• Sky vs Warner Bros. Discovery Lawsuit
• Streaming Aggregation
• News Paywalls
• BBC Studios Strategy
• Audio Listening Habits
• Freelancer Mental Health
• FAST Channels
• Ad-Funded Programming

In this episode of The Media Club, host Matt Deegan is joined by broadcast consultant Paul Robinson and The Ankler's London Correspondent Manori Ravindran to discuss the week's top media stories. The main focus is on Sky's lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery over the Harry Potter series and the future of their output deal, with analysis of the broader streaming landscape and the role of aggregators. The panel also covers CNN and Reuters launching paywalls, Karl Warner's move to BBC Studios, the latest MIDAS audio research, and a survey highlighting poor mental health among freelancers. The episode includes a media quiz and discussions on FAST channels and ad-funded programming.

Key takeaways

• Sky has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery over the Harry Potter series, seeking access to the show for its platforms.
• CNN and Reuters both launched paywalls on the same day, ahead of the US election.
• Karl Warner is moving from Channel 4 to BBC Studios to lead long-form content.
• The latest MIDAS study shows that younger audiences are shifting from live radio to catch-up and podcasts.
• A survey by the Film and TV Charity found that 35% of freelancers report poor mental health, up from 24% in 2022.

In this episode

• Intros and Nominations0:00 · Matt introduces the show and guests; Manori nominates Manisha Ferdinand, Paul nominates Bill Morrow.
• Sky vs WBD3:42 · Discussion of the lawsuit between Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery over Harry Potter.
• Paywalls12:20 · Analysis of CNN and Reuters launching paywalls.
• Karl Warner16:25 · Karl Warner's move to BBC Studios.
• Overheard21:50 · Quick news snippets including Private Eye, Tortoise, and Jim Waterson.
• FAST22:54 · Paul discusses his new FAST channel and the FAST landscape.
• Ad-Funded Programming25:10 · Manori discusses ad-funded programming trends.
• MIDAS Study27:47 · Paul presents findings from the MIDAS audio research.
• Mental Health31:15 · Discussion of the Looking Glass survey on freelancer mental health.
• Media Quiz33:40 · Quiz on media stories using sound effects.

Notable quotes

“This will enable us to expand reach to affordable prices while allowing us to invest in reporting.”

Paul Baskerbent · 0:00

“Your ex-colleagues tell me the general feeling was you are a prick.”

Evgeny Lebedev · 0:00

Discussed

Sky · Warner Bros. Discovery · BBC

Also mentioned: Manisha Ferdinand · Bill Morrow · Jen Salkie · Karl Warner · Mark Thompson · David Zaslav · Tim Davie · Zai Bennett · Kate Board · Ian Hislop · James Harding · Jim Waterson · Evgeny Lebedev · Philip Schofield · Laura Kuenssberg · Boris Johnson · Adam Bowie · Ravi Amratunga Hitchcock · Richard Watcham · Kenton Allen · Simon Nye · Cecile Frot-Coutaz · Andrew Georgiou · CNN

Mentioned or recommended

• Harry Potter · book · J.K. Rowling
• Max · product · Warner Bros. Discovery
• Cheers · tv show · Glen and Les Charles
• Cast Away · tv show · Channel 5
• The Day of the Jackal · tv show · Sky
• I Hate Suzie · tv show · Lucy Prebble
• The Lovers · tv show · Sky
• Ludwig · tv show · BBC
• Clarkson's Farm · tv show · Amazon Prime Video
• The Grand Tour · tv show · Amazon Prime Video
• Game of Thrones · tv show · HBO
• Ghosts · tv show · BBC
• Cooking with the Stars · tv show · ITV
• Made in South Shore · tv show · ITV
• Dressination · tv show · ITV
• Video Game Heroes · tv show · Paul Robinson
• MIDAS study · report · RAJAR
• Looking Glass survey · report · Film and TV Charity