The Media Club · 24 January 2025 · 48 min

Did Prince Harry Win?

With Will Wood, Jake Kanter

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Prince Harry Phone Hacking Settlement
• TikTok US Sale
• Noel Fielding Departure
• AI in Media
• Trump Media Relations
• BBC AI Guidelines

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by Will Wood, head of PR firm Multitude Media, and Jake Kanter, Investigations Editor at Deadline, to discuss the week's top media stories. The main focus is Prince Harry's settlement with News Group Newspapers over phone hacking, with analysis of what it means for the press and the royal family. The conversation also covers the potential sale of TikTok in the US, with MrBeast emerging as a bidder, and the fallout from Noel Fielding's departure from a Big Talk production. The episode includes a quiz segment and discussions on AI in the BBC and the broader media landscape.

Key takeaways

• Prince Harry settled his phone hacking case against News Group Newspapers, receiving an apology and admission of illegal activity.
• TikTok was briefly shut down in the US before being restored after Trump's inauguration, with MrBeast emerging as a potential buyer.
• Noel Fielding's departure from The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin led to the cancellation of its second series.
• The BBC outlined AI guidelines focusing on public interest, talent, and transparency.
• Netflix added nearly 19 million subscribers in Q4 2024 and announced price increases in North America.

In this episode

• Intro and Guest Introductions0:00 · Matt introduces the show and guests, and they share their media club additions.
• Prince Harry Settlement Discussion5:40 · Analysis of the phone hacking settlement and its implications.
• TikTok and MrBeast18:50 · Discussion on TikTok's US shutdown and potential buyers.
• Trump and Media26:47 · How Trump's return is affecting US media.
• BBC AI Guidelines30:54 · Review of the BBC's new AI principles.
• Noel Fielding and Big Talk35:00 · The collapse of the Dick Turpin series and implications for Bake Off.
• Quiz: The Price is Perfect40:00 · A quiz on media prices.
• What's Keeping You Busy45:00 · Guests discuss their current projects.

Notable quotes

“I mean, it's sort of unusual, actually, that they have sort of reversed. That's not normally what you see from tech companies.”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

“I mean, it's sort of unusual, actually, that they have sort of reversed. That's not normally what you see from tech companies.”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

“I mean, it's sort of unusual, actually, that they have sort of reversed. That's not normally what you see from tech companies.”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

Discussed

Prince Harry · Noel Fielding · News Group Newspapers · The Sun · TikTok · BBC · Big Talk Productions

Also mentioned: Rupert Murdoch · Tom Watson · David Sherborne · MrBeast · Elon Musk · Donald Trump · Jack Rooke · Vincent Berthier · Rachel Jupp · Chris Bird · Apple · Netflix · Apple TV+ · Channel 4 · Multitude Media · Deadline · Oracle · Alamy · DC Thomson

Mentioned or recommended

• The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin · tv show · Big Talk Productions
• The Great British Bake Off · tv show · Love Productions
• Big Boys · tv show · Jack Rooke
• Gavin & Stacey · tv show · James Corden and Ruth Jones
• The Brutalist · film · Brady Corbet
• Mr Bates vs The Post Office · tv show · ITV Studios
• Clarkson's Farm · tv show · Amazon Studios
• The Traitors · tv show · Studio Lambert
• Michael Parkinson podcast · other · BBC