Entertainment news: week of 17 Aug 2026 – 23 Aug 2026

What changed in entertainment regulation and policy this week?

Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.

Regulation and policy23 Aug

Regulation and policy20 Aug

Regulation and policy19 Aug

Regulation and policy19 Aug

Regulation and policydue 31 Aug 202618 Aug

Regulation and policy17 Aug

What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in entertainment this week?

The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.

Funding and M&Adue 07 Sep 202620 Aug

Funding and M&A19 Aug

Funding and M&A18 Aug

Funding and M&A17 Aug

Funding and M&A17 Aug

Funding and M&Areported 21 Aug12 Aug

Funding and M&Areported 19 Aug15 Jul

What products launched in entertainment this week?

Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.

8 of 59 events

Product launchesdue 19 Nov 202623 Aug

Product launches23 Aug

Product launches22 Aug

Product launches21 Aug

Product launches21 Aug

Product launches21 Aug

Product launchesdue 23 Oct 202619 Aug

Product launchesdue 03 Sep 202619 Aug

8 of 59 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What financial results were reported in entertainment this week?

Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.

8 of 9 events

Financial resultsreported 23 Aug21 Aug

Financial results21 Aug

Financial results20 Aug

Financial resultsreported 21 Aug20 Aug

Financial results19 Aug

Financial resultsreported 19 Aug18 Aug

Financial results18 Aug

Financial results18 Aug

8 of 9 financial results events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What court rulings and legal actions hit entertainment this week?

Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.

8 of 16 events

Courts and legal21 Aug

Courts and legal21 Aug

Courts and legalreported 21 Aug20 Aug

Courts and legalreported 20 Aug19 Aug

Courts and legal19 Aug

Courts and legal18 Aug

Courts and legal17 Aug

Courts and legalreported 18 Aug17 Aug

8 of 16 courts and legal events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What research was published in entertainment this week?

New research findings and studies published this week.

2 of 3 events

Research21 Aug

Research17 Aug

2 of 3 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What incidents and outages hit entertainment this week?

Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.

Incidents and safety22 Aug

Incidents and safetyreported 23 Aug21 Aug

Incidents and safety19 Aug

Incidents and safety19 Aug

Incidents and safety18 Aug

Incidents and safetyreported 17 Aug12 Aug

The Entertainment week,distilled.

What changed in entertainment regulation and policy this week?

The Australian Classification Board has refused classification for the upcoming video game 'Halloween: The Game', developed by the US-based company Illfonic, effectively banning its sale in Australia.

Cinemas across the UK are considering banning Meta smart glasses due to concerns over film piracy and covert recording.

A report by CVL Economics commissioned by Los Angeles County estimates that the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.

The BBC has decided to put the long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who out to tender to find a new production partner following the end of its partnership with Disney.

California lawmakers are finalizing a deal to provide relief from a $5 million annual corporate tax credit cap that was enacted in the state budget in June 2026.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has initiated an investigation into the anticipated acquisition of Warner Bros.

What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in entertainment this week?

MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights to the documentary 'Boatbuilders', directed by Luke Lorentzen.

Zagreb-based sales outlet Split Screen has acquired international rights to the film 'The End of Times' ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival's Critics' Week.

Nonprofit organizations Waterwell and Nimruz have doubled the funding for their 'Unseen Iran Grants' program to $100,000 for its second cycle.

Paramount has postponed its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

The Buss family has agreed to sell their remaining 17.8% ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to a group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.

Mark Walter has agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion following a federal investigation into potential insurance fraud.

MNRK Music Group has leased 7,629 square feet of office space on the ninth floor of 443 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, New York.

What products launched in entertainment this week?

Rockstar Games has delayed the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to November 19, 2026, following an initial delay from its original fall 2025 window.

On August 23, 2026, Netflix announced four new cast members for the third season of its live-action One Piece series, titled Battle of Alabasta, which is scheduled for release in 2027.

IndyCar is hosting the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., on August 22-23, 2026, as part of America's 250th birthday celebrations.

