The Media Club with Matt Deegan

A High Court judge throws out Prince Harry’s privacy case against the Daily Mail's publisher, on every count. Guardian media editor Michael Savage sifts through the wreckage. Also on the show: Sky agrees a £1.6bn deal to buy ITV's channels and ITVX - reshaping British broadcasting overnight.  Clive Dickens of The Meliora Company joins us for our now traditional, biannual AI roundup... and, in...

Sky puts its money where its mouth is, pledging billions to secure Coronation Street and Love Island as it closes in on a takeover of ITV's channels. But with Sky's own parent company announcing a split this week, what does it all mean for Sky News? TV critic and producer Steven D Wright weighs up the deal. Also on the show: Radio 4's Today programme is being told to put TikTok before its own airw...

Are Freeview's days numbered? Sam Sharps, Chief Executive of The Connection Project, walks us through the Government's Media Green Paper. Also on the show: Fox is acquiring Roku for $22bn. Journalist Kate Bulkley on what Lachlan Murdoch is really buying. All that plus: the Edinburgh TV Festival becomes the Manchester TV Festival, Sky edges closer to buying ITV’s channels… and, in The Audio Ne...

When is a play, not a play? Or a download not a download? As Spotify updates its analytics, we take a look at how YouTube, Apple and others define what we monetise. Elsewhere, the BBC outlines where the axe will fall. Broadcast consultant Paul Robinson, a veteran of both the BBC and this podcast, tells us more. Also on the podcast: who’s training the next generation of content makers? Prince Taylo...

The BBC puts Doctor Who out to tender - no Christmas special, no Russell T Davies, no Bad Wolf. Broadcast’s Insight Editor Rebecca Cooney on what’s really been going on behind the TARDIS doors. Also on the show: how do you explain the world to an eight-year-old? Vanessa Harriss, editor of The Week Junior, on the healthy business of children’s media - and why kids still want it in print. All that p...

The CMA hands publishers a world-first opt-out from Google's AI Overviews; Alex Hudson tells us whether this is the breakthrough it looks like. Also on the show: Nutopia's Simon Willgoss on making the first major World War II documentary series since The World At War 50 years ago - twenty episodes, one war, one very famous narrator. All that plus: Jon Petrie exits the BBC for Hat Trick, Netflix ge...

We're live at The Podcast Show to tackle the biggest question facing the sector: should podcasters pivot to video - and if so, how do you do it without repeating the mistakes of Fleet St? Charlotte Tobitt of Press Gazette, Guardian founder Jim Waterson and BBC Studios Audio's Thomas Curry were all there the first time around, and they're here to warn of what might be. Also on the show: we're at th...

Is traditional journalism losing the battle for attention - or are individual journalists actually winning it? Dino Sofos, founder of Persephonica, helped build the shows from BBC’s Newscast to Global’s The News Agents has some thoughts. Also on the show: ITN CEO Rachel Corp steps down immediately - and her replacement is the man who had just quit to take another job. Broadcast Magazine's Heather...

As the greats of the press descend on London for the Truth Tellers annual conference, Politico's Allison Hoffman talks to The Media Club about SLAPPS and the other obstacles to getting a story out there. Also on the show: broadcaster - and now formats geek - Richard Bacon on his new podcast, Why Are You More Successful Than Me ? A question, of course, we will also be asking. All that plus: a celeb...

200 companies pitched for the BBC and NBC's next global format - and the winner is a partnership between Expectation and Plegazoid. CMG Productions' Claire McArdle, making her debut today, on what it takes to design something that can travel. Also on the show: Sky News is remaking itself as a premium, subscription-first newsroom by 2030. Gold Wala's Faraz Osman on whether that's a strategy or a eu...

YouTube is officially an audio platform. Karin Robinson, Senior Director of Strategy at Edelman, on whether we all need to open our eyes. Also on the show: as the Warner Brothers deal is signed off by the shareholders... STV Studios CEO David Mortimer on mergers, acquisitions and more in the TV sector.  All that plus: Channel 4 launches a root-and-branch review... and there’s The Audio Networ...

Ian Katz leaves Channel 4, and the BBC has announced up to 2,000 job cuts. Broadcast Magazine's Rebecca Cooney on a big week in TV. Also on the show: it’s a rare podcast to TV journey - except that the podcast was never finished. TV director Simon Draper joins us to talk about his new documentary, and what it says about the jobs crisis still facing the TV industry. All that plus: Gary Neville buys...

