OpenAI enters the news business and buys the online talk show Tbpn

After having raised $122 billion in one fell swoop, OpenAI makes its entry into the daily news business. For now, the revenues of the target company are small, a SME, but in the hands of the Ai giant everything can change. The ChatGPT company announced the purchase of Tbpn, an online talk show that aims to compete with Bloomberg and Cnbc in real-time analysis of technology news and interviews with industry executives. OpenAI, reports the Wall Street Journal, declined to disclose the terms of the transaction for control of Tbpn, which averages about 70,000 viewers per episode on its various online platforms. However, the programme has gained popularity among Silicon Valley's most influential figures, who consider it more conducive to their industry than traditional news outlets.

Prominent guest speakers included Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms, Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Sam Altman of OpenAI. The 11-employee company was launched in October 2024, starting live streaming for three hours a day, weekdays, from March 2025. According to the statement, the business is profitable and generated approximately $5 million in advertising revenue in 2025. Also according to the company, Tbpn is on track to generate over USD 30 million in revenues in 2026. OpenAI bought Tbpn with the aim of fostering a constructive dialogue on the changes triggered by artificial intelligence, thereby promoting the growth of the programme itself, according to an internal memo from Fidji Simo, ceo of OpenAI's applications division. Tbpn will report to Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer, and provide support for the company's communication and marketing activities outside the context of the TV programme.