The Media Club · 11 March 2022 · 42 min

Disney+Ads, CNN in Ukraine & Piers Morgan... Uncensored?

With Jake Kanter, Scott Bryan, Michael Holmes, Michael Holmes

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Disney+ Ad-Supported Tier
• Streaming Wars
• BBC Diversity Executive Departures
• Ukraine War Media Coverage
• Russia Media Restrictions
• Piers Morgan Uncensored
• Netflix Price Increase
• BBC TikTok Launch

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by The Times' Jake Kanter and TV & audio critic Scott Bryan to discuss the week's media news. Topics include Disney+ launching an ad-supported tier in the US, the implications for the streaming wars, the BBC's diversity executive departures, and the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on media and tech companies. The episode features an interview with CNN correspondent Michael Holmes, reporting from Lviv, about the dangers of war journalism and the ambush on Sky News' Stuart Ramsay's team. The panel also discusses Piers Morgan's new show 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' and the media quiz covers music industry milestones.

Key takeaways

• Disney+ announced an ad-supported tier in the US, aiming to grow subscribers and compete with Netflix.
• The BBC lost its head of creative diversity to Amazon, highlighting a wider issue of diversity executive retention.
• Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to media restrictions, with the BBC suspending then resuming reporting, and CNN, Bloomberg, and NYT suspending operations in Russia.
• CNN correspondent Michael Holmes discussed the dangers of war journalism, referencing the Sky News ambush and his own experiences in Iraq.
• Piers Morgan's new show 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' is set to launch on TalkTV, with a global ambition across UK, US, and Australia.

In this episode

• Intro and news round-up0:00 · Matt Deegan introduces the show and covers top media stories including BBC diversity departures and Ukraine coverage.
• Interview with Michael Holmes12:00 · CNN correspondent Michael Holmes discusses war journalism from Lviv, Ukraine.
• Piers Morgan discussion25:00 · Panel discusses Piers Morgan's new show and TalkTV's strategy.
• Media Quiz30:00 · Music-themed quiz covering audio industry headlines.

Notable quotes

“I don't know how they got out of it.”

Michael Holmes · 0:00

“You can do everything and still get killed.”

Michael Holmes · 0:00

“I frankly can't believe that there was one minor gunshot wound out of that. I mean, they should have all been dead.”

Michael Holmes · 0:00

“It's a way to keep the subscription costs down.”

Scott Bryan · 0:00

“I think people will inevitably have to make choices about which subscription service they eventually use more than others.”

Jake Kanter · 0:00

Discussed

Disney+ · Netflix · BBC · CNN · TikTok · TalkTV

Also mentioned: Piers Morgan · Stuart Ramsay · Miranda Wayland · Volodymyr Zelensky · Tim Hetherington · Nia Nilsson · Victoria Derbyshire · Sophia Smith-Galer · Jennifer Saunders · Mollie King · Andrew Marr · Paul Brand · Sky News · News UK · GB News · Channel 4 · ITV · Amazon · Apple · Riverside.fm · Classic FM · LBC · Global · Telegram

Mentioned or recommended

• Piers Morgan Uncensored · tv show
• Servant of the People · tv show · Volodymyr Zelensky
• Heat Waves · song · Glass Animals
• Tonight · tv show · ITV
• Storyville · tv show · BBC
• GB News Rebels · tv show · Channel 4