The Entertainment week, distilled.

Regulation and policyreported 29 Aug28 Aug

California lawmakers introduced bill AB 186 on August 28, 2026, to provide a partial carveout for the film and TV industry from a state tax credit cap.

What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in entertainment this week?

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

6 events

Funding and M&A26 Aug

French sales company MMM Film Sales has acquired international rights to the film 'Agata the Writer,' starring Mia Wasikowska.

Funding and M&A26 Aug

KimStim has acquired North American distribution rights for the feature film 'I’ll Be Gone in June,' directed by Katharina Rivilis and produced by Wim Wenders.

Funding and M&A25 Aug

Stability AI, a London-founded AI startup now based in the US, raised $76 million in a Series B funding round announced on August 25, 2026.

Read at tech.eu ↗

Funding and M&Adue 05 Oct 202625 Aug

Woody Allen is set to begin filming his new untitled project in Madrid on October 5, 2026.

Funding and M&Areported 25 Aug24 Aug

France and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement for a $7 billion theme park project near Cergy-Pontoise, northwest of Paris.

Read at aljazeera.com ↗

Funding and M&A24 Aug

Canadian media company WildBrain has acquired the child-focused generative AI startup Personality AI in a deal valued at up to $69 million.

What products launched in entertainment this week?

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

8 of 77 events

Product launches29 Aug

Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles has released her first studio album in seven years, titled 'Good Grief'.

Product launches29 Aug

Actor Tom Cruise is set to reprise his role as Cole Trickle in a sequel to the film Days of Thunder.

Product launchesdue 02 Sep 202629 Aug

The film 'The Mandalorian & Grogu', directed by Jon Favreau and starring Pedro Pascal, is set to premiere on Disney+ this week.

Read at foxbusiness.com ↗

Product launchesreported 29 Aug28 Aug

Apple has increased the monthly subscription price for Apple TV from $12.99 to $14.99 and the annual plan from $99 to $119.

Product launches28 Aug

Rockstar Games released an extended 27-minute preview of Grand Theft Auto VI on YouTube and its official website on August 28, 2026.

Read at theverge.com ↗

Product launchesreported 29 Aug28 Aug

Marvel released the first trailer for the re-release film 'Avengers Endgame: Encore', which garnered over 77 million views within its first 24 hours.

Product launches27 Aug

Netflix released a 27-minute extended look at the upcoming game Grand Theft Auto 6 on Thursday, August 27, 2026, in collaboration with Rockstar Games.

Product launchesdue 31 Aug 202626 Aug

Microsoft announced a new disc-to-digital feature for Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles, allowing users to convert physical game discs into digital entitlements.

Read at theverge.com ↗

8 of 77 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.

4 of 6 events

Financial results30 Aug

The film 'The Dog Stars', produced by Disney and 20th Century, earned $8 million during its opening weekend in the United States, finishing in fifth place.

Financial resultsreported 30 Aug28 Aug

Legendary special effects artist Phil Tippett is liquidating his namesake studio in West Berkeley, California, following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process that began in May 2024.

Read at thestreet.com ↗

Financial results27 Aug

LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), is facing a severe liquidity crisis as of August 2026.

Read at bloomberg.com ↗

Financial results25 Aug

The film 'Obsession', directed by Curry Barker, has become the highest-grossing original film of the decade, surpassing $500 million in global box office revenue.

4 of 6 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.

6 of 8 events

Courts and legal30 Aug

This article provides a summary of legal cases impacting the entertainment industry in 2026.

Read at bleepingcomputer.com ↗

Courts and legal28 Aug

Milan Ibrahim, a 68-year-old individual, was sentenced to over six years in prison in the United Kingdom for operating an illegal IPTV service.

Courts and legalreported 29 Aug28 Aug

Sony Music and Warner Music filed a lawsuit against Anthropic, co-founders Dario Amodei, and Benjamin Mann in a Northern California federal court on August 28, 2026.

Courts and legalreported 28 Aug27 Aug

Kacey Hester, also known as OTF Jam, testified in a Los Angeles court on August 27, 2026, regarding his role in a 2022 murder-for-hire plot targeting rapper Quando Rondo.

Courts and legal24 Aug

Brittany Alondra Boltinhouse, the former 2026 Miss North Carolina USA, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Miss USA organization, its CEO Thom Brodeur, and A Blaize Productions LLC. Boltinhouse alleges she was wrongfully stripped of her title in August 2026 due to her conservative political and religious views.

Read at insurancejournal.com ↗

Courts and legal24 Aug

Paramount and California state officials are scheduled to meet on Monday, August 24, 2026, to discuss a potential settlement regarding the state's lawsuit against Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.

6 of 8 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 events

Research28 Aug

Neuroscientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences conducted a study at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in 2023.

Research27 Aug

Mathematicians Robert Brignall and Vincent Vatter admitted that their online game Digit Party provided inaccurate high scores for three years.

Read at bleepingcomputer.com ↗

What incidents and outages hit entertainment this week?

Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.

6 of 7 events

Incidents and safety29 Aug

State health officials in North Carolina reported that baby goats from a traveling petting zoo, Farm Adventures based in Harmony, N.C., have tested positive for rabies.

Read at nytimes.com ↗

Incidents and safety28 Aug

Hasbro has disclosed a data breach involving the personal and financial information of employees, as reported in filings with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in August 2026.

Incidents and safety27 Aug

Amplitude Studios released a 90-second trailer for their upcoming game Humankind 2 at Gamescom.

Read at theguardian.com ↗

Incidents and safety26 Aug

Rockstar Games issued an official statement on August 26, 2026, addressing recent unauthorized leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay footage, describing the incident as heartbreaking for their development team.

Read at theverge.com ↗

Incidents and safety25 Aug

Cybercriminals are distributing malware disguised as a fake playable demo for the upcoming game Grand Theft Auto VI.

Read at techcrunch.com ↗

Incidents and safetyreported 28 Aug12 Jul

The X2 rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California, has been closed since July 12, 2026, following reports of severe brain injuries sustained by two riders.

6 of 7 incidents and safety events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What partnerships were announced in entertainment this week?

Partnerships, integrations and joint projects announced this week.

4 of 12 events

Partnerships26 Aug

NBCUniversal announced a multiyear global partnership with YouTube to include the ad-supported tier of Peacock in YouTube Premium subscriptions starting in 2027.

Read at adexchanger.com ↗

Partnerships26 Aug

Sweetwater, an online music retailer, has selected Gr4vy to modernize its payment infrastructure.

Read at finextra.com ↗

Partnershipsreported 26 Aug24 Aug

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Paris on Monday, August 24, 2026, to strengthen ties between Saudi Arabia and France.

Partnershipsreported 28 Aug10 Aug

San Francisco International Airport has launched a music series called Terminal Sessions, featuring live performances at Gate B4 in Harvey Milk Terminal 1.

4 of 12 partnerships events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.

What people moved in and out of entertainment roles this week?

Executive appointments and departures reported this week.

3 of 12 events

People moves26 Aug

LIV Golf announced on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, that it will lay off the majority of its 300-plus employees in the U.S. and the U.K. next week.