Hollywood
Benedict Cumberbatch gets engaged !
MUMBAI: The Imitation Game actor, Benedict Cumberbatch announced his engagement to Sophie Hunter, a theater actress and director, via a paid-for announcement in The Times newspaper’s classified section.
The ad read:
MR B.T. CUMBERBATCH AND MISS S.I. HUNTER
The engagement is announced between Benedict, son of Wanda and Timothy Cumberbatch of London, and Sophie, daughter of Katharine Hunter of Edinburgh and Charles Hunter of London,” read the classified.
According to media reports, a wedding date has not been set yet.
The couple met while shooting the thriller Burlesque Fairytales in 2009. Cumberbatch and Hunter were only confirmed as a couple five months ago, after being photographed together at the French Open.
Cumberbatch’s engagement comes two years after his breakup with fashion designer Anna Jones and four year after his longest relationship (10 years) with actress and screenwriter Olivia Poulet that ended in 2010.
Hunter, has had some small roles in films, including Vanity Fair, and won a Samuel Beckett award for her play The Terrific Electrice, which she wrote and directed. She’s since staged productions of Ghosts (Henrik Ibsen), and The Magic Flute (Mozart). She also constructed an installation, Lucretia, inspired by Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
