The Media Leader Podcast

The Media Leader is the leading source of analysis, data, opinion and trends in commercial media and advertising. Hosted by senior reporter Jack Benjamin, we speak to senior industry leaders and rising stars about the key challenges media faces as part of our mission to stand up for courage, inclusion and excellence in media. Find out more at uk.themedialeader.com and subscribe to our daily newsletter .

The Media Leader Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 245 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Media Leader Podcast, a business show with 245 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #106

  Is broadcasters' embrace of social video commercially sustainable? With Enders Analysis' Niamh Burns

  Aug 2, 202642 minS5

  The UK TV market is in a state of precarity and change. Sky is acquiring ITV’s Media and Entertainment business, the BBC is facing declining license fee payers, and director-general Matt Brittin has suggested reviving a Project Kangaroo-like “sovereign” streaming platform involving iPlayer and Channel 4. Meanwhile, all the broadcasters are keen to “meet audiences where they are,” which is increasingly on third-party, American-owned, walled garden tech platforms. Broadcasters are embracing social video, but concerns around the sustainability of the commercial model on platforms are persistent. Niamh Burns is the media policy lead at Enders Analysis. She recently co-authored a report on the major UK broadcasters, how they are dealing with headwinds in the TV ad market, and how they are embracing third-party platforms in search of audience growth. She recently sat down with host Jack Benjamin to discuss all things TV. When asked whether she believes the commercial opportunity on social platforms is enough to fund broadcaster's premium content production, Burns plainly stated: "At the moment, the answer is no across all the platforms." Highlights: 3:33: Will Sky's acquisition of ITV's Media & Entertainment business get the green light? 7:00: "A now or never moment" for the BBC: Charter review, license fee changes, a new "sovereign" streaming platform 17:07: Broadcaster strategies on social media platforms: From marketing to distribution via a black box 25:36: The commercial logic of embracing platform distribution 29:39: Handling different measurement standards 32:40: Government green paper and due prominence for broadcasters Related articles: Is Sky’s acquisition of ITV necessary to compete with global platforms? What the CMA should actually be asking about Sky and ITV Five items in Andy Burnham’s media in-tray How the BBC’s digital distribution strategy is evolving

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  Episode #15

  How Netflix's ads business is becoming a meaningful growth driver - with EMEA ads VP Damien Bernet

  Jul 26, 202633 minS5

  Netflix is in the midst of a commercial expansion. In May, the streaming giant announced its ad tier would be coming to 15 new markets, including 9 in Europe. The streaming giant has invested in developing its own tech stack and acted aggressively to grow its programmatic business. The company is also expanding its live sport portfolio, and is dabbling in video podcasting and gaming, all leading to new potential commercial opportunities in the near future. Damien Bernet is Netflix’s EMEA ads VP. He spoke with host Jack Benjamin in his native France at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity last month about how Netflix is rolling out its ad tier expansion in Europe and new innovations aimed at automating programmatic buying. Since the pair's conversation, Netflix announced its Q2 2026 earnings report . Revenue grew 13% year-on-year to $12.6bn, with Netflix's ads business on track to double year-on-year to $3bn by the end of the year. Media analysis firm Madison & Wall has estimated Netflix's ad revenue now comprises 7% of its total revenue in the US, a small but "increasingly meaningful" driver of growth, and that Netflix will crack the top 30 global ad sellers this year, putting its ads business on par with the likes of RTL. Despite this, investors appear spooked by reports of declining engagement, with shares of the company down more than 20% year-to-date. A report by The Wall Street Journal this summer raised concerns of worsening viewership metrics, and Netflix has moved to reduce the cadence of its What We Watched report, reducing transparency into engagement figures. Highlights: 4:20: Netflix's ad tier expansion in Europe and its late-mover advantage 10:32: New innovations: Brand partnerships, reach and frequency, outcomes 15:53: Moving from programmatic to fully automated programmatic and scaling ad personalisation 21:25: Commercial opportunities in podcasting, live sport 29:01: Goals for H2 Related articles: ‘From arts to arts and science’: Netflix becomes ‘programmatic-native’ as it expands ad tier into 15 new territories Netflix embraces publishers in ‘fit for TV’ push Exploring the TF1 / Netflix win–win partnership Goalhanger reaches milestone as Netflix continues to test the podcast waters Amazon, Netflix and Google will control half of CTV advertising market by 2030, says Omdia

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  Episode #104

  Can YouTube be both TV and a 'home base' for the creator economy? With MD Kim Larson

