Talk Fuse

    Companies

    Companies brings together the latest on corporate deals, disputes and leadership shake-ups from across the business world, spanning household names in media, technology, retail and sport. Expect coverage of boardroom reshuffles, courtroom battles over mergers and settlements, and the financial fallout when firms face fraud allegations or regulatory scrutiny, alongside lighter stories about workplace disputes and unusual legal rulings.

    Much of the current activity centres on the entertainment and technology industries, from antitrust wrangling between major studios to shifting fortunes at prominent tech firms, as well as the ripple effects of high-profile ownership changes involving frozen assets and sports clubs. Smaller, fast-growing companies also feature, reflecting how emerging businesses jostle for investment and recognition alongside established giants.

    This topic matters because corporate decisions, however distant they may seem from daily life, tend to shape the products, services and workplaces that readers encounter directly. Tracking these stories helps make sense of how power, money and accountability move through the companies that increasingly influence culture, employment and public life.

    • Executive Turntable: Anh Do Named Global Head of Music at TBWAMedia Arts Lab

      This week’s executive appointments include new leadership roles across advertising, live events, talent representation and charitable entertainment bodies. – Ahn Do has joined TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Apple’s global creative agency, as global head of music, reporting to global chief creative officer Brent Anderson. – Do previously worked as in-house music supervisor at Google Brand Studios…

    • Beyond ‘Kawaii’: How ASOBISYSTEM Is Building a Global Future for Japanese Idol Culture

      ASOBISYSTEM is seeking to take Japanese idol culture, particularly its “kawaii” aesthetic and fan-support practices, to a wider international audience through KAWAII LAB. The company’s plans gained momentum after CUTIE STREET’s Korean television appearance prompted rapid online interest and sold-out Korean shows, demonstrating how a locally rooted style can travel through social media and video…

    • Disney+ commissions Aardman’s Pokémon stop-motion series for 2027

      Disney+ has commissioned Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, a stop-motion series made by Aardman, under a global distribution agreement with The Pokémon Company International. Due in 2027, it will air on Disney XD and stream exclusively on Disney+, bringing Aardman’s distinctive animation style to a major Pokémon production. The deal’s first release…

    • Disney+, Pokemon Company Ink Global Distribution Deal, Including New Stop-Motion Series

      Disney+ has agreed a global distribution partnership with The Pokémon Company International, expanding Disney’s access to Pokémon programming and including an exclusive new stop-motion series from Aardman. The deal matters because it brings a major family entertainment franchise more closely into Disney’s television and streaming services, beginning with classic Pokémon content and leading to a…

    • Madeon’s First Official Remix Since 2012 Is a Shimmering Take on Ninajirachi’s ‘iPod Touch’

      Madeon has released a remix of Ninajirachi’s 2025 track ‘iPod Touch’, his first official remix since 2012. The collaboration matters because it links two prominent electronic artists while deliberately revisiting the early-2010s sound and software culture referenced in the song. Released on Friday 28 August, the remix begins with a more spacious interpretation before building…

    • The Duffer Brothers Tap Josh Stern As President Of Upside Down Pictures

      Matt and Ross Duffer have appointed Josh Stern as president of Upside Down Pictures, their production company operating under an exclusive Paramount deal. The appointment strengthens the company’s leadership as the creators of Stranger Things expand into developing film, television and direct-to-consumer projects, marking a significant step in Paramount’s wider partnership with the pair. The…

    • London Science Museum cuts links with BP after decades of partnership

      The Science Museum Group has ended the Science Museum Group Academy’s partnership with BP when its current contract expired, ending a relationship that had lasted for decades. Campaigners welcomed the move after sustained criticism that fossil-fuel sponsorship could influence science education and deter schools from visiting, while the museum said BP funding had supported training…

    • John Mayer Has Some Thoughts on His Future With Dead and Company

      John Mayer has clarified that he is not permanently leaving Dead and Company, after comments about “going back to [his] corner” prompted fans to think the group had ended following Bob Weir’s death in January. He said he is focusing on grief and healing rather than planning future performances, stressing that he is not ruling…

    • Gallipoli Review

      Gallipoli is a First World War PC shooter from BlackMill Games, set on the Middle Eastern front and focused on the Gallipoli campaign. The review praises it as the studio’s best-looking and strongest entry so far, balancing historically grounded settings and equipment with enjoyable multiplayer action. Its subject matter matters because it highlights a major…

    • What was number one when the iPod was first launched in 2001?

      Apple’s first iPod went on sale in the United States on 10 November 2001, promising “1,000 songs in your pocket” at a time when most people still carried music on CDs. Its arrival mattered because it made large digital music collections portable and helped reshape how listeners accessed albums and individual tracks. At $399, the…