Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

UK's Channel 4 shows to launch on Disney+ next year

Channel 4 has signed a deal with ​The Walt Disney Company to bring its shows to the Disney+ streaming platform in Britain and Ireland ​early next year. The collaboration will see many of Channel 4's programmes, including ‌drama "Maya", ​featuring Bella Ramsey, released on Disney+ at the same time as on Channel 4's own platforms, the broadcaster said on Tuesday.

Actor Walter Koenig, 'Star Trek's' plucky Chekov, dies at 90

Walter Koenig, who brought humor and grit to the role of starship navigator Pavel Chekov on the classic 1960s sci-fi TV series "Star Trek" and seven subsequent feature ‌films, has died at the age of 90. "My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today," George Takei, who starred alongside Koenig in the show and was a long-time friend, wrote on Facebook on Monday. Koenig died at his home in Los Angeles, the AP reported, citing his talent agent.

Meghan to join Australia's Junior MasterChef next year

Meghan, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, will star in the next series of Australia's Junior MasterChef in ‌2027, returning to a franchise where she appeared as a guest judge on the adult version earlier this year. Meghan, an American actress before she married Harry in 2018, has recently moved back to Britain from the US ‌with her family, with media reports suggesting she was keen to find a new acting role.

Noah Wyle named People magazine's 'sexiest man alive'

Actor Noah Wyle, the Emmy-winning star of the TV medical drama “The Pitt,” was named this year’s “sexiest man alive” by People magazine on Tuesday. The 55-year-old said it “sounded like a prank” when he heard the news, adding: “Not in a million years did I think that this would be an honor bestowed on me.”

Universal Music Group discussed going private with buyout firms, Bloomberg News reports

Universal Music Group held preliminary discussions with private equity firms earlier ⁠this year ​about going private, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar ⁠with the matter. The music label's management held preliminary talks with private equity firms including Apollo Global Management, TPG and Blackstone, according to the report

UK comedian Brand told police he never had non-consensual sex, court hears

British comedian and actor Russell Brand told police that he had never ⁠engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity despite encounters in countless locations and scenarios, a London court was told on Tuesday. Brand, once one of Britain's most high-profile broadcasters and the former husband of US singer Katy Perry, is on trial at London's Southwark Crown ​Court over accusations of sexual offences against six women between 1999 and 2009.

Skydance offers buyouts to some employees to cut costs after Warner Bros merger

Skydance is offering some employees a one-time voluntary buyout, according to a ⁠memo seen by Reuters on Monday, as the media company looks to cut costs after scooping up bigger rival Warner Bros Discovery and assuming its massive debt. The company, whose shares have fallen by about a third this year, is also moving to a five-day-a-week in-office policy, the memo showed.

US ⁠singer ​Chris Brown spared immediate jail sentence for UK affray charge

US singer Chris Brown was spared an immediate prison sentence in Britain on Monday for attacking a producer with a tequila bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Brown, 37, was given an eight-month suspended sentence at London's Southwark Crown Court having pleaded guilty to a charge of affray over the attack on Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in February 2023.

Macklemore vows to fight until 'last breath' ⁠at opening of 'Free Palestine' tour

American rapper Macklemore vowed to continue to speak out loudly against Israel's war in Gaza at the opening of his "Free Palestine" concert tour organised after he was dropped as the opening act for ⁠Ed Sheeran over pro-Palestinian remarks. The Grammy-winning rapper received a deafening ⁠ovation in Dublin, where fans in the overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian country came draped in Palestinian flags, black, red and green football jerseys and keffiyeh scarves being sold by vendors outside.

NFL-Jay-Z to headline next year's Super Bowl halftime show

Jay-Z will headline the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show in February, the National Football League announced on Monday. The show at ‌the NFL championship game is the ‌most-coveted showcase in the world of music. US television ratings for the halftime performance often top 100 million viewers and ​rank higher than the audience for the game itself.