The Media Club with Matt Deegan

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, Executive Producer of Latent Pictures, on whether high-end TV training is actually in good shape.All that plus: the Government bans social media for the under-sixteens - is this the moment kids’ platforms have been waiting for? And, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, three more media stories where reality is up for grabs.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Ben selects the music to score each episode and he and the team can do it for you too at audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:BBC to cancel shows and review channels as it cuts content spendUK social media ban raises digital advertising questionsSpotify redefines a ‘play’BBC launches 3D World Cup experienceBBC made second Ashley Cain series despite alleged misconductTech platforms overtake news outlets as global news sourceSara Cox sets BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show dateRoger Cook, investigative reporter, dies aged 83Rivals renewed for Season 3The Traitors stage show to have 5 different plots

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 plus: ITV, Channel 4 and Sky tell the BBC to stop paddling up Schitt’s Creek... Rhodri Talfan Davies lands the deputy DG job... and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, everybody’s moving house.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Ben selected the music to for this episode and he and the team can do it for you too at audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:BBC puts Doctor Who out to tender; Christmas special scrappedITV, C4 and Sky call for BBC to cut back on international acquisitionsRhodri Talfan Davies named BBC Deputy Director-GeneralGoalhanger tops Sunday Times fastest-growing companies listTony Livesey to step back from BBC radio showMehdi Hasan launches Zeteo in the UKOnly Murders in the Building moves to London for series sixKarl Warner to relocate to LA for BBC Studios global creator roleMiss Me? leaves the BBC to go commercial

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 careful about contributor welfare... and The Audio Network Media Quiz spots the elephant in the room.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music to score each episode and she and the team can do it for you too at https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at https://www.podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:UK publishers win opt-out from Google AI OverviewsNetflix UK on Love Is Blind welfare and new commissioning prioritiesJon Petrie exits BBC Comedy for Hat TrickYouTube overtakes Netflix in average daily viewing around the worldWhite House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduledKSI leaves the Sidemen after 13 yearsLisa Nandy admits government got it wrong on AI copyrightBauer Media Audio UK named Campaign Top 5 Best Places to WorkOpenAI confirms no ad revenue share with publishers

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 ARIA awards at the Roundhouse, where Trevor Nelson, Elizabeth Day, BBC Sounds and Mishal Husain are among the night's big winners.All that plus: in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we play The Weakest Podcast Link.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music to score each episode and he and the team can do it for you too at https://audionetwork.comOur Arias coverage is brought to you in partnership with radio experts: the audio agency specialists. Learn more at https://radioexperts.co.uk/Become a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.

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 Fallon on the shock at the heart of Britain's biggest commercial news operation.All that plus: the Strictly hosting race produces a bombshell reveal, Tim Burrowes of Mumbrella on the Kyle and Jackie O fallout, Australian media, and what the B2B publishing world is talking about this week.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music to score each episode and she can do it for you too at audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Broadcasters must react to threat from creator journalism - Deborah TurnessProlific finance journalists facing questions over identitiesITN CEO Rachel Corp steps down immediatelyZoe Ball confirms she won't be hosting Strictly Come DancingOfcom to investigate GB NewsOsman takes The Golden ElevatorsBig Break returning to BBC daytimeBBC confirms Radio 4 Long Wave switch-off dateNetflix reveals $135bn content spend over past decadeBBC staff fear meagre pay rise after bosses forgo own increase

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 celebrated sports exec bids farewell to Channel 4 - and, in The Audio Network Media Quiz, we reveal some major plot twists.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Ben selected the music to score this edition and he and the team can do it for you too at https://audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at https://www.podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at https://themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this weekWall St Journal warns of waning press freedomMill Media’s legal threatBBC News hit hardest by new cuts C4's head of sport moves to Whisper Letterman On Future Of Late Nighthttps://deadline.com/2026/05/dept-q-netflix-left-bank-training-programme-1236877887/Acast makes first profit evsName That Tune is BACKThe Epstein Files are BACKCelebrity Traitors is BACK

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 euphemism.All that plus: The Ankler leaves Substack. Patreon launches Quips. iHeartMedia and SiriusXM in merger talks. And The Audio Network Media Quiz - three stories that all end with something unexpected.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Ben selected the music to score this game and he and the team can do it for you too, at audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Expectation and Plegazoid win BBC-NBCU format tenderSky News unveils premium video-first strategyThe Ankler leaves Substack for new platformPatreon launches Quips and discovery networkiHeartMedia and SiriusXM in merger talksBarclay Brothers settle with HSBCSophie Jones named new RTS CEOMarvellous Miniature Workshop renewed for 20 episodesTrump claims BBC used AI in Jan 6 editAllison Pearson cleared to sue Essex Police

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 Media Quiz, where we test our guests’ grasp of the week’s news... by dropping some big names.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Ben selects the music to score each episode and he and the team can do it for you too at audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios - for 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:YouTube and SiriusXM partner on audio advertisingSounds Profitable Audio Primes 2026 reportChannel 4 launches strategic review under Priya DograChannel 4: runners and riders to replace Ian KatzSky News launches paywalled contentStandard website now run by IndependentOnion to lease InfowarsBBC Buys In Traitors IndiaRichard Bacon Interviews More Successful PeopleJournalist On The Hook For £14k After Investigation

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 'those bloody YouTubers'... Trump's libel campaign runs aground... and in the Audio Network Media Quiz, we rise above the politics.The Media Quiz is sponsored by Audio Network. Alex selects the music for us each episode - and this week, her team's music features in Simon's documentary too. Find out more at: audionetwork.comWe record at Podshop Studios. For 25% off your first booking, use the code MEDIACLUB at: podshoponline.co.uk/services/podcast-studioBecome a member for FREE when you sign up for our newsletter at: themediaclub.comA Rethink Audio production, produced by Matt Hill with post-production from Podcast Discovery.What The Media Club has been reading this week:Ian Katz leaves Channel 4 After 9 YearsBBC announces latest round of cuts The BBC has launched it's first YouTube docsGary Neville’s buys 'those bloody YouTubers'Trump’s Libel cases fall apartTelegraph takeover clearedASA rules on Lidl and Iceland junk food ads SNL UK announces new guest hostsBoris Johnson heading to Ukraine for 5Scott Mills' replacement to be a wildcard