Entertainment News Roundup: Amazon, Apple not to charge extra for lossless music; Ariana Grande marries real estate agent boyfriend and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

AT&T set to end media voyage with $43 billion Discovery deal

AT&T, owner of HBO and Warner Bros Studios, and Discovery, home to lifestyle TV networks such as HGTV and TLC, said they will combine their content to form a standalone global entertainment and media business. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav will lead the proposed new company, which will comprise one of Hollywood's most powerful studios, including the Harry Potter and Batman franchises, news network CNN, sports programming, and Discovery's unscripted home, cooking and nature, and science shows.

Amazon in talks to buy MGM movie studio: The Information

Amazon.com Inc is in talks to acquire the iconic U.S. movie studio MGM, The Information reported on Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The status of Amazon's discussions with MGM is unclear and it is possible no-deal may result, the report said.

Amazon, Apple not to charge extra for lossless music

Amazon.com Inc and Apple Inc will let users stream high-quality lossless audio at no extra charge, as they explore new ways to keep subscribers tuned in to their services amid intense competition. Amazon Music, which so far charged a premium for lossless audio, became the first major music service on Monday to upgrade its subscribers to the format.

Eurovision song contest prepares for slimmed down COVID version

The Dutch port city of Rotterdam is preparing for a slimmed-down version of the Eurovision song contest this weekend with a limited live audience, amid falling but still significant COVID-19 infection rates in the Netherlands. “When we made the decision to try and unite everyone here in Rotterdam we knew the pandemic, unfortunately, would still be around. We’re doing everything we can to minimize the impact of it," Martin Osterdahl, the contest’s executive supervisor, told Reuters on Monday.

The show is back on: London theatres reopen to live audiences

Lining up outside London's St Martin's theatre, actress Barbara Drennan eagerly awaits to see one of the first shows back in the West End as England relaxes COVID restrictions.

It has been more than a year since Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" last welcomed audiences.

Analysis: AT&T, Discovery deal highlights media's thirst to be like Netflix

Since AT&T bought Time Warner in 2018 to compete with Netflix and Disney, the world of streaming video has only gotten more cutthroat. The telecom giant’s deal with Discovery Inc, announced Monday, marks the latest shift in the remaking of the media industry and the potential beginning of another round of consolidation. An earlier wave three years ago resulted in media mogul Rupert Murdoch leaving Hollywood and Viacom and CBS recombining.

Ariana Grande marries real estate agent boyfriend

Popstar Ariana Grande married her real estate agent boyfriend in California over the weekend, some five months after the couple got engaged, the singer's representatives and TMZ.com said on Monday. Grande, 27, tied the knot with Dalton Gomez, 25, whom she started dating in January 2020.

Thrill of the silver screen returns to England as lockdown eases

Londoner Sam Poch was anticipating the thrill of the big screen lighting up as he waited on Monday to enter a cinema on Leicester Square - a once routine experience that has not been possible for months because of COVID-19 restrictions. The 31-year-old content producer was among the first arriving to watch a film the old-fashioned way as cinemas in England reopened their doors as part of the latest stage in the government's phased lockdown relaxation plan.

Disneyland Paris to re-open on June 17

Disneyland Paris said on Monday that it would re-open on June 17, as French bars, restaurants and tourism sites gradually resume their operations after having been shut due to COVID-19 sanitary restrictions.

'WandaVision' rules at MTV Movie and TV Awards

Marvel comics spinoff "WandaVision" dominated the MTV Movie and TV Awards on Sunday, while Scarlett Johansson and Sacha Baron Cohen got special awards for their contributions to the film industry. Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous award, for best performance in a movie, for his final film, the jazz period drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." The "Black Panther" actor, 43, died in August 2020 of colon cancer.

(With inputs from agencies.)