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The Media Club with Matt Deegan

The Media Club with Matt Deegan

Rethink Audio 385 Episodes Jul 2, 2026

Media news from the UK, covering television production, streaming, radio, audio, journalism, the internet, and publishers. Each week, expert analysts and media practitioners join host Matt Deegan to discuss top media stories and their implications for the sector. Recent guests include journalists from Broadcast, The Guardian, Deadline, Press Gazette, and industry leaders from BBC, ITN, and more.

Episodes

Sky Commits To Coronation Street; Radio 4 Commits To TikTok Jul 2, 2026 39:47 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 airwa
Are Freeview's days numbered? Jun 26, 2026 44:35 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 Netw
Enter the Metrics: What Counts As A ‘Play’ These Days? Jun 19, 2026 42:38 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 Taylor,
The Doctor Will Not See You Now Jun 12, 2026 40:54 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 plu
Happy now? Google adds an AI Opt-Out Jun 5, 2026 45:33 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 gets
The Pivot To Video: What Podcasts Can Learn From The Press May 22, 2026 44:14 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 the
Does News Need More Personality? May 15, 2026 50:51 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 F
Richard Bacon: Formats Geek May 8, 2026 51:43 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 celebrat
Format Fever, Sky's Gamble, and The Creator Economy Grows Up May 1, 2026 53:47 200 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 eup
YouTube’s Audio Ads, Channel 4's Big Shake-Up Apr 24, 2026 53:45 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 Network
8 Out Of 10, Katz? Apr 17, 2026 52:28 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 '
Sky’s £16m SNL Bet Mar 27, 2026 47:24 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 th

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