Featuring major moves from Hearst, Disney, Lionsgate, TikTok, Paramount+, and VIZ Media—including $1B+ M&A deals, high-profile streaming co-productions, and global franchise expansions.

Major shifts are redefining the media landscape this week.

Leading our coverage, Hearst takes 100% control of A+E Global Media in a landmark $1.2B buy-out from Disney, while Disney+ builds bridges to Gen-Z through a global creator partnership with TikTok.

Elsewhere, Paramount+ and Prime Video join forces on the thriller Trauma, VIZ Media taps The Gotham Group to expand its anime IP, and Lionsgate readies Michael 2 following its $1B predecessor.

Want to discover who’s acquiring similar IP, forming strategic partnerships, investing in new markets, or expanding production worldwide?

Ask VIQI.

Following the $1 billion box office success of its Michael Jackson biopic Michael, Lionsgate is moving forward with a sequel slated to begin production by late 2026 or early 2027 for a release between late 2027 and mid-2028. The follow-up will pick up after Jackson’s 1987 Bad tour and explore the singer’s later career and personal life while incorporating previously shot musical sequences to optimize production costs. (USA)

Polish broadcaster Super Polsat has commissioned a local adaptation of Banijay’s global hit property format “Love It or List It”, titled “Pokochaj lub sprzedaj”. Produced by Endemol Shine Poland, the show expands the 60-series franchise into Poland with hosts Marika Jóźwiak and Jacek Mędrala. (Poland)

VIZ Media has partnered with production powerhouse The Gotham Group to develop film and television adaptations based on its original IP library, including its VIZ Originals graphic novel line. The multi-project collaboration focuses heavily on expanding the flagship animated franchise “RWBY” for global audiences, with Volume 10 currently underway. (USA)

Netflix has commenced production on ‘Ad Vitam Eternam’, the sequel to its hit French action thriller ‘Ad Vitam’. The film sees Guillaume Canet reprising his role alongside returning cast members Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, and Zita Hanrot. New cast additions include Sophie Marceau and Mathieu Amalric. The project is directed by Ludovic Colbeau-Justin. (USA)

Paramount+ and Prime Video have co-commissioned the medical thriller series ‘Trauma’, produced by Lionsgate Television and 42. The project stars Richard Madden as a former military medic navigating a hostage crisis in a London hospital. Prime Video holds exclusive streaming distribution rights in the UK and Ireland, while Paramount+ will distribute the series across other international markets. (USA)

Disney Channel and Disney+ have greenlit ‘Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story’, a music-driven spin-off film produced by Disney Kids & Family following the success of ‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland’. The movie focuses on the children of classic animated sidekicks and features a cast including Dior Goodjohn, Momona Tamada, Jacob Rodriguez, Eva Fossaceca Smedley, and Harry Jones. (USA)

Brussels-based sales agency Best Friend Forever has acquired international sales rights to the Malayalam-language vampire revenge action-thriller Half ahead of its world premiere in Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness section. Produced by Fragrant Nature Film Creations, the project marks a rare crossover play for Indian genre cinema to secure a European sales agent prior to its domestic rollout, with Excel Entertainment and AA Films handling its North Indian theatrical distribution. (Belgium, India)

Mad World, the international sales arm of Cairo-based Mad Solutions, has acquired worldwide sales rights to Dutch-Egyptian filmmaker Ashgan El-Hamus’ debut feature Al Baraneya ahead of its world premiere in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori section. The co-production centers on a pregnant young woman in rural Egypt who finds herself torn between tradition and the allure of city life when her family faces a decision to sell their land. (Egypt, Netherlands, Belgium, Saudi Arabia)

Independent distributor Wildcard has acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights for the psychological opera drama Maya Butterfly, starring Jessica Reynolds and Charlotte Rampling. Currently in production with support from Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, the feature from debut director Edwina Casey is being positioned for a theatrical release next year. (Ireland, UK)

Dubai-based entertainment network OSN has secured the streaming rights to the acclaimed Arab superhero animated franchise ‘The 99’ from Teshkeel Media Group. The groundbreaking series, created by Naif Al-Mutawa and based on Islamic culture and universal values, will join the streaming lineup on the OSN+ platform across the MENA region. (UAE)

Bulgarian documentary Bear With Me, directed by Martin Genovski and produced by Agitprop, has been acquired by German broadcaster ZDF/ARTE for its prestigious prime-time strand Grand Format. The film, which explores the bond between an 80-year-old former circus trainer and her rescued brown bear, marks the first time a Bulgarian feature documentary has secured a slot in the flagship program ahead of its 2027 broadcast. (Bulgaria, Germany)

Global streaming platform Documentary+ has acquired the global distribution rights to WrestleHer, an 11-part nonfiction series from prodco Substance following the rise of high school girls’ wrestling in Ohio. The series is set to premiere on September 10 across both Documentary+ and women’s sports media brand Allez! Sports. (USA)

Disney+ has partnered with ByteDance’s social video platform TikTok to feature curated short-form creator content across its streaming ecosystem. The new collaboration also establishes the joint Disney Creator Ambassador Programme, granting selected digital creators broader promotional visibility, exclusive event access, and career development initiatives across both media platforms globally. (USA)

Broadcasters, tech firms, and media organizations in Jakarta have launched the Indonesia FAST Media Alliance to accelerate the digital transformation of local television through free ad-supported streaming channels. Co-initiated by connected TV specialist Coolita and the China Intercontinental Communication Center alongside Indonesian public and private broadcasters, the open industry platform focuses on FAST channel development, digital content distribution, and technical collaboration. (Indonesia, China)

US media giant Hearst has officially confirmed it will acquire the remaining 50% stake in A+E Global Media from Disney for approximately $1.2 billion in cash. The deal brings networks such as A&E, History, and Lifetime fully under Hearst’s entertainment division while ending a decades-long joint venture between the two companies. (USA)

Veteran talent manager and producer Jennie Church-Cooper has officially launched Hello Sailor Media, a Los Angeles-based management and production company. Departing Levity Entertainment Group after 18 years in entertainment, Church-Cooper will represent comedians, writers, and directors, while developing content following her previous work executive producing the series ‘Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj’. (USA)

Studio82 and Happy Accidents have partnered to jointly develop, finance, and produce a new slate of young-adult (YA) film and television content. Building on their existing collaboration as executive producers on Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, the two production outfits plan to focus initially on YA IP before potentially expanding into other genres. (USA)

LA-based unscripted prodco Ample Entertainment has launched a direct-to-consumer YouTube channel, Ample Originals, to showcase original documentaries, companion content, and creator collaborations. The platform debuts with investigative series “Ample Investigates” alongside “Somebody Knows Something”, a YouTube companion show hosted by Kara Robinson Chamberlain that ties directly into Ample’s upcoming Freeform series. (USA)