SNL UK launches on Sky One as news emerges over the cost of production. Can the show defy the early critics? And what is Sky seeking to get from its extended run, beyond a repost from President Trump? Huw Edwards attacks the Channel 5 drama about his downfall - but the show pulls 1.5 million viewers anyway. Alex Hudson joins us to ask whether any sympathy is owed.  Also: Matt Brittin becomes...

Matt Brittin is being lined up to replace Tim Davie at the BBC - but first, a speech, and a Culture Secretary with a parting gift. Media writer Kate Bulkley and Edelman's Karin Robinson decode a week in BBC politics. Also on the show: a new Policing and Media Charter promises journalists they can pick up the phone again - and Reach takes the BBC to task over local news dominance in its charter con...

The Daily Telegraph has a new, new, new suitor - and it's Axel Springer, who has beaten the Daily Mail with a £575 million bid for Telegraph Media Group. Media historian Maggie Brown on what the new owners inherit. Also on the show: Banijay and All3Media announce an $8 billion mega-merger, creating the world's largest independent TV production group. Juan Delgado, CEO of Footballco, on what consol...

All3Media and Banijay have merged to create an eight-billion-dollar independent production giant - and there are whispers that ITV Studios could be next on the menu. Media writer Tara Conlan takes stock. Also: Paramount Skydance beats Netflix in a marathon bidding war for Warner Bros Discovery. It's the biggest media merger in history - and the debt pile to match. Former Media Leader editor and no...

Just what went wrong on the BBC's BAFTA edit? And how did the afternoon unfold for audience members? Talent agent Alex Segal was in the room when it happened. Also on the show: the government moves to bring Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video under Ofcom regulation for the first time; Goalhanger tells TV commissioners they’ve got young audiences wrong; the Paramount vs Netflix bidding war for Warner...

Apple Podcasts finally joins the video revolution — but is it too late to the party? Entertainment journalist Jamie East has the remote. Also on the show: Sky wants ITV — but does the deal still have legs? Broadcast’s senior reporter Heather Fallon has been following every twist. All that plus: The 1% Club conquers the world, the Broadcast Awards winners are in... and, in the Audio Network Media Q...

Tim Davie sends the Government a World Service ultimatum, as he claims funding runs out in seven weeks. Former Radio Academy CEO Paul Robinson tells us what’s at stake. Also on the show: Will Lewis abruptly exits the Washington Post - Priscilla Igwe, founder of The New Black Film Collective, on why independent journalism matters. All that plus: Disney strikes a deal with Sky, the editor of the Tod...

We’re in Glasgow to see how broadcasters and indies are meeting the challenge of fragmentation - we speak to Bobby Hain and Graham Bryce about launching STV Radio - and we have STV Studios exec Paul Sheehan on their expanding portfolio. Also on this packed show: it’s Rajars week. How have stations across the country performed? Adam Bowie takes us through who’s up and down. All that plus: another n...

We're joined by two execs that find their sectors converging on platforms like Spotify and YouTube. Steve Ackerman speaks to his three decades at Somethin’ Else and then Sony Music Podcasts, whilst ITV Studio’s Martin Trickey tells us about his social agency label, Zoo55. Also on the show: Can news outlets survive Google’s AI Overview? The UK markets regulator may intervene - but will it be in tim...

It’s Harry vs Daily Mail: but as both sides bring robust arguments, could this one get messy? Journalist and TV producer Steven D Wright gets the popcorn out. Also on the show: the BBC agrees a deal with YouTube and Ofcom to produce content for the platform. TV critic Rhianna Dhillon explains the deal and what it means for your feed. All that plus: Channel 4 gets commercial, the Government throws...

Goalhanger hits quarter of a million paying listeners, we speak exclusively to their Chief Revenue Officer about their strategy, and what it means for tv, radio and streamers across the sector. Also on the show: Banijay and All3Media are in talks to merge. But what do you call a superindie when it doubles in size? All that plus: Cathay Newman leaves Channel 4, Amol Rajan leaves Today ... and, in t...

Spotify announces big changes to its revenue machine and Global spends big on Gary Nevile’s network.... Lots of podcast upheaval, but are podcasts at risk of losing money through a bad actor? Thomas Curry, exec at BBC Studios, takes us through the week’s deals. Also on the show: should we spend double what we do for the World Service? And should the Government pay for it? Rebecca Cooney from Broad...

Is there any merit to Donald Trump’s case against the BBC? And can the corporation get it dismissed before the legal costs rack up? Charlotte Tobitt, UK Editor at Press Gazette tells us the latest. Also on the show: the Oscars head to YouTube. What does the multi-year deal mean for broadcast television? Journalist and all-round digital media maven Alex Hudson makes sense of it for us. All that plu...