The Media Club with Matt Deegan

It’s the biggest media deal for a decade - or maybe not, if Paramount gets their way. How does this affect consumers, cinema goers... and all of us, really? Faraz Osman, MD at indie Gold Wala joins me to discuss a seismic week in the media. Also on the show: how do you make a documentary about the enigma that is Nick Cave? Filmmaker Mike Christie joins us to discuss his new documentary... and how...

Is HBO Max doing the right thing pulling the sitcom everywhere but their own service? Or are consumers getting tired of chasing their favourite shows behind paywalls? We look at the return of ‘windowing’ and what’s driving the trend. Also on the show: agency giant Omnicom acquired Interpublic recently. Does that solve all its problems? Brand consultant and writer Omar Oakes thinks maybe not. ...

The Mail agrees to buy the Telegraph: but where’s the money coming from? And will the Government wave it through? Private Eye’s Adam MacQueen, writer on the magazine’s Street Of Shame, laments another twist in the Telegraph saga. Also on the show: the budget offered no new tax credits for the film and TV industry... but at least there’s another big studio being built. Cara Kotschy, co-founder of p...

What do the noises coming out of Disney+ tell us about the streamer’s plans for user generated AI? Matt Deegan is joined by Stuart Morgan, MD & Founder of Audio Always and Cat Lewis, CEO of Nine Lives Media to discuss the week’s media news. Also on the show: as Donald Trump raises the stakes against the BBC to $5bn in damages, we’re in Salford at MediaCity, the corporation’s second-biggest hub...

It was one scandal too many for Tim Davie - where does his departure leave the BBC at this crucial time? And which talented exec would dare take on the role? Former Chief Creative Officer for BBC TV, Patrick Younge, and The Telegraph’s media editor James Warrington, whose paper broke this DG-slaying story, join us in the studio. Also on the show: ITV is up for sale - well, at least the broadcastin...

The Sidemen’s manager thinks the Beeb is on the same path as the Titanic; just as others speak up for big changes in the next ten year plan. We ask is it even possible for the corporation to change course? Broadcast consultant Paul Robinson weighs the arguments for us. Also on the show: - fool me once... shame on you - The Times reflects on being tricked for the second time in a month... journalis...

What does it take to cut through as a documentary maker on YouTube? Filmmaker Ben Zand joins us to talk about his recent launch, Human. Also on the show: Disney Plus cuts ties with Doctor Who as it decides not to renew a deal with the BBC... what next for one of the corporation’s international hits? Broadcast’s Rebecca Cooney explains.   All that plus: we look at Sora 2 and AI’s implications...

Strictly Come Dancing's presenters are both leaving - who’s in the running to replace Tess & Claude at the BBC’s flagship show? And why was their announcement on Instagram so strange? Heather Fallon, senior reporter at Broadcast Magazine explains. Also on the show: how do you make a talent agency fit for purpose in a digital world? InterTalent’s MD, Alex Segal, joins us to discuss the new skil...

Attention returns to the south of France as the TV industry is joined at their annual international bash by YouTube. Media writer Tara Conlan is not in Cannes, but is on our sofa, and ready to explain. Also on the pod: as Spotify does more deals with streamers - BBC Studios’ Thomas Curry is here to survey the podcast landscape with us.  All that plus: the Daily Mail doubles down on TikTok con...

Global splashes out on buying The Fellas Studios - what can these two very different media brands get from the deal?  Also on the pod: as the Guardian announces a new digital strategy - Jim Waterson of London Centric looks back at what’s changed in the ten years of Kath Viner editorship. All that plus: a little bit of Celebrity Traitors and all the latest telly trends with critic Rhianna Dhil...

We are back at the British Podcast Awards - one of the biggest nights in media as the worlds of radio, TV and journalism all have a stake in this still fledgling medium. Ollie Peart is backstage once again to hear from winners including Carl Miller on Kill List season two and a potential TV adaptation and Pod Save The UK’s Coco Kahn on Crooked Media’s struggles with Trump 2.0. Along the way Matt m...

With Disney and ABC facing the wrath of viewers, why are the big media beasts struggling with the second Trump presidency? Broadcaster and audio critic Miranda Sawyer looks back on another tumultuous week in talk shows. Also on the pod: which brands and platforms do advertisers love right now and why? Media strategist Jane Ostler from Kantar joins us to reveal the latest Media Reactions data. All...

Is the TV industry ready for the latest advertising ban? And why is radio set to profit from it? TV consultant Stephen Arnell joins us to explain more about the Less Healthy Food restrictions. Also on the show: the rise of fake journalists and PRs is on the rise. Charlotte Tobitt, UK editor of Press Gazette takes us down the rabbithole. All the news from the RTS Cambridge convention with media wri...

