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The Media Odyssey

The Media Odyssey

Written by: Evan Shapiro & Marion Ranchet
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Each week, two of media’s most influential thinkers, Evan Shapiro & Marion Ranchet, take on the hottest media topics with their hottest takes, helping their audience chart a course through the maelstrom that is today’s Media Odyssey. Based in the US, Evan Shapiro is the Media Industry’s official Cartographer, known for his well-researched and provocative analysis of the entertainment ecosystem in his must read treatises on Media’s latest trends and trajectories. Marion Ranchet, French expat based in Amsterdam, has become the industry’s go-to expert in all things streaming, building a following for turning even the most complex problems into easily digestible and actionable insights. Ranchet and Shapiro are known for their sharp-yet-accessible content on Media consumption, audience trends, and the shifting fundamentals of the business itself. Even during the toughest of topics, they each make talking about Media fun. Together every week, these two will offer entertaining, often humorous, and always educational content on today’s Media Odyssey.(c) 2025 The Media Odyssey Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • MEDIA SHARK WEEK

    MEDIA SHARK WEEK
    Jul 16 2026


    Comcast is splitting in three, Fox just bought Roku for $22 billion, and the Paramount-Warner merger still hasn't closed. Welcome to Media Shark Week.

    This episode of the Media Odyssey Podcast is Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet's deep-dive into the wave of media mergers reshaping the streaming and broadcasting landscape in real time. Recorded in early July, it covers four major deals in rapid succession: the Comcast-NBCUniversal split, the Sky acquisition of ITV, the Fox-Roku deal, and the stalled Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Without guests (or filters), Marion and Evan are comparing notes, disagreeing openly, and calling their shots on what each deal actually means for the future of streaming media, cord-cutting, digital advertising, and the balance of power between legacy media and big tech.

    The throughline: vertical integration in media has repeatedly failed not because the theory is wrong, but because the execution never happens. Comcast never integrated NBCUniversal just like AT&T never integrated Warner. The companies that are winning (Fox in particular) are the ones building digital content and advertising flywheels while everyone else is digging holes and filling them back up.

    Key Takeaways:

    1. The Comcast Three-Way Split
    Comcast is splitting into three companies: a connectivity/broadband entity, a spun-off NBCUniversal/Sky entertainment group, and the already-separated Versant. One read: this is a prelude to selling NBCUniversal, with Netflix and Apple as the most likely buyers. The combined Charter-Cox-Comcast broadband entity would control 70–75 million US homes, effectively controlling how most Americans access all streaming content.

    2. The Sky-ITV Deal
    Sky acquired ITV's broadcast network for £1.6 billion, leaving ITV Studios as a standalone content producer through 2032 under an existing supply deal. The combined Sky-ITV package could solve Netflix's ad sales weakness in its two biggest markets (US and UK) in one move. ITV Studios could also be a potential acquisition target for Banijay or others hungry for English-language IP, including Love Island, which had its biggest year in Season 12.

    3. Fox Buys Roku for $22 Billion
    Roku (once valued at $50 billion) sold to Fox at roughly a third off peak valuation. Evan calls Lachlan Murdoch the sharpest traditional media CEO in the US: Fox sold assets to Disney at the top of the market, invested in Tubi, Red Sea Ventures, Holywater, and Whaler, and now controls roughly 50% of US TV screens through Roku. Combined, Tubi and The Roku Channel are larger than Disney streaming. Marion's concern: Fox is too US-focused, Roku needed an international partner, and merging a tech culture with a programming culture almost never works cleanly.

    4. The Paramount-Warner Merger Stall
    The Ellisons targeted a July close and it isn’t going to happen. The UK Culture Minister has intervened, and the attorneys general of California, New York, and other states have filed suit to block the merger of CNN and CBS News. The AGs are playing a long game, and there's no realistic path to closing before the US midterms, which was the Ellisons' primary motivation for the deal in the first place.

    5. Integration Is the Only Thing That Matters
    Every failed deal in this episode (AT&T-Warner, Comcast-NBCUniversal, WBD) failed for the same reason: the companies never actually integrated. Comcast didn't even unify its ad sales departments across NBCUniversal. The Fox-Roku deal has real upside, but only if Fox does the hard work. The pot of gold at the end of the M&A rainbow is real, but only for the companies willing to integrate.

