Hollywood Buzz: July 2025

By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee and Executive Assistant at Buchwald and your co-Editor-in-Chief at THA

Everything you may have missed in the trades this month...  

Helpful Articles

• Warner Bros. Discovery separating its HBO Max streaming service, movie studio and TV production business from its cable networks. -Cynopsis, 6/17

• Gaumont TV President Talks End of Peak TV, Warns: “If We Don’t Own the IP, We Lose Our Identity” -THR, 6/17

• Entertainment Execs Talk Personalization and Short-Form Content in Evolving TV Landscape: ‘AI Is Another Big Wave That’s Coming’ -Variety, 6/20

• Bad News for Movie Studios: Authors Just Lost on a Key Issue in a Major AI Lawsuit -THR, 6/24

• The Fastest-Growing Streamer Will Surprise You: Vix, the Spanish-language streamer owned by TelevisaUnivision -THR, 6/24

• What’s Next In The Trump-CBS, Paramount-Skydance Saga -Deadline, 7/2

• Rise of the Machines: Inside Hollywood’s AI Civil War -THR, 7/16

• Senate Votes To Cut Federal Funding To Public Broadcasting -Deadline, 7/16

Partnerships, Mergers, Sales, and Acquisitions

• Warner Bros. Pictures Inks Five-Film Deal With Bhanushali Studios, JOAT Films for Indian Adaptations -Variety, 6/17

• New Regency Partners With Shamrock Capital, Investment Firm Acquires Participation In Studio’s Film & TV Library -Deadline, 6/18

• Netflix-TF1: Landmark Deal Sets Stage For More Partnerships Around The World – Analysis -Deadline, 6/19

• Disney & Charter Strike New Carriage Deal, Adding Hulu And Restoring Dropped Cable Channels To Spectrum TV -Deadline, 6/26

• Amazon MGM Studios & Sony Pictures Ink Multi-Year International Theatrical Distribution Deal -Deadline, 6/27

• Condé Nast Owners to Sell $1.1 Billion in Warner Bros. Discovery Stock -THR, 7/1

• Oaktree Capital Buys FilmRise, Merges It With Shout! Studios In New Radial Entertainment -Deadline, 7/1

• Disney And Hearst Exploring Sale Of A+E Global Media -Deadline, 7/8

• Disney and ITV Strike ‘First-of-Its-Kind’ Deal to Share Select Content Across Streaming Platforms -Variety, 7/10 

• What Will It Take to Get the Paramount-Skydance Deal Done? -THR, 7/11

  • David Ellison Met With FCC Chairman in Push to Finalize Approval for Paramount Deal -THR, 7/18

• Legendary Is Mulling Acquisition of Lionsgate Studios -Variety, 7/11

• Fox Sports Inks “Wide-Ranging” Deal With Barstool -THR, 7/17

Streaming Changes

• Warner Bros. Discovery separating its HBO Max streaming service, movie studio and TV production business from its cable networks. -Cynopsis, 6/17

• Paramount+ With Showtime Streaming Service Gets Renamed ‘Paramount+ Premium’ -Variety, 6/24

• Prime Video Leaders Pitch the Benefits of Amazon Channels Marketplace to Content Partners: ‘It’s Not Bundling, It’s A La Carte TV’ -Variety, 6/25

• Streaming Enters New Phase Of “More Stable Growth” As Ad Tiers Gain Traction & Subscriber Churn Reduces -Deadline, 6/25

• BBC Throws Up Website Paywall for U.S. Users -Variety, 6/26

• Streaming Subscriptions May Get Tougher to Cancel -THR, 7/8

• How Streamers and Broadcasters’ Cross Carriage Deals Could Disrupt the TV Business in Europe -Variety, 7/11

New Initiatives

• TEGNA stations are expanding their local news programming by launching live and on-demand, local newscasts from 7a to 9a. daily in 50+ markets through streaming, connected TV apps, and station websites. -Cynopsis, 6/17

• Lionsgate & DirecTV Launch Lionsgate Collection Premium Channel -Deadline, 6/17

