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By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) -Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny and Argentine hip-hop duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso each won five Latin Grammy awards in Las Vegas on Thursday, cementing Bad Bunny as an industry titan while thrusting the lesser-known act into the spotlight. Bad Bunny won album of the year for "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," a tour de force mixing styles from Afro-Caribbean to salsa that netted him 12 nominations. He also won for best urban/urban fusion performance,  best reggaeton performance, best urban music album, and best urban song.  The awards only burnish his reputation ahead of his wider introduction to English-speaking America and a worldwide audience as the halftime performer of the Super Bowl in February, a choice that rankled some U.S. traditionalists including President Donald Trump, who said he had never heard of Bad Bunny. The rapidly growing Latin music sector generated a record $1.4 billion in 2024, making up 8.1% of total U.S. music revenue, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, which said it was shaping the culture faster than any other genre. Bad Bunny, 31, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has also received six nominations for the regular Grammys to be awarded on February 2, including for the major categories of record, song and album of the year. He was the first Latin artist to be nominated in the three major categories in the same year. In winning album of the year, Bad Bunny was honored over industry luminaries such as the Spaniard Alejandro Sanz and Cuban-born Gloria Estefan. Sanz, however, won two awards: record of the year for "Palmeras En El Jardín," and best contemporary pop album for "¿Y Ahora Qué?" That raised his career total to 24.  Estefan still took home the award for best traditional tropical album for "Raíces." Karol G claimed song of the year, with "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido" winning over the Bad Bunny title song from his album. BREAK WITH TRADITION In September the National Football League announced Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl halftime show on February 8, 2026, when he is likely to become the first such act to perform entirely or mostly in Spanish. In 2020, he made a guest appearance at the halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, helping boost his meteoric rise. While the NFL is embracing the genre, and the entertainment dollars that come with it, American football's break with tradition was poorly received by some fans including Trump, who called the choice of Bad Bunny as halftime entertainer "absolutely ridiculous." “I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it – it’s, like, crazy," Trump told Newsmax in October. Bad Bunny, who has criticized Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement, supported Trump's opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. "Brother, this is always a special moment for me. And I get just as nervous as the first time. That means that what I do matters to me," Bad Bunny, who had won a total of 12 Latin Grammys in previous years, said upon taking home the first televised award of the night. He later performed "Weltita," a single from the album, with the backing band Chuwi. Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso had 10 nominations and won for best pop song, best alternative music album, best alternative song, best short form music video and best long form music video.  Paloma Morphy, a 25-year-old Mexican, won best new artist after her debut album "Au," which won over listeners with catchy melodies. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Saad Sayeed)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney signaled on Thursday it was girding for a potentially prolonged fight with YouTube TV over distribution of its television networks, worrying investors about the outlook for its already declining TV business. The company also missed quarterly revenue expectations as the cable weakness overshadowed strong growth in the company's streaming and parks businesses central to its growth. Shares were down 8.3% in afternoon trading Thursday. On a post-earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston told analysts Disney has "built a hedge" into its forecasts assuming the negotiations could drag on. Disney's networks disappeared from YouTube TV – the fourth-largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. with about 10 million subscribers – on October 30 in the latest carriage rights dispute between the Alphabet unit and a major media company. NBCUniversal also had a similar dispute with YouTube TV earlier this year. "Disney is reducing its reliance upon cable companies to distribute its channels. But cutting out video distributors will take time," said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes. "YouTube TV is one of the leading cable TV providers, so its absence is a big hole for sports fans." Morgan Stanley analysts estimate a 14-day blackout on YouTube TV would cost Disney about $60 million in revenue. The tense discussions underscore YouTube TV's rapid growth as well as Google's vast financial resources, which give it greater leverage in negotiations with media companies. "The deal that we have proposed is equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to," Disney CEO Bob Iger said, referring to the talks with YouTube TV. Iger's current contract expires at the end of 2026; Disney is expected to name his successor early next year. "And while we've been working tirelessly to close this deal and restore our channel to the platform, it's also imperative that we make sure that we agree with a deal that reflects the value that we deliver, which both YouTube, by the way, and Alphabet have told us is greater than the value of any other provider." Disney's quarterly revenue was comparable to a year ago at $22.5 billion but shy of the $22.75 billion analyst forecast. Profit at the traditional television unit declined 21% to $391 million, and income from ESPN slipped too, offsetting other divisions including streaming, where earnings rose 39% to $352 million. Disney has invested more in streaming and its parks to offset the industry-wide decline of traditional broadcast and cable TV. BUYBACK, DIVIDEND GET A BOOST The media and entertainment giant said it would to boost its dividend by 50% to $1.50 a share, and double its share buyback plan to $7 billion for fiscal 2026. It posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.11 for the September-end quarter, down 3% from a year earlier but 6 cents above the average LSEG estimate. Profit rose in Disney's theme parks unit to $1.88 billion, up 13% from a year ago, partially from an expansion of the U.S. cruise ship business and growth at Disneyland Paris. Disney said it added 12.5 million subscribers to Disney+ and Hulu during the quarter, reaching a total of 196 million.  