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What changed in media regulation and policy this week?
Government decisions, new rules and policy shifts reported this week.
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The BBC has decided to put the long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who out to tender to find a new production partner following the end of its partnership with Disney.
Read at gizmodo.com ↗03
Former Liberal MP Jenny Ware criticized the Australian Coalition and the Labor government for passing gambling legislation that falls short of the 2023 Peta Murphy inquiry recommendations.
Read at theguardian.com ↗04
Two Coalition MPs, Andrew Wallace and Pat Conaghan, crossed the floor in the Australian Parliament on August 18, 2026, to vote against a gambling reform bill they deemed too weak.
Read at theguardian.com ↗05
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has initiated an investigation into the anticipated acquisition of Warner Bros.
Read at gov.uk ↗06
The South African Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies is proposing a mandatory partnership between the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Netflix to support local content production.
Read at techcabal.com ↗07
Iran's parliament approved the broad outlines of a 33-article bill aimed at curbing 'foreign infiltration' in academia, media, and the cultural sector.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗What funding rounds and acquisitions happened in media this week?
The week’s notable investments, financing rounds, acquisitions and strategic deals.
08
John Roman, co-founder of the outdoor gear company BattlBox, details the company's history from its 2015 launch to its acquisition by Emerge Commerce in 2021 and subsequent buyback in March 2023.
Read at practicalecommerce.com ↗09
MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights to the documentary 'Boatbuilders', directed by Luke Lorentzen.
Read at variety.com ↗10
Higgsfield, an AI video creation company founded by Alex Mashrabov, raised $400 million in a Series B funding round on August 17, 2026.
Read at techcrunch.com ↗11
Paramount has postponed its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.
Read at nytimes.com ↗What products launched in media this week?
Notable product launches, releases and platform updates from the week.
12
DC Studios and HBO have officially greenlit an eight-part true crime docuseries titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd, set within the DC Universe.
Read at gizmodo.com ↗13
On August 20, 2026, Google announced a new 'Preferred Sources' button that publishers can embed on their websites to allow users to prioritize their content in Google Search, Discover, and Google News.
Read at techcrunch.com ↗14
Netflix has acquired a new documentary feature about singer and entrepreneur Jessica Simpson.
Read at variety.com ↗15
On August 19, 2026, the television network FX announced it has ordered a new limited series titled 'Legends'.
Read at variety.com ↗16
MS NOW, a network owned by Versant, will launch a paid membership program for its audience on September 9, 2026.
Read at niemanlab.org ↗17
Estúdios Globo, a division of the Brazilian media company Globo, announced the production of the feature film 'Macacos' and the telefilm 'Os Tatuyos'.
Read at variety.com ↗18
The thriller series 'Kill Jackie', starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, is scheduled for release on October 2, 2026.
Read at variety.com ↗19
Google DeepMind has introduced an experimental AI tool called Backstory, designed to assist fact-checkers in verifying images and detecting AI-generated content.
Read at niemanlab.org ↗8 of 20 product launches events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What financial results were reported in media this week?
Earnings, guidance and other financial results reported this week.
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Warner Bros. Discovery is currently facing a potential acquisition at $31 per share following a period of corporate restructuring.
Read at thestreet.com ↗21
Prime Video announced a $2 billion-plus investment plan for Latin American entertainment, covering the period from 2027 to 2030.
Read at variety.com ↗22
WNBA players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, known as The StudBudz, generated over $1 million in brand deals during the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Read at forbes.com ↗23
U.S. stock markets experienced a decline on August 18, 2026, as global bond yields remained at elevated levels.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗24
NBCUniversal announced a price increase for its streaming service Peacock across all subscription tiers, effective August 18, 2026, for new users and September 17, 2026, for existing subscribers.
Read at variety.com ↗25
On August 17, 2026, U.S. stock markets experienced a decline as oil prices and Treasury yields increased.
Read at bloomberg.com ↗26
Major global advertising holding companies including Publicis, Omnicom, WPP, Havas, Stagwell, S4 Capital, and Dentsu have shifted their strategic focus toward 'delivering outcomes' for clients in 2026.
Read at digiday.com ↗What court rulings and legal actions hit media this week?
Court rulings, filings and legal actions reported this week.
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Paramount and Skydance representatives are scheduled to meet with the California Attorney General's office on Monday, August 24, 2026, to discuss a potential settlement regarding their $111 billion merger with Warner Bros.
Read at variety.com ↗28
A Texas appeals court reduced the $50 million judgment against Alex Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, to $1.5 million on August 21, 2026.
Read at theguardian.com ↗29
Prince Harry and six other claimants have been ordered by a High Court judge to pay £9.54 million in interim legal costs to Associated Newspapers Ltd by August 28, 2026.
Read at theguardian.com ↗30
British rapper and YouTuber Yung Filly will face a retrial in Australia on three charges of sexual assault.
Read at bbc.co.uk ↗31
On August 20, 2026, ABC and its parent company, Disney, filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States.
Read at pewresearch.org ↗32
The documentary 'Myanmar: The Architecture of Statelessness' by Al Jazeera examines the systematic stripping of citizenship from the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗33
The Walt Disney Company has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and the Federal Communications Commission in the United States.
Read at ft.com ↗34
Paramount Skydance Corp. has requested a $1.88 billion bond from 12 US states that filed an antitrust lawsuit to block its merger with Warner Bros.
Read at insurancejournal.com ↗8 of 16 courts and legal events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What research was published in media this week?
New research findings and studies published this week.
35
Researchers Avner Kantor and Sheizaf Rafaeli analyzed 6,400 New York Times articles and nearly one million comments to study reader engagement.
Read at digitalcontentnext.org ↗1 of 2 research events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What incidents and outages hit media this week?
Incidents, outages and safety events reported this week.
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On Monday, August 17, 2026, security personnel at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California held five journalists and two military officers at gunpoint.
Read at futurism.com ↗What partnerships were announced in media this week?
Partnerships, integrations and joint projects announced this week.
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NBC News has entered an exclusive partnership with Taboola to serve as its programmatic display ad reseller.
Read at adexchanger.com ↗38
Butler/Till and iHeartMedia conducted a four-week pilot program between July and August 2026 testing AI agentic media buying for audio and podcast inventory.
Read at digiday.com ↗2 of 6 partnerships events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What people moved in and out of media roles this week?
Executive appointments and departures reported this week.
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Meghan Markle's reported casting in the third season of the Netflix series The Gentlemen, created by Guy Ritchie, has been withdrawn due to intense public backlash in the UK.
Read at theguardian.com ↗40
Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has appointed a new leader for his main YouTube channel following the departure of Corie Henson.
Read at businessinsider.com ↗41
Max D Lederer Jr, the longtime publisher of the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, announced his retirement on August 18, 2026, effective September 30, 2026.
Read at aljazeera.com ↗3 of 8 people moves events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.
What else happened in media this week?
Developments from the week that fit none of the other sections.
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The 'Lead City' investigative series, a collaboration between Inside Climate News, WBEZ, and Grist, received a 'Salute to Excellence' award from the National Association of Black Journalists on August 21, 2026.
Read at insideclimatenews.org ↗43
The CW network has dropped the broadcast of the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA finals.
Read at businessinsider.com ↗44
Marvel Studios canceled the series 'Wonder Man' despite a previous renewal for a second season in March 2026.
Read at gizmodo.com ↗45
OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT advertising pilot to 31 European markets, including Germany, France, and Spain, following a 25% growth in ad revenue since August 2026.
Read at exchangewire.com ↗4 of 60 other developments events are listed; the rest were ranked lower by importance and multi-source corroboration and are not shown.