California and eleven other US states have filed a lawsuit with the US District Court for Northern District of California in Sacramento to block the acquisition by Paramount Skydance Corp. of Warner Bros. Discovery in a $110 billion transaction that will combine Hollywood studios Paramount and Warner Bros., video streaming services HBO Max and Paramount Plus, as well as dozens of TV channels. In the lawsuit, the attorney generals of the 12 states claim that the proposed merger, "would extinguish...

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy has appointed former Member of Parliament Michael Dugher as the government’s Music Champion. This new role is designed to support the government’s new 'Plan for Music (Turn it Up: Our Plan for Music)', and act "as an advocate for the sector." Effective from 13 July 2026, this will be a year-long unremunerated appointment, with the opportunity for extension at the end of the term. "In this new role, Michael will act as a conduit betw...

France's competition regulator Autorité de la concurrence has enjoined tech company Meta to resume negotiations news content rights owners "in good faith" and provide them with the information necessary to assess the remuneration they are owed by July 23. The regulator's move follows a complaint filed by the French Société des droits voisins de la presse (Society for newspapers' neighbouring rights - DVP), which manages rights on behalf of over 800 news outlets, and the Alliance de la presse d’i...