Breaking…

New York—Pegasus Communications' stock plunged 31% Friday after a clash with DirecTV dimmed hopes of a merger. Pegasus CEO Marshall Pagon met with DirecTV Chairman Chase Carey Thursday to discuss a settlement of litigation between the companies, but it turned into an acquisition discussion. Pegasus owns franchises to resell DirecTV in most rural markets, and investors have been betting heavily on a sale. But Carey came out of the meeting and surprised Pagon by issuing a caustic statement, saying he's terminating any negotiation.

Los Angeles—Kids WB! and Cartoon Network next season will share Warner Bros. Animation's The Batman, a new take on DC Comics' legendary superhero. Under the deal, Kids WB! will air the half-hour show on Saturday mornings next fall. Cartoon Network starts its run six months later. The Batman looks at the hero in his mid 20s, when he lives in a bachelor pad surrounded by hyper-modern Bat-gadgets and drives a souped-up Batmobile.

Los Angeles—In a battle of titans on Thursday night, an original CSI trumped The Apprentice, beating the Donald Trump reality show in households, viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. The numbers are approximate because of The Apprentice's 8:44 p.m. start. According to Nielsen preliminary affiliate-based ratings, CSI beat The Donald in viewers, 29.6 million to 18 million. In adults 18-49, CSI triumphed with a 10.7 rating/25 share vs. Apprentice's 9.2/22. The good news for NBC, however, is that The Apprentice's ratings remained stable even against an original CSI. Even with the one-two punch of Survivor: All-Stars and CSI, CBS couldn't beat NBC in the key 18-49 demographic for the night; NBC also featured a super-sized Friends episode.