The Media Leader Podcast

Host Ella Sagar welcomes editor-in-chief Omar Oakes and reporter Jack Benjamin to examine the past week in media, including TalkTV's decision to come off linear TV, Reach's "better-than-expected" earnings and Global appointing Simon Pitts as its next CEO after Stephen Miron. The trio also discuss Isba's plans for spinning off Origin into a separate company, ITV selling its 50% stake in BritBox International to BBC Studios, February's box office and Apple's €1.8bn fine from the European Commission.Highlights:0:21: STV's Simon Pitts to become Global CEO beginning Q1 20253:02: Will 2024 be a Mediapalooza?7:47: Takeaways from The Media Leader's interview with The Sun MD Ben Walmsley10:50: The implications of TalkTV coming off linear TV21:52: Reach's better-than-expected earnings report – is the publisher turning a corner?29:36: Quick hits: Isba spinning off Origin; February's box office and the success of Dune: Part Two; ITV's sale of BritBox International; Apple's European Commission fine---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media.LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Consultancy in some form may become part of a media practitioner's career at some point, but how does it work in reality?Rachel Forde and Marco Bertozzi, co-founders of consultants' collective The Zoo.London, join Ella Sagar to talk about founding a company, misconceptions about consultancy and the senior brain drain in media.For Forde, the days when consulting was seen as "something to do in-between jobs" are gone and consultants have "a really super smart way to work", focusing on projects they enjoy doing without the politics of a full-time role.At the same time, Bertozzi believes companies choosing the right consultant is "more important than ever".He adds: "It is a tough market. And I think that all points to the fact that companies, whether it's consultancy or full time, they're evaluating way more carefully every pound they're spending on their business. So this all ties together for us. It's like, yes, consultancy might be an easier step for them rather than hiring."Highlights02:41: How TheZoo.London started06:10: How TheZoo.London is going12:00: The rise of the fractional CMO15:41: Misconceptions about consultancy21:50: Advice for founders25:05: Advice for consultants30:31: Media needs to change its attitude to senior talent32:53: Forde and Bertozzi's animal psychology results35:03: Why are you passionate about media?

Host Jack Benjamin welcomes columnist Nick Manning and reporter Ella Sagar to examine Warner Bros Discovery's latest earnings, Reddit's forthcoming IPO and why agency-client relationships at holding companies have become less transparent over time.On digital publishers making cuts and lay-offs, Manning said: "One thing that is a shame for all of us is that content costs money and good content costs even more money. And those companies who get the most advertising revenue are the ones that do not have any cost of content at all because it is all user-generated."The big issue, for me, is how the advertising money is gravitating towards those with the lowest content costs."The trio also discuss the decline of Vice Media, Walmart's purchase of Vizio and a leadership change at Global.Highlights:00:41: The "unhealthy trend" of principal-based trading04:05: What's the solution for declining transparency in media buying?11:47: Warner Bros Discovery's "big mixed bag" of earnings20:18: Why is Reddit going public now?24:05: The "enshittification" and business prospects of social media platforms30:54: Quick hits – Vice.com ceasing publishing, Walmart purchasing smart TV maker Vizio and Stephen Miron leaving Global---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media.LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Ed Couchman, head of sales for the UK and Northern Europe at Spotify, joins Ella Sagar to talk about the company's long-term advertising ambition, its podcast and audiobook strategy, Apple's app practices and how kindness should not be seen as a weakness.He underscores the commitment to CEO Daniel Ek's goal of generating 20% of revenue from advertising and describes a "longer-term aspiration" for Spotify's advertising sales.Couchman says: "We do want in the long term for the ad sales to reach $10bn – so a real sizeable revenue contribution to the overall business."Elsewhere, he reveals the streamer's "case-by-case" podcast strategy and how he would hypothetically like to see advertising in audiobooks.Couchman also expands on his recent column on how kindness at work is never a weakness, pointing out why it "has never been more needed" in the industry.Highlights: 03:38: Why kindness in media and advertising leadership is a superpower10:07: Spotify's long-term advertising ambition12:48: What's next for non-exclusive podcasts?15.15: Growing the audiobook market17:16: The audiobook advertising dream18.28: Spotify's "Time to Play Fair" campaign taking aim at Apple23.55: Why are you passionate about media?---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Host Jack Benjamin welcomes editor-in-chief Omar Oakes and reporter Ella Sagar to examine Thinkbox's new members, headlines from the consumer ABCs and what is happening with GB News and Ofcom.The group also discusses why every media channel should have a Clearcast, BuzzFeed exploring a licensing deal with The Independent and Apple's potential fine from the European Commission. Highlights:3.47: BuzzFeed's licensing deal with The Independent8.05: Thinkbox's new members – Amazon, Disney, Netflix, Vevo and Warner Bros Discovery17:41: What is happening in magazine publishing? Headlines from PAMCo and consumer ABCs26:13: Quick hits: Apple's potential fine from European Commission, RedBird IMI acquires All3Media, Ofcom opens new investigation into GB News and Global's Capital Breakfast gets a new presenter.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Milka Privodanova, head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Pinterest, joins Omar Oakes to talk about the next step in the picture-sharing platform's journey as it reaches nearly 500m users and progresses ecommerce deals with Amazon and Google.Privodanova, who was known as Milka Kramer before announcing her name change in The Media Leader two years ago, is clear about how Pinterest can succeed as an ecommerce enabler while avoiding the "toxicity" that has plagued social media. She insists its user base is much wider than "housewives and mothers" and is proud of a significant Gen Z cohort that advertisers crave.She is also candid about ad load and responds to questions about why Pinterest's shares declined in response to its recent earnings report, why the company shedded 5% of its workforce last year and, of course, why she is passionate about media.Privodanova says: "When you look at explicit signals, which people are telling you what they like, so they're telling you what they pin, what they save, what they search for… the type of content that comes on top, it's like 'How do I make a dinner tonight for my family?', 'What do I wear?' – it's that more positive content. Throughout our history, as a company, we have had industry-leading initiatives around mental wellbeing and really preventing toxicity from coming on to the platform."Highlights1:46 Pinterest's Q4 earnings, digital media market trends in 2024 and partnerships with Amazon and Google6:41 Pinterest's appeal to Gen Z and efforts to maintain a positive platform11:54 Growing business through user retention and international markets15:43 AI, ad load and partnerships in the digital advertising industry21:10 Pinterest's growth, audience and advertising---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

