Welcome back to The Addition, where I deal with the crossover of culture, media and sport. This is the free version of the newsletter. For the full article and more observations, sign up for the paid version. The death of podcasting has, surprise, surprise, been greatly exaggerated. Don’t believe me, ask Travis and Jason Kelce. The brothers have signed a deal with Wondery reported to be worth around $100 million. Now, Taylor Swift may have played a helping hand in this, but it demonstrates...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Hello and welcome to The Addition, where I deal with the intersection of media, culture and sport. The main part of today’s newsletter is a reflection on a fantastic summer of sport across all media platforms (but mostly streamers). To read the whole thing, as well as a first take on the sacking of Jermaine Jenas, you will need to take out a paid subscription. Your support is greatly appreciated. £5.00 / month Paid Newsletter Take out a paid subscription to The Addition for member-only...
16 days ago • 1 min read
Welcome back to The Addition, where I tackle the crossover of media, culture, tech and sport. Thank you for bearing with me during the summer break! We're back with a bang now! The bulk of this newsletter is for everyone, although paid subs are getting a few little bit extra. It was a fascinating couple of weeks following all things Olympics. By all accounts NBC and it's streaming service Peacock did very well. However, the approach to the Games by other parts of the American media was quite...
19 days ago • 3 min read
The Addition is having a little break during a chunk of August - not least because I need one! Normal service will resume in a couple of weeks. In typical fashion, there has been a huge amount of media news. Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Plenty won't like it, but the development is undoubtedly vindication for The Sun, which originally broke the story. I'm not sure my original take got everything right, but it certainly shows how messy...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the crossover between media tech and culture. Apologies for the late hour at which this newsletter reaches you. I've been at the Publisher Newsletter Awards. More on that on Thursday... Politico and media types like to smugly dismiss election debates, frequently claiming they don’t change very much. I’ve done it myself. Well, the events of the last few weeks have rather put paid to that notion. A disastrous performance from President Joe Biden confirmed...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Welcome to The Addition, where I bring together tech, media and culture. It's been a busy week this week. If you want more on what is happening in British politics, check out the House of Comments podcast I co-present with Emma Burnell. It's another way to get the paid version of this newsletter too. If you sign up via Patreon, you get this newsletter, my co-host Emma's newsletter and the extra episodes at the bargain price of £5 a month. When Netflix announced an ad-supported tier it felt...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Welcome to The Addition, where I cover the intersection of media, tech and culture. Inevitably, politics often seeps into that, as is the case this week. If you enjoy this newsletter, take out a paid subscription. Want more politics? Check out my podcast House of Comments. It is also another great way to get the paid version of this newsletter. If you sign up via Patreon, you get this newsletter, my co-host Emma Burnell's newsletter and the extra episodes for £5 a month. After a busy Saturday...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
CNN is cutting jobs. "Media organisation makes people redundant" is hardly revelatory in 2024, but this move includes closing down its CNN opinion section. Claire Atkinson exclusively revealed a memo from boss Mark Thompson and reported on the end of the comment section. Churning out comment pieces is generally cheaper than reporting. However, if you want to refocus a news organisation, I guess you can see why that is the bit that would be sacrificed, particularly heading into a presidential...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Welcome to The Addition. Let me know if you like (or don't like!) hearing from me on a Saturday. If you're interested in more UK election coverage, check out my podcast House of Comments. It is also another great way to get the paid version of this newsletter. If you sign up via Patreon, you get this newsletter, my co-host Emma Burnell's newsletter and the extra episodes for £5 a month. On Thursday, Andy Murray made what we now know to be his last-ever Wimbledon appearance. The coverage was,...
2 months ago • 1 min read