Film and TV Briefing: Friday 6 February 2026
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
David Ellison pens open letter to UK audiences over Paramount merger (The Hollywood Reporter)
Cast unveiled for ‘Saturday Night Live UK’ (Deadline)
Melania documentary beats box office expectations in US (BBC)
‘Marty Supreme’ set for release in China (Screen Daily)
European TV industry operating in “climate of fear”, report says (Deadline)
Meryl Streep to play Joni Mitchell in biopic (The Guardian)
‘Home Alone’ star Catherine O’Hara dies aged 71 (BBC)
Netflix chief defends Warner Bros. Discovery merger plan before US Senators (Broadcast)
Gen Z struggles to sit through films in class, survey finds (The Hollywood Reporter)
Donald Trump says he should stay out of Warner Bros. Discovery battle (The Hollywood Reporter)
YouTube revenue topped $60 billion last year (Deadline)
12% drop in Sony Pictures revenue in final quarter of 2025 (Variety)
Kudos invests in indie run by ‘Sex Education’ producer (Deadline)
Features and commentary
What will the next chapter have in store for the Sundance film festival? (The Guardian)
Why 2026 Oscars are taking us back to 1970s (The Hollywood Reporter)
How Josh D’Amaro beat off competition to land top job at Disney (Variety)
Melania’s glossy advert should worry every documentary filmmaker (IndieWire)
Industry announcements
Call for creatives to shape UK Government policy on copyright and AI (Pact)
Legal updates
Donald Trump’s lawyers say BBC’s defence over ‘Panorama’ is “untenable” (BBC)
Paramount facing lawsuit over Rihanna song in ‘Smurfs’ movie (Billboard)
Former Jim Henson Company executive sues for $7.5 million for breach of contract (The Wrap)