A new distribution deal with cable and broadband provider Charter Communications helped draw new streaming customers, Johnston told Reuters. Operating income at the entertainment division slumped by more than a third to $691 million after this year's films failed to match the success of last year's hits "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine."  Iger said Disney has had conversations with artificial intelligence companies as it looks for ways to use AI technology while still protecting its characters and stories. He said the company is exploring how to use AI to allow Disney+ subscribers to create short-form content. "There's phenomenal opportunities to deploy AI across our direct to consumer platforms," said Iger, "both to provide tools that make the platforms more dynamic and more sticky with consumers, but also to give consumers the opportunity to create on our platforms." (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; additional reporting by Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Sonali Paul, Arun Koyyur and Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) -Record label ABKCO Music sued paint maker Behr Paint in California federal court on Wednesday for using the Rolling Stones classic "Paint It, Black" in an Instagram ad without first negotiating a license. ABKCO told the court that Behr's inclusion of "Paint It, Black" in a post featuring a picture of a "DIY coffee and wine bar" painted with Behr paint violated the label's copyright in the song. Spokespeople for Behr did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. "Because of Behr’s decision not to request and obtain the necessary license, this commercial brand association has been forced upon ABKCO and the artists without any consideration or compensation," ABKCO general counsel William Pittenger said in a statement.  New York-based ABKCO owns the rights to the Rolling Stones' recordings from the 1960s. The legendary band's "Paint It, Black" reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 in 1966. Santa Ana, California-based Behr used the song as a soundtrack for an Instagram post in 2022, which ABKCO said it discovered this June. ABKCO said it notified Behr of the alleged infringement in August, but the paint company was "unwilling to engage in further dialogue concerning its unauthorized use." "Behr is a sophisticated, multi-billion-dollar corporation that, upon information and belief, routinely licenses recorded music for its commercials, yet it inexplicably chose in this case not to seek a license for 'Paint It, Black,'" ABKCO said in the complaint. ABKCO asked the court for an unspecified amount of monetary damages. The case is ABKCO Music & Records v. Behr Paint Co, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 8:25-cv-02530. For ABKCO: Benjamin Akley of Pryor Cashman For Behr: attorney information not yet available (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Timour Azhari and Mohammed Benmansour RIYADH (Reuters) -Cristiano Ronaldo. Naomi Campbell. Sofia Vergara. And the latest celebrity brought to Saudi Arabia in the kingdom's push to become a global entertainment destination: MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber on the planet. The online sensation hit 100 billion views this month and is in Riyadh to launch Beast Land, a theme park modelled on his videos that put people through elaborate endurance challenges to win large cash prizes. "It's probably one of the best days of my life," the 27-year-old, whose real name is James Donaldson, told Reuters ahead of the launch on Thursday, in one of at least nine interviews conducted as part of his Saudi PR blitz. "One of the top requests I get is: I want to be in a MrBeast video… So now (we are) creating that in real life where you guys can come visit it and experience what it is like," he said. CHANGING TIMES IN ONCE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE KINGDOM Over the past decade, once ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has rapidly developed entertainment options as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 to diversify the country away from oil and transform society. Young Saudis grew up with few avenues for fun, with cinemas and concerts effectively banned. Outsiders saw the kingdom as stuck in time. Both perceptions have shifted. The Saudi capital is now the scene of Riyadh Season, running almost half the year with near-daily events from boxing and slap contests to house music parties and sports competitions. Lit up in neon-blue, Beast Land combines theme park attractions like rollercoasters with Donaldson's American Gladiator-style challenges, such as a game where the last player to slap a button when it lights up falls to cushioned doom. Donaldson says 70% of his fans are outside the U.S. and Saudi Arabia was also a natural choice due to easily accessible studio space to film his latest season of videos. "I'd say give it a try, it's much more developed than you'd think," he said. The kingdom has been known to attract international talent with massive compensation: Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr is estimated to be worth more than $200 million. MrBeast has at times stirred controversy, with Mexico in May filing suit against a firm they say worked with him