The Media Beat

There is literally so much news this time, that we can't fit in the tiniest of paddle, let alone a deep dive! So it makes way for Netflix, UK production spend, film on-demand and gaming weirdness! Also in Podmojis, and although you can't find us on there, we discover that there is plenty of money to be made on OnlyFans! Who knew?

The joy of watching films all day in a cool location! What could be better? We find out that the answer is "not much"! We also talk about TV viewing analysis, getting Emily's clothes delivered to you direct from Paris and a massive podcast deal for the Kelces. There is also furious debate about what months are covered by Quarter 3.

And we are back! After a short summer break which we have spent scouring the world for stories and, with varying degrees of success, "catching tan" we return refreshed and raring to go! In this packed episode we get to grips with Sora which turns words into movies right? Wrong! There are many many steps and slips in between as Maureen discovers. We also celebrate Paris 2024, commiserate with Paramount and wonder at the use of Social Media in the US Presidential race.

Our deep dive this time goes further into one of our favourite subjects, namely streaming, uncovering some interesting developments. "In The News" covers AI video generation, live music in peril and a new streaming service squeezing itself into a crowded UK market. We fly through podmojis as Maureen has to get to Wimbledon but still manage to cover the latest in the Paramount saga, marketing cockups and scheduling conundrums.

This time we dive deeply into Ad Spend across the globe and have some positive thoughts. The news covers Apple's venture into AI and what is happening in Sports including, of course, Euro 2024. You will find out what Maureen and Claire think of Netflix's new offerings, Paramount's continuing woes and, as ever, we debate the key issues of the day such as what is more boring Cricket or Pétanque and whether Queen were posh.

In what might be our most content packed ep ever, Maureen and Claire dive and swim around in the "What We Want Engagement Report" AKA The Netflix Data Dump and discover who is watching what, when and how, and speculate on "why". Paramount uncertainty, sports viewing and AI dominate the news and in "100 ways to use sunglasses" we podmojise newspapers for sales, newspapers going to the dogs and whether Baby Reindeer was merely "based" on a true story.

Back to the studio this week for an intriguing deep dive in which we explore the world of calculating viewership: from paper forms to consolidated digital feeds, this is a fiendishly difficult problem which is very much more interesting than you might think. Apple, Disney and ITV are in the news, and we give our opinion of The Fall Guy and Scarlett vs AI. Enjoy!

Well, we have made it to 50 episodes, which, of course, is super awesome! To celebrate we reminisce about how Maureen's idea has bloomed into half a century of insights, news, views and fun! In this special episode we cut to Maureen and Claire's starring performance at the DTG 2024 Conference, where a highly appreciated audience of over 400 media executives and press was lucky enough to witness... The Media Beat... Live!

Following on from their barnstorming performance at DTG 2024, Maureen and Claire are back in the studio to tell us all about the story of Hulu, the rise of bundling and whether Disney can make money on streaming. Add to this 1,001 ways to wear sunglasses, live streaming on Netflix and Claire's beef with Richard Osman and you have, what we would call, a very full episode of TMBWMAC!

In a week with so much news, it is the Deep Dive which has to be sacrificed. The bumper roundup incudes performance results from Netflix and Meta (with our usual analysis and insights), speculation about how well Apple and Sports broadcasting go together and a detailed look at who is spending what on traditional TV. Maureen has not even bothered to unpack her props for Podmojis BUT fans of our renowned duo are in for a real treat. Stay tuned to find out why!

As we know, Maureen loves a silly name and, by golly, do they come thick and fast in the world of FAST (see what we did there?) - Claire helps us understand this (not so new) entertainment delivery phenomenon and Maureen tells us of some of the key players. Add to that more Disney, more facts and figures, friend of the show Tay Tay and Oliver forgetting to ask for Podmojis and you have a "doozy" of a MBWMAC ep!

We all love TikTok! Or at least our kids do! So, what is it, where did it come from and where is it going? We reveal all! Also we discuss streaming trends, Apple getting into hot water again, Maureen's collection of sunglasses and what keeps Claire up at night.

Who doesn't like getting a little something in the post? We certainly do and this time a piece of mail has flooded in to our great excitement. Keep them coming! We also have good news for the British film industry, bad news for Rooster Teeth and interesting news at Comcast. Maureen displays the most versatile pair of sunglasses in history and Claire ponders on the nature of "real French". Enjoy

This time we simply have too much news, so something has to give. So much is going on in terms deals, joint ventures, results and conflict that we have had to drop our traditional deep dive to make room. We say goodbye to Vice, hello to African American founding mothers and welcome back to Procedural Drama.

