Disney, Fox and WBD’s Venu Sports Streaming JV Taps Ex-Apple Exec Tony Billetter as SVP of Strategy and Planning

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan has undergone a remarkable transformation for his latest film “Chandu Champion.” Directed by Kabir Khan (“’83”), the film is a biopic of Murlikant Petkar, who became India’s first Paralympics gold medalist in 1972. Petkar served as a soldier in the 1965 India-Pakistan war and sustained injuries that left him physically impaired. He overcame these and became a champion sportsman across several disciplines.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Will Arnett is expanding his relationship with Fox Entertainment. The actor and comedian, who hosts Fox’s “Lego Masters,” has sealed an overall producing deal for his Electric Avenue Prods. to produce fare for the network’s in-house production company.

Two House Democrats again are expressing antitrust concerns about Venu, the upcoming sports streaming joint venture from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, and are seeking more answers from the companies.

The Acolyte is off to a promising start on Disney+.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com It all started with a cup of tea on the house. That innocuous gesture between a failed comedian turned barhand named Donny (Richard Gadd) and his soon-to-be stalker, Martha (Jessica Gunning) would spark a chain of events eventually culminating in the streaming success of “Baby Reindeer” on Netflix. The small, U.K.

Every Friday, The FADER's writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week. Today, read our thoughts on Arooj Aftab's Night Reign, King Hannah's Big Swimmer, Thou's Umbilical, and more.

Bluey-mania continues.

Every Friday, The FADER's writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week. Today, read our thoughts on DIIV's Frog In Boiling Water, Young Jesus's The Fool, mui zyu's Nothing or Something to Die For, and more.

Rideback Rise, the nonprofit POC content accelerator launched by then-producer Dan Lin, has set its first CEO. Diana Mogollón, the founder and former head of Warner Bros.’ Stage 13, takes over the Rise leadership from founding Executive Director Sabrina Pourmand.

Back in March, news broke that Vanessa Kirby would reunite with her “The Crown” director Benjamin Caron for the new Netflix pic “Night Always Comes.”  Now we know who’ll join the actress onscreen, and it’s quite the ensemble.   READ MORE: ‘The Night Always Comes’: Vanessa Kirby & Director Benjamin Caron Reunite For Portland-Set Noir Drama At Netflix Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephan James, Julia Fox, Eli Roth, Randall Park, and Michael Kelly will join Kirby in the upcoming film a thriller centered on America’s current housing crisis.

Fremantle has appointed Matt Katrosar as its new senior vice president of global ad sales and strategy.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Ryan Reynolds said in a new video interview with Fandango that he is “surprised” Disney allowed the upcoming “Deadpool and Wolverine” to be so R-rated. The movie is the first “Deadpool” film to be released under Disney following the company’s acquisition of Fox, which made Reynolds’ first two R-rated “Deadpool” movies that grossed just over $780 million each at the worldwide box office.

K.J. Yossman Disney’s U.K. commissioning subsidiary Walt Disney EMEA Productions Limited has reported more than a 50% drop in revenue from the previous financial year.

Every Friday, The FADER's writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week. Today, read our thoughts on Beth Gibbons's Lives Outgrown, Draag's Actually, the quiet is nice, Lip Critic's Hex Dealer, and more.

Billie Eilish and Finneas have opened up about their brand-new album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’, saying they have “never ever ever loved something more”.‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ just dropped today (May 17), and in a celebratory Instagram post, Billie Eilish shared: “I don’t even know what to SAAYY…”“Finneas and i put so much into this album and have never ever ever loved something more,” she added. “we hope you enjoy it so much and i’ll see you on the other side EEEEEEEEEEEEEK HMHAS OUT NOW EVERYWHERE LOVE YOU ALL TO DEAAAAATH!!!!”Meanwhile, Finneas posted his own thoughts, writing that the album was “my favourite thing I’ve ever been a part of making”, adding: “There were so many times during the making of it that I thought we’d never finish it or had no idea what we were doing I lost count- just goes to show- when you’re in it, you might just have to try to keep swimming- you can only really see the ocean once you’re on the shore.“I’m going offline now because what you all think of this album is your business, not mine but I really do hope you like it- we make everything with you in mind and we owe it all to you- thanks for the sick job/life.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and more actors are coming to the defense of Kevin Spacey and calling for his return to the industry at large. Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since being accused by several men of sexual misconduct starting in 2017. The two-part documentary “Spacey Unmasked” recently aired in the U.K.

sports-streaming service set to be launched by Walt Disney, Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The joint venture of Disney/ESPN, Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery to package together a sports streaming bundle has a name — Venu Sports.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is celebrating its 60th anniversary in a big way. The magazine, known for its swimsuit covers that have featured some of the world’s biggest models and icons, is gathering some of its most notorious contributors for seven different covers, including Chrissy Teigen, Martha Stewart, and more.Martha Stewart’s latest thirst trap in a linen robe is her best yetPaulina Porizkova, 58, shows off her botox-free face and drops her skin-care routineThe magazine shared an update on Instagram, showing a montage of its various covers over the years. “Are you ready for it?” reads the caption.

April was a pretty steady month for TV viewership — and Disney was leading the charge.