• Global Acquires The Fellas Studios
• Guardian's Digital Strategy
• Twitter's Role in Political Journalism
• Celebrity Traitors
• Local News and SEO
• Flightcast Launch
• Paddington Lawsuit
• AI Presenters

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by TV and film critic Rhianna Dhillon and Jim Waterson of London Centric to discuss the week's media news. The main topics include Global's acquisition of The Fellas Studios, the Guardian's new digital strategy under Kath Viner, the launch of Steven Bartlett's Flightcast, and the ongoing debate about the role of Twitter in political journalism. The panel also touches on the popularity of Celebrity Traitors, the SEO challenges faced by local news outlets, and a legal case involving Paddington Bear. The episode features the Audio Network Media Quiz, where Rhianna wins by correctly identifying stories about Paddington, a new Sky comedy, and AI presenters.

Key takeaways

• Global has acquired The Fellas Studios, a leading video podcasting company, to expand its reach with Gen Z audiences.
• The Guardian announced a new digital strategy focused on video investment, backed by the Scott Trust.
• Celebrity Traitors premiered to seven million viewers, outperforming the regular series.
• Steven Bartlett launched Flightcast, a content management system for podcast distribution.
• StudioCanal is suing Avalon over a Spitting Image parody of Paddington Bear.

In this episode

• Intro and Club Roles0:00 · Hosts introduce the show and share their picks for the week.
• Guardian's Digital Strategy0:00 · Discussion on the Guardian's new video-focused strategy and Kath Viner's leadership.
• Global Acquires The Fellas Studios0:00 · Analysis of the acquisition and its implications for both companies.
• Flightcast and Digital Publishing0:00 · Discussion on Steven Bartlett's new CMS and the challenges of digital distribution.
• News Round-up0:00 · Quick hits on Daniel Ek, Radio TechCon, and Google's local news ranking.
• Twitter and Political Journalism0:00 · Jim and Rhianna discuss the state of Twitter and its impact on media and politics.
• Audio Network Media Quiz0:00 · The quiz segment where guests guess media stories from movie-themed clues.
• Outro and Plugs0:00 · Wrap-up and where to find the guests.

Notable quotes

“I had not expected to having to be judged my former boss who hired me when I came on this show.”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“I like words. I think they're great. I think you can consume a whole load of information really quickly. But it's just clear that the mass audience is moving to video.”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“I think personally, it's that classic thing of, oh, when the world is, you know, burning, everyone turns to escapism and comedy.”

Rhianna Dhillon · 0:00

“I'm way too old to be looking at anything.”

Rhianna Dhillon · 0:00

“I won't tell all the stories about BuzzFeed 2014 because, yeah,”

Jim Waterson · 0:00

“Oh, God, he's so smug, isn't he?”

Rhianna Dhillon · 0:00

Discussed

Global · The Fellas Studios · The Guardian

Also mentioned: Kath Viner · Steven Bartlett · Daniel Ek · Elon Musk · Stephen Fry · Alan Carr · Kat Burns · Scott Bryan · Nick Grimshaw · Elizabeth Banks · Matthew Macfadyen · Kate Winslet · Mark Ruffalo · Lily James · Ashley Tabor-King · Tommy Robinson · Pippa Crerar · Jacob Hauling · Jake Farrell · Scott Trust · London Centric · BBC · Netflix · Spotify

Mentioned or recommended

• Celebrity Traitors · tv show
• Flightcast · product · Steven Bartlett
• Screen Rot · podcast · Jacob Hauling and Jake Farrell
• The White Lotus · tv show · Mike White
• Ted Lasso · tv show · Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis
• Taskmaster · tv show · Alex Horne
• Last One Laughing · tv show
• Mare of Easttown · tv show · Brad Ingelsby
• Task · tv show · Brad Ingelsby
• Swiped · tv show
• Gen V · tv show · Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, Craig Rosenberg
• The Miniature Wife · tv show
• Roxy · product
• Paddington · book · Michael Bond
• Spitting Image · tv show · Peter Fluck, Roger Law, Martin Lambie-Nairn
• The Social Network · film · David Fincher
• The Godfather · film · Francis Ford Coppola
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels · film · Guy Ritchie
• London Film Festival · event