The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) cleared the £85bn merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, concluding it poses no threat to UK competition. The merged entity becomes the UK’s largest theatrical distributor but faces strong rivals like Disney, Universal, and Netflix. Concerns over children’s TV and streaming were dismissed due to market saturation. The deal has secured approval in 68 jurisdictions, but faces a U.S. lawsuit from 12 Democratic state attorneys general, with a trial set for March 2027.
Sony and TSMC are planning a ¥1 trillion ($6.4 billion) joint venture to build an image sensor factory in Kumamoto, Japan, with production targeted for 2029. Sony will hold a 60% controlling stake, while TSMC owns 40%. The facility aims to meet growing demand from AI-powered robots and self-driving cars. Japan’s government is considering financial support. The partnership strengthens semiconductor supply chain diversification and reduces reliance on single manufacturing hubs.
Sony and Marvel's *Spider-Man: Brand New Day*, starring Tom Holland, earned $355 million in its domestic opening weekend, the second-highest in history behind *Avengers: Endgame* ($357 million). It set a new preview record ($72 million) and boosted the summer box office, which remains below 2019 levels. Despite lacking IMAX screens (occupied by Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey*), premium formats like Dolby Cinema and ScreenX set records. The film has grossed $927 million globally.
On July 28, 2026, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Kyushu, Japan, near Kumamoto Prefecture, triggering a brief tsunami warning. The quake caused significant damage, including a shopping mall collapse in Kashima that killed at least 18 people and injured 62. Power outages affected nearly 35,000 homes, and rail services were suspended. A government task force was established, and rescue operations involving Self-Defence Forces and international teams continued amid heat. No nuclear irregularities were reported.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has launched its PlayStation Summer Sales promotion, offering significant discounts on a wide range of acclaimed PlayStation 5 titles from July 24 to August 6. The sale includes major games such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (€39.99, down from €79.99), Gran Turismo 7 (€39.99), God of War Ragnarök (€39.99), and Ghost of Yotei (€59.99). Other notable discounts include The Last of Us Part II Remastered (€29.99), Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (€19.99), Stellar Blade (€49.99), and Helldivers 2 (€29.99). The promotion is available at usual retail points, with prices listed in euros. The article also highlights benefits for PlayStation Plus subscribers, though specific subscriber discounts are not detailed.
iQOO, a sub-brand of Vivo, launched the Z11 Lite 5G in India on July 24, 2026, targeting mid-segment buyers and younger audiences. The smartphone features a 6.74-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1200 nits brightness, powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor with up to 6GB RAM and 256GB storage. It runs on OriginOS 6 based on Android 16. The device boasts a 50MP main Sony sensor and a 5MP selfie camera. A standout feature is its massive 6,500 mAh battery with a 44W charger included in the box. It also offers AI summarisation, photo editing, and IP65 dust and splash resistance. Pricing starts at ₹19,499 for the 4GB/128GB variant, going up to ₹24,499 for the 6GB/256GB variant. It will be available in Midnight Blue and Solar Flame shades from July 30 via iQOO e-store, Amazon, Vivo exclusive stores, and select retail outlets.
The historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, closed since 2021, will reopen in 2028 under a new partnership between Sony and Alamo Drafthouse. The iconic 86-foot curved dome, known for its three-projector 70mm film system, will be revived but without Alamo Drafthouse's usual dine-in seating. The deal marks a significant revival for the landmark theater, which has been shuttered since the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening is expected to restore a key piece of Hollywood cinema history, though the exact terms of the partnership and any renovations were not detailed in the article.
The historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, an 86-foot curved dome theater known for its three-projector 70mm film system, will reopen in 2028 after being closed since 2021. The reopening is part of a deal involving Sony and Alamo Drafthouse, though the venue will not feature Alamo's typical dine-in seating. The landmark, a symbol of classic cinema exhibition, is set to return as a major entertainment venue in Los Angeles.