DC Studios and HBO have officially greenlit an eight-part true crime docuseries titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd, set within the DC Universe.

Netflix announced that the second season of the animated series Blue Eye Samurai will premiere in January 2027.

Discord is launching a new advertising format called Play Quest+ that allows brands to offer rewards for specific in-game actions.

Laika has released the trailer for its new stop-motion animated film 'Wildwood', directed by Travis Knight and based on the book by Colin Meloy.

The film 'Scary Movie 6' is scheduled for release on the streaming platform Paramount+ on September 3, 2026.

What financial results were reported in entertainment this week?

Warner Bros. Discovery is currently facing a potential acquisition at $31 per share following a period of corporate restructuring.

The video game AEW Fight Forever, developed by Yukes and released in 2023, reportedly incurred losses of at least $30 million.

Prime Video announced a $2 billion-plus investment plan for Latin American entertainment, covering the period from 2027 to 2030.

The horror film 'Insidious: Out of the Further', produced by Sony, earned $3 million in Thursday previews in the United States.

Disney introduced a new 'global guests' metric, combining park attendance and cruise passenger days, which increased by 4% in the first nine months of fiscal 2026.

The film 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, surpassed $2 billion at the global box office within 17 days of its release.

Actor Tom Holland is set to earn over $100 million from the film 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' due to uncapped backend bonuses on top of a $20 million base salary.

WNBA players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, known as The StudBudz, generated over $1 million in brand deals during the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend.

What court rulings and legal actions hit entertainment this week?

During a trial in Las Vegas, jurors heard a 2008 police interview where Duane 'Keffe D' Davis claimed his nephew, Orlando Anderson, fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996.

British rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly will face a retrial in Australia on three charges of sexual assault.

Croatian authorities arrested Ukrainian diver Volodymyr Zhuravlev on August 20, 2026, in Pula, Croatia, in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.

Volodymyr Zhuravlyov, a Ukrainian national, was arrested in Pula, Croatia, on August 19, 2026, under a German arrest warrant.

During the trial for the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, a witness expressed reluctance to provide testimony that would lead to the imprisonment of the defendant, Duane 'Keffe D' Davis.

During the murder trial of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, a police officer testified that the rapper refused to cooperate with law enforcement immediately after being shot multiple times in 1996.

Attorney Mathew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig is representing Selena Gomez in a fraud lawsuit filed by investors in her mental-health startup, Wondermind.

Paramount Skydance Corp. has requested a $1.88 billion bond from 12 US states that filed an antitrust lawsuit to block its merger with Warner Bros.

What research was published in entertainment this week?

Google DeepMind, founded in 2010, is highlighting 15 years of AI research using games as a primary testing ground.

A study published in Jama Network Open by researchers at Harvard Medical School, led by Dr. Vishal Patel, links the release of 10 major music albums between 2017 and 2022 to a 15.1% increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes in the US on release dates.

What incidents and outages hit entertainment this week?

Universal Studios Hollywood opened a new roller coaster designed to be whisper-quiet to comply with noise regulations and appease local neighbors.

Fans and online users accused the art book for the film 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' of using generative AI due to distorted concept art of New York.

On August 19, 2026, AMC Theatres experienced significant website outages and technical glitches due to high demand for 'Dune: Part Three' movie tickets.

Amazon has accidentally made the full-length film 'Mutiny' starring Jason Statham available for streaming on its Prime Video service in the US, two days before its scheduled theatrical release on August 21, 2026.

On August 18, 2026, AMC Theatres experienced a spike in mobile app outage reports following the release of tickets for the film 'Dune: Part Three'.

Security firm Bitdefender reported that fake pirated copies of the film 'The Odyssey' are being used to distribute the Lumma Stealer malware.

Which figures were reported in entertainment this week?

requested bond amount

quarterly ticking fee

total acquisition value

ownership stake sold

valuation of the Lakers

deal value

investment amount

new titles planned for 2027

Mexico National Team home matches

employees fired

standard edition price

ultimate edition price

cost of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

sale price of the Los Angeles Lakers

stake of the Buss family in the Lakers

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