The Media Leader Podcast

Hosted by The Media Leader

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245

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Aug 2026

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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 . ]]>

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August 17, 202650 min

What is the future of freesheets? With Metro's Deborah Arthurs and Jo Mazenko

Within the publishing market, one segment that has seen turbulence over the past few years has been freesheets. As the pandemic disrupted commuting, trains and tubes added Wi-Fi, and hybrid working became the norm, the number of people reading the paper on their daily commute dropped. This had downstream effects on some of the UK’s oldest papers. The Evening Standard became The Standard , moving from a daily to a weekly paper and emphasizing its website. Metro , which remains the UK’s highest-circulation paper, has seen several restructures and moved in and out of profitability as it has also worked to invest in its digital and social products. Now, facing declining clickthrough rates to websites because of Google’s changes to search, these news outlets are having to adapt again. As freesheets, they are entirely reliant on advertising as a business model, putting them at the coal face of changes in reader behaviour both offline and on. Deborah Arthurs is editor-in-chief of Metro. Jo Mazenko is commercial director of Metro . Last month, host Jack Benjamin joined them at Mail Metro Media’s offices in Kensington to discuss how the title has had to adapt to the changing publishing market. " Metro was born around the commute, but the day doesn't stop when you get off the train," said Mazenko. "It's about finding new ways to connect to people [and] keep the conversation going throughout the day." Highlights: 7:25: Metro' s up-and-down journey since the pandemic and changed distribution strategy 15:13: How editorial and commercial can work together while maintaining church and state 21:17: Managing the road to Google Zero by prioritising quality over quantity 26:10: Selling print in 2026 and moving into live events 33:49: The importance of habit formation 38:01: How commuting has changed Related articles: ‘Fresh team, fresh approach’: Mail Metro Media on becoming a ‘modern broadcast publisher’ Fewer ads drive more attention on websites, finds Lumen and Mail Metro Media ‘The first tremors in an earthquake’: Digital publisher revenues decline 4.6% amid falling referral traffic

August 9, 202655 min

The art and craft of audio advertising - AudioTrack at 10

To mark the 10th anniversary of AudioTrack, the UK's commercial audio delivery service owned and operated by Adwanted. The Media Leader Podcast joined the AudioTrack team for a deep dive into audio creative. In this bumper episode, host Charli West brings together five industry experts across three conversations. First, producer-director Pam Myers (Rojek) and radio data analyst Jason Brownley (ColorText) share their favourite audio campaigns, from Carpetways' regional cult following to the Compare the Market Meerkats, and make the case for authenticity, long-term consistency, and Byron Sharp's conception of distinctiveness. They also unpack the Ehrenberg-Bass 95% rule and what it means for how brands should think about the role of audio at every stage of the buyer journey. Next, Silke Zedcher, VP of Global Commercial Partnerships at AudioStack, traces a decade of change in how consumers experience audio, from single-platform broadcast to the always-on, personalised audio environments that smart speakers, streaming and podcast ecosystems now make possible. She argues that AI-powered dynamic creative is the technology that finally allows audio to fulfil its potential as a data-driven, omni-channel format. Finally, freelance audio producer and director Nick Angel and Matt Hopper, founder and CEO of Trisonic, offer a frank assessment of where AI genuinely helps in the creative process . And where it doesn't. From voice cloning concerns to the EU AI Act's disclosure proposals, they make the case that audio advertising remains a craft, and that no amount of automation changes the fundamental question: does it bear repetition? This episode was produced in partnership with AudioTrack.

August 3, 202642 min

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

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

July 27, 202632 min

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

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

July 20, 202619 min

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

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?

July 16, 202612 min

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

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?

July 13, 202616 min

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

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

July 10, 202622 min

How Channel 4 is taking a 'platform mindset' to TV — with David Amodio and Jay Kassam

This episode was produced in partnership with Channel 4. At Cannes this year, The Media Leader sat down with several members of Channel 4's commercial leadership team to discuss how the TV company is looking to drive new commercial growth now that Universal Ads is live in the UK and Channel 4 is integrated with a new slew of demand-side platforms. On an previous episode of the podcast, host Jack Benjamin spoke with commercial chief Rak Patel about the latest news, and in this episode, he sits down with members of his sales team to discuss their commercial strategy in greater depth. David Amodio is head of sales at Channel 4, and Jay Kassam is head of business operations and revenue innovation at Channel 4. The trio talked sales strategy, how the broadcaster is making progress with mid-market advertisers, and how they are applying learnings from their time with tech platforms to the TV market. Highlights: 2:31: Channel 4's evolved leadership team 5:24: Taking a 'platform mindset' to the TV market 9:20: What an 'advertiser-first, agency-led' strategy entails as Channel 4 embraces the mid-market 17:11: Channel 4's new CEO and hopes for H2 2026 Related articles: Universal Ads is live in the UK. Now what? With Channel 4’s Rak Patel Universal Ads goes live in UK, providing TV with ‘easy button’ Leading Questions with Rak Patel – Channel 4 Sales Meet the Media Owner: Channel 4 adopts a platform mindset --- Thanks to our production partners, Trisonic, for editing this episode. Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audience.