An online spat reveals a new truth about modern journalism. Alex Hudson, Editor-in-chief of Everything Popular is Wrong, takes a trip into Substack to investigate. Also on the pod: Lachlan Murdoch wins the succession battle. TV critic and media writer Scott Bryan tells us who are the real winners and losers.  All that plus: why are streamers so reluctant to fund an antibullying body? The Obse...

Why are the superindies reluctant to spend on new ideas at the moment? Steven D Wright, journalist and TV producer tells us what’s going on. It’s about to get quieter in the audio sector too, with the cull at Wondery sending shockwaves through the burgeoning podcast sector. Chloe Straw, chief exec of trade body Audio UK, gives us the mood music - and which strategies could help your business. All...

Is Netflix indulging in ‘TV Tourism?’ And what does it mean? Should Channel 4 have broadcast their Bonnie Blue documentary? And why is a newspaper editor delivering the keynote at a room full of TV makers? It’s our annual, Edinburgh International TV Festival special - with all the insight from the sessions... and gossip from the conference floor. Featuring Boyd Hilton, Rebecca Cooney, Jake Kanter,...

Public service content should be findable on YouTube - so says media regulator Ofcom, in today's announcement of a public service media review. Cristina Nicolotti Squires speaks to Matt Deegan about treating YouTube as a new form of EPG, the need for media literacy - and looks back at the challenges the regulator has faced this year with impartiality at GB News and BBC Radio's spin-off stations. W...

Is the media industry too toxic for freelancers? Exec producer Rina Dayalji joins us to discuss the wider problems at the heart of the BBC’s Masterchef scandal. **SURVEY TIME** We need more info on our listeners and viewers to help improve the show. It takes 2mins and one lucky applicant will win a £50 John Lewis voucher. Take part now Also on the show: how will AI change the way we made and consu...

** SURVEY TIME ** We need more info on our listeners and viewers to help improve the show. It takes 2mins and one lucky applicant will win a £50 John Lewis voucher. Take part as you listen... When the ad money leaves, what do you do to keep your publication going? Tag Warner, CEO of the Gay Times, joins us to discuss their adventures in a readership share scheme. Partly fuelling that is Google’s A...

Why do YouTubers and podcasters want government recognition? Tim Burrowes of Unmade Media joins us to discuss the perils of securing a mortgage as a digital creator - as well as the latest from MADFest in London. Also on the show: amid Glasto controversy and Channel 4 picking up a supposedly partial doc on Gaza... does the BBC need to reset its news coverage? Edelman’s Karin Robinson fills us in....

Can big tech be tamed? As the competition regulator tries to tweak Google’s algorithm, Mail Online’s SEO chief Carly Steven explains what the impact has been for her outlet. Also on the show: are vertical dramas the next big thing? Caroline Frost, Radio Times TV Editor and Podcast Host, tells us if they’re a thumbs up... or is that a swipe right? All that plus: discontent swells at a BBC meeting o...

Kate Philips is announced as the BBC’s all-powerful creative lead - Faraz Osman, founder of TV indie Gold Wala, takes a look at her in-tray. Also on the show: TV advertising gets the self-service treatment... Rebecca Cooney, insight editor at Broadcast, tells us why broadcasters are targeting small businesses. Plus, speaking of advertising: with the threat of AI ever present, how do creatives rate...

How did social media stars, podcasters and YouTubers overtake traditional media in ad revenue? Michael Savage, media editor at the Guardian, shepherds us into the new era. Also on the show: as The Standard announces a new partnership with Message Heard, we chat to the podcast outfit’s Jake Warren about the magic ingredients that turn print into podcast. All that plus: Warner Brothers Discovery giv...

Do we need a Hypocratic oath for journalism? Journalist and Author Mic Wright has been into UK newsrooms to deduce whether there's an ethical line beyond, “don’t get sued.” Also on the show: the BBC sets out its stall for charter renewal. PR supremo Will Wood is here to take us through Tim Davey’s wishlist. All that plus: the AI copyright bill suffers another setback, there’s more job cuts at Disn...

Why indies shouldn’t fear Channel 4’s production arm - Derek Drennan, founder of Nest Productions talks to us about his business, and why IP isn’t the only game in town. Also on the show: as the industry mourns the passing of Alan Yentob, former BBC exec Paul Robinson takes us back to his 90s heyday. All that plus: the Telegraph is sold AGAIN - will that be that? And, in the Audio Network Media Qu...