The Media Club · 16 January 2026 · 43 min
Goalhanger Breaks New Records, Superindies Plan Merger
In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by broadcaster Alex Zane and Goalhanger's Chief Commercial Officer Conrad Withy. They discuss Goalhanger reaching 250,000 paying members, the proposed merger between Banijay and All3Media, Google's stance on AI training using freely available content, Stephen Graham's first-look deal with Disney+, and the departures of Cathy Newman from Channel 4 and Amol Rajan from the Today programme. The episode also features the Audio Network Media Quiz, where the team identifies media properties based on clues.
Key takeaways
- Goalhanger has reached 250,000 paying members, generating over £1 million per month in subscription revenue.
- Banijay and All3Media are in talks to merge, potentially creating a 'super indie' with significant bargaining power.
- Google argues it should not pay for AI training on freely available content, sparking debate about the impact on publishers.
- Stephen Graham's production company Matriarch has signed a first-look deal with Disney+.
- Cathy Newman is leaving Channel 4 for Sky News, and Amol Rajan is leaving the Today programme to become a creator.
In this episode
- Intro and Plus One
- News Round-Up
- Interview with Conrad Withy
- Audio Network Media Quiz
- Outro
Notable quotes
“We've hit a pretty key milestone. We've now got 250,000 paying members across our clubs.”
“I think for all three media, because they were maybe in talks to buy ITV Studios division, and now they're kind of teaming up with Banner J. And them talking about merging with ITV Studios meant Banner Jay went, well, hang on a sec, what about us?”
“I mean, fundamentally, I do think it's okay.”
“It's great for Disney, though. I mean, of all the British program makers to have this first-look deal with Matriarch Productions, his production company, he's making the most authentic British TV.”
“I think you reach a point in your career where you just kind of want to have it from the ground up.”
Discussed
Mentioned or recommended
- The Rest Is Football
- The Rest Is History
- The Rest Is Politics
- The Rest Is Entertainment
- The Rest Is Science
- Savoy Originals
- Adolescence
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Sinners
- Unbroken
- Boiling Point
- The Traitors
- Last One Laughing
- Mock The Week
- University Challenge
- Grand Designs