• A24 Expands U.K. Office -Variety, 6/18

• Reese Witherspoon Unveils Hello Sunshine Sister Label, Sunnie, for Gen Z at Cannes Lions -Variety, 6/18

• Kevin Hart-founded Hartbeat is partnering with Sundial Media & Technology Group to launch an ESSENCE-branded FAST channel, the first major streaming platform designed specifically for Black women. -Cynopsis, 6/20

• Tubi is tapping into YouTube’s creator economy with the launch of “Tubi for Creators,” a new initiative to bring creator-led content to the platform. -Cynopsis, 6/20

• U.K. Unveils $100 Million “Screen Growth Package” for Film and TV, $200 Million Creative Places Fund -THR, 6/20

• UTA aims to make London “a major international hub for the company.” -THR, 6/23

• RTL’s Sky Deal creates Germany’s third-largest streamer. -THR, 6/27

• Tommy Dorfman Launches Good Girl Production Banner -THR, 6/27

• Fremantle Launches Global Originals Entertainment Label Under ‘Million Dollar Secret’ Co-Creator Nick Mather -Deadline, 6/30

• Netflix Launches Into Live Streaming Feeds (and Adds NASA+) -THR, 6/30

• Inevitable Foundation Launches First-of-Its-Kind Production Company -THR, 7/1

  • Inevitable Studios kicks off with a substantial development fund aimed at fostering projects with disability baked into storytelling — from writers and filmmakers from the disabled community.

• Netflix Says 50 Percent of Global Users Now Watch Anime, Reveals Expanded Slate -THR, 7/6

• Fox Nation Gets Into Live Sports, Inks Rights Deal With TKO’s Professional Bull Riders -THR, 7/8

• Invitation Media Launches With Amazon MGM Studios TV Deal -Deadline, 7/10

• Podcast Company Kaleidoscope Raises $5 Million For New Shows As It Eyes Film, TV Deals -THR, 7/14

• Roblox Launches New Licensing Platform With Lionsgate, Netflix, Sega and Kodansha as Founding Partners -Variety, 7/15

• 800 Pound Gorilla Announces Separate Film & TV Division -Deadline, 7/16

• Creator-Focused Franchise Building Venture Flywheel Launched Based on Experience With Leading YouTubers -Variety, 7/17

• Broadway Video Alum Andrew Singer Launches Revue Content Studio Backed By Wasserman -Deadline, 7/17

Production

• Netflix Shares New Details of Philadelphia and Dallas Destinations to Open in Late 2025, Plans Third Venue in Las Vegas -Variety, 6/17

• How TV City, a Major L.A. Soundstage Owner, Hopes to Weather a Filming Slump: Bring In Influencers -THR, 6/17

• Hollywood Heavyweights Hound Sacramento for a $750 Million Lifeline -THR, 6/18

  • In California's capitol, A-listers delicately push to expedite a bulked-up tax incentive to halt a production exodus.

• LA City Officials Approve New 5-Year Contract With FilmLA, Despite Groups Calling For Permitting Process Reform -Deadline, 6/20

• Indie Films Are Increasingly Getting Tax Credits to Shoot in California as Features Flee -THR, 6/23

• California Legislature Approves $750 Million Film Tax Credit by Wide Margin -Variety, 6/27

• L.A. County Board of Supervisors Unanimously Votes to Streamline Local Filming Processes -THR, 7/15

Unions

• Food Stylists in the Writers’ Union? That’s a Reality in an Innovative New Labor Deal -THR, 7/7

• WGA East Journalists At NYC’S 1010 WINS Radio Station Petition Audacy To Address Worker Safety In Contract Talks As Deadline Looms -July, 7/17

Layoffs

Layoffs: BET, Warner Music, Microsoft, Blumhouse 

Reducing Salaries: Verve (Temporarily) Cuts Salaries 

Awards

Winners: News & Documentary Emmys, ESPY Awards 

Nominations: Emmys, Daytime Emmys