What's news: Charter has completed its acquisitions of Cox and Liberty Broadband. MS NOW has unveiled an $79.99 annual subscription offer. Spider-Man: Brand New Day blew past $800m in North America. Hulu’s Good American Family is becoming an anthology series. And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to leave the U.S. — Abid Rahman

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►Grim projections. As the public perception battle over Paramount‘s attempt to seal its deal for Warner Bros. Discovery hits a fever pitch, the historic home of Hollywood — Los Angeles County — is throwing fuel on the fire. The County’s department that has been studying the potential cost of the $111b deal to local workers and businesses is out with its latest report of the financial impact if the merger closes. Thousands of jobs are directly at risk as a result of the transaction across corporate, creative and production workforces, according to the study. The motion picture sector is expected to take a $2.87b hit and workers are expected to experience $1.26b in lost wages. The story. 

—🤝 It's official! 🤝 Charter Communications has completed its acquisitions of Cox Communications and John Malone’s Liberty Broadband, creating a new cable powerhouse. The $34.5b mega-merger was announced in May 2025, with Charter, the second-largest cable company in the U.S., acquiring Cox, another cable giant with 6m subscribers. The FCC approved the pact earlier this year. The story.

—Focus "super fans." As it forges a new identity outside of NBCUniversal, the left-leaning cable stalwart MS NOW is betting on membership as a major revenue driver. The channel’s chief, Rebecca Kutler, unveiled what she described as “the first step in a long-term strategy to deepen our relationship with audiences,” namely a $7.99 per month or $79.99 annual subscription to the outlet in a tier that will launch Sept. 9. The story.

 

—Big changes. Nielsen will incorporate a slate of updates and “enhancements” to its TV ratings product for the 2026-27 season, including a change to its monthly snapshot of viewing across various platforms that sparked a small controversy earlier this year. That change — a different way of measuring the total number of TV users in the U.S. — along with updates to co-viewing measurement, more accurate weighting of the big data and panel components in TV ratings and other tweaks are set to be incorporated into Nielsen’s product starting Sept. 1. The story. 

►Past abuse. Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere‘s on-off boyfriend — and at one point her abuser — was visited by police after it was learned that he was present, along with his brother, at the South Carolina townhouse where medics attempted, but ultimately failed, to revive the actress over the weekend, according to a redacted police report. Panettiere‘s relationship with Hickerson was central to the discussions of domestic abuse in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring the actress. The story.

 

—"It was clear she was terrified." Hayden Panettiere‘s neighbor in West Hollywood recalls calling 911 at least half a dozen times to report disturbances at the actress’s apartment. Mia Terrazzas spoke with Inside Edition on Wednesday about her experience living next to Panettiere and Brian Hickerson. When asked if she noticed any signs of domestic violence, Terrazzas said, “Oh, absolutely.” The story. 

—The latest. The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Wednesday. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said on Monday that her cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation, and that there were no obvious signs of trauma. However, officials were reportedly heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” on a 911 call at the time of her death. The story.

►British tabloids rejoice. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to leave the U.S. and return to the U.K. Their children, Archie and Lilibet, have been enrolled in a British school in September, according to U.K. media reports. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to live in a private residence outside London, without royal trappings. The couple is also expected to keep their home in California. The Sussex’s return to Britain comes not long after Netflix downgraded its overall deal with the pair to a first-look deal. The story.

—Unmasking ruling. Ariana Grande has been granted expedited discovery in the pop star’s lawsuit over hackers stealing her unreleased music and photos, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Grande first filed her lawsuit against unnamed John Does in July, alleging that hackers had targeted devices of people in her inner circle to steal unreleased music, photos and other materials, subsequently selling the content online on the “dark web for significant sums of money." The story.

—"I wasn’t allowed to speak about it." When Sandra Bullock‘s longtime partner, Bryan Randall, died at age 57 in 2023, the news came as a shock to friends, colleagues and Bullock fans as the photographer never revealed a diagnosis or battle with ALS. At the time of his death, Randall’s “loving family” released a statement and said that he “chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those who cared for him did our best to honor his request.” Three years later, Bullock has opened up for the first time about the challenges of keeping a secret while facing “a traumatic diagnosis.” The story.

