Media & Entertainment

Munich – September 12, 2026 -- "Love Island VIP" kicks off its new season on September 23, airing every Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. on RTLZWEI, with episodes available a week earlier on RTL+.

Known reality stars now share the villa with total newcomers

For the first time, the Greek villa mixes established reality personalities with previously unknown singles looking for love on camera. Host Sylvie Meis says the format promises a new dynamic, as viewers watch how experienced reality stars react to first-time daters -- and vice versa.

New York – September 12, 2026 -- A new 10-episode series called "The Hunt for Rolling Treasure" will hold a premiere showcase on Sept. 30 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, featuring six rare American muscle cars valued at up to $1.5 million each.

The show tracks three collectors hunting down rare 1960s and 1970s muscle cars

Co-created by Chris Mazzilli, executive producer of "Downey's Dream Cars" and "The Lost Corvettes," and Larry Hochberg, producer of "Pimp My Ride" and "The Curse of Oak Island," the series is produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment with Dream Car Restorations. It stars Mazzilli, Dave Weber of Dream Car Restorations, and collector Greg Lotko, who traveled across North America -- including Texas, Las Vegas, Florida, California, Colorado, and Canada -- to locate the vehicles, with exclusive filming access at Mecum Auctions.

Miami – September 12, 2026 -- Real-money gaming app Betr has launched Betr 2.0, a rebrand that unifies five products -- Picks, Predictions, Social Sportsbook, Social Casino, and Arcade -- into a single platform, alongside a new ad campaign reuniting Entourage stars Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier.

Betr becomes the first consumer app to integrate Polymarket

The centerpiece of the relaunch is Predictions, a new prediction-markets product built through an integration with Polymarket. Betr says it is the first consumer app to launch this integration, with a phased rollout now underway to eligible users in select states. Initial markets will cover sports, with a full release planned later this football season and additional real-world event markets expected over time.

Los Angeles – September 11, 2026 -- Azuki Labs will release the first chapter of its original manga series AZUKI for free on Azuki.com starting September 17 at 9:00 AM PDT, with new chapters arriving on the third Thursday of every month at no cost to readers.

Former Overwatch art director creates the series

Arnold Tsang, who served as Character Art Director for Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch and helped shape the game's hero roster and lore, wrote and illustrated AZUKI. It marks his first original serialized manga and his first return to comics since working on Udon's Street Fighter series.

Story follows two sisters torn apart by mysterious Gates

The plot centers on Shao, who searches for her missing sister Rei after Rei disappears beyond a set of ancient Gates. The search draws Shao into a conflict threatening both worlds, forcing her to confront buried secrets and difficult choices tied to family and destiny.

Southlake – – September 11, 2026 -- Game Show Studio, an immersive entertainment experience that turns guests into contestants in a Hollywood-style game show, opens its newest location inside Red Door Escape Room at 280 Commerce St., Suite 285, in Southlake, Texas, on September 12.

The grand opening runs all weekend with discounts and giveaways

Starting Saturday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m., the public is invited to tour the venue, try mini-games and enter giveaways. Guests who book events during the celebration weekend get an exclusive discount of $25 per ticket.

Bristol, Tenn. – September 11, 2026 -- Brad Pitt will serve as Grand Marshal for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Bristol Motor Speedway, appearing alongside Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris six days before Pitt's new film opens in theaters.

The Academy Award-winning actor and producer will take part in Bristol's pre-race ceremonies and help give the command to fire engines before the NASCAR Cup Series race begins under the lights at 7:30 p.m. ET. It marks the third race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase, a 500-lap event on Bristol's 0.533-mile concrete oval.

Alpharetta, Ga. – September 11, 2026 -- National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE) has unveiled a nationwide brand refresh for its Eyeglass World chain, aiming to reposition the optical retailer as a digital, style-forward destination for eyewear shoppers.

A new campaign ties eyewear to personal identity

Developed with creative agency VML, the relaunch centers on the tagline "Change Your Glasses. Change Your World." The campaign's launch film follows a woman navigating a mirror maze, trying on different pairs of glasses that reflect different versions of herself.

Joe VanDette, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at National Vision, called the effort "a complete reinvention of the brand to meet the expectations of today's style-focused consumers," adding that the company is making it easier for customers to shop via virtual try-on, online purchase, or in-store visits.

Munich – September 11, 2026 -- RTLZWEI airs a new double episode of its social documentary series "Hartz, Rot, Gold" on September 8, 2026, at 8:15 p.m., with the episode available seven days earlier on RTL+.

Jessica and Olaf face a health scare ahead of their second child's birth

The Hamburg couple already has a crib for their baby, thanks to a furniture donation, and 55-year-old Olaf plans to build a shelf himself. He is also considering a job at the Hamburg Dom fair. But a visit to the gynecologist brings alarming news: doctors detected a lump on the baby's heart. Jessica tries to stay calm while Olaf grows increasingly worried.

Munich – – September 10, 2026 -- Ten years after a truck attack killed victims at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, German broadcaster ARD will release a six-part fictional thriller series revisiting the events leading up to the tragedy. "Breitscheidplatz 19/12" streams on ARD Mediathek starting Friday, October 30, 2026, airs on Das Erste on Sunday, November 1 at 9:45 p.m., and continues on Friday, November 6 at 11:55 p.m.

The series had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its German premiere at FilmFest Hamburg.

Munich – September 10, 2026 -- The fifth and final season of "Babylon Berlin" premieres September 10 on the ARD Mediathek streaming platform, closing out a decade-long series with eight new episodes.

Ten years and five seasons come to a close

The crime drama follows detectives Gereon Rath and Charlotte Ritter through 1920s Berlin, with the finale marking the end of a production that has run since its debut. Cast members reflected on the show's decade-long journey ahead of the release.

Volker Bruch, who plays Gereon Rath, said the character has followed him "like a shadow" for ten years, describing how the storyline often intertwined with his own perception of reality. Liv Lisa Fries, who portrays Charlotte Ritter, said she can now let the character go "with gratitude" after a decade in the role.