Partnership Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Here’s an act of counting that isn’t going to be as easy as 1-2-3. Representatives of 80 different parties will at some point on Wednesday hear the latest about technology that will help tabulate the number of people who watch a streaming presentation of “Thursday Night Football.” Such a task is typically left to Nielsen.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup drew record viewership for Fox, despite challenging time zones and an early elimination for the U.S. team, ending with the most-watched non-USWNT final ever for English-language U.S. television.

EXCLUSIVE: Rubicon Global Media, the company recently formed by Chris Albrecht and Jorge Granier to aggregate leading intellectual property from Latin America and Spain, has entered a strategic partnership with Mexico-based film and television production firm BTF Media.

Disability rights advocate Sophie Morgan, 38, has joined forces with Hollywood A-lister Reese Witherspoon.The Loose Women star has teamed up with Reese's company Hello Sunshine, which aims to empower women by telling their stories, in a collaboration with her Making Space Media, which amplifies voices in the disabled community. Speaking to The Mirror, Sophie described Reese as a “badass woman doing important things”.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety has partnered with brand and culture consultancy BSBP to curate a series of exclusive Q&A screenings in London of some of the industry’s most anticipated films. The screenings, which are targeted at BAFTA and AMPAS voters as well as key players in the showbiz community in the U.K., will take place at London’s The Cinema at Selfridges.

EXCLUSIVE: We first told you about a year ago that Lionsgate was in talks with STX to distribute and market the Bob Simonds-run studio’s movies, and today we can report that both companies have closed a deal.

Netflix has renewed Indian cop drama Khakee: The Bihar Chapter for a second season and struck a wider creative partnership deal with the show’s creator, Friday Storytellers.

Demi Lovato is no longer working with Scooter Braun.

Thania Garcia YouTube has published a set of AI music principles and launched a new AI initiative with co-signs from artists, songwriters, and producers from Universal Music Group. Dubbed the AI Music Incubator, artists such as Anitta, Björn Ulvaeus, Juanes, Max Richter, Rosanne Cash, Ryan Tedder, Yo Gotti, and the Estate of Frank Sinatra, have been tapped to give their input.

breakup of the summer might be Justin Bieber and his high-powered manager, Scooter Braun.The pair haven’t spoken in months, several sources told Puck News in a report published on Thursday.Bieber, 26, and Braun, 42, have been working together since the Canadian crooner’s career began back in 2007.Bieber was just 13 years old when Braun discovered his videos on YouTube and became his manager, turning him into a global sensation. The insiders told Puck that the “Sorry” singer has been looking around for new management as he attempts to “clean house.”However, a conflicting report from Entertainment Tonight says the two are still together.Multiple sources allegedly told that outlet that “Justin and Scooter are still working together.

Priyanka Chopra is distancing herself from Sona, the New York City restaurant she helpedto  launch.

Nemanja Vidic has been impressed with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez's partnership for Manchester United.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Legendary Television President and Starz CEO Chris Albrecht, and Jane the Virgin executive producer Jorge Granier have formed Rubicon Global Media, a firm designed to aggregate leading intellectual property from Latin America and Spain, transforming it into content with worldwide appeal. The company will also produce story-driven content for Latin American audiences. 

Piers Morgan Added To RTS Cambridge Lineup

Sabbatical Entertainment Sets Distribution Partnership With V Channels Media

Donna Langley elevated to NBCUniversal Studio Group chairman and chief content officer, overseeing the company’s film and television studios. “We’re excited to evolve our partnership with Steven and cement our creative legacy together that has resulted in so many iconic Universal films over the last half-century,” Langley said in a statement.

Just when we thought maybe, just maybe Kim and Kourtney Kardashian had squashed their beef, we get this.

Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures have set a new film partnership that builds on the companies’ longstanding creative collaboration. The new multi-year deal revealed Tuesday will continue to deliver Universal with first-look status on all Amblin theatrical film projects, while evolving Amblin’s film production model to give the company more creative and financial flexibility.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Raedio, the “audio everywhere” division of Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media, has announced a multi-year deal with Def Jam Recordings. The partnership will give Raedio the opportunity to sign, market, and distribute signed artists through Def Jam’s network, according to the announcement. It includes publishing, music supervision, music library, podcasts, digital content and events divisions. Raedio’s “symbiotic pipeline to Hoorae Media’s ecosystem of film, television production and talent management divisions provides a unique all-in-one infrastructure paving the way for a new, disruptive approach to music label models,” the announcement states.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In a broad-based deal, Netflix and Germany’s Constantin Film, one of Europe’s biggest production-distribution companies behind the “Resident Evil” film franchise and TV series “Shadowhunters,” have struck an exclusive long-term partnership.  The powerful alliance sees Netflix acquiring pay distribution rights pay to Constantin Film’s theatrical productions in the German-speaking region. These include national and international original and co-produced films, as well as films acquired for cinema or straight-to-video (STV) release. German and international theatrical productions.  Titles will be made available to Netflix subscribers on an SVOD basis 10-12 months after their theatrical release. In return, Netflix will contribute significantly to the financing of these productions, Constantin Film announced this week. The new agreement grants Netflix licensed access to Constantin Film’s existing film and series catalog, it added. 

Shout! Factory and Aardman have entered a distribution agreement for the award-winning titles “Shaun the Sheep,” “Wallace & Gromit,” “Morph” and “Timmy Time,” the companies announced Monday. Exclusive home video, EST EST and TVOD rights and limited theatrical rights in the U.S. and Canada to four of Aardman’s properties will be granted to Shout! Factory per the agreement.  “We’re big fans of Aardman and these wonderful films and series and are very much looking forward to creating a release plan that excites dedicated fans and creates new ones,” said Melissa Boag, Shout’s executive vice president of kids and family. “Aardman’s worldwide reputation as an innovative home for compelling stories that captivate audiences make them an ideal partner for Shout! Factory.”

The Stockholm Film Festival has set SkyShowtime as its new official streaming partner in an agreement that will also see the streamer host the festival’s rising star award for new talent. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Universal Music Group has struck an agreement to acquire majority control of the second largest music catalog in Thailand, one of the fastest growing music markets in Asia. It is buying 70% of the music catalog of RS Group, a stock market-listed music distributor and artist management group. In its regulatory filing, RS group said that UMG is paying $45 million (THB1.61 billion) for the stake and that earn-out payments could lift this by a further $44.9 million (THB174 million). The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of the year. The music catalog will then form the core of a new partnership between UMG and RS Group with UMG becoming RS Group’s exclusive music service partner for new releases and new music repertoire worldwide. UMG will also receive exclusive rights of first refusal and matching rights to acquire new releases and repertoire. UMG will become the second-largest player in the Thai music market.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Puerto Rican superstar singer Ozuna has signed with Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, in partnership with his longtime manager Edgar Andino, CEO of Andino Marketing Group, the companies announced on Thursday. Ozuna, one of Latin music’s most popular artists, joins a roster that includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and others. Colombian singer J Balvin signed with the company in 2020 but left recently. “We’ve been following Ozuna’s career for years and we’re excited to be bringing him into the family to work with him and Edgar. Ozuna’s music is unmatched.  His ability to work across genres including reggaeton, Latin pop, and more, is phenomenal. With unique songs offering fresh perspective and beautiful sounds, We’re thrilled to amplify his artistry with this partnership,” offered Jennifer McDaniels, President of Management, SB Projects.

Roku is moving into the sports world.

Netflix has responded to a report published about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

“First-look deals are a lot of kicking tires,” Idris Elba said today, as he revealed his high-profile partnership with Apple TV+ has run down following the launch of psychological thriller Hijack.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has revealed a multi-year series partnership with Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta. Mehta’s hard hitting crime drama series “Scoop,” his maiden venture for Netflix, bowed earlier this month and was a major success for the service. Inspired by crime reporter Jigna Vora’s book “Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison” and starring Karishma Tanna as crime reporter Jagruti Pathak, the series is set up as the first season of a franchise.  Taking this successful collaboration forward, Mehra will create multiple series for Netflix over the next few years.

If the warm vibes between Keke Palmer and Amazon Studio’s Global Head of DEIA Latasha Gillespie continue, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.