 

—"Let it heal." After revealing that he was “frustrated, fried, fed up” with acting and had sent the “definitive email” to put his career on hold, David Krumholtz has taken to Instagram to clarify his now-viral comments. “Firstly, I am very well. And I feel very loved. Secondly, I never used the word ‘retiring’ or ‘quitting.’ Instead, I said that I decided to put my career on hold,” he explained in a post shared Wednesday morning. "However, a time has come where the weight of those dreams and ambitions has become surprisingly oppressive," he added. Krumholtz explained that the oppressiveness is "a me problem, not a Hollywood as a whole problem." The story.

 

—Wanted man. Conor Kennedy, the son of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been placed on Russia’s international wanted list after traveling to Ukraine in 2022 to fight with the country’s International Legion. A Moscow court on Aug. 12 authorized Kennedy’s arrest in absentia on charges of mercenarism, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. If detained, Kennedy faces a sentence of seven to 10 years in prison. The story.

►🟢 With a twist! 🟢 Ready for Sons of Anarchy meets Galaxy Quest? FX has ordered a wildly original “meta-thriller” spinoff from SoA star Charlie Hunnam. The limited series Legends will reunite the original cast of the hit motorcycle club crime drama, only this time they’ll be playing fictionalized versions of themselves. The official description: "When the cast of Sons of Anarchy reunites at a fan convention after more than a decade, the line between life and art blurs as the fractured brotherhood finds itself up against a real-world threat more dangerous than anything they ever faced in their show." The story.

—🟢 Coming back. 🟢 Hulu’s Good American Family is becoming an anthology series. The streamer has ordered a second season of the show, with creator and writer Katie Robbins and executive producer Ellen Pompeo returning in those capacities (Pompeo also starred in the first season). Season two will dramatize the story of Lorena Bobbitt and the media circus that surrounded her after she severed her husband’s penis after years of alleged abuse. The story.

 

—🎭 New faces. 🎭 Jonah Hauer-King, Jo Joyner and John Hollingworth are among the new cast members for season two of drama Code of Silence. The Rose Ayling-Ellis-starring series, about a deaf woman whose lip-reading skills get her hired for a police sting, has started filming the next season and will return to U.K. broadcaster ITV and streaming service BritBox in North America. The story.

►🏆 Congrats! 🏆 Widow’s Bay is the biggest winner at the 2026 Television Critics Association Awards, although it didn’t take home the group’s top honor. That goes to Heated Rivalry. The hockey romance from Canada’s Crave and HBO Max won the TCA‘s program of the year award. It was the only win for Heated Rivalry among five nominations. Widow’s Bay took home three awards — best comedy, best new series and individual achievement in comedy for Kate O’Flynn’s breakout performance. The Apple TV series was the only show to win multiple awards in the competitive categories. The winners. 

—🎭 Stacked! 🎭 Apple TV‘s Murderbot has lined up a star-studded roster of actors for its second season. The sci-fi series starring Alexander Skarsgård revealed a list of 25 recurring actors and guest stars for the series, which is currently filming. They are, in alphabetical order: Ella Jay Basco, Etienne Beydon, Nicholas Braun, Steve Buscemi, Bridget Everett, Jason George, Topher Grace, Brendan Hunt, Divian Ladwa, Jaedynn Latter, Marc Menchaca, Griffin Newman, Katy O’Brian, Britne Oldford, Patton Oswalt, Nia Otchere-Sarfo, Martha Plimpton, Kali Reis, Meredith Salenger, Michael Sheen, Maddy Strauss, Wanda Sykes, Tramell Tillman, Blair Underwood and Damian Young. The story.

►Sony vs. Sony. Spider-Man: Brand New Day looks to continue its run at the box office against new challengers Insidious: Out of the Further and Jason Statham's Mutiny. Sony Pictures releases Out of the Further in roughly 3,000 North American theaters on Friday, with the studio projecting an opening weekend around $23m. Opening in roughly 2,700 North American locations is Mutiny, that is tracking to open in the high single-digit range. The box office report. 

