcast TV, I think?
Now this move would put Netflix in more direct competition with free ad-supported streaming services such as...
Pluto TV and Tubi.
It could also provide a meaningful boost to Netflix's ad business, since live programming typically doesn't allow viewers to skip commercials.
The Wall Street Journal also reports that Netflix is exploring bundles similar to offerings from Apple and Amazon.
According to people familiar with the matter, Peacock is among the services being discussed as a potential partner.
Netflix didn't immediately respond to our request for comment.
The reported plans come as Netflix has made other moves to increase viewer engagement.
You see, recently, the company has experimented with short-form video, video podcasts, and a new gaming app for kids to drive viewership.
Netflix's share of total TV viewing has slipped.
According to Nielsen, the streamer accounted for 7.8% of TV viewing in April.
And folks, that's your Daily Crunch.
Today's stories were reported by Aisha Malik, Lucas Ropek, and Lauren Forrestal, and more awesome TechCrunch journalists.
We'll see you here next week.
And until then, find us at TechCrunch.com.
plenty of them.
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