The Media Club · 9 January 2026 · 38 min
Spotify’s Changes And What They Mean For You
- Spotify Partner Programme Changes
- Global Acquires The Overlap
- Podcast Ad Block App
- BBC World Service Funding
- Huw Edwards Drama
- Virgin Radio Schedule Changes
- Podcast Industry Trends
- Commissioning Risk Aversion
In this episode of The Media Club, hosts Matt Deegan and Thomas Curry, along with guest Rebecca Cooney from Broadcast, discuss Spotify's new lower thresholds for its Partner Programme, making it easier for creators to monetise video content. They also cover Global's acquisition of Gary Neville's podcast network The Overlap, the controversial Podcast Ad Block app that strips ads from podcasts, and the BBC World Service funding debate, where Director General Tim Davie suggested doubling its budget. The episode also touches on Virgin Radio schedule changes, a new Channel 5 drama about Huw Edwards starring Martin Clunes, and includes the Audio Network Media Quiz.
Key takeaways
- Spotify lowered its Partner Programme thresholds to 2,000 hours and 1,000 engaged audience members, making monetisation easier for creators.
- Global acquired Gary Neville's podcast network The Overlap, continuing its strategy of buying established shows.
- A new app called Podcast Ad Block strips ads from podcasts and sells ad-free versions, raising copyright concerns.
- BBC Director General Tim Davie suggested doubling World Service funding, which has seen a 21% cut over four years.
- Channel 5 announced a two-part drama about Huw Edwards, with Martin Clunes in the lead role.
In this episode
- Intro and inductions
- Spotify Partner Programme changes
- Global acquires The Overlap
- Podcast Ad Block app
- Virgin Radio and Huw Edwards drama
- BBC World Service funding
- Audio Network Media Quiz
Notable quotes
“I think this is kind of fixing maybe. Some teething issues that Spotify were having with video when they first started.”
“I think it's a very Ben Frow commission, isn't it? It's very, so the head of content of Channel 5, Ben Frow, is he likes to, there's a kind of a cheeky side to him, let's say.”
“I think that soft PowerPoint is huge. Like, you know, it is so trusted as a brand. It does so much for us as a country where we perhaps don't have the best international relationships elsewhere.”
“I can probably see a world where people who don't work in the media or don't work in podcasting are like, sure, that makes sense. We'll use that. And that, I think, is very disorienting.”
Discussed
Spotify · Global · BBC · BBC World Service · Channel 5 · The Overlap · Podcast Ad Block
Mentioned or recommended
- The Traitors
- The Claudia Winkleman Show
- The Fence
- The Global Story
- Ghost Story
- Things Fell Apart
- Tunnel 29
- The History Bureau
- Top of the Pops
- Celebrity Traitors
- Adolescence
- Sherlock Holmes short stories
- Last One Laughing
- Clarkson's Farm
- The Media Quiz