—Woof! Brand New Day is still catching records amid its historic box office run. Sony Pictures confirmed Wednesday that the superhero feature has surpassed $800m domestically in its first 19 days of release, making it the fastest movie in history to reach that mark. The North American total for director Destin Daniel Cretton‘s film now stands at $803.9m, putting it as the No. 4 highest-grossing domestic release ever. The box office report.

—🏆 Meal do naidheachd! 🏆 The Edinburgh International Film Festival unveiled the winners of its feature filmmaking and short filmmaking awards on Wednesday. Skintown, directed by Kieron J. Walsh, was awarded the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, voted on by the audience and funded by the Connery Foundation. The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence was awarded to Grief Room, directed by Sindha Agha. The winners. 

►"One step further, two steps back." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Jacob Chase's Insidious: Out of the Further. A young mother and her daughter encounter supernatural forces in the latest entry in the hit film series created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan. Starring Amelia Eve, Brandon Perea, Lin Shaye, Sam Spruell, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Island Austin and Brandon Perea. Written by Jacob Chase. The review.

—"So tasteful you'll forget what it's about." THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Martin Provost's Love Lessons. In this Locarno-premiering French film, a retired teacher dithers over his dating options. Starring Fabrice Luchini, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, Carole Bouquet, Helene Alexandridis, Evelyne Istria and Klara Csordas. Written by Martin Provost, in collaboration with Marc Abdelnour. The review.

 

 

In other news...

—Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story trailer teases bloody tale of infamous axe murders

 

—California Schemin' trailer: Scottish rappers con their way to a deal in James McAvoy’s directorial debut

—Earle Meets World trailer goes inside Alix Earle’s dramatic year

 

—Jordan Firstman plays unexpected father in Club Kid trailer

—Naomi Watts to receive Zurich Festival Golden Eye award

—San Sebastian to close with Belgium's Le Faux Soir

—Chelsea Freeman signs with The Team

What else we're reading...

—Erkki Forster reports on the secret power struggle between Melania Trump and White House aide Natalie Harp [Daily Beast]

—As Graceland hits 40, Ethan Beck reflects on the the pioneering, divisive power of Paul Simon’s greatest album [Guardian]

—In an excerpt from her book, Sharon Weinberger looks at the history of Apple and the CIA, and how, arguably, the agency helped Steve Jobs' return to the company [WSJ]

 

—Erika D. Smith believes prediction markets are turning fake election polls into a real threat [Bloomberg]

—Kathryn Schoon writes that with everyone focusing relentlessly on Ariana Grande, "we’re neglecting the structural issues that lead her—and millions of other women—to keep losing weight" [Prospect]

Today...  

...in 1993, Universal unveiled John Woo’s R-rated action thriller Hard Target, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, in theaters. The original review.

Today's birthdays...

 

Amy Adams (52), Andrew Garfield (43), Ke Huy Quan (55), Joan Allen (70), Demi Lovato (34), Al Roker (72), Robert Plant (78), Connie Chung (80), David O. Russell (68), Sylvester McCoy (83), Fred Durst (56), Ben Barnes (45), Meghan Ory (44), Misha Collins (52), Ray Wise (79), James Marsters (64), John Noble (78), Liana Liberato (31), Noah Bean (48), Billy Gardell (57), Michael Rady (45), Alexandra Roach (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿39), Kristen Miller (50), Colin Cunningham (60), Patrick Kilpatrick (77), Olivia Cheng (47), Richard Marrero (45), Ali Liebert (45), Peter Horton (73), Brant Daugherty (41), Stanley Townsend (65), Randeep Hooda (50), Natasha Culzac (40), Alex Newell (34), Geoffrey Blake (64), Adrian Bower (56), Neslihan Atagül (34), Jeanie Bacharach (63), Tony Terraciano (26), Simon Shepherd (70), Paolo Genovese (60), Markus Flanagan (62), Billy Jenkins (19)