Microsoft has announced a new Xbox Backward Compatibility for PC program, allowing gamers to play a selection of classic Xbox titles on PCs and handhelds, including the ROG Ally and Ally X. The initiative begins with four titles, which are now available for purchase on PC and included in all Xbox Game Pass plans. Owners of digital copies on console can also play on PC via Xbox Play Anywhere and Cloud Gaming. The program is digital-only, excluding physical game owners. Enhanced features include up to 4x resolution scaling, VSync, fullscreen/windowed modes, anisotropic filtering, and anti-aliasing, with achievements being added to select original Xbox games. Minimum system requirements include an Nvidia GTX 950 or equivalent GPU, 8GB RAM, and Windows 11. The announcement is seen as a strategic move amid Sony's shift away from physical media and store closures.
Microsoft has announced a new Xbox Backward Compatibility for PC program, allowing gamers to play a selection of classic Xbox titles on PCs and handhelds, including the ROG Ally and Ally X. The initiative begins with four titles, which are available for purchase on PC and included in all Xbox Game Pass plans. Owners of digital copies on console can also play them on PC via Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The program is digital-only, excluding physical game owners. Enhanced features include up to 4x resolution scaling, VSync, fullscreen/windowed modes, anisotropic filtering, and anti-aliasing, with achievements being added to select original Xbox games. Minimum system requirements include Windows 11, 8GB RAM, and a GTX 950 or equivalent GPU. The announcement is framed as the start of a broader game preservation effort, coming amid backlash against Sony's move away from physical media.
Microsoft has announced a new Xbox Backward Compatibility for PC program, allowing gamers to play a selection of classic Xbox titles on PCs and handhelds, including the ROG Ally and Ally X. The initiative begins with four titles, which are available for purchase on PC and included in all Xbox Game Pass plans. Owners of digital console copies can also play them on PC via Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The program is digital-only, excluding physical game owners. Enhanced features include up to 4x resolution scaling, VSync, fullscreen/windowed modes, anisotropic filtering, and anti-aliasing, with achievements being added to select original Xbox games. Minimum system requirements include Windows 11, 8GB RAM, and a GTX 950 or equivalent GPU. The announcement is framed as the start of a broader game preservation effort, coming amid backlash against Sony's move away from physical media.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will permanently discontinue production of physical discs for all new PlayStation games starting January 2028, making new releases digital-only. The move marks a stark reversal from Sony's 2013 stance when it mocked Microsoft Xbox's restrictive game-sharing policies by highlighting the ease of sharing physical discs. Analysts say the decision will save Sony costs and boost digital profits but will eliminate consumers' ability to trade, lend, resell, or truly own games. The global second-hand gaming market, estimated at about $7 billion, faces a major blow. Grand Theft Auto 6 physical copies will reportedly contain download codes rather than discs. Gamers have resurfaced Sony's old promotional clips with bitter comments, calling the decision 'anti-consumer' and 'ironic.' Existing physical games released before the cutoff will not be affected.
Fulham FC have announced a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with ClickHouse, a US-based data analytics and AI platform valued at $15 billion, for the upcoming Premier League season. ClickHouse, which provides data processing services for major companies including Meta, Tesla, OpenAI, Visa, and Sony, replaces gambling brand SBOTOP as Fulham's principal commercial partner. The deal comes ahead of the Premier League's voluntary ban on betting sponsorships taking effect in 2026-27. Fulham's chief revenue officer Jon Don-Carolis highlighted shared values of innovation and progression, while ClickHouse CEO Aaron Katz emphasized the parallel between split-second decisions on the pitch and millisecond data processing. The move follows a similar trend, with Crystal Palace also replacing a betting sponsor with AI company Temporal. Fulham is among the last Premier League clubs to announce their main sponsor, with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Hull City still yet to confirm front-of-shirt partners.
