Warner Bros.

Mattel pushes Barbie as fashion icon amid Q2 loss

Mattel reported Q2 2026 results showing net sales rose 10% year-over-year to $1.1 billion, but the company swung to a net loss of $18 million compared with net income of $53 million a year earlier. Mattel said it will boost investment in the Barbie franchise — launching a “Barbie is Moving” campaign, rereleasing seven classic Barbie specials, doubling videos on its Barbie YouTube presence and debuting an animated special, “Barbie in the Nutcracker,” on Netflix during the 2026 holiday season. The company reiterated full-year 2026 guidance for net sales growth of 3%–6%, repurchased $100 million of shares during the quarter and aims to repurchase $400 million for the year. Roberto Stanichi was promoted to Chief Marketing and Brand Officer; CFO Paul Ruh discussed the buyback on an analyst call.

Court Delays Paramount–Warner Trial Until March

A U.S. judge has scheduled the trial over competition lawsuits challenging Paramount’s proposed takeover of Warner Bros. for early March next year, delaying progress on the roughly $111 billion deal. Lawsuits were filed by multiple U.S. states and the screenwriters’ union; the judge previously signalled grounds for a preliminary injunction. Paramount has promised Warner shareholders additional payments of about $650 million per quarter if the acquisition is not completed by the end of September, likely meaning at least $1.3 billion extra. The companies set a contractual close deadline of June 4, 2027; if that passes Warner may terminate the deal and claim a $7 billion break fee. The dispute has raised political concerns about the editorial independence of CNN under new ownership and highlights broader regulatory scrutiny of large media mergers.

Police Academy 2 makes RTL Super top private channel

Airing of Police Academy films on RTL Super delivered strong young-audience ratings on July 31, 2026. The second film, Police Academy 2, peaked at a 9.3% market share among 14–49-year-olds with an overall reach of about 530,000 viewers, making it the most-watched private-channel programme in the 14–49 group after 20:15. The earlier Police Academy film scored 6.8% among 14–49 (350,000 total). RTL's primetime entertainment show averaged 0.18 million viewers in 14–49 (8.4%) and 970,000 viewers overall (9.6% among 14–59). Sat.1 saw a decline for Die besten Comedians Deutschlands to 650,000 viewers and 6.4% in 14–49, while ProSieben's Kingsman delivered 7.1% in 14–49. Data source: AGF SCOPE (AGF Videoforschung).