The Media Club · 19 December 2025 · 44 min

$10bn And Counting

With Charlotte Tobitt, Alex Hudson

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Oscars YouTube Deal
• Trump BBC Lawsuit
• BBC Charter Renewal
• Future of Cinema
• Google Zero Impact
• Audio Industry Creative Industries Council
• British Journalism Awards
• End of Sky Satellite

In this Christmas special of The Media Club, hosts Matt Deegan, Charlotte Tobitt, and Alex Hudson discuss the Oscars moving to YouTube from 2029, analysing what it means for broadcast television and the future of cinema. They also examine Donald Trump's $10bn lawsuit against the BBC, the UK government's green paper on BBC charter renewal, and the audio industry's new seat on the Creative Industries Council. The episode includes a festive media quiz, 'Schedule This', and predictions for 2026, including the impact of 'Google Zero' on news publishers.

Key takeaways

• The Oscars will be exclusively on YouTube from 2029, ending its terrestrial TV broadcast.
• Donald Trump has filed a $10bn lawsuit against the BBC in Florida over a Panorama documentary.
• The UK government launched a green paper on BBC charter renewal, exploring options like advertising and subscriptions.
• The audio industry gained a seat on the Creative Industries Council.
• Sky Q satellite boxes are no longer sold, signalling the end of satellite TV for Sky.

In this episode

• Intro and Club Inductions0:00 · Matt introduces guests and they induct Jeremy Vine, Chris Duckel Walker, and Ben Zand into the club.
• Oscars to YouTube2:00 · Discussion on the Oscars moving to YouTube and its implications for broadcast TV and cinema.
• Trump vs BBC10:00 · Analysis of Trump's $10bn lawsuit against the BBC and its potential outcomes.
• BBC Charter Renewal18:00 · Discussion on the government's green paper and options for BBC funding.
• News Round-up25:00 · Quick stories on audio industry council, Sky Q, and British Journalism Awards.
• Predictions for 202630:00 · Alex and Charlotte share predictions on AI and Google Zero.
• Media Quiz: Schedule This35:00 · Christmas quiz where guests pitch TV formats for schedule slots.
• Outro and Plugs45:00 · Guests plug their podcasts and the show wraps up for Christmas.

Notable quotes

“I love the idea that everyone has to pay a triple license fee here. It's like a triple rollover license fee to pay off Donald Trump.”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

“Cinemas are dying. We know this.”

Alex Hudson · 0:00

“The metaverse already exists, just not in a VR headset, Zuckerberg, without a real body sort of thing.”

Alex Hudson · 0:00

“I still wholeheartedly believe in the metaverse. The metaverse is just not Zuckerberg's dream.”

Alex Hudson · 0:00

“It's not the least worst option. I mean, a more progressive thing where actually people were in the same way as income-based, and a more progressive tax would be on people's income so they could pay what they could afford.”

Alex Hudson · 0:00

“I'm still pushing what I keep saying, and I'll keep saying on the media club because there's obviously the way to influence all government opinion, is it should be on council tax because it's progressive, it's connected to the scale of your house.”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

Discussed

BBC · YouTube

Also mentioned: Donald Trump · Jeremy Vine · Joey Barton · Chris Duckel Walker · Ben Zand · Katie Razz · Lisa Nandy · Kathy Newman · Justin Welby · Keaton Stone · Malik Al-Tantesh · Bob Mortimer · Ross Kemp · Martin Compton · Wayne Lineker · Jim McEwan · Alex from Audio Network · Netflix · Disney · Comcast · ABC · Press Gazette · Sky · Channel 4

Mentioned or recommended

• Oscars · event
• Panorama · tv show · BBC
• Line of Duty · tv show · Jed Mercurio
• Doctor Who · tv show · BBC
• Knives Out · film · Rian Johnson
• Minecraft Movie · film · Jared Hess
• Grand Theft Hamlet · film · Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane
• GTA 6 · product · Rockstar Games
• Red Dead Redemption 2 · product · Rockstar Games
• Strictly Come Dancing · tv show · BBC
• The Traitors · tv show · BBC
• The Player · song · Audio Network
• Steady State · song · Audio Network
• British Journalism Awards · event · Press Gazette
• The Future of Media Explained · podcast · Press Gazette
• Crashed Podcast · podcast · Alex Hudson