Media & Entertainment

Santa Monica – September 15, 2026 -- Universal Music Group and ElevenLabs have signed a multi-year licensing deal to build a new AI-powered music platform that lets fans remix, mash up, and reinterpret tracks from participating artists.

The agreement marks ElevenLabs' first partnership with a major record label. It covers both licensing of UMG's catalog and joint development of AI audio products for artists and songwriters.

Fans will get tools to remix and personalize tracks

The platform, now in development, will allow users to co-create with music from participating artists through remixes, mashups, new track interpretations, and personalized vocal experiences. UMG and ElevenLabs said additional products and fan experiences are planned for future release.

Irvine, Calif. – September 15, 2026 -- Taco Bell is inviting everyday customers to compete against celebrities and pro athletes on a golf course, launching the inaugural Live Más Open at The Ranch at Laguna Beach on November 2.

Kevin Hart hosts a 36-player tournament built around wild-card challenges

The nine-hole event pairs qualifying fans with celebrities, pro athletes and creators across nine foursomes in a live draft format. Global superstar Kevin Hart, an avid golfer, is hosting the tournament, which Taco Bell describes as designed to "go off-script" from traditional tournament golf.

Melbourne – September 15, 2026 -- Sandbox VR is opening a new virtual reality venue on Bourke Street in Melbourne's Central Business District, its second Australian location after the Gold Coast site. Guests can get 25% off through September 13 via presale booking on the company's website.

The Melbourne venue includes a bar, a party room and four private rooms where groups of up to six people wear headsets, haptic vests and motion sensors for full-body immersion. The system lets players see and physically interact with each other during sessions, and each group receives a personalized highlight video afterward to share the experience.

Provo, Utah – September 15, 2026 -- BYUtv is bringing back its documentary series "Big Stories" with 12 new episodes airing free before every BYU home and away football game throughout the 2026 season, streaming on the BYUtv app and BYUtv.org alongside each broadcast.

Each episode runs 7 to 10 minutes and reaches millions of households

The series airs on BYU's national TV network, which reaches a combined 70 million U.S. households, and focuses on people and communities connected to BYU's opponents rather than game analysis or depth charts.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Catawiki is expanding its livestreamed auction format, Catawiki Live, into seven new categories: fashion (bags, sneakers and accessories), minerals, coins, toys, vinyl records, hi-fi & radio, and comics & books.

Live auctions already outperform standard listings

Since launching in May, Catawiki Live has hosted hundreds of livestreams watched by tens of thousands of users over thousands of hours. Thousands of items have sold through the format, and one in three objects sold via Catawiki Live auctions went to someone watching the livestream in real time. Auctions using the Live format have also seen double-digit increases in both the number of bidders per item and total bids placed, compared to Catawiki's standard auctions.

Clermont, KY – September 15, 2026 -- Jim Beam is rewarding fans every time an NFL kicker clangs a field goal off the goalpost, launching a season-long sweepstakes tied to the sound known as the "doink."

The "Hit the Beam" campaign debuts today ahead of the NFL season kickoff game, with a spot featuring comedian Ben Marshall coaching former NFL kicker Kai Forbath on how to intentionally miss and hit the upright instead of clearing it.

Every missed kick becomes a chance to win an 85-inch TV

Throughout the regular season, each time a kick strikes the goalpost, fans get an entry into a weekly drawing for an 85-inch television, with up to five TVs given away per week. Winners are chosen at random based on how many doinks occur that week; if no kicks hit the post, entries roll over to the following week.

Strasbourg – – September 14, 2026 -- A new three-part documentary series, "USA 1960-1980: The Conservative Revolution," premieres online on ARTE starting September 29, with a TV broadcast set for Tuesday, October 6 at 8:15 PM. Directed by Cédric Tourbe and produced by ARTE France and La Générale de production, the French 2026 series runs three episodes of 53 minutes each.

The series traces how Ronald Reagan popularized the slogan "Make America Great Again" decades before Donald Trump, and how ultraconservative ideas spread through American society across two turbulent decades before Reagan's presidential election in 1980.

St. Petersburg – September 13, 2026 -- Amped Fitness named Joel "J.D." Valdez the $10,000 Grand Prize winner of its first Amped Summer Creator Challenge, a three-month contest that drew more than 2,000 creators competing for a $25,000 total prize pool.

Over 100 million views flooded in from thousands of submitted videos

Launched in June as the debut activation of the Amped Creator Program, the challenge invited members to document their personal experiences with the gym brand. Content ranged from transformations and training milestones to friendships and setbacks, collectively racking up more than 100 million views across social media. Amped Fitness distributed the $25,000 prize pool across 12 winners over the course of the summer.

San Diego – September 13, 2026 -- Bonkers Toys has signed a master toy agreement with TikTok creator The Rizzler, real name Christian Savasta, bringing his viral "rizz face" to store shelves nationwide starting Fall 2027.

A 10-year-old's viral expression gets the toy treatment

The line will include collectible plush, figures, and accessories based on the exaggerated squinting-eyes, raised-eyebrow expression that made Savasta an internet sensation. It marks the first time his persona has been turned into an officially licensed toy line.

Bonkers Toys targets major US retailers

Dan Meyer, Head of Brands at Bonkers Toys, said the collection will capture the "rizz face" and the energy that turned The Rizzler into a pop-culture figure. The company plans to launch the products at major retailers across the United States.

Munich – September 13, 2026 -- Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) will broadcast live coverage of the 191st Oktoberfest from September 19 through October 4, 2026, across BR Television, radio, online platforms and the ARD Mediathek streaming service.

The traditional keg-tapping ceremony opens live coverage on September 19

"O'zapft is!" airs live starting at 11:15 a.m. on BR Television, Das Erste and ARD Mediathek, with radio coverage on Bayern 1 and BR24 beginning at noon. Hosts include Susanne Wiesner, Michael Sporer, Dominik Glöbl, Sophie Grund and Andi Christl, with guests Mitsou Jung and Alessandro Capasso.