Film and TV Briefing: Friday 7 August 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
What to watch on TV this August (BBC)
Paramount and WBD both reporting earnings as merger at risk (Deadline)
Universal Pictures Content Group acquires ‘Hadestown: The Musical’ (Screendaily)
ITV posts first results since news of its $2 billion deal with Sky (The Hollywood Reporter)
Best August additions to Netflix (IndieWire)
2026 key film festival dates (Screendaily)
Disney CEO confesses which movies are box office flops (Variety)
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' breaks all the box office records (Deadline)
Netflix sued for $105m after hard drive with unreleased Nicholas Cage movie stolen (The Hollywood Reporter)
'Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ posters banned by ASA (Screendaily)
Olivia Wilde's 'The Invite' earns $40 million globally and is hailed hit summer comedy (Variety)
World Cup sees Fox TV ad sales soar (The Hollywood Reporter)
Features and commentary
78th Primetime Emmy Awards - the 2026 predictions (IndieWire)
How Spider-Man became Hollywood's most heroic franchise (The Guardian)
‘Ish’, the debut feature with Luton roots backed by BFI and BBC Film premieres in its origin place (BFI)
IndieWire teams up with the Cultural Leadership Fund to tackle AI in film challenges (IndieWire)
How ‘Fleabag’ changed TV for good (BBC)
Anya Taylor-Joy on why almost all method actors are men (The Hollywood Reporter)
25 must watch films that shape our first 25 years (Screendaily)
Industry announcements
Birmingham announced as UK's 8th inward investment production hub (British Film Commission)
Disney and TikTok strike deal allowing creators to use Disney clips in their posts (BBC)
Legal updates
Paramount-Warner Bros trial set for March 2027 (The Hollywood Reporter)