As TikTok continues to develop what it says is a full-funnel advertising solution, such as through increased commerce capabilities, how it measures its advertising and drives effectiveness becomes increasingly important to marketers.TikTok’s head of client measurement for Europe, Israel and global gaming, Steve Lockwood, joins Jack Benjamin to discuss the company's approach to measurement and how the industry needs to rethink the practice for the contemporary era.Lockwood reveals, for example, why he has soured on last-click attribution and explains what new measurement standards need to be considered in the post-cookie future. The pair also discuss TikTok’s ongoing research into attention measurement and how the platform is working to collaborate on cross-media measurement initiatives like Project Origin in the UK.Highlights5:57: Why TikTok views itself as an entertainment platform more than a traditional social platform8:21: Why last-click attribution is an outdated model for measurement and what a better model is19:57: Where does attention measurement come into play for TikTok, given its short-form focus?24:36: How much TikTok is like TV from a user perspective and a measurement perspective29:05: TikTok as a true full-funnel offering---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Former prime minister Gordon Brown, culture secretary Lucy Frazer, shadow culture minister Chris Bryant and Ofcom chair Lord Grade had lots to tell the UK media and advertising industry at the LEAD 2024 conference on 8 February.But what do senior industry professionals really think of what they heard from the politicians and what will likely happen next?Omar Oakes and Jack Benjamin discuss conference highlights from the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London and get instant reactions from Thinkbox CEO Lindsey Clay, IPA effectiveness director Laurence Green, UM chief strategy officer Enyi Nwosu, IPA research director Belinda Beeftink, and ITV's business development director Jason Spencer. Excuse the audio quality being less than perfect amid the hubbub!With thanks to the conference hosts: the Advertising Association, the IPA and Isba.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Columnist Nicola Kemp joins host Jack Benjamin, editor-in-chief Omar Oakes and reporter Ella Sagar to unpack earnings results from swathes of Big Tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, Google, Spotify and Snap.The group discusses the big winners of earnings season and whether media has become too concentrated in fewer, more dominant players. As US senators ponder regulation of social media, Kemp and Oakes consider moral and business arguments for doing so."We have this huge existential crisis as an industry in terms of what we are actually doing to adequately police these [social media] platforms, because clearly what we're doing is not enough, particularly when it comes to the impact on children's mental health," said Kemp.Also mentioned: TikTok and Universal Music Group's fallout; Fox, Disney and Warner Bros Discovery's new live sports streaming service; what the latest Barb figures say about streaming growth; Apple Vision Pro's upsides and downsides; and whether Super Bowl ads matter as much as they used to.Highlights:5:13: Disney, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery's live sport offering7:27: Meta's impressive earnings and an "unprecedented moment" at last week's US Senate hearing14:10: Why Snap doesn't want to be considered "social media"18:30: Spotify's new non-exclusive podcast distribution strategy and growth in audiobooks23:23: Is Amazon more of an advertising company than a retailer?27:33: Does Google have a future-proof business model?31:10: Adspend is continuing to consolidate: is this healthy for the industry?34:50: Quick hits: Spotify takes aim at Apple; Apple Vision Pro reactions; TikTok and Universal Music Group's fallout; UK SVOD dips despite global uptick; Super Bowl Sunday.Note: During this episode there were two mentions of United Music Group. This was supposed to be Universal Music Group. ---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

At The Year Ahead 2024, Charlene Williams, Pearl & Dean's group senior operations and business analyst, and member of our Future 100 Club, pleaded with industry leaders to renew their focus and care towards diversity, equity and inclusion. Was the message received?Williams discusses this on the podcast this week alongside host Jack Benjamin and special guest Sam Tidmarsh, Adwanted Events' head of conference production.The trio also delved into cinema's road to recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, how advertisers are leaning in to in-person events and experiences, and whether stay-at-home habits die hard when it comes to movies.Highlights:2:30: Why stagnating progress on DEI is leading to a talent exodus11:54: How are advertisers leaning in to the high-attention environment in cinemas?15:30: The slow but continuing post-pandemic box office recovery26:57: Impact of the writers' and actors' strikes on cinema this year31:50: Awards season predictions---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader