The Media Odyssey Podcast

Where do you watch documentaries most?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

The Media Odyssey Podcast

“Public media is supposed to be in places where the public is talking.”

This week, Evan and I bring Raney Aronson-Rath, the executive producer of Frontline and editor-in-chief of documentaries at GBH, on The Media Odyssey Podcast, to unpack how a 40-year-old public broadcasting institution reinvented its distribution strategy and why that matters more than ever right now.

The timing couldn’t be sharper:

→ The BBC just lost two senior leaders over an editing controversy.
→ France Télévisions is fending off attacks from both political flanks.
→ And in the US, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been defunded entirely.

Public media is being squeezed from every direction and the margin for error has never been thinner.

Raney isn’t waiting for the storm to pass.

She’s been building Frontline into a case study for how legacy journalism can thrive on platforms it once ignored.

YouTube now delivers a younger, more global audience than broadcast ever could and she’s unlocked the entire Frontline archive to feed it. Some films have crossed 40 million views.

But this isn’t a pivot away from television, it’s an expansion:

→ Simultaneous releases across broadcast and streaming;
→ A new shorts series designed specifically for 18-to-24s;
→ A theatrical distribution arm launching with Oscar-winning momentum; and
→ A global self-distribution play when need be.

We also get into the economics, the editorial discipline required to stay credible and why Raney sees documentary filmmaking as built for the streaming era, not threatened by it.

If you care about the future of public media, journalism or documentary storytelling, this one's essential.

https://youtu.be/URrwXHSqEoo

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

The Media Odyssey Podcast

FLY, EAGLES FLY!

After an electric Super Bowl victory, Marion and Evan return to their mics to explore how streamers like Netflix and Amazon are shifting to mass-market content in a bid to capture advertising dollars—raising the question of, "Are streamers becoming the new traditional broadcasters?" With insights into the challenges of live sports streaming and the evolving strategies of media giants, this episode is all about the way we watch our teams.

Connect with us on Linkedin:
Evan Shapiro - www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer/
Marion Ranchet - www.linkedin.com/in/marionranchet/

Newsletters:
Marion Ranchet - marionranchet.substack.com/
Evan Shapiro - eshap.substack.com/

10 months ago | [YT] | 1

The Media Odyssey Podcast

YouTube can feel like a double-edged sword.

On one hand, it offers massive reach and direct engagement with audiences.

On the other, there’s a deep fear that releasing content on YouTube will cannibalise own and operated platforms, accelerate audiences’ shift away from Linear TV and altogether diminish advertising revenue.

Last week, we had Channel 4 on ‪@TheMediaOdyssey‬ speaking about how they position YouTube as an extension of their overall content ecosystem, rather than the evil platform one should stay clear of.

This made me wonder about how other UK Broadcasters were approaching the platform so I went digging.

In this week's edition of Streaming Made Easy, you’ll discover the channel portfolio, key channel metrics, content strategy of Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV and the BBC.

Subscribe to get it straight to your inbox when it's out tomorrow: marionranchet.substack.com

#streamingmedia #YouTube

11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 2

The Media Odyssey Podcast

We got a friend on the pod this week!

Evan Shapiro and I welcome our first-ever guest, Matt Risley, Managing Director of 4Studio at Channel 4.

In an exclusive for The Media Odyssey, Matt shares insights and data on how they tested, adapted, and expanded their YouTube presence, the challenges faced, and the data-driven results that followed.

This is a preview to a report Channel 4 will release on Feb. 11th.

Why this episode matters:

YouTube is not a TV channel but with 1B hours of video content watched on YouTube in the living room every day, we can no longer discard the platform as just another UGC video platform viewers play around on their mobiles during their downtime.

YouTube is part of 2.7B monthly active users’ viewing habits.

This calls for a strategy think at a minimum.

M&E companies can then decide to ignore or embrace the platform.

4Studio decided to embrace it.

Hit the links to watch or listen to our latest episode wherever you get your podcasts.

I’m sure this episode will stir a lot of discussions within the community.

Come share your thoughts afterwards.

11 months ago | [YT] | 1

The Media Odyssey Podcast

Netflix had a monster quarter. We could have left it at that but that’s not us, right?

So we went behind the headlines to read through the fine print of this earning’s call. Netflix stopping its subscriber count reporting raises questions about what’s next.

Is it a sign that growth is slowing? Or are they simply changing the way success is measured?

We break down what’s really happening inside Netflix, why sports matter more than they led on and how much they struggle with their ad business.

We even entertain Netflix buying TikTok, wishful thinking to avoid seeing it land in the hands of he who must not be named?

Last but not least, something BIG is coming. A first for The Media Odyssey. You’ll want to stay until the end of the episode for this one.

All the links in the comments to watch on YouTube or listen on Apple and Spotify.

Thank you for your listenership.

As I write this, I’m in London and was so happy to hear your take on the pod, when you listen to it (some at the gym, others walking the dog or doing the dishes 😁).

We couldn’t do this without you ❤️

#streamingmedia

11 months ago | [YT] | 1

The Media Odyssey Podcast

Can you believe this M&A stat?

Between 70% and 90% of acquisitions fail according to the Harvard Business Review.

This high failure rate stems largely from cultural misalignment, even when the merging companies operate in similar industries.

Plenty of examples:

→ AOL & Time Warner
→ Sprint & Nextel
→ CBS & Viacom (the 1st one)
→ Microsoft & Nokia
→ AT&T & WarnerMedia

Successful mergers require more than complementary assets—they demand cultural cohesion, a clear vision, and execution that minimises operational disruptions.

Otherwise, they run the risk of becoming costly distractions, hindering growth and innovation.

Now nobody’s talking about this failure rate because we love buying and selling in this day and age which is why we couldn’t resist a good old M&A episode.

Place your bets!

FUBO-HULU ante up in the battle of streaming. Will ROKU cash out and sell? Will Apple ROLL THE DICE and hit the table? Who's ALL IN and who's BLUFFING?

In our latest episode, Evan Shapīro and I delve into the steaming pot of mergers and acquisitions in media.

We'll explore the motivations, consequences, and implications of the latest deals shaping the industry.

Watch it or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts:

YouTube:
lnkd.in/deYcmVQs

Spotify:
lnkd.in/dB9_hKRn

Apple:
lnkd.in/dkJ975HH

And more:
lnkd.in/d25GNPUE

Mentioned in this episode: Disney, Hulu, Fubo, YouTube, DirecTV, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Canal Plus, Vivendi, Universal Music, Havas, Ubisoft, Dailymotion, Multi Choice, Viaplay, M7, Viu, Skydance, Paramount, Oracle, IPG, OMG, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, EA, Take Two, Sony, Nintendo, Tencent, TF1, ITV, ProSieben, Vodafone, BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5.

#streamingmedia #themediaodyssey

11 months ago | [YT] | 1