Robinhood Chain, a new Ethereum Layer-2 network, has rapidly grown to over 52 million transactions and $3 billion in trading volume within weeks of launch. According to Growthepie, the chain has generated nearly $1.76 million in cumulative revenue, retaining 98.4% while spending only 1.6% on settlement costs. ARK Invest's Lorenzo Valente argues that Ethereum won the infrastructure battle by attracting Robinhood, but captures minimal value from settlement fees (around $1,500), while Arbitrum takes roughly 10% of revenue. The article explores a three-layer revenue stack (Robinhood, Arbitrum, Ethereum) and divides Ethereum researchers into two camps: those who see low L1 fees as bullish for ecosystem growth, and those who see it as a warning sign of insufficient value capture. The model mirrors cloud computing economics, with Coinbase's Base and other exchanges adopting similar Layer-2 strategies.
In an exclusive CNBC interview, TSMC CFO Wendell Huang announced the chipmaker is accelerating its Arizona factory expansion with an additional $100 billion investment, raising the total pipeline to $265 billion. The move is driven by robust multi-year structural demand for AI. Huang stated TSMC is aggressively optimizing leading-edge capacities, including converting 5-nanometer to 3-nanometer nodes, and highlighted 2-nanometer technology as the next revenue driver starting Q3. Phase one of the US expansion (4-nanometer) is already operational. Huang noted US fab construction costs are 4-5 times higher than in Taiwan but said the expansion will foster the US semiconductor ecosystem. TSMC revised its full-year capital expenditure to $60-64 billion. The company sees minimal impact from Middle East conflicts due to diversified sourcing and safety stocks, and continues to comply with export controls while serving Chinese customers (8% of revenue). TSMC shares are up 48% year-to-date.
Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' opened to an estimated $124.5 million in domestic ticket sales and $264.1 million globally, marking Nolan's best global opening weekend ever. The Universal film adaptation starring Matt Damon as Odysseus was heavily driven by premium large-format screenings, with IMAX contributing nearly $30 million domestically (24% of the domestic haul) and $22 million internationally. Around 7.5 million domestic tickets were sold, with 45% from premium formats and 5% from coveted 70mm screenings averaging $22.50 per ticket. Half of moviegoers were aged 18-34, a key demographic. The film has yet to open in China, Japan, and South Korea. It faces limited competition until Sony and Marvel's 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' on July 31, and has IMAX exclusivity for three weeks. Analysts attribute the success to Nolan's brand, practical effects, and IMAX camera use, creating 'event cinema' that drives advance ticket sales and long box office runs.
Take-Two Interactive has formally confirmed the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI in a preliminary SEC proxy statement, setting it for November 19, 2026. The filing frames fiscal 2027 as a major inflection point, with CEO Strauss Zelnick citing record bookings and the long-awaited launch as core drivers. Take-Two closed fiscal 2026 with net bookings of $6.72 billion, $750 million above initial guidance, and net revenue of $6.66 billion. Recurrent consumer spending reached $5.20 billion, making up 78% of total revenue. The company expects operating cash flow above $1 billion in fiscal 2027. GTA V has sold nearly 230 million units, and Red Dead Redemption 2 has passed 80 million. A virtual annual meeting is scheduled for September 17, 2026, where shareholders will vote on director elections, say-on-pay, and governance changes. The stock closed at $239.57, up nearly 13% over the past month but below its 52-week high of $265.94.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen stated that Sony's plan to halt physical game disc production by 2028 is 'totally irrelevant' to the company's business, as software now accounts for less than 12% of revenue. Speaking to BloombergTech, Cohen emphasized that collectibles, including apparel, toys, and trading cards, now drive over half of GameStop's business. This comes amid GameStop's controversial $56 billion unsolicited bid to acquire eBay, which eBay's board rejected as 'neither credible nor attractive.' GameStop's FY2025 financials show software revenue dropped 27% to $729.3 million (20.1% of total), while collectibles surged 47% to $1.06 billion (29.2%). Hardware and accessories remain the largest category at $1.84 billion (50.7%). Cohen plans to take the eBay offer directly to shareholders.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen stated that Sony's plan to halt physical game disc production by 2028 is 'totally irrelevant' to the company's business, as software now accounts for less than 12% of revenue while collectibles make up over half. The comments came during a BloombergTech interview amid GameStop's controversial $56 billion unsolicited bid to acquire eBay. Cohen's characterization slightly differs from GameStop's own filings, which show software at 20.1% of FY2025 net sales ($729.3 million), collectibles at 29.2% ($1.06 billion), and hardware/accessories at 50.7% ($1.84 billion). However, year-on-year trends support his stance: software revenue dropped 27.5% while collectibles surged 47.7%. eBay's board rejected the acquisition proposal as 'neither credible nor attractive,' but Cohen plans to take the offer directly to shareholders.