Who isn't bewildered by the complexity of content bundling both from the user and commercial perspectives? So who better to explain through both lenses than Claire and Maureen! In other news, we talk Sora, J-Lo / B-Af, the Baftas and ask why oh why is everyone pretending to know about a throwing game called football.

This time Maureen takes us on the deepest of dives to uncover the story behind the numbers at Netflix, Alphabet and Meta and shares some interesting theories with us. Deepfakes, mergers and how to win an Oscar are covered in the news and, in a wide variety of Podmojis, we give love to Europe and Women's Football, get quizzical with Joe Rogan and Spotify and grab the popcorn for the Reddit and Paramount Shows. Finally, Claire knocks something off her bucket list, leaving Maureen green with envy!

What on earth is happening with this latest round of tech / media layoffs? A correction? A trend? An existential issue? Maureen and Claire give their views on why these stories keep coming and how safe our poor friends affected should feel. Add to that good and bad conferences, good and bad award nominations, good and bad tech, good postmasters and a bad Post Office, plus Oliver getting grumpy, and you have one heck of a TMB edition! Enjoy!

Welcome to 2024 and what is in store for us in this brand new year? If you want to know, then you have come to the right place! In this special episode Maureen and Claire gaze into their crystal balls and tell us what we are in for in the areas of Streaming, Music, Sports, M&A and Activism, Advertising, Content and BAFTA / Oscar predictions

This time we explain why we might all feel we spend an awful lot on TV these days and who's making the big bucks. The news covers more money making in The Premiership, tips for money making in the future and strife at Spotify. We also touch on women who are AI generated, who feature in iconic games and who are about to blast through the $1Bn revenue generation milestone.

Although we have talked a lot about how AI and digital will and has changed the way music is produced, marketed and consumed, we have yet to have an expert in this area on the show... until now! This time we welcome Cliff Fluet who, whilst trained as a lawyer, is passionate about music and digital and the challenges and opportunities presented. Under the careful quizzing of Maureen and Claire, Cliff takes us under the hood of such contentious areas as creative ownership, how piracy morphed into something more legitimate and the new "value paradigms" emerging as artists and commercial folk wrestle with the tricky business of music in the digital age. Cliff explains what he thinks listeners really really want, whether Spotify plays fair and recalls a time he defended tech in music using the parallel of John Lennon's piano... which he happened to be sitting on at the time.

Ever wondered how ownership and shareholdings worked in the Media business? Wonder no more as Maureen gets quizzed all about finance, why management lives quarter to quarter and ownership has limits and many other questions you might be afraid to ask. We have good news, fake news, bad news and, in one case, the same bad news all over again. We start to appreciate Reddit, wonder whether Google Search is still the Daddy and carefully avoid terrible jokes such as WeDon'tWork. Whoops!

We all know "Netflix" right? Well let's find out more with one of TMB's renowned Deep Dives! This time we also ask the questions everyone is afraid to ask: is the Daily Mail cool? Can you have a streaming service with no content? Has the US finally had its chips? And, has AI made NBA stats more or less fathomable? Add to this Marty, Claude, Antoine, and Lachlan and you have an episode to savour.

This is a bumper episode and this time we dive deeply into Sports Media Rights - the big players, the big sports, the big money required to watch your favourite team these days. Disney, Spotify, Netflix and Meta are in the news, our love affair with Taylor goes on and entertainment is covered by Bono's sweat and a flatulent ogre! That's the real metaverse!

This week, the MB deep dive concerns content providers and comms providers with a particular focus on the Disney / Charter deal in the US. It looks like good news for the writers and advertisers, as spend on the latter looks to past the eye-watering one trillion dollar mark. We also give you and intense round of podmojis covering Alexa talking back to you, All3Media, two remarkable women, a notable retiree, and someone else risking cancellation.

Everyone is talking about AI and so are we! Is it all hype or is it going to change the media landscape forever and where is the real money going? Whose jobs are under threat and what are the opportunities? All is covered in this week's deep dive. TikTok, Amazon and Ubisoft are in the news and we ignore Spain's head of football, cross our fingers for Mark Thompson and laugh at burger hangovers. Enjoy!

