Entertainment News Roundup: Zendaya's tennis movie, 'Challengers,' tests friendship bonds of complex trio; Streaming device maker Roku beats quarterly revenue estimates and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Ambani's JioCinema cuts subscription prices as India's streaming war heats up JioCinema, the streaming platform run by India's Reliance Industries, on Thursday cut prices of its premium offering to as low as 29 rupees ($0.3480) a month, heating up competition for Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Ambani's JioCinema cuts subscription prices as India's streaming war heats up

JioCinema, the streaming platform run by India's Reliance Industries, on Thursday cut prices of its premium offering to as low as 29 rupees ($0.3480) a month, heating up competition for Netflix and Amazon Prime. Reliance runs multiple TV channels and JioCinema streaming app through its media unit Viacom18 and has a sizeable hold over India's $28-billion media and entertainment market.

Hipgnosis' bidding war intensifies as Concord hikes offer for Shakira music owner

Shares of Hipgnosis Songs Fund climbed on Thursday after Apollo-backed Concord outbid a proposal by private equity giant Blackstone, launching a bidding war for the owner of music rights of artists, including Shakira and Blondie. Concord, a Nashville-based independent music company, sweetened its bid late on Wednesday for Hipgnosis to $1.25 per share, or about $1.51 billion, slightly higher than Blackstone's proposal of $1.24 apiece.

Pet Shop Boys say new album Nonetheless 'one of our most melodic'

British electro-pop duo Pet Shop Boys say their new album "Nonetheless" is one of their most melodic from their four-decade-long career, featuring songs about solitude, freedom and looking for a new bohemia. The record, out on Friday, is the 15th studio album by the duo - singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe - and was written during the various COVID-19 lockdowns.

Zendaya's tennis movie, 'Challengers,' tests friendship bonds of complex trio

When Zendaya first read the script for director Luca Guadagnino’s romantic sports film “Challengers,” she immediately understood that the tennis player turned coach she would portray was unapologetic about her own power and how she wielded it. “I also think that she isn't immediately dislikable, and she isn't perfect, and she isn't trying to be and we're not making any excuses for that either,” Zendaya said about her character, Tashi Duncan.

Streaming device maker Roku beats quarterly revenue estimates

Roku beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue and forecast second-quarter sales above estimates on Thursday, buoyed by strong ad sales and the ongoing shift to streaming from cable TV . Shares of the company were flitting between gains and losses in volatile trading after the bell. They were last up about 2%.

K-Pop group ITZY showcases individuality on second world tour

Members of the K-pop supergroup ITZY are looking to show a new side of themselves as the band takes its "Born to Be" tour to fans around the world. The tour, which sees the girl band perform in 18 countries across Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Europe, and North America this year, takes its name from the group's third studio album, released in January.

Eurovision euphoria boosts travel to Sweden's Malmo, eDreams says

Eurovision fever boosted travel searches for the Swedish coastal city of Malmo by 176% between September 2023 and April 2024, Spanish online travel booking company eDreams ODIGEO said on Wednesday. The Eurovision song contest, the world's biggest of its kind, takes place in Malmo from 7-11 May after Swedish singer Loreen won last year's competition in Liverpool.

'Taylor Swift Act' and other efforts target sky-high concert ticket prices

The Taylor Swift concert ticket debacle two years ago is leading state and federal lawmakers to take aim at sales practices that they say are deceptive or predatory to music fans. A main goal of venues and musicians is to outlaw speculative sales when a seller offers a ticket they do not yet have. In some cases, they ask thousands of dollars for a ticket that they can buy later from the primary seller for $200 or less and reap the profit.

John Lennon's lost 1960s acoustic guitar to go up for auction

A previously lost 12-string acoustic guitar that belonged to the late John Lennon will go up for sale at an auction in May after it was recently found in the attic of a home in Britain. The auctioneers said Lennon played the guitar, which is expected to exceed its estimate of $600,000 to $800,000, on the Beatles' 1965 album "Help!".

Amazon Prime Video to exclusively stream two NHL seasons in Canada

National Hockey League (NHL) and its digital broadcast rights owner Rogers Communications on Thursday signed a deal to stream the hockey tournament's next two seasons exclusively on Amazon.com's Prime Video for Canadian audiences. Amazon Prime subscribers in Canada will be able to access the broadcasts along with match analyses and coverage, according to a joint statement by Rogers and the NHL.

(With inputs from agencies.)