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen stated that Sony's plan to halt physical game disc production by 2028 is 'totally irrelevant' to the company, as software now accounts for less than 12% of revenue while collectibles make up over half. The comments came during a Bloomberg interview focused on GameStop's controversial $56 billion unsolicited bid to acquire eBay, which eBay's board rejected as 'neither credible nor attractive.' GameStop's FY2025 financial data shows software revenue dropped 27% to $729.3 million (20.1% of total), while collectibles surged 47% to $1.06 billion (29.2%). Hardware and accessories remain the largest category at $1.84 billion (50.7%). Cohen plans to take the eBay offer directly to shareholders.
This review examines the PlayStation Portal in 2026, noting that recent software updates have transformed the device from a niche PS5 accessory into a viable handheld cloud gaming console. The Portal now allows streaming of Sony's cloud game catalog via a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription. The device offers impressive visuals and controls, but its performance is heavily dependent on internet speed. The reviewer highlights that while the Portal works well in countries with robust broadband like Japan or the US, the UK's average residential internet speed—roughly half that of the US—significantly hampers the experience. In ideal conditions, such as near a router, the Portal delivers near-local gaming quality, but connectivity issues can render it unusable. The article concludes that the Portal is a great product for those with fast, reliable internet, but a poor choice for UK users with slower connections.
This review examines the PlayStation Portal, a handheld streaming device released by Sony in 2023 that initially received mixed reviews due to its inability to play games locally. Recent software updates have transformed the Portal by enabling cloud streaming of Sony's game catalogue via a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription (£13.49/month). The device now offers high-fidelity gaming on an LCD screen that rivals OLED quality, capable of 60FPS performance depending on network speed. However, the reviewer highlights significant limitations in the UK, where average residential internet speeds are roughly half those of the US. In a South London flat with 70 Mbps speeds, the device works well only when near the router. The article concludes that the Portal is excellent for users with full-fibre broadband but impractical for those with slower connections, calling it a 'premium paperweight' when connectivity is lost.
This review examines the PlayStation Portal, a handheld streaming device released by Sony in 2023, which initially received mixed reviews due to its inability to play games locally. Recent software updates now allow users to stream games from Sony's cloud catalogue via a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription (£13.49/month), including titles like Assassin's Creed Mirage and God of War Ragnarök. The device features a high-quality LCD screen and responsive controls, but performance heavily depends on network speed. The reviewer notes that while the Portal works well in countries with robust internet infrastructure like Japan or the US, UK broadband speeds—averaging roughly half that of the US—significantly hamper the experience. In a South London flat with 70 Mbps speeds, the device performs well only when near the router, and 5G connectivity is unreliable for commuting. The article concludes that the Portal is an excellent gadget for those with full-fibre broadband but a poor choice for users with slower connections.
