Talking TV #79: UKTV Live

It's been a huge week in TV land, and in this week’s bumper episode, Broadcast news editor John Elmes and international editor Rich Middleton unpack some of the biggest international stories from this year’s Mipcom. Paramount and Warner Bros. completed their mega $110bn merger just a week before boots were on the ground on the croisette - so there was plenty to discuss over cocktails, but also looming concerns about what comes next. Netflix also announced that it would be cutting 6% of its workforce, during the event. John and Rich chat about what's next for the streaming giant - and what might have led to chief content officer Bela Barjaria’s sudden exit. Banijay Entertainment’s newly named chief content officer for operations, Lucas Green and chief content officer for development, James Townley tell the podcast what they got up to at Mipcom and why their rival’s success is also their gain Closer to home, the BBC confirmed some of its long-anticipated cuts, including the closure of BBC3, BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4 Extra. Hosts Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon look at what it all means, as well as discussing the exit of 5 chief content officer Ben Frow after 14 years.

As TV budgets tighten, does ad-funded programming offer a potential solution? Production companies are increasingly bringing brands in at the inception of a show, and baking advertising in from the beginning in a bid to get projects off the ground. As revealed in today’s episode of Talking TV, ITV alone has jumped from 3 or 4 AFPs a year in 2023 to around 15 this year. Pete Fergusson, co-founder and chief executive of startup IPX, a company which connects brands with creators, producers, broadcasters and streamers, joins the podcast alongside Bandicoot TV’s own co-founder and creative director Daniel Nettleton, who has just launched the indie’s debut AFP on ITV, and ITV commissioning editor Paula Thomas, who oversees daytime and ad-funded entertainment. The trio accompany Heather Fallon in exploring the scale of the opportunity available, why producers need to get ‘scrappy’, and how best to work with partners to maximise potential in today’s episode of Talking TV. In today’s news recap, Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon discuss the still-awaited BBC cuts, a potential partnership between the Beeb and Channel 4 and the findings of this year’s distributor survey which saw BBC Studios take the crown with a major 20% revenue rise. For all the latest, head to broadcastnow.co.uk

It’s all change in TV land as Channel 4 unveils its new director of programmes and the BBC selects its BBC News director. Marian McHugh and Ellie Kahn join Heather Fallon to discuss all the latest changes and what it means for the two organisations. Then Heather heads to the Lycett Arms, to talk to the now-pub landlord and comedian Joe Lycett about his love for the chaos of live TV, the show's mishaps and his big pitch to producers for a brand new chat show with a twist. Later on, Rebecca Cooney talks to Megan Gallagher and Nicola Shindler about hit ITV drama The Blame which in its first fortnight, according the broadcaster, has become the most-watched drama on terrestrial television so far this year. The trio talk about what the show has to say about misogyny and how TV dramas handle depictions of violence against women.

Talking TV returns amid a major shake up at Channel 4, which is cutting more than a quarter of its workforce. To break down exactly what is happening and how this will impact the industry at large, hosts Heather Fallon and Rebecca Cooney hand over to Broadcast’s resident experts on the matter, Marian McHugh and Chris Curtis to discuss. The pair cover what the cuts will mean for the incoming director of programmes, how they will impact commissioning budgets moving forward and if fewer, bigger, better can work on Channel 4. Later on, Rebecca and Heather return to discuss further looming job losses at the BBC as the royal charter review describes the BBC as facing a “fork in the road”. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, with the review also demonstrating enormous good will towards the UK’s British broadcasting corporation. And finally, Heather reveals which celebrity she's backing in the Traitors sweepstake.

Join the Talking TV team on the ground at the EICC for what will be the final Edinburgh TV Festival… or will it? With YouTube taking centre stage this year, the annual event asked the big questions about the health of the UK production ecosystem and crucially, who is contributing to it. The Broadcast team spoke to the festival’s executive chair Fatima Salaria on her hopes for the event as it says goodbye to Edinburgh, as well as key attendees, who tell us what's stood out at the festival, what the atmosphere has been like and their favourite sessions. We also catch up with former BBC News chief Deborah Turness about her new job. The TV Festival moves to Manchester next year - but there's a twist! One of the conference’s big open secrets has been the arrival of another Scottish telly event that's been brewing in the background. Former Edinburgh TV Festival creative director Rowan Woods is taking the lead on a new gathering set to take place in the Scottish capital in August next year. Watch this space!