PACIFIC • Randall Stephenson is not worried Randall Stephenson tells me that he is confident that the AT & T-Time Warner merger will prevail despite the Justice Department's decision to appeal the approval of a merger judge:

19659003] • "The loser always has the right to appeal," he said. Judge Richard Leon "wrote a very thoughtful, very reasoned and very thorough order, so we feel really good."

The call confused the media leaders here at Sun Valley, who even said that they thought the DOJ was delaying the inevitable.

Collateral damage: Brian Roberts.

• DOJ decision reintroduces antitrust uncertainty on vertical mergers, meaning 21st Century Fox shareholders may be reluctant to sell to Comcast if Brian Roberts decides to make another bid.

The Big Picture: For now, the freeze on M & A is back. AT & T can continue to operate WarnerMedia as it sees fit until the case is decided, but it has a new distraction in the hands of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeal. .

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Welcome to PACIFIC.

Lodge Speech: Bob Iger had lunch with Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Hall and Lachlan Murdoch yesterday morning so everyone could see him. In addition, Rupert pbaded Brian Roberts and ignored him on his way to Iger.

Local speeches: Tim Cook, Eddy Cue and their safety officer enjoying a quiet dinner and a Nickel & Nickel Truchard Chardonnay 2015 at Christiania de Michel, the French restaurant run by Michel Rudigoz, a former coach of the company. American ski team Michel Rudigoz had the buzzing bar.

Sun Valley Will Be Missing …

What's Next: Google Camp, the extremely exclusive summit for technical executives, media moguls and international celebrities from the Verdura resort in Sicily.

Mi piacerebbe essere una mosca su su …

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Netflix vs. HBO: Richard Plepler Will Be OK

There Is No Denying The Symbolic Meaning Of The Appointments Emmy yesterday: Netflix beat HBO in Emmy's nods (112 to 108) and finished the 17-year HBO race at the top.

Worse, the victory came after AT & T pushed HBO to do more to compete with Netflix.

Is this important? Yes and No:

• Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos of Netflix have a feather in their cap, but the feather is only good until September 17, when the actual rewards are given.

• Richard Plepler can still claim the highest number of nominations for a single show, "Game of Thrones," and HBO has received more awards per show than Netflix.

• HBO might well have beaten Netflix if he had a limited run in the race, which was not the case. "Sharp Objects", the Amy Adams series that should be a summer sensation, missed the window in a few months.

Be that as it may, Plepler still faces headlines and the new narrative " ". But neither Plepler nor Netflix will feel so good if Hulu's "Handmaid's Tale" tears off the top Emmy of both, again.

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Local: The Daily NYT & # 39; LA blitzes

The New York Times gave us a first glimpse of its new campaign for "The Daily", the Barbaro-hosted Michael Podcast that now boasts five million unique monthly listeners and broadcasts on more than 30 radio stations across the country.

The campaign includes road signs and wallscapes in Los Angeles, as well as campaigns in Portland and Chicago and spots on television, Hulu and YouTube.

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Zuck Troubles: The struggles of Facebook Watch

"Facebook Watch, the company's bid to dethrone YouTube, had a first year precarious ", according to Tom Dotan and Jessica Toonkel:

•" In the months following the launch of Watch last August, the number of people who visited the new section of the social network every day to watch programs produced by ABC , A & E Networks, Discovery and other small businesses. "

•" The ads in the middle of the videos have alienated many users, according to Facebook statistics. "

•" Some media partners have chosen not to renew their contracts with Facebook, current and former employees told The Information. "

What's Next: CNN's Facebook Watch's first news series, Fox News and other debuts premiere Monday, giving Facebook a chance to reverse the course or not

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Murdochs Final: World Cup Final

Cover of the World Cup Final between France and Croatia begins at 7 am, giving the Murdochs an opportunity to increase ratings on a World Cup that has suffered from the absence of the American men's national team.

Meanwhile, YouTube TV offers users a free credit from one week after the dice disastrous failure of one hour of the World Cup.

Bonus: Why France will win the World Cup, in one table:

• "The most lethal teams were those who can break quickly, often from their own half, to launch quick attacks" . "The Blues have the perfect balance."

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What's more: Serena Williams tries to reach the ultimate comeback in the Wimbledon women's final against German Angelique Kerber, tomorrow at 6am on ESPN.

See you Monday

CNNMoney (New York) First published on July 13, 2018: 11:07 AM ET