Film and TV Briefing: Friday 20 February 2026
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
Three-quarters of UK workers consider leaving film and TV industry (Screen Daily)
Warner Bros. Discovery reopens talks with Paramount for best and final offer (The Guardian)
Clapperboard chief calls for changes to UK tax credits (Broadcast)
TV becomes most popular platform for watching YouTube in UK (The Guardian)
Sony seeking deal for rights to EFM Brie Larson horror project ‘Skeletons’ (Screen Daily)
ByteDance accused of “blatant infringement” with AI versions of characters (Variety)
Netflix must do more to show it loves cinemas, says Cinemark CEO (Deadline)
‘Wuthering Heights’ makes £7.7 million over Valentine’s Day weekend (The Guardian)
Bafta adopts human creativity as guiding principle for awards amid AI boom (The Financial Times)
Amanda Seyfried unaware she was executive producer on ‘The Housemaid’ until filming (Deadline)
‘The 1% Club’ becomes top-selling new UK format of past decade (Deadline)
Robert Carlyle to join ‘Line Of Duty’ for seventh series (Royal Television Society)
Salma Hayek and Mexican President support new film tax incentives (The Hollywood Reporter)
Features and commentary
Robert Duvall’s brilliance captured light and shade (Variety)
What Nigella Lawson’s arrival means for ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (BBC)
Why Hollywood stars are turning their attention to international films (Variety)
Dozen breakout picks at London Screenings week (Deadline)
Are we nearing the end of the Warner Bros. Discovery saga? (IndieWire)
Industry announcements
Liverpool’s film and TV industry enjoys £150 million economic boost (Broadcast)
BFI to invest £7.2 million of National Lottery funding into UK documentary filmmaking (BFI)
UK Government unveils finance package for creative industries (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Legal updates
BBC reveals strategy to fight Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit (The Times)
