Warner Bros. Discovery Gives Itself Max Options as It Renews New Zealand Supply Deal With Sky

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Max is getting into the NFL Sunday Ticket huddle. Google’s YouTube TV will offer a special bundle combining Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max with the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market football package, Alphabet and Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler told analysts on the internet company’s Q2 earnings call.

“Barbie” continues to heat up the box office after a blockbuster opening weekend that soared far beyond initial predictions.

Forget Hollywood, now royal insiders believe Meghan Markle is gunning for the Senate!

Mattel is renewed its licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, continuing as the studio’s toy licensee in preschool, plush, dolls, vehicles, games, and novelty toy categories.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Come on, Barbie, let’s go make (more) box office history. Greta Gerwig’s plastic, fantastic “Barbie” added $26 million on Monday, resulting in the best Monday gross in Warner Bros. history.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has officially kicked off, and it’s a tournament of firsts as both Australia and New Zealand become the first countries to co-host the event. With fans eager to see if England's The Lionesses can maintain their champion's title, the team has teamed up with high street giants Marks and Spencer as the official tailor of the England senior women’s team.

The Warner Bros. lot may be turning into an unintended flashpoint for everything that’s troubling Los Angeles these days — the overwhelming homeless situation and the first actors and writers strike since 1960 — but you’d be hard pressed to find signs of woe on the lot’s popular studio tour.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is safe after a mass shooting in Auckland, New Zealand, resulted in multiple casualties.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup kicked off as planned in Auckland on Thursday, with the co-hosting nation New Zealand triumphing in the opening match against Norway just hours after a lone shooter killed two people and injured six others in the city.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The scheduled Aug. 24 release of the Eric Bana-starring Australian thriller film “Force of Nature: The Dry 2” has been indefinitely postponed, due to the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike. The strike is also forcing adjustments at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which starts in early August. “It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction that we have decided to postpone the release of ‘Force of Nature: The Dry 2’,” said Bana, who both stars and produces through his Pick Up Truck Pictures.

CNN, the gunman contained himself within the elevator shaft where police attempted to engage him.The Women's World Cup kicks off later in the day, with the host team facing Norway in the opening match. It's an absolute honor and privilege to welcome the @SecondGentleman to our training today in Auckland!

Marta Balaga At Frontières Market and Forum, it’s all about the exploding heads.  “Big, bloody and messy explosions of heads. Old-school style explosions à la ‘Scanners’,” enthuses director Olivier Godin, who will bring neo-noir comedy “Anna Will Talk to Us” to its official selection, about a book that literally blows people’s minds. The much-anticipated event, back for its 15th edition, is bound to satisfy the oddest of tastes, delivering the likes of “Animal Realm” – “Full on Wuxia. Total cyberpunk. Stop-motion animation in full action,” teases director Caochong Maing – or vampire story “Drawn” in which the bloodsuckers don’t actually drink blood.

The studios are putting on a united front when it comes to the striking scribes and actors, but Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global dust-up over who really has the streaming rights to Eric Cartman and the South Park gang shows no signs of settling down.

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports has signed what has been described as a new “strategic partnership” with Italy’s top-flight soccer league Serie A.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Smash hit Japanese animation feature “The First Slam Dunk” is set to be the first film theatrically released by newly-launched Australian distribution and New Zealand licensing firm Sugoi Co. The company is headed by Tim Anderson, founder and former CEO of Madman Entertainment, the Australian indie with a strong leaning for Japanese content, and Sylvester “Sly” Ip. The pair made an announcement on Twitter and conducted a soft launch at the recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles. “The First Slam Dunk. Coming soon to cinemas across Australia. Follow us for full release and ticket info,” said Sugoi Co on Twitter.

Wall Street Journal they were letting go of their beloved estate, known as Hollister Ranch, since they spend most of their time in New Zealand.The main house occupies over 8,000-square-feet and comes with five bedrooms and six bathrooms, and is surrounded by various hiking trails. The estate also contains a 2,000-square-foot guesthouse and a tennis court. There is also a 24,000-square-foot equestrian barn, which Cameron said has been used to store a helicopter and various other vehicles, sometimes working on submarines there for his famous underwater expeditions.Cameron initially purchased the property to find a more rural, agricultural property to escape their Malibu lifestyle.

Jesse Armstrong and Danny McBride will have some individual independence to celebrate this holiday weekend.

CNN is exploring ways to put more of its news offerings on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, with a report that plans are in the works to offer live programming on the platform outside the U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After spending months keeping CNN from expanding into streaming, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery appears to have changed its mind. Warner Bros. Discovery is exploring ways to get more CNN programing on to its Max streaming service, according to a person familiar with the matter, looking at the news outlet’s broader portfolio to see what content might work. Executives will have to navigate agreements with CNN’s traditional distributors that often require cable and satellite companies get first access to CNN’s live broadcasts. Yet CNN’s rivals have grappled with similar obstacles and found ways to repurpose the news and opinion shows they run. The Fox Nation streaming outlet runs Fox News Channel’s opinion programs a day later. Fox News in 2020 unveiled a new international service that puts its programs in countries such as Mexico and Spain. MSBNC in March of last year unveiled a plan to offer episodes of “Morning Joe,” “Deadline: White House,” “The Beat with Ari Melber,” “The ReidOut,” “All In with Chris Hayes” and MSNBC’s opinion programs on the Peacock streaming hub on-demand the day after they air on cable.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Top editors are rallying behind Poland’s independent media as it comes under increased scrutiny from the country’s right-wing, nationalist government. In a joint statement, the editors in chief of local outlets such as Fakt, Polityka and Gazeta Radomszczańska as well as international media such as Forbes and Canal+, have said they “declare our unwavering dedication to stand firm and defend the independence of Polish journalism.” “Newsrooms under our leadership will exhibit solidarity and resolutely inform the public about any attempts by the ruling party to exert influence over the media,” reads the statement.