Media Beat: March 18, 2021

By David Farrell

Much Ado about Meghan & Harry

Here’s how Russell Brand sees it!

And on a serious note…Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish & Grimes tour bus exclusive

Plans to regulate social media could be derailed by US trade agreement

Ottawa’s plans for regulations that require social media platforms to remove illegal content or face stiff penalties could run afoul of Canada’s trade agreement with the United States, some experts are warning.

The wide-ranging trade agreement known as the USMCA or CUSMA, which came into effect last year, contains a provision — Chapter 19.17 — that protects digital platforms from civil liability for any illegal content their users post. – Kieran Leavitt, The Star

Five things you need to know about the blockbuster Rogers-Shaw merger

The deal will make the Shaw family one of Rogers’s largest shareholders. – Yadullah Husain, Financial Post

Wikipedia is finally asking Big Tech to pay up

The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the Wikipedia project in more than 300 languages as well as other wiki-projects, is announcing the launch of a commercial product, Wikimedia Enterprise. The new service is designed for the sale and efficient delivery of Wikipedia's content directly to online behemoths such as Google, Facebook, Amazon Apple (and eventually, to smaller companies too). – Noah Cohen, Wired