126 episodes
- 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!
To read the Broadcast team's in-depth coverage of the festival, visit https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/
Here's a few of the stories mentioned in the show:
Pedro Pena's MacTaggart Lecture https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/youtube-emea-boss-hits-back-at-psb-prominence-push/5219803.article
Ben Frow's session: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-5/ben-frow-opens-5-doors-to-comedy/5219753.article
Amol Rajan suggests mutualising the BBC https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/amol-rajan-calls-for-bbc-to-be-mutually-owned-by-public/5219793.article
Manori's piece about the financial realities of YouTube: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-magazine/analysis-can-indies-really-make-money-on-youtube/5219512.article
Heather's profile of RangaBee: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-magazine/funny-business-why-ranga-bee-refuses-to-pick-a-lane/5219530.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.
Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Channel 4 special: What do indies want from the broadcaster's new content bosses?
30/07/2026 | 35 mins.Channel 4 is on the hunt for a new director of programmes after spliting its chief content officer role into three. What kind of person would indies like to see in the role? What should the PSB's content mix look like going forward? What should its digital commissioning priorities be?
For the last episode in the current series, Broadcast's Rebecca Cooney is joined by a panel of C4 suppliers, including Strong Watch co-founder Thom Gulseven, Rockerdale creative director Stu Richards and Curve Media chief executive Camilla Lewis, to answer some of these questions.
Rebecca and Heather Fallon also chat about the latest Creative Diversity Network's Diamond Report, which assesses the industry's progress on diverse hiring.
We'll be back with a special episode for the Edinburgh TV Festival, before our new series in the autumn. In the meantime, you can find more about all the stories we mentioned this week at https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk.
Coverage of the CDN Diamond report: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/diamond-disabled-representation-in-tv-grows/5218943.article
C4.0 commissioner hails ‘convergence’ of digital and traditional TV https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/people/c40-commissioner-hails-convergence-of-digital-and-traditional-tv/5218677.article
C4 appoints headhunter to kickstart director of programmes search https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-4/c4-appoints-headhunter-to-kickstart-director-of-programmes-search/5218268.article
C4 to split chief content officer role in three https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/c4-to-split-chief-content-officer-role-in-three/5218236.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.
Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.What's happening to support freelancers? (plus Ed Gamble's unacceptable TV opinion)
23/07/2026 | 36 mins.Action For Freelancers project director James Taylor-Tovey shares the group's latest updates with Broadcast's Heather Fallon, and Ed Gamble chats to Broadcast Intelligence's Alice Redman about his new show Unacceptable.
As the industry continues to adjust to a world of tighter budgets and fewer commissions, James Taylor-Tovey unpacks what he, AfF and fellow support organisation TV Mindset have been doing to aid the legions of affected freelancers - including establishing freelancer festivals in London and Glasgow, offering guidance on maintaining a healthy work/life balance and signposting existing support.
For more information on Action for Freelancers, visit: https://www.screenskills.com/action-for-freelancers
Comedy entertainment has been seen as a genre in decline in recent years - but a flurry of commissions suggest that is changing. Among them was Ranga Bee panel show Unacceptable, which launched earlier this month on TLC. Host Ed Gamble joins the pod to explore why the future is looking bright for the genre - as well as revealing his love of onscreen chaos and pitch-meeting pet peeves.
Plus Heather and Broadcast's Rebecca Cooney chat about the personnel moves which have caught the industry's attention this week - Poppy Dixon's arrival at the BBC as head of documentaries and Seb Cardwell's departure from the role of deputy chief content officer and head of drama at 5.
For more on all this week's stories, check out www.broadcastnow.co.uk:
Rebecca's report on the freelancer festivals: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/freelancers/five-takeaways-from-the-first-freelancer-fest/5217769.article
Seb Cardwell's departure from 5: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/channel-5/seb-cardwell-set-to-leave-5/5218761.article
Poppy Dixon's appointment at the BBC: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/poppy-dixon-lands-bbc-head-of-docs/5218711.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.
Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.- In the last couple of weeks, the once solid terms of trade agreement for the UK television sector has suddenly found itself at the centre of debate. After what Broadcast dubbed a ‘terms of trade grenade’ was thrown by former Ofcom chair Michael Grade, suggesting they are not fit for purpose, the BBC then claimed the agreement was preventing the broadcaster from exploiting its IP.
So what comes next? And why should the production and broadcaster community care? Broadcast’s senior reporter Ellie Kahn and editor Chris Curtis chew the fat on the latest, and dive into the BBC’s annual report which was published this week.
Later on, we hear from History Hit’s Dan Snow following the company’s major wins at the latest Broadcast Digital Awards which took place last week.
Michael Grade lobs terms of trade grenade: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/features/michael-grade-lobs-terms-of-trade-grenade/5217950.article
BBC bosses call for terms of trade review: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/bbc-bosses-call-for-terms-of-trade-review/5218457.article
Matt Brittin: BBC will shrink without new funding model and rights position: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bbc/matt-brittin-bbc-will-shrink-without-new-funding-model-and-rights-position/5218603.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.
Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. - Everyone's talking about the news that Sky has finally confirmed it plans to buy ITV's broadcast and streaming business as part of a £1.6bn deal - and so are we. First up, senior reporter Heather Fallon chats to Broadcast's editor in chief Chris Curtis and head of content for international Rich Middleton about the rationale behind the move and what it means for ITV's production arm, ITV Studios.
Later, news editor John Elmes is joined by Mike Darcy, former chief operating officer of Sky and current Broadcast columnist, as well as ITV's former director of television and founder of Expectation TV Peter Fincham (of Insiders podcast fame). The trio unpack what the sale means for viewers, indies and the other PSBs, as well as how the two organisations might work together and what the five-year content deal with ITV Studios really means.
For more on the deal, visit broadcastnow.co.uk.
Broadcast's story on the deal: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/sky-and-itv-seal-landmark-16bn-deal/5217099.article
What Sky's chief executive Dana Strong had to say: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/sky/dana-strong-sky-itv-will-be-uk-streaming-champion/5218337.article
ITV boss Carolyn McCall's comments: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/itv/sky-itv-carolyn-mccall-hails-milestone-moment-in-british-media/5218346.article
Rich's story on the possible future for ITVS: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-international/banijay-all3-mediawan-likely-suitors-for-itv-studios/5218350.article
Chris's analysis: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcasters/sky-itv-analysis-scale-and-scrutiny-on-the-horizon/5218364.article
Mike's Broadcast column: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/comment/mike-darcey-itv-has-befriended-an-old-enemy-in-a-bid-for-digital-prominence/5218349.article
Stay connected at broadcastnow.co.uk.
Produced by Rebecca Cooney and Heather Fallon at Broadcast. With production support from Daisy Kyakulagira and Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Broadcast: Talking TV
Get behind the TV industry headlines with news, analysis and interviews from the team at Broadcast. Each week Broadcast’s journalists are joined by creatives, experts and on-screen stars to unpick the week’s top stories and behind-the-scenes happenings from the world of telly.Talking TV offers unbeatable insight into the key challenges facing the industry, as well as celebrating the brilliance and creativity of those who work in it.Stay up-to-date and connected with Talking TV, brought to you by Broadcast, the essential source for business info. Find out more at broadcastnow.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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