The Media Club · 13 November 2026 · 42 min

Will Christmas Be A Silent Night For Broadcasters?

Matt Deegan is joined by TV critic Scott Bryan and Broadcast editor-in-chief Chris Curtis for a week of grim media news. ITV reports an 8% fall in third-quarter ad revenue and warns of up to a 10% drop in Q4, prompting £30m of 'temporary' content savings; Chris and Scott debate whether Carolyn McCall's three blamed causes (the economy, streamer ad tiers and junk food ad restrictions) hold up, and whether ITV is treading water ahead of Sky's takeover. Chris reports back from Broadcast's AI Creative Summit at BFI Southbank, including a keynote from AI actress creator Eline Van der Velden, while Scott voices strong discomfort about AI in the creative process. The pair also discuss Google visibility collapsing for UK news sites (with Substack the big riser), Trump's Panorama defamation case surviving a Florida dismissal motion, the David Walliams allegations and programme removals, and the death of Talksport's Danny Kelly. Scott then runs through the Christmas TV slate and his shows of the year, before a solo Audio Network Media Quiz covering Maya Jama's Netflix move, a third celebrity injunction and the I'm A Celebrity lineup.

Key takeaways

ITV reported an 8% fall in Q3 ad revenue, warned of up to a 10% Q4 drop, and announced £30m of temporary content savings.
More than two-thirds of the UK's biggest news sites lost Google visibility this year, with Substack the biggest riser.
A Florida judge allowed Trump's Panorama defamation claim to proceed while dismissing a secondary claim.
The Guardian and ITV News published allegations against David Walliams, who denies them; BBC, Sky and Channel 4 removed his programmes.
Broadcast's fourth AI Creative Summit took over BFI Southbank, with AI actress creator Eline Van der Velden keynoting.

In this episode

Club introductions and plus-ones0:00 · Scott and Chris nominate Lucy Beaumont and the Guardian/ITN reporters after the Walliams investigation.
ITV ad revenue and £30m savings0:00 · Panel debates Carolyn McCall's three blamed causes and ITV's caution ahead of a Sky takeover.
Google visibility and Substack0:00 · Chris explains why Broadcast's paywall insulates it as news sites lose search traffic.
AI Creative Summit0:00 · Chris reports from BFI Southbank; Scott pushes back on AI in the creative process.
News round-up0:00 · Trump's Panorama case, Walliams programme removals, Danny Kelly tribute.
Christmas TV preview0:00 · Scott runs through festive schedules, traditions and his shows of the year.
Audio Network Media Quiz0:00 · Solo quiz on Maya Jama, a third celebrity injunction and the I'm A Celebrity lineup.

Notable quotes

It's a bit like they've invented television, isn't it?

Chris Curtis0:00

I just hate the idea that the way now to just make it more efficient is just to get a computer to do it.

Scott Bryan0:00

I'm not engaging with it.

Scott Bryan0:00

This is one of the only days of the year where you have actually got a catchment of at least 20 million people. Why not actually make something rather than just make an additional episode of an existing series and make it seem like it's Christmas when it was filmed in July?

Scott Bryan0:00