*By Britt Terrell*
Streaming platforms are in a war for top talent, and Apple just won the latest battle with a multi-year original content deal with Oprah Winfrey. It remains to be seen, though, whether the company can compete with streaming heavyweights like Netflix.
"The Oprah deal is said to be part of a $1 billion original programming push, but that's about the same amount that Netflix is increasing its original programming spending per year at the moment," said Mike Brown, innovation reporter at Inverse. Apple does have some advantages. It has over a billion devices in the market, but Netflix is already outspending."
Netflix recently inked a $300 million deal with producer Ryan Murphy, the man behind hits like *Glee*, *The People vs. O.J. Simpson*, *American Horror Story*, to create original content. It also signed the Obamas for an undisclosed amount.
"Getting these big names board shows that Apple and Netflix are serious about taking on the established players in this field," said Brown. "If they can get those big names on-board that is absolutely a huge benefit for them."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/oprahs-big-bite-out-of-apple).
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
Hear from Gabino & Stephen Roche on Saphyre’s institutional AI platform that centralizes pre‑ and post‑trade data, redefining settlement speed and accuracy.
Elon Musk’s X has reached a tentative settlement with former employees of the company then known as Twitter who’d sued for $500 million in severance pay.