This time we shine a light on Disney: the surprising origins of its name, its ups and downs and the challenges it faces in 2023. We also talk women's sports, Twitter (or is it "X"), advertising on Social Media and the irony of Zoom getting people back in the office with the ferocity of the Bic corporation getting people to start using pencils again. Finally, we are collectively disappointed by one piece of so-called AI which reminds us that we are not going to be replaced by robots. Just yet.

Who better to dissect the complex world of digital advertising spend than Maureen and Claire? This time we find out about the "Big 2", trends, surprises, facts, figures and of course, opinions. Bob Iger features again and we unpick the latest in the artists versus producers battles across music and the movies. Claire also finds time for one of her delightful "rants". Finally, we tackle diversity and inclusion in media and discover that the industry might not have progressed as far and as fast as we would have hoped...

This time we deep dive gaming. Is it all about people sitting in the dark with gigantic headphones, fulfilling death-wish fantasies? It turns out not. The size of this sector is shocking and the innovations truly fascinating. In the news, we try "Threads", look at box office revenues considering the "big three" movies and discuss the writers strike (now including actors too). Claire also tests Maureen and Oliver on their knowledge of English.

Our deep dive this week is into the world of music and how it has been, and will be, affected by the AI revolution. In the news we have analysis of box office figures, struggles at Spotify, the resurgence of live sports and Cannes Lions. Expect more props, price hikes, pop up restaurants and unpaid bills.

For those of you who have been living in cave on Mars or trapped under something heavy, there is a writers strike on, so Maureen and Claire do one of their famous "deep dives" to explain what is happening, why everyone is angry and why Claire can't watch Ali McBeal any more with her kids. We do have quite a lot of fun too involving VR headsets, dancing babies and ducks in helmets, which is not a new Christmas delicacy!

And in a packed show... we talk streaming wars, creative spend and ways to squeeze more revenues out of the hapless consumer. The Meta hand slap and a big appointment at Twitter are in the news and Claire excels herself in successfully creating a podmoji to describe a complex and novel new TV business model. All this with an added touch of acquisition approvals, bankruptcies, bans and AI DJs. Enjoy!

This time we welcome the extraordinary Christy Tanner who, amongst many many other things is credited with transforming CBS News Digital into the #1 streaming news service in the US. Described as a "streaming visionary". Christy is that wonderful combination of media leader who is both a creative force and truly understands the power of digital. She also owns an awesome log cabin in rural Maine from where she joins us.

This time we muse on stalled megadeals and mildly encouraging economic green shoots. In the news we report on Omnicom, the unintended consequences of online safety legislation and anchors away in the US of A! We fail to resist the urge to mention Elon's disappointing erection and a surprise appearance by Roy Orbison and a Ramone bring down the curtain on a bumper anniversary episode.

We are thrilled to meet Siân Doyle, CEO of S4C, the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, launched over 40 years ago. Siân's journey to this position has been via multiple leadership roles in multiple countries and multiple sectors. Her passion as a proud promotor of the Welsh language shines thorough as we discuss strategy, content, lessons learned and applied from telco and retail and leveraging data. Siân also gives us an insight into what kind of TV thrills her, and what is her guilty pleasure. Diolch Siân, roedd hi'n bleser pur cael gwrando ar eich mewnwelediadau a'ch straeon.

In another packed and fun edition, Maureen and Claire dissect what is happening in the War of TikTok and dive deep into the world of Retail Media. In other news, we discuss Amazon's content strategy, jam about Lemon 8 like good Gen Zers, try to lig some free lasagne and discuss the calming effects of knitting like the Gen Xers we really are. Enjoy!

Jeff Nathenson could be described as "Mr. Sports Broadcasting", and it our pleasure to welcome him to "The 'Beat". Through Claire and Maureen's forensic questioning we learn about "finding passionate communities", NFT based reward systems, what makes a successful sporting "property" and why darts is the word's best spectator sport. As a final special treat, Jeff introduces us to the "All Hair Team", a spectacular YouTube phenomenon celebrating the ever resilient Helmet Mouded Hockey Mullet.

Today Maureen and Claire take a long hard, one might say forensic, look at Streaming Ad Strategies and budget tax breaks. In the news they cover major collapses, continuing layoffs and spying paranoia. We also take an exclusive peek into Maureen's props cabinet, as she becomes the "Woman of 1000 Faces"!

In this episode, Maureen and Claire are joined by Jane Featherstone, a leading producer of international TV and comedy drama in the UK. Jane shares her rise to success, which began as the PA to Paul Gascoigne in 1991. We discuss the constantly changing media landscape, the importance of trusting talent, the impact of the pandemic and the effect of budget inflation and increasing competition on the television industry. We also explore the benefits of independent production and the importance of creating an environment where talent and writers feel comfortable and can make quality work. Finally, we look at the consolidation of the creative storytelling industry.

