Friday Briefing #17: The Ghost of 2023

February 13, 2026 · 8 min read

SAG-AFTRA headquarters. Photo: Deadline

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Welcome to Friday Briefing #17. SAG-AFTRA is back at the table with the studios. Paramount just launched a hostile bid to block Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. Britney Spears sold her catalog for $200 million. And the box office took its annual Super Bowl beating.

This edition: the labor talks that could shut Hollywood down again, a hostile takeover bid that would reshape the industry, Super Bowl weekend box office, this week's releases, and a deep dive into why 2023 is haunting every negotiating room in town.

IP Surveillance #17

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