Fortune reports on Menlo Ventures partner Amy Wu Martin's $5.4 billion bet on AI music startup Suno, despite ongoing copyright lawsuits from Sony, Universal, and Warner. Suno allows users to generate songs from text prompts and has 100 million lifetime users, 2 million paying subscribers, and $300 million in annual recurring revenue. Wu Martin argues the platform's value lies in enabling 'single-player creation and consumption'—making music purely for personal enjoyment, not commercial success. The music industry sued Suno in June 2024 for training on copyrighted recordings without payment. Warner settled in November 2025, with Suno acquiring its concert-discovery app Songkick. Sony and Universal continue litigation, recently adding 61,000 more songs to their complaint. Wu Martin declined to discuss potential financial settlements but expressed confidence that user behavior changes will outlast legal uncertainty.
Nvidia announced a partnership with Japan's Noetra Corp. to build a 140-megawatt AI factory housing 27,500 Rubin GPUs and 13,750 Vera CPUs, forming the compute foundation for FRONTia, Japan's state-funded physical AI program. The facility will use Vera Rubin NVL72 racks on Nvidia's DSX platform with Spectrum-X Ethernet, training open multimodal foundation models for robotics, digital twins, and industrial automation. Noetra is a consortium founded by SoftBank, Sony, NEC, and Honda, with investment from 44 organizations. The project won a NEDO public tender with ¥387.3 billion ($2.4 billion) in first-year funding and up to ¥1 trillion ($6.1 billion) over five years, subject to annual reviews. Hardware costs alone are estimated between $1.9 billion and $2.7 billion. The roadmap targets a reasoning foundation model by fiscal 2026, an omni-modal model by fiscal 2028, and real-world native AI by fiscal 2030. This is the first state-tendered national AI infrastructure, distinct from corporate or scientific machines, supporting Japan's goal to capture over 30% of the global AI robotics market by 2040.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Tokyo, where he announced a major AI factory partnership with Noetra Corp, a state-backed consortium including SoftBank, NEC, Sony, and Honda, to build a 27,500-GPU 'AI factory' billed as the world's first national AI infrastructure for robotics. He also visited a former Sega arcade in Akihabara to thank the company for a $5 million lifeline that saved Nvidia in the 1990s. The trip's highlight was an after-hours dinner at Yakiton Sankichi izakaya with top executives from Kioxia, Tokyo Electron, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Sumitomo Electric, Taiyo Yuden, and Ajinomoto. After dinner, Huang emerged to a crowd and handed out red bean buns, a popular Japanese snack. The article notes Huang's tradition of eating local food on business trips, citing past stops in Beijing, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
The open-source RPCS3 emulator team announced that 75.33% of all PlayStation 3 titles (2,681 out of 3,559) are now compatible with their software, allowing games to run on Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD across x86 and arm64 processors. This milestone comes as Sony plans to shut down the PS3 and PS Vita PlayStation Store by 2027 and stop physical disc production by 2028. The team continues working toward full library preservation, with 816 titles playable but having glitches, 60 reaching menus only, and two stuck on black screens. The article notes that emulation is legally protected for playing owned games, despite past DMCA challenges from publishers like Atlus. RPCS3 has shown performance improvements, achieving up to 1500 FPS on Minecraft's title screen and 5-7% FPS boosts in recent builds.
PCMag highlights five of the best weekend technology deals available for a limited 48-hour period, offering discounts of up to 48% on electronics from major brands. The featured spotlight deal is for the Beats Studio Buds+, currently priced at $99.95 on Amazon, a significant reduction from its retail price of $169.95. These earbuds are praised for their seamless integration with Apple devices, superior active noise cancellation, and bass-forward sound profile, offering nine hours of battery life per charge. In addition to the Beats offer, the article lists competitive deals on other popular audio products, including the Apple AirPods 4, Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, and Nothing Ear (a). The curated list aims to help consumers save money on high-quality, well-reviewed tech items such as laptops, smart locks, speakers, and headphones. This selection represents the deepest price drops identified by PCMag editors for the weekend, providing shoppers with immediate opportunities to purchase premium electronics at reduced costs through verified retail links.
