#wga-opposition

#wga-opposition

This contract, the second in the industry, sets a standard for workers at Sage and Coombe and beyond, according to Architectural Workers United, which has been instrumental in organizing efforts.

"Collective bargaining has been the fastest and most effective way for the regulation of AI technology," SAG-AFTRA Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated, emphasizing the union's role in shaping AI usage in Hollywood.

The crew walked off the Bonfire Legend production late last week and has called a strike against the production, citing a series of labor issues.

Row K Entertainment was conceived as a niche solution to a specific problem: too many indie movies, not enough indie buyers. Launched in August 2025, the fledgling label entered the movie market with a clear pitch.

Toonstar's proven ability to translate beloved stories into engaging animation, while keeping artists at the center of the process, makes them the ideal partner to bring Friendship List and other popular titles to new audiences in formats today's families love.

I was supposed to host the awards this Saturday, a day of celebrating the hard work of artists in one of the strongest unions in the U.S. But could we really celebrate while the staff, who help support the union are asking to be heard of their needs? I'm honored to stand with them.

Lashing out at what he called 'lackluster management' of Hollywood's $922-million redevelopment plan, Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo on Friday proposed sweeping changes in the way the city's Community Redevelopment Agency handles the project and vowed to increase the voice of residents and small merchants in Hollywood planning decisions.

"Frankly, this fight over the use of AI in the ProPublica newsroom demonstrates that it's the workers who are the heart of this journalistic enterprise, and who will fight to preserve it."

The Human Artistry Campaign's " Stealing Isn't Innovation " movement launches today with over 800 signatories. Those include many Hollywood actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as writers such as Jodi Picoult and Roxane Gay, and musicians like Cyndi Lauper and They Might be Giants. The campaign has a simple message: "Stealing our work is not innovation. It's not progress. It's theft-plain and simple."

At that point, they would have the right to require us to work in the office five days a week and to eliminate our contractually guaranteed three weeks of remote work per year. As we saw this fall: If the company can reduce our guaranteed remote-work days, they will. But when asked for data on how in-office work makes our news product, advertising and business operations better, the management side of the table was silent,

Of the $43.9 billion that advertisers in the U.S. are expected to spend on creator marketing in 2026, most of that money - 55% - will go towards ads amplifying the creators' content, not to the actual creation and posting of content by the creators themselves. And that spend is only increasing as creator content becomes a more popular choice for ad creative and paid amplification provides brands with the analytics to be able to more effectively gauge the impact of creators' content.

Albert Cheng, who heads the AI Studios initiative, emphasized that the goal is to support creative teams, not to replace them. The focus is on improving efficiency and reducing costs while ensuring that intellectual property is protected and AI-generated content isn't absorbed into other AI models. One example used is Amazon's "House of David" series, which featured 350 AI-generated shots in season two.

As 2025 fades into the rearview mirror, many of the entertainment and media industry's biggest legal questions remain unresolved. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin partners Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler take a forward-looking approach to the cases and doctrines that could shape 2026. In this episode, they cover: The unsettled future of fair use in AI training and copyright infringement How courts are approaching lawful versus unlawful acquisition of training data The growing split in AI cases involving market substitution and fair use

Netflix's share price was down 30% since announcing the acquisition, while the subsequent announcement that it was backing down sent Netflix stock up nearly 14%. For another, Netflix's commitment to the deal reportedly wavered after Paramount came in with an increased offer and seemed willing to go several more rounds in a bidding war.

"While we are confident that our transaction provides superior value and certainty, we recognize the ongoing distraction for WBD stockholders and the broader entertainment industry caused by PSKY's antics," Netflix said in a statement. "Accordingly, we granted WBD a narrow seven-day waiver of certain obligations under our merger agreement to allow them to engage with PSKY to fully and finally resolve this matter."

"The thing I don't understand is how you lose money running a laundromat," Hamrah writes, "especially if you own the building."

Paramount is turning up the pressure on Warner Bros. Discovery in the wake of its merger with Netflix, as it's now suing the David Zaslav-helmed company in an attempt to get more details surrounding the agreement. In addition to the lawsuit, Paramount CEO David Ellison revealed that the company plans to nominate directors to WBD's board to vote against its deal with Netflix.

Last week, he opened a $230-million movie and television studio on the edge of the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles nestled alongside the dramatic new Sixth Street Bridge. The state-of-the-art complex has five sound stages, offices and other proper movie studio features such as a mill, commissary and base camp. "We just had all the major networks, all the major streaming platforms walk through this facility and they can't believe how nice it is," said Wainright, managing partner of East End Studios.

We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.' iconic brands. But this transaction was always a 'nice to have' at the right price, not a 'must have' at any price. Netflix's co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters explained their decision to withdraw, emphasizing that while they valued the opportunity, the financial terms no longer justified proceeding with the acquisition.

Paramount filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros Discovery on Monday, suing for disclosures and preparing a proxy fight as it seeks to derail the media group's proposed sale of its studio and streaming assets to Netflix. Filed in Delaware Chancery Court, the lawsuit asks the court to compel WBD to provide disclosure to enable WBD shareholders to make informed decision on tendering their shares before its offer expires on January 21.

In an inversion of the usual order of operations, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts presented its Film Award nominations a week after the Academy Award nominations. Looking at the list, there aren't too many differences from the Oscar lineup. Oscar-nominated actors Amy Madigan ( Weapons), Delroy Lindo ( Sinners), and Elle Fanning ( Sentimental Value) were left off the BAFTA ballot, so you can imagine the days of fretting we'd all have done for them had the BAFTA noms emerged first.

To sweeten the offer for shareholders, Netflix and Warner Bros. today announced that Netflix will pay all cash instead. If successful, Netflix's purchase will include HBO Max, WB Studios, and other assets. The price is unchanged at $27.75 per share, and Warner Bros. is targeting an April 2026 shareholder vote. The original plan was for Netflix to buy each Warner Bros. share with $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix stock.

Donald Trump wants CNN sold. He has said so repeatedly and publicly, demanding it should be sold in any deal involving Warner Bros Discovery. Now one of America's largest media companies is racing to oblige him, while another looks to consolidate its power. Wednesday's House judiciary hearing on streaming competition where lawmakers voiced concern over the Trump administration's influence and a potential merger's toll on consumers made clear just how dangerous both options are for free speech, audiences and democracy itself.