The Media Club · 5 December 2025 · 44 min

Friends Leaves Netflix, Just As Streamers Embrace ‘Windowing’

With Maggie Brown, Omar Oakes

Listen at themediaclub.com →AppleSpotify

• Streaming Windowing
• BBC Director General Succession
• Omnicom-Interpublic Merger
• Podcast Monetization and YouTube
• Social Media Scam Ads
• Ofcom Regulation
• Media Quiz

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by media writer Maggie Brown and brand consultant Omar Oakes to discuss the recent departure of Friends from Netflix and the broader trend of 'windowing' in streaming, where shows move between platforms. They debate whether this benefits consumers or confuses them, and consider the implications for broadcasters like the BBC and ITV. The conversation also covers Omnicom's acquisition of Interpublic, with Omar arguing that scale alone won't solve the agency's problems, and the potential next Director General of the BBC, with Maggie speculating on a possible return for Mark Thompson. The episode includes a media quiz and mentions of other industry news.

Key takeaways

• Friends is leaving Netflix and moving to HBO Max, reflecting a broader trend of 'windowing' where shows move between platforms.
• Omnicom's acquisition of Interpublic has led to significant job cuts, and Omar Oakes argues scale alone won't solve the agency's problems.
• Maggie Brown predicts Mark Thompson could return as BBC Director General, while Omar Oakes suggests the role may need to be restructured.
• Acast has announced a deal to sell ads on YouTube, expanding its monetization options for podcasters.
• The BBC is considering remote commentary for the 2026 World Cup to save costs.

In this episode

• Intro and Plus Ones0:00 · Matt introduces guests Maggie Brown and Omar Oakes, who each bring a plus one to the club.
• Windowing and Friends Leaving Netflix5:00 · Discussion on Friends leaving Netflix and the trend of windowing in streaming.
• Acast YouTube Deal15:00 · Omar and Matt discuss Acast's new YouTube monetization deal.
• Omnicom-Interpublic Merger25:00 · Omar critiques the Omnicom-Interpublic merger and its implications.
• BBC DG Succession35:00 · Maggie and Omar discuss potential candidates for BBC Director General.
• Media Quiz45:00 · The Audio Network Media Quiz with Christmas Tape 2025 theme.

Notable quotes

“I'm not going to do the accent. He said, when Meta officials tried to claim they only build the highway and not responsible for speeders, I personally corrected them to say that a better comparison is drug crimes. It may be that Meta does not actually hand over drugs to users, but Meta is smuggling the drugs into Sweden so that other illegal gangs can make money out of it.”

Omar Oakes · 0:00

“I think it's a good thing to say you've got a situation where probably Warner Brothers which owns CNN where he is at the moment is about to be bought by Paramount Skydance they're gonna do something with CNN it's not gonna be fun probably merge it with CBS News I imagine so if there was a time for him to go now would be the time”

Matt Deegan · 0:00

Discussed

Netflix · HBO Max · BBC · ITV · Channel 4 · Omnicom · Interpublic · Acast · YouTube

Also mentioned: Andreas Whittam Smith · Tony Thomas Mattson · Mark Thompson · Tim Davie · Melvyn Bragg · Misha Glenny · Martin Lewis · Mark Zuckerberg · Charlie Munger · Warren Buffett · Joel Dommett · Rupert Murdoch · Meta · Ofcom · Sky · Comcast · Warner Bros. Discovery · Paramount · CNN · Spotify · Goalhanger · WPP · Publicis · Dentsu

Mentioned or recommended

• Friends · tv show · David Crane and Marta Kauffman
• In Our Time · tv show · BBC
• I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! · tv show · ITV Studios
• The Rest Is Football · podcast · Goalhanger
• The Media Quiz · other · The Media Club