Sony appears to be testing a new PlayStation 5 feature that publicly displays player counts for popular games, marking a significant shift in data transparency for the platform. The discovery emerged after YouTuber Mystic shared footage of a new widget offering two tracking modes: one for trending titles based on gameplay hour surges and another showing weekly player numbers for top games. Reported figures include millions of players for titles like Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. While digital storefronts like Steam have long offered such data, this move would be novel for PlayStation. However, as the feature is currently in beta, its final form and accuracy remain uncertain. Critics note that the methodology for gathering these numbers is unclear, lacking details on playtime duration or measurement periods. Consequently, these figures should not yet be considered definitive metrics of success. This potential update arrives nearly six years after the PS5's launch, with Sony yet to announce a release date for the PlayStation 6. IGN has contacted Sony for official confirmation regarding the feature's future and data sources.
Sony has issued a formal response following intense online criticism regarding the AI Camera Assistant feature on its newly launched Xperia 1 VIII smartphone. The backlash originated from marketing materials where side-by-side comparisons showed the AI-generated suggestions as noticeably washed out and overexposed compared to the original images, prompting ridicule from prominent tech figures. In its statement on X, Sony clarified that the tool does not edit photos post-capture but rather suggests four different creative setting directions based on the scene, allowing users to choose or adjust manually. The company also released new example images that appear significantly improved and more balanced than the initial controversial samples. Despite this clarification and better visual evidence, the incident has raised concerns about Sony's internal quality control and imaging judgment, given the brand's longstanding reputation for camera excellence. Critics and observers remain puzzled by the decision to use such flawed images in the original marketing campaign, leaving lingering questions about the company's review processes for AI-driven features.
1 reports · 1 sources
Periodic recap
What changed for this subject in each tracking window — generated from matched events, delta-first.
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Sony's related activity shifted dramatically this period, moving from an indirect mention to direct involvement in a high-profile legal action. Sony Music Publishing, together with Warner Chappell Music, filed a federal lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, accusing it of large-scale theft of copyrighted lyrics to train its AI models. The suit marks another landmark battle over AI and copyright, following Anthropic's previous $1.5 billion settlement over pirated books.
Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music jointly sued AI firm Anthropic in late August, alleging it illegally scraped thousands of copyrighted lyrics to train its Claude models.
The plaintiffs called the action one of the largest IP thefts in history and are seeking up to $150,000 per infringed work.
The lawsuit follows Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement in September 2025 over pirated books, highlighting the escalating copyright battle over AI training data.
Earlier recaps
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Only one event related to Sony was captured in this period, and its relevance is indirect. The event primarily concerns the UK CMA's clearance of the Paramount-Warner Bros merger, in which Sony is not a direct participant. Sony is mentioned only as a point of reference in the competitive landscape facing the merged entity.
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Sony and TSMC are planning a ¥1 trillion joint venture to build an image sensor factory in Kumamoto, Japan, with production targeted for 2029. Sony will hold a 60% controlling stake, while TSMC owns 40%, aiming to meet growing demand from AI-powered robots and self-driving cars. Japan's government is considering financial support for the project.
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Sony and Marvel's 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' earned $355 million in its domestic opening weekend, the second-highest in history behind 'Avengers: Endgame'. The film set a new preview record of $72 million and set records for premium formats like Dolby Cinema and ScreenX despite lacking IMAX screens. It has grossed $927 million globally, providing a significant boost to the summer box office.
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One industry development related to Sony was detected in this period, though it does not involve Sony's direct operations. Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' has sparked extraordinary demand for IMAX 70mm film screenings, with only 41 theaters globally offering the format, leading to sold-out shows and added late-night screenings. Reports focus on the film's box office performance and projection technology, without mentioning any involvement by Sony Pictures Entertainment or other Sony businesses in the project.
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A major event related to Sony was detected in this period. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kyushu region of Japan, causing significant casualties and infrastructure damage, but reports did not mention any direct impact on Sony or its operations.
Tracked events
Events matched to this subject by the tracking pipeline, with signal scores.