Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon medley of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, John Ourand chronicles the backstory of Paramount’s transformational $7.7 billion deal with UFC, a swing that underscores David Ellison and Paramount’s resolve to stock its subscale streamer with premium content. Now, with MLB rights up for renewal in 2028 and the NFL’s potential opt-out in 2029, Ellison and his team may be eyeing the next potential bidding wars on the horizon…

Plus, below the fold: Lauren Sherman uncovers Law Roach’s preparations to buy the French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro—and reveals the latest names to emerge in the Vogue succession race. Abby Livingston checks in on the Epstein scandal’s lingering grip over Republicans during their August recess. And Scott Mendelson dissects Warner Bros.’ record-setting six consecutive $40 million-plus openings.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt Belloni is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Ashley Carman on The Town to discuss the UFC-Paramount deal and Amazon’s podcast flameout. On The Grill Room, Dylan Byers sits down with the Ruthless podcast co-hosts to break down their new deal with Fox News. On Fashion People, Lauren and Marisa Meltzer chew over Ty Haney’s Outdoor Voices relaunch and the ostensible return of the “girlboss.” And on The Powers That Be, Julia Ioffe and Abby dig into the August recess town halls and the Texas redistricting battle—and what it all portends for the 2026 midterms.

SPORTS

A couple days into his new gig, David Ellison announced his transformational $7.7 billion UFC deal. Sure, it won’t make Paramount+ profitable, but it will turn the service into a major player—as MLB and the NFL are likely taking note.

FASHION

Zendaya stylist Law Roach is lining up financial backers to make a play for Emanuel Ungaro, a struggling, tech-owned French luxury brand that’s cycled through a dozen-odd designers since Asim Abdullah bought it from the Ferragamos, seemingly on a whim.

FASHION

Inside the latest fashion industry convulsions: Susan Plagemann’s departure from WME Fashion and the group’s next moves, the latest names to emerge in the U.S. Vogue succession race, and a close look at Mark Guiducci’s first month at Vanity Fair.

WASHINGTON

Republicans fled D.C. early for August recess to avoid votes on releasing the Epstein files. But the issue has been waiting for at least some of them in their home districts—and will be unavoidable when they return to town in September.

HOLLYWOOD

David Zaslav’s once-flailing movie studio has notched its sixth straight $40 million-plus opening weekend, including two of the three top earners of the year. In simple terms, Warners’ hot streak comes from placing smart bets and making the most of them, but there’s always an asterisk in the new tangled Hollywood calculus.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Ashley Carman to discuss UFC’s $7.7 billion rights deal with Paramount and the changing landscape in the podcast business. They begin by detailing the huge swing David Ellison took to secure the entire slate of UFC’s streaming and broadcast rights for Paramount+, eliminating the pay-per-view model. They debate where the money comes from and why UFC ultimately chose Paramount over others. Then, they dig into Amazon’s decision to fold its podcast unit, Wondery, into its Audible banner; talk about the industry’s shift to the video format; and predict which podcast has the best chance to dethrone Joe Rogan.

MEDIA

On this special episode, Ruthless podcast co-hosts Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook, and Shashank Tripathi join Dylan to discuss the origins of their podcast—and, more intriguingly, their new licensing deal with Fox News. They also dive into their unique approach to politics, the lack of conservative humor in the media landscape, the challenges faced by legacy media, and much more.

FASHION

Lauren and Marisa Meltzer, author of the forthcoming It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, review Ty Haney’s Outdoor Voices relaunch and discuss the possibility of Goop Kitchen heading to New York. (There’s a longer Gwyneth Paltrow convo, too.) They also question why the street style at Copenhagen Fashion Week is so bad, and explore the so-called return of the girlboss.

WASHINGTON

Abby Livingston joins guest host Julia Ioffe to break down the August recess town halls, where some members of Congress are dodging the spotlight while others face heat over the Big Beautiful Bill and the Epstein scandal. They also discuss the latest Texas redistricting battle—and what it means for the 2026 midterms.

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