July 5, 202635 min

‘It’s not like we knowingly have bad ads’: Meta on ad fraud, teen safety, and why AI will not replace agencies

Meta is growing at a remarkable rate. Already one of the world’s biggest global advertising businesses, the tech giant’s revenue grew 33% year-on-year to $56.3bn in Q1 alone. But while its dominance over the ad industry has crystallised, so has scrutiny into its business practices – and advertisers’ role in funding online harms through its platforms. Separate court cases in the US this year found that Meta has designed harmfully addictive platforms , and that it has misled users about platform safety and facilitated child sexual exploitation. A report from Reuters last November found that Meta knowingly earned 10% of its global turnover in 2024 from fraud and scam ads. At the LEAD conference in London this year, a spokesperson for Meta disputed the figure, but acknowledged that revenue from fraud and scam ads “might” have accounted for 3-4% of turnover – still equivalent to between $5bn and $7bn. And now there are concerns over the privacy implications of its line of smart glasses, which the company has positioned as the future of consumer electronics. Wired reported in June that Meta had quietly added facial recognition code into the product , before removing it after the publication of the reporting. All this comes as Meta has increasingly launched tools aimed at automating creative and media decisioning for advertisers, calling into question the role of agencies in a future dominated by tech platforms, their data, and their AI tools. It’s a lot to unpack. At Cannes this year, The Media Lead er put questions on all these topics and more to Meta’s EMEA vice president, Derya Matras. In the interview, Matras notably claimed that Meta has invested $30bn into addressing issues of ad fraud, scams and "other integrity issues". She said, "it's not like we knowingly have bad ads" and that Meta is "incentivised to take action on this" because it is "not good for us." But, since recording the interview, an investigation by the BBC found that Instagram has been running paid ads in India that promote child sexual abuse material on the messaging app Telegram. When one of the ads was reported to Meta by the BBC, Meta reportedly initially responded that the ad did not violate its community guidelines. Meta later told the BBC it had disabled several of the ads and suspended the accounts posting them. A spokesperson for Meta told The Media Leader: “Meta has a zero tolerance policy for soliciting or sharing CSAM, including in ads. We use advanced AI technology to proactively detect violating content and individuals, but we are in a constant battle with criminals who hide among our 3.5bn users and try to evade our detection. That is why our expert teams are constantly working to improve our defenses, develop new technology to root out predators, block links to violating websites, and share intelligence with other companies so they can take action too." A full transcript of the conversation is available on The Media Leader , edited for length and clarity. Highlights: 3:27: Reaction to social media bans for under-16s, criticism of failure to address online harms and addictive design 11:58: Advertisers want more transparency of where their ads show up on platforms 13:29: Why is Meta knowingly earning billions from fraud and scam ads? 17:15: Meta is automating creative and media decisioning. Should agencies be concerned? 27:04: Are smart glasses still the future of commercial technology? What about privacy implications? 30:21: Meta's growth depends on providing good user experience. Is it getting worse? Related articles: Molly Russell charity CEO: Social media’s user safety efforts have been ‘performative’ ‘Right diagnosis, wrong prescription’? Adland torn as Starmer announces under-16s social media ban ‘Are we monetising addiction?’ Ad industry faces reckoning following social media addiction lawsuit verdict Snap is betting on smart glasses. Should brands?

June 29, 202630 min

Universal Ads is live in the UK. Now what? With Channel 4's Rak Patel

This episode was produced in partnership with Channel 4 . For the second year in a row, the UK's commercial TV companies made a splash at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. After unveiling Universal Ads — the broadcasters' marketplace for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) — last year, Sky, ITV, Channel 4 and Comcast officially launched the product on Tuesday. And on Monday, Channel 4 announced it had partnered with 5 demand-side platforms to make advertising with Channel 4 more accessible to advertisers. During the week, in partnership with Channel 4, host Jack Benjamin sat down with Channel 4's commercial chief, Rak Patel, as well as members of its commercial leadership team, Jay Kassam and David Amodio, in separate interviews. He asked Patel, Kassam and Amodio about the latest news, the state of the UK TV industry, and how Channel 4 is balancing the need to reduce enough friction to make TV easy to buy, while retaining enough friction to make it a trustworthy medium for advertisers. The Media Leader will be releasing the episodes in two parts, the first with Patel and the second with both Kassam and Amodio. "You can be easy to buy, but retain your superpower," Patel said. "Broadcast is an oasis... The tech giants are a data warehouse, we are a dream factory." Highlights: 1:43: Changes at Channel 4 over the past year 8:46: Taking a platform mindset to future-proof Channel 4 12:38: 'Turn down the toxic' hasn't happened yet. What will move the dial? 14:12: Universal Ads is live. What it means for broadcasters, what the UK has learned from the US, and how the product will evolve 20:21: What is the go-to-market strategy for reaching SMEs? 25:30: 'The wind of change' Related articles: Universal Ads goes live in UK, providing TV with ‘easy button’ Leading Questions with Rak Patel – Channel 4 Sales Meet the Media Owner: Channel 4 adopts a platform mindset

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