The FCC has waived its 25 percent cap on foreign equity ownership to approve a deal allowing sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to collectively hold up to 49.5 percent of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. entity. The agency argued the stakes carry no voting rights and therefore no control, but critics including Free Press and Commissioner Anna Gomez dispute that reasoning.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-18
Larry Ellison has scrapped a 10b5-1 trading plan that would have allowed him to sell up to 50 million Oracle shares, worth about $7.5 billion at current prices. The plan, adopted June 22 and set to expire Oct. 24, had been disclosed in a regulatory filing just a day before its cancellation, and no shares were ever sold under it. Oracle says Ellison has no other plans to divest any of his stock.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-12
Paramount+ dropped a nearly three-minute trailer for Avatar: Seven Havens, revealing character voices and story details ahead of its October 9 premiere. The series is set 200 years after The Legend of Korra, in a world fractured into seven havens after a catastrophe that has turned public opinion against Avatars, with new Avatar Pavi at the center of the story alongside a twin sister and a group of friends.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-10
Paramount+ has dropped a fresh trailer for 'Avatar: Seven Havens,' the sequel series to 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The show is set to premiere on the streaming service on October 9.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-10
Matt Stone and Trey Parker announced they are renaming South Park to 'South America' for its new season, mocking President Trump's pattern of renaming geographic features like the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario. The change was unveiled on the show's social media with a doctored sign reading 'South America' instead of 'South Park', shortly after the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. The creators also sarcastically thanked parent company Paramount Skydance, referencing its pending $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-09
After winning an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced they are renaming South Park to 'South America,' framing the move as a satirical tribute to corporate 'bravery' by Apple, Google and parent company Paramount. The announcement coincides with confirmation that Season 29 premieres September 16th on Comedy Central, with episodes streaming on Paramount+.
twitter.com
· 2026-09-08
An Ampere Analysis report cited by Business Insider found that average ad minutes per hour across major US ad-supported streaming tiers rose 18% between January and August 2026. Paramount+ now shows the most ads at just over nine minutes per hour, while Netflix saw the sharpest percentage jump, climbing from 1.40 to 2.44 minutes per hour, though it still airs the fewest ads overall. Prime Video was the only service among the group to actually cut its ad load during this period.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-08
Paramount reportedly enlisted a nonprofit called Neighbors for Strong Communities to send Californians mass text messages urging them to pressure state Attorney General Rob Bonta to drop his antitrust suit against the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros deal. The messages warned that blocking the merger could cost thousands of jobs, citing owner Larry Ellison's reported threat to relocate Paramount to Texas.
techdirt.com
· 2026-09-08
Le Creuset has released a limited-edition Star Trek collection, developed after the cookware maker approached Paramount years ago, timed to the franchise's 60th anniversary. The lineup includes a $68 communicator-shaped cheese grater, a $40 Spock oven mitt, a $500 Enterprise-themed casserole pot, and a $450 Klingon casserole dish, all featuring show-inspired details and engravings.
wired.com
· 2026-09-07
Hasbro is seeking a different studio partner to produce a sequel to 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' after Paramount Pictures declined to continue with the franchise. The decision follows the first film's disappointing box office performance despite generally favorable reviews.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-04
Paramount released a new trailer for its upcoming live-action Street Fighter movie, directed by Kitao Sakurai, showing off exaggerated special moves like real hadoukens and Chun-Li's kicks alongside a CGI Blanka played by Jason Momoa. The footage leans heavily into the franchise's over-the-top, colorful style rather than plot details.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-01