This time we cover the topic almost everyone (including your Mum and Dad) is talking about and that is Generative AI. Maureen and Claire also sprinkle their thoughts in on Disney and Spotify and there are general musings on dominant players, Happy Valley, foldable iPads and the best way to dispose of a dead body. Enjoy!

What is generative AI? In this episode, our special guest Dr Albert Meige explains all and Maureen and Claire quiz him on whether or not it is the end of humanity. And, like 99% of the planet, we will be talking about ChatGPT and how much fun it is get the news in the style of Snoop Dogg.

A new year brings new developments in the areas of film and original content which Maureen and Claire take us through expertly, as ever. We examine rumours at Disney and Microsoft and the Lightening Fast round descends into a fascinating insight into the world of Maureen's subconscious.

In the last episode of the year Maureen and Claire stare into their crystal balls to see what we are in for in 2023. We cover advertising, AI, Film Studios, M&A, Social Media and all sorts! Have a listen and a very Merry Christmas from the team here at 'The Beat!

In this special edition we welcome Dr Alex Connock who, amongst many other things is a Senior Fellow at the Said Business School, University of Oxford, where he teaches Media and Marketing at BA, MBA and Executive levels, He is a deep expert in Media and AI and his book ‘Media Management and Artificial Intelligence’ was published by Routledge in November 2022.

In another bumper edition of "The Beat", which no one is calling it, Maureen and Claire muse over FAST, Boomerang CEOs and the return of the record label. We also can hardly contain our excitement as we introduce a new game called "Lightening Podmoji". You played it here first folks...

This time, Maureen and Claire try to unpick the slow motion car crash that is "Twitter; The Musky Years and dive deeply into Disney latest financial results. All this together with "Rumours" and "Long / Short" makes for another compelling ep!

This week we welcome a special guest, Emily Horgan, ex-Disney Senior Exec and now independent media consultant specialising in children's content. Together we muse on canaries in coalmines, wigs in squares, Broccoli TV and how to make teenagers admit you are not cool. We didn't get nearly enough time with Emily, so hope she will come back to us one day.

And in other packed ep., Maureen and Claire get their teeth stuck into MIPCOM and other big industry events, Social Media: winners, losers and what the kids are up to and our usual set of rumours and what's hot slash not.

Well folks, we have made it to our 10th episode! And to celebrate this milestone, we are testing Maureen and Claire to their very limits by asking them to comment - in under two minutes - on a topic of the day and reply to each other on the same subject in under a minute! And yes, you've guessed it, there are 10 subjects to unpick. See how they get on.... spoiler alert: they do amazingly well!

This time we are looking at the detail of some fascinating studies which dive into viewing habits in the US and listening habits in the UK. Maureen and Claire also take us through changes in live music, strange machinations at Disney and movement at Warner Brothers

This week Maureen and Claire discuss Apple and advertising, the new AR film from Disney, the failed merger of the two main linear TV broadcasters in France and the fallout from that and how what people want to watch goes in long cycles. We also introduce a new "Rumours" feature where Maureen and Claire dig into some of the whisperings fizzing round the media world.

This time Maureen and Claire talk to Oliver about the Netflix ad funded tier, how to make money in streaming, should be add video to TMB, and the IBC Conference in Amsterdam

This time, Maureen and Claire unpack what is happening at Warner Brothers, Disney, Endeavour Streaming and Big 10 and what the latest studies are showing about our viewing habits.

In this special one-off Ep, Maureen and Claire talk through the various subscription models, successful and otherwise, which have emerged and developed along with the development of digital media. Fascinating.

Maureen and Claire talk through the trials of Elon, Netflix getting it on with Mircosoft, talent agencies using AI and musicians becoming slaves to TikTok!

Maureen and Claire talk through the complications and opportunities presented by advertising on VOD platforms and explain how "windowing" works and a rapidly changing.

Maureen Kerr and Claire Tavernier in conversation with Oliver Turnbull discuss topics effecting the media industry. This week the subjects are piracy on YouTube, moderation versus curation and the UMG results.

Maureen Kerr and Claire Tavernier in conversation with Oliver Turnbull discuss topics effecting the media industry. This week the subjects are Elon and Twitter, Netflix's wobble, the C4 buy-out and the "datafication" of music. Quite a lot to pack in!