YouTube has inquired about buying the rights to the Academy Awards, reports Bloomberg. The Academy of Arts & Scientists is currently negotiating with several bidders for the ceremony, which will air through 2028 on ABC. The Academy’s exclusive negotiating window with ABC – host of the show since 1976 – ended in the spring.

Charter Communications CEO Christopher Winfrey and CFO Jessica Fischer are facing a class action lawsuit alleging securities law violations. The complaint, filed in US District Court in the Southern District of New York, alleges the executives made “materially false and misleading statements that conditioned investors to believe the company could manage and reverse the causes of Internet customer declines” related to the financial impact of the May 2024 shutdown of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, a subsidy program for low-income households. The complaint claims that the impact of the ACP end was a “material event the company was unable to manage or promptly move beyond,” resulting in Charter’s stock trading “at artificially inflated prices.”

Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems. The case, launched in August 2021, stemmed from false claims aired on Newsmax alleging Dominion’s role in rigging the 2020 election. Earlier this year, a judge determined that Newsmax had broadcast defamatory statements, and left a jury to decide whether the false claims were intentional, and the amount of damages owed if they were. In 2023, Fox News paid $787.5 million to resolve a similar lawsuit with Dominion, while Newsmax separately settled with voting machine company Smartmatic for $40 million.

“We stand by our coverage as fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism,” said Newsmax in a statement. So why settle? Newsmax explained it had determined the Delaware Court with Judge Eric Davis presiding over the case would not provide a fair trial. “From the very beginning, Judge Davis ruled in ways that strongly favored the plaintiffs and limited Newsmax’s ability to defend itself,” said Newsmax. Judge Davis also presided over the case of Dominion vs. Fox News.

In an open letter to the FCC, Sen. Adam Schiff questioned President Trump’s influence in the $8 billion Skydance/Paramount merger. “The sequence of actions and statements leading up to and following the FCC’s merger approval, including Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Trump just days before the FCC issued its approval, raises significant questions and alarm that the FCC – an independent regulatory agency – has become a vehicle for President Trump to exact personal retribution and undermine the freedom of the press,” wrote the California senator. Schiff gave the commission eight questions to respond to, including details about meetings with Skydance head David Ellison, the FCC’s involvement in programming content decisions, and conditions of the merger. The senator asked for a response by August 25.

Gray Media extended and renewed agreements for all of its Fox affiliated television stations across 27 markets. The company owns television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that reach 37% of US television households.

New programming on CNN’s relaunched FAST channel, CNN Headlines, will include “CNN Headline Express,” hosted by Yahoo Finance alum Brad Smith; “ICYMI,” featuring stories from CNN’s US lineup; and “American Pulse,” featuring programming from CNN affiliates across the country. “By tapping into our vast affiliate network and providing timely live news updates, our refreshed offering serves the growing market and complements our existing cable programming,” said Eric Sherling, EVP of US Programming for CNN Worldwide.

Barstool Sports scripted comedy “Les Mascots” premieres today on the Out of Order YouTube channel. The show follows a film major from LA who is sent to NYC to make a documentary about his uncle, a supposedly successful Broadway actor who actually performs as Elmo and Cookie Monster with his roommate in Times Square.

“Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993-98) is joining the fall schedule of Sinclair’s Charge network, starting Monday, September 1. “’Homicide: Life on the Street’ broke new ground in the crime drama genre and remains one of television’s most compelling and authentic series,” said Adam Ware, SVP, Growth Networks Group at Sinclair. “We’re proud to bring it back to broadcast on Charge, where it joins a powerhouse lineup of iconic law enforcement franchises.”

Creative differences have led to the cancellation of a Spike Lee docuseries about former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who gained attention for kneeling during the National Anthem rather than standing for it as a protest against racism in the US. “ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” ESPN told Reuters. “Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”

In happier NFL news, Netflix has renewed “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” for season three. The docuseries, filming now; will premiere in 2026.

To commemorate 80 years since the end of WWII, Family Movie Classics’ “Salute to Service” continues September 1-2 with a Pacific Theater marathon, followed by military titles each night during the month including “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” “From Here to Eternity,” and more.

Fubo and DAZN announced a multi-year partnership in Canada, expanding on their recent US distribution agreement. As part of the Canadian deal, DAZN will carry Fubo Sports Network, Fubo’s owned and operated linear TV network, and Fubo will carry DAZN’s premium live sports, including exclusive sports rights, across their respective platforms.

Streaming platform Molotov, Fubo’s subsidiary in France, has entered into a non-exclusive carriage agreement with Ligue 1 for the 2025/2026 season.

FloSports will bring Who’s Number One, its high school wrestling showcase, to “Wrestletown USA” this fall. The event is slated for the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa on October 11 and will be streamed exclusively on FloWrestling.

All3Media International is promoting Jennifer Askin to Executive Vice President, Americas. Askin was previously Senior Vice President, North America.

A Fábrica Mexico & US Hispanic has appointed Santiago Zapata as Scripted Vice President. Zapata joins from Ntertain Studios/Neon16, where he led the film & TV division out of Miami.

Chris Peterson has joined Fox Corp.’s Red Seat Ventures as VP of Business Development. Peterson previously served as EVP of Podcasting at iHeartMedia.

Today’s Trivia Question
In which year did Netflix streams overtake its DVD shipments? (Email your answer to trivia@cynopsis.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)