The Addition

QAnon started out as bored teenagers having fun online… and ended up with a riot at the US Capitol. There may be more to come. We now have politicians, including former and potentially future president Donald Trump, who openly promote the conspiracies that have emerged on the 4chan message boards. It is dangerous and the virus is spreading, including to the UK. How on Earth did we get here? James...

Newsletters have become one of the hottest topics in media in recent times, with publishers and individuals building huge readerships with them. That’s why the Media Voices team launched the Publisher Newsletter Awards to go alongside the already successful Publisher Podcast Awards. This year’s debut event was great, with some of the biggest publishers proudly showing off their newsletter products...

Podcasting has come a long in a relatively short space of time. Things have contracted somewhat in more recent times, but generally, the industry is a positive place. Few people know more about it than Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable, an organisation advocating for, and producing research on, the podcast industry. He joined this week’s show to explain how podcast advertising really works and w...

It is fair to say that Elon Musk’s time owning Twitter has been… eventful. The latest developments have seen view limits imposed. Yes, Twitter wants you to see fewer tweets. The limits are set higher for this who pay for Twitter Blue but still exist. Perhaps we should all be grateful that Elon is helping us to spend less time scrolling, but it all rather feels like he is trolling his users. Jeff G...

In the latest episode of “TV+ Talk” we discuss in depth Apple’s approach to live sport and that of its rivals. We also explore the non-live sporting content that Apple has, such as the “Super League” documentary. It is clearly trying to challenge things like Amazon Prime Video’s popular “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing”. Away from sport, there was also a look at the Academy’s new rules for the O...

Facebook has always had a somewhat changeable relationship with the news media. There have been times when the two have engaged and valued each other, and times when things have been rather more tense. The reality, though, is that parent company Meta basically makes no meaningful money from having news content on its various platforms. That’s why, in the face of a new Canadian law demanding it pay...

It has been another chaotic and fascinating six months in the world of streaming. We’ve seen Netflix accelerate its battle against password sharers, but not much take-up of its ad tier. Some services, such as Disney+, are even starting to remove content, something previously unthinkable. Furthermore, consumers feeling the financial squeeze are having to make decisions as to which services they wan...

Prince Harry headed into The Rolls Building of the High Court in the UK the other week in an almost unprecedented step. He was there to be cross-examined, alleging the newspapers owned by the Mirror Group had hacked his phone over the period of some years. His appearance was part of a wider case featuring several different celebrities, but the Duke of Sussex attracted the most attention. The newsp...

For over a month, screenwriters in America have been on strike after talks between their union, the WGA, and the studios broke down. Amongst other things, the writers have concerns over the rise of so-called mini-rooms, being locked into smaller series, declining residuals and the potential impact of AI. None of this is straightforward to fix - it requires a dramatic change to the current working...

It’s been a somewhat tumultuous time in the world of Web3 recently (isn’t it always?). Lauren Ingram, the founder of Women of Web3, joins the show to explain what is really going on and how things can get better and more inclusive. The Women of Web 3 podcast is set to return with its second season in the coming days. AI might be grabbing all the attention recently, but it is really important to ha...

It’s that time of the month - Chuck Joiner and I reconvene to discuss Apple TV+. On this episode of “TV+ Talk” we finish off our chat about “Shrinking” before analysing the recently released “Silo.” We finish off by looking at the… mixed… reactions to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which has finally premiered at Cannes. However, most of us are going to have to wait a little bit longer to see it.* “...

B2b publishing is a big, but all too often overlooked, segment of the media. It might not be as sexy as the big-name, consumer-facing brands, but it really matters. The Audiencers is a new b2b publication aimed at those within the media industry that run all manner of publications. It is run by Poool, the membership and subscription technology suite. On this week’s show, Editor-in-Chief Madeleine...

We want transparency and honesty from our politicians. We want our media to hold the powerful to account. One of the best ways to do the latter is via long-form interviews. This week’s guest, Rob Burley, has been involved in producing many of them over the last 30 years but is worried that too many broadcasters, particularly the BBC, are abandoning the format. He gives a powerful insight into his...