  Jul 19, 202619 minS5

  Is YouTube TV? It’s a question that pretty much everyone in this industry has an opinion on. YouTube, surely, would benefit from receiving TV budgets from advertisers. And, after all, more people are watching YouTube on TV sets. At the same time, YouTube isn’t exactly leaning into TV measurement standards. It’s been in a back-and-forth here in the UK with TV measurement company Barb, most recently sending it a cease-and-desist over Barb’s effort to measure TV set viewing of a specific subset of YouTube channels. Before the measurement initiative was shut down, it had revealed that much of YouTube viewing on TV sets was clearly being done by very small children , with viewership in the UK relatively light and limited to shows like Peppa Pig and Bluey. Of course, whether YouTube should be considered TV is just one question for YouTube, which has been wrapped up in social media bans for under-16s and has been found by a US jury to have designed its platform to be harmfully addictive. For brands, though, one of the biggest challenges they have with their YouTube strategy and managing its fragmented nature – there’s long-form, there’s TV set viewing, there’s Shorts, and there are creators working across it all, many of whom marketers may have no idea who they are, even as they’re microcelebrities within their own community. Kim Larson is the global managing director and head of YouTube creators. She sat down with host Jack Benjamin in Cannes last month to discuss the platform, how it works with creators, and how the latest news of bans and concerns around measurement might impact the business. Highlights: 3:20: Reaction to social media bans for under-16s and how it might impact young creators. 5:32: Is YouTube TV? 'Absolutely' - even if measurement standards are under question. 8:09: Why YouTube is the best for creators wanting to earn a living. 11:20: Ad disclosure standards. 12:43: How advertisers can deal with YouTube's own fragmentation of long and short form. 15:00: Professionalisation of the creator economy Related articles: Google hands cease-and-desist letter over YouTube measurement Barb’s first 7 weeks of YouTube channel data reveals over-indexing of child audiences What YouTube sees that you don’t: The future of media is a system, not a bunch of channels YouTube isn’t social media. So why is it being banned?

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  Episode #103

  How The Sun is developing its video strategy - with commercial revenue director Owen Griffiths

  Jul 15, 202612 minS5

  This episode was produced in partnership with News UK . News UK’s The Sun is one of many titles to embrace video in recent months. According to the publisher, its videos have driven 60m views and a 110% increase in returning viewers. Its movement into video has also helped secure new sponsors, including Allwyn, DAZN, Betfair, Cardfactory and 32Red. Owen Griffiths is the commercial revenue director of The Sun . At the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity last month, The Media Leader' s content director James Longhurst sat down with him to discuss The Sun ’s video strategy, what makes the publisher’s output unique, and how the World Cup is driving growth this year. Highlights: 1:25: Takeaways for publishers from Cannes: Positioning journalists as creators 2:15: Expanding video for editorial and commercial purposes 6:00: The Sun 's first "video-first" and AI-powered World Cup 7:29: Is AI a threat to publishers, or an opportunity? 8:37: How do journalists feel about becoming creators? 9:54: H2 plans: New video experience in beta, expanding membership, growing in the US Related articles: ‘Place as many bets as possible’: Behind The Sun’s hybrid paywall strategy ‘The division between church and state isn’t sustainable’: Journalists weigh-up life as a creator Why do publishers struggle to find their social voice?

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  Episode #102

  What publishers can learn from The New York Times's 'solar system' model - with global ads VP Tom Armstrong

  Jul 12, 202617 minS5

  The New York Times is something of a rarity in contemporary news publishing: a legacy giant that is seeing double-digit revenue growth and consistent readership growth. It's no surprise, then, that many commercial leaders at other publishers here in the UK have pointed to the Gray Lady as having developed a model they want to emulate. So to kick off our publishing week in focus here at The Media Leader , it was a pleasure to sit down with Tom Armstrong, The New York Times ’s VP of global advertising. Host Jack Benjamin spoke with Armstrong in sunny Cannes about how NYT ’s “solar system” strategy of surrounding its reporting with verticals like cooking and games has driven commercial opportunity, the publisher’s strategy for international expansion, and how NYT is embracing multimedia journalism. Highlights: 1:19: What's driving NYT 's growth: Portfolio transformation, subscription-first strategy 4:59: Is NYT not just a news company anymore? 6:52: International growth strategy 8:23: Why it's important for publishers to be sought out by name in the new era of AI search 12:07: Pivoting to video (again) - opportunities and pitfalls Related articles: ‘We are a destination’: NYT’s global ads chief talks the Gray Lady’s international ambitions New York Times publisher warns journalism faces its ‘Napster moment’ ‘The division between church and state isn’t sustainable’: Journalists weigh-up life as a creator Publishers advised to be ‘niche at scale’ amid the winding road to Google Zero

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