after he produced a video at the nation's ancient Maya pyramids. (Reporting by Timour Azhari Editing by Alex Richardson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Timour Azhari and Mohammed Benmansour RIYADH (Reuters) -Cristiano Ronaldo. Naomi Campbell. Sofia Vergara. And the latest celebrity brought to Saudi Arabia in the kingdom's push to become a global entertainment destination: MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber on the planet. The online sensation hit 100 billion views this month and is in Riyadh to launch Beast Land, a theme park modelled on his videos that put people through elaborate endurance challenges to win large cash prizes. "It's probably one of the best days of my life," the 27-year-old, whose real name is James Donaldson, told Reuters ahead of the launch on Thursday, in one of at least nine interviews conducted as part of his Saudi PR blitz. "One of the top requests I get is: I want to be in a MrBeast video… So now (we are) creating that in real life where you guys can come visit it and experience what it is like," he said. CHANGING TIMES IN ONCE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE KINGDOM Over the past decade, once ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has rapidly developed entertainment options as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 to diversify the country away from oil and transform society. Young Saudis grew up with few avenues for fun, with cinemas and concerts effectively banned. Outsiders saw the kingdom as stuck in time. Both perceptions have shifted. The Saudi capital is now the scene of Riyadh Season, running almost half the year with near-daily events from boxing and slap contests to house music parties and sports competitions. Lit up in neon-blue, Beast Land combines theme park attractions like rollercoasters with Donaldson's American Gladiator-style challenges, such as a game where the last player to slap a button when it lights up falls to cushioned doom. Donaldson says 70% of his fans are outside the U.S. and Saudi Arabia was also a natural choice due to easily accessible studio space to film his latest season of videos. "I'd say give it a try, it's much more developed than you'd think," he said. The kingdom has been known to attract international talent with massive compensation: Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr is estimated to be worth more than $200 million. MrBeast has at times stirred controversy, with Mexico in May filing suit against a firm they say worked with him after he produced a video at the nation's ancient Maya pyramids. (Reporting by Timour Azhari Editing by Alex Richardson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Timour Azhari and Mohammed Benmansour RIYADH (Reuters) -Cristiano Ronaldo. Naomi Campbell. Sofia Vergara. And the latest celebrity brought to Saudi Arabia in the kingdom's push to become a global entertainment destination: MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber on the planet. The online sensation hit 100 billion views this month and is in Riyadh to launch Beast Land, a theme park modelled on his videos that put people through elaborate endurance challenges to win large cash prizes. "It's probably one of the best days of my life," the 27-year-old, whose real name is James Donaldson, told Reuters ahead of the launch on Thursday, in one of at least nine interviews conducted as part of his Saudi PR blitz. "One of the top requests I get is: I want to be in a MrBeast video… So now (we are) creating that in real life where you guys can come visit it and experience what it is like," he said. CHANGING TIMES IN ONCE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE KINGDOM Over the past decade, once ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has rapidly developed entertainment options as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 to diversify the country away from oil and transform society. Young Saudis grew up with few avenues for fun, with cinemas and concerts effectively banned. Outsiders saw the kingdom as stuck in time. Both perceptions have shifted. The Saudi capital is now the scene of Riyadh Season, running almost half the year with near-daily events from boxing and slap contests to house music parties and sports competitions. Lit up in neon-blue, Beast Land combines theme park attractions like rollercoasters with Donaldson's American Gladiator-style challenges, such as a game where the last player to slap a button when it lights up falls to cushioned doom. Donaldson says 70% of his fans are outside the U.S. and Saudi Arabia was also a natural choice due to easily accessible studio space to film his latest season of videos. "I'd say give it a try, it's much more developed than you'd think," he said. The kingdom has been known to attract international talent with massive compensation: Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr is estimated to be worth more than $200 million. MrBeast has at times stirred controversy, with Mexico in May filing suit against a firm they say worked with him after he produced a video at the nation's ancient Maya pyramids. (Reporting by Timour Azhari Editing by Alex Richardson)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -Justin Baldoni asked a U.S. judge to dismiss Blake Lively's lawsuit accusing the actor of sexually harassing and waging a smear campaign against her in connection with their 2024 movie "It Ends With Us." In a Thursday court filing, lawyers for Baldoni said he resolved Lively's concerns about sporadic misunderstandings and "awkward comments" on the set of the film, including over her physical appearance, as soon as she raised them. They also said Baldoni had a right to hire a crisis management firm to defend his reputation after Lively began disparaging him publicly. "This is a dispute about Hollywood reputations, not genuine legal wrongs," the lawyers for Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios said in the Manhattan federal court filing. "No reasonable juror could find that the handful of comments and miscommunications Lively has mustered amounts to sexual harassment," they added. "That Lively's reputation may