Maybe it was always this way, but things feel particularly chaotic in the media industry right now. From sales to shutdowns to Twitter changes, a lot is in a state of flux. Mark Stenberg from Adweek returns to the show this week to discuss the state of things. Never underestimate the power of niche! In particular, we look into what is going on in terms of M&A. There were a huge number of deals don...

You may have noticed that the media world has undergone some seismic changes over recent years. And Ben Smith has been there for them all - from reporting for New York tabloids to turning Buzzfeed into a major news brand and having a column for the New York Times. He now runs Semafor, a globally focused news publication he founded with ex-Bloomberg News exec Justin Smith. It is a typically ambitio...

Chuck Joiner and Charlotte Henry are back with the second episode of “TV+ Talk” - the YouTube series and podcast in which, each month, we discuss the key issues around Apple’s streaming service. This time around we looked at the comedy series “Shrinking” and the movie “Tetris”. Chuck had a bit of a surprise for Charlotte too!* “Shrinking”* “Tetris”* The Addition on YouTube* Charlotte Henry on Twit...

Things are never quiet in Hollywood. Luckily, The Ankler exists to explain it all. Founded on the back of Richard Rushfield’s own newsletter, it has grown to become an example of a great Substack business. And there is a lot going on in Tinseltown right now. The drive to get people back into cinemas post-pandemic continues, with more and more “in theatres only” releases happening. There have also...

There is so much content across all the different streaming platforms right now it is almost overwhelming. So The Addition is here to help! Jeff Gamet returns to the podcast to discuss what he is watching now, what I am watching now and what is on our “to watch” lists. There is plenty to recommend for your viewing pleasure, whether serious series, comedy specials, 30-minute sitcoms or movies. HBO/...

This week’s episode is a bit meta. It’s two Substackers discussing Substack! Without a doubt, the platform has had a transformative effect on the media landscape. It has both coaxed major columnists away from their highly-paid gigs and helped mere startups (like this one) get off the ground. Over the last year, the company has consistently been launching new products, but what comes next? Substack...

The BBC is always under scrutiny, but lately, it is having a particularly tough time. In recent weeks, it has faced difficult questions about its chairman Richard Sharp, transitioned to a combined news channel for both the UK and the rest of the world, and been tangled up in a major impartiality row thanks to Gary Lineker. All the while, significant numbers of layoffs are happening, with years of...

It has been a tumultuous time for TikTok. The UK government joined the ranks of those banning the short-form video app on (most) official devices, with the BBC also urging staff to delete it. Then CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared in front of Congress. Wall Street was not that impressed by his performance, but creators were, as he calmly handled increasingly daft questions from US lawmakers. It’s fair to...

The idea for “TV+ Talk” came about after I joined “MacVoices” to discuss Apple’s streaming service with Chuck Joiner. We had a lot of fun, so we decided to do it more regularly! The aim is to publish an episode about once a month, depending on our schedules. There is a lot happening on Apple TV+ so there should be plenty to talk about. Of course, if there is a show or movie on the service that you...

You may just have noticed that a new season of “Ted Lasso” has begun on Apple TV+, but is the series still delivering as it once was? Kelly Guimont joins the podcast to discuss the opening episode and what we might expect to come next. There are spoilers for season three, episode one so watch that and then come back and join us! Given that this is likely to be the last season of “Ted Lasso”, and e...

Shannon Morse has been making online video for… a long time. Long before we called doing such work being a “creator”, in fact. She joins the show to discuss the current state of the creator economy. How has vertical video changed the game? Can creators actually make money from it? On TikTok in particular, the benefits may go beyond earning some extra income, but it is noticeable that those who sta...

It is International Women’s Day and to mark the occasion Charlotte Tobitt, UK Editor of Press Gazette, joins the show to reflect on five decades of Cosmopolitan and discuss the future of women’s media. We explore whether glossy magazines can survive the challenge posed to them by influencers and creators. Cosmo is certainly doing some very interesting and pioneering digital innovation. Some women’...