Hollywood
Hollywood’s actors rename SAG-Aftra awards after themselves
LOS ANGELES: Hollywood’s actors have decided their awards show needed a rebrand. Starting with the 32nd ceremony on 1 March 2026, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will become The Actor Awards presented by SAG-Aftra. The change, announced last Friday, swaps decades of branding for a name inspired by the ceremony’s trophy—a statuette called The Actor.
The logic is straightforward. For over 30 years, presenters have declared “and The Actor goes to…” when announcing winners. The union reckons it’s time the show’s name matched the ritual. SAG-Aftra president and recipient of the statuette in 2004 Sean Astin says the trophy “represents all of us” and embodies “the dignity, poise and skill that define our craft.”
The rebranding aims to clarify what sets this awards night apart: actors voting for actors. Unlike the Oscars or Golden Globes, where journalists, industry veterans or academy members cast ballots, SAG-Aftra’s 160,000-odd members are the sole judges. National executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland insists the categories and voting process remain untouched. Only the masthead changes.
The union also wants the full SAG-Aftra name front and centre. As a merged organisation—the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists combined in 2012—leaders believe the expanded title better represents their sprawling membership. Netflix will continue streaming the ceremony live, with executives hopeful that international viewers will grasp what makes the show distinct.
Whether audiences will embrace calling it “The Actor Awards” remains unclear. But for an industry that spends half its time obsessing over identity and the other half handing itself trophies, the name fits like a bespoke tuxedo.
Actors honouring actors with an award called The Actor?
You couldn’t write it.
Actually, they just did.
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.
