Amazon MGM Studios vs TSUBURAYA FIELDS HOLDINGS

Philip Pratt Named Disney+ Local Originals Head for DACH

Philip Pratt, former head of German originals at Amazon MGM Studios, will join The Walt Disney Company in early 2027 as Vice President of Original Production for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH). He will oversee all local Disney+ productions in the region, reporting to Angela Jain, Head of Content EMEA. The position had been vacant since Benjamina Mirnik-Voges's departure in April 2025. Disney's Country Manager for DACH, Eun-Ky Park, stated the company plans to triple its investment in local productions, and Disney aims to triple its international original series volume on Disney+ within three years. Pratt brings over a decade of experience, having led Prime Video German originals including 'Maxton Hall'. Disney highlights its local production success with over 30 nominations and 13 awards for German originals since 2021, underscoring its strategic focus on expanding local content to drive subscriber growth.

• Philip Pratt will join Disney as VP, Original Production for DACH in early 2027.
• Pratt previously led German originals at Amazon MGM Studios for over 11 years.
• He will report to Angela Jain, Head of Content, Disney+ EMEA.

Amazon Uses AI to Sync Dubbed Lip Movements on Prime Video

Amazon is deploying an AI-driven 'Visual Dubbing' feature on Prime Video to adjust actors' lip movements to match synchronized audio tracks. The technology, which combines AI with classic VFX techniques, will first roll out on the series 'Maxton Hall', with the English dubbed versions of the first two seasons already available worldwide. The feature will also be available for the third and final season premiering on December 9, 2026. Human voice actors remain the source of the dubbed voices; only the visual component is altered. Prime Video has been experimenting with AI in dubbing, including a pilot program for AI-generated voices, but this new approach does not replace human speakers.

• Amazon's Visual Dubbing uses AI and VFX to match lip movements to dubbed audio.
• The feature is available for the English dub of 'Maxton Hall' seasons 1 and 2.
• The third and final season of 'Maxton Hall' will feature Visual Dubbing starting December 9, 2026.

Prime Video Unveils 2026/27 German Originals Slate

At a Berlin event, Prime Video unveiled its 2026/27 German originals slate, emphasizing continuity. The streamer now reaches over 17 million monthly ad-supported viewers. Highlights include the Gaumont-produced adaptation of Lilly Lucas's 'This Could Be Love'; the eighth season of 'LOL: Last One Laughing' around Easter 2027 and season two of 'LOL Next,' renewed before its first season aired; and the third and final 'Maxton Hall' season, premiering December 9. New titles span 'Perfekt Zusammen?!' with Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka, 'Drive – The Pretenders,' 'Queen Silvia' with Sat.1, Dennis Gansel's 'The Prototype,' and 'Holey Moley – Minigolf Extreme.' A fourth season of 'The 50' was confirmed. Tara Erer of Amazon MGM Studios noted German originals' global success, following Christoph Schneider's departure.

• Prime Video announced its 2026/27 German originals slate in Berlin.
• 'Maxton Hall' returns for its third and final season on December 9.
• 'LOL: Last One Laughing' gets season 8 around Easter 2027; 'LOL Next' season 2 was renewed before season 1 aired.

TSUBURAYA FIELDS HOLDINGS Announces New Pachi-Slot 'L Assault Lily' and Pachi-Slot 'e Godzilla vs Evangelion ~WIND BURST~' Launches

The company's consolidated subsidiary Fields Co., Ltd. announced the release of new pachislot machines 'L Assault Lily' on September 15, 2026, and 'e Godzilla vs Evangelion ~WIND BURST~' on September 1, 2026. Additionally, Tsuburaya Productions announced the opening of official shops 'ULTRAMAN STORE' in Ikebukuro and Umeda in 2026, and Fields announced a partnership with IG Port group for global merchandise development.