have suffered is a result of her own ill-advised public statements and actions." Lawyers for Lively did not immediately respond to requests for comment. She and Baldoni co-starred in "It Ends With Us," which Baldoni also directed. Despite mixed reviews it grossed more than $351 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. JUDGE WARNED PARTIES TO TONE IT DOWN The acrimonious dispute burst into public view last December when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit. It has at times transfixed Hollywood and even involved superstar singer Taylor Swift, a friend of Lively's who Baldoni wanted to question under oath. The acrimony also annoyed U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, who in August threatened all parties in the case with contempt unless the "intemperate language and personal attacks" stopped. Rhetoric has since been toned down. In her complaint, Lively accused Baldoni and Wayfarer of pursuing a "carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out about the hostile environment" they created. She is seeking unspecified damages for alleged harassment, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. A trial is scheduled for March 2026. In June, Liman dismissed Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, saying Baldoni didn't show that Lively made defamatory statements outside her California complaint, which was protected by privilege. The judge also dismissed a claim that Lively, with help from her husband Ryan Reynolds, extorted Baldoni by refusing to promote the film unless she got more creative control. Baldoni decided in October not to refile. Liman also dismissed Baldoni's $250 million defamation case against the New York Times, which wrote about the dispute. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Howard Goller)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney signaled on Thursday it was girding for a potentially prolonged fight with YouTube TV over distribution of its television networks, worrying investors about the outlook for its already declining TV business. The company also missed quarterly revenue expectations as the cable weakness overshadowed strong growth in the company's streaming and parks businesses central to its growth. Shares were down 8.3% in afternoon trading Thursday. On a post-earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston told analysts Disney has "built a hedge" into its forecasts assuming the negotiations could drag on. Disney's networks disappeared from YouTube TV – the fourth-largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. with about 10 million subscribers – on October 30 in the latest carriage rights dispute between the Alphabet unit and a major media company. NBCUniversal also had a similar dispute with YouTube TV earlier this year. "Disney is reducing its reliance upon cable companies to distribute its channels. But cutting out video distributors will take time," said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes. "YouTube TV is one of the leading cable TV providers, so its absence is a big hole for sports fans." Morgan Stanley analysts estimate a 14-day blackout on YouTube TV would cost Disney about $60 million in revenue. The tense discussions underscore YouTube TV's rapid growth as well as Google's vast financial resources, which give it greater leverage in negotiations with media companies. "The deal that we have proposed is equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to," Disney CEO Bob Iger said, referring to the talks with YouTube TV. Iger's current contract expires at the end of 2026; Disney is expected to name his successor early next year. "And while we've been working tirelessly to close this deal and restore our channel to the platform, it's also imperative that we make sure that we agree with a deal that reflects the value that we deliver, which both YouTube, by the way, and Alphabet have told us is greater than the value of any other provider." Disney's quarterly revenue was comparable to a year ago at $22.5 billion but shy of the $22.75 billion analyst forecast. Profit at the traditional television unit declined 21% to $391 million, and income from ESPN slipped too, offsetting other divisions including streaming, where earnings rose 39% to $352 million. Disney has invested more in streaming and its parks to offset the industry-wide decline of traditional broadcast and cable TV. BUYBACK, DIVIDEND GET A BOOST The media and entertainment giant said it would to boost its dividend by 50% to $1.50 a share, and double its share buyback plan to $7 billion for fiscal 2026. It posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.11 for the September-end quarter, down 3% from a year earlier but 6 cents above the average LSEG estimate. Profit rose in Disney's theme parks unit to $1.88 billion, up 13% from a year ago, partially from an expansion of the U.S. cruise ship business and growth at Disneyland Paris. Disney said it added 12.5 million subscribers to Disney+ and Hulu during the quarter, reaching a total of 196 million.  A new distribution deal with cable and broadband provider Charter Communications helped draw new streaming customers, Johnston told Reuters. Operating income at the entertainment division slumped by more than a third to $691 million after this year's films failed to match the success of last year's hits "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine."  Iger said Disney has had conversations with artificial intelligence companies as it looks for ways to use AI technology while still protecting its characters and stories. He said the company is exploring how to use AI to allow Disney+ subscribers to create short-form content. "There's phenomenal opportunities to deploy AI across our direct to consumer platforms," said Iger, "both to provide tools that make the platforms more dynamic and more sticky with consumers, but also to give consumers the opportunity to create on our platforms." (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; additional reporting by Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Sonali Paul, Arun Koyyur and Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)