    Interested in sponsorship? https://forms.gle/2LCWfX2HBNT8mtpx8


    Connect with us on Linkedin:

    Evan Shapiro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer/

    Marion Ranchet - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionranchet/

    The Media Odyssey Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-odyssey-podcast


    • (00:00) - Welcome and Shark Week
    • (00:44) - Comcast Splits NBCU
    • (03:19) - Why Integration Failed
    • (05:44) - Who Buys NBCU
    • (07:03) - Charter Comcast Mega Merge
    • (12:02) - Sky Buys ITV
    • (17:27) - ITV Studios Next Moves
    • (20:15) - Fox Buys Roku
    • (23:23) - Roku Risks and Upside
    • (32:47) - Paramount Warner Deal Trouble
    • (36:15) - Wrap Up and Live Show
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    39 mins
  • VERTICAL PREMIUM TV: THE NEXT BILLION DOLLAR IDEA?

    VERTICAL PREMIUM TV: THE NEXT BILLION DOLLAR IDEA?
    Jul 9 2026
    The growing vertical video landscape has potential far beyond microdramas. Two TV veterans just built the studio to take vertical premium all the way with true crime, dating reality formats, scripted drama, and a 12-step AI process to get there.This episode of the Media Odyssey Podcast with Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet features Guy Hameiri and Lior Friedman, co-founders of RoseBerry, a vertical premium television studio built on the belief that mobile is the new cable. Guy comes from 25 years in traditional TV production (Survivor, X Factor, Shtisel on Netflix). Lior comes from Amagi and the commercial side of streaming media. Together they're building a start-to-end studio producing originals, repurposing legacy TV catalogs for vertical, and distributing through their own first-party app, Epis.The episode covers RoseBerry's full model: deals already signed with Fremantle, Banijay, All3Media, and A&E to repurpose existing catalog IP into vertical short-form; a proprietary 12-step AI-assisted conversion tool called Red Snapper; originals; and EPIS as a test-and-learn platformt. The Neighbors case study (an 18-year-old Fremantle soap reformatted for vertical featuring a young Margot Robbie) is presented live on the pod as proof of concept.Key Takeaways:1. Beyond MicrodramaThe current vertical market is dominated by melodrama tropes with high churn and low retention. RoseBerry is betting on genre expansion including true crime, dating reality, soap, and scripted, to target an underserved audience. Paywall conversion on top-performing shows is already exceeding 50%, with 70% of those converting to subscribers.2. Red SnapperRoseBerry's proprietary 12-step AI-assisted conversion tool takes horizontal long-form TV and reformats it for vertical. It handles frame cropping, pacing, graphics, storyline focus, and music rights. The process started manually with human editors to establish craft standards, then was automated at scale. It's the core IP that makes repurposing 5,000-episode catalogs commercially viable.3. Epis as a Data EngineTheir app Epis exists primarily as a first-party data platform, not just a distribution channel. It lets RoseBerry track user-level behavior across genres, sessions, and geographies. Subscribers on EPIS are now spending over an hour per session on top-performing content.4. The Library OpportunityGuy's "10,000 for 10,000" framework is if a rights holder monetizes 10,000 hours of catalog content at $10,000 per hour per year, that's $100 million in new annual revenue from IP that is otherwise sitting dormant. RoseBerry's pitch to Fremantle, Banijay, All3Media, and A&E is a new monetization window for libraries that traditional streaming cannot fully exploit.5. Mobile as the New CableGuy's biggest claim: mobile will replace what cable was with movies, series, true crime, and reality available on-demand in vertical format. Netflix, Disney, Peacock, and Paramount are all launching vertical feeds, creating a coming demand for premium vertical content that RoseBerry is positioning to supply.Thank you Lior Friedman and Guy Hameiri for joining the pod!Thank you Lior Friedman and Guy Hameiri for joining the pod!Lior Frieman -https://www.linkedin.com/in/lior-friedman-94958939/ Guy Hameiri - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guy-hameiri-/ Interested in sponsorship? https://forms.gle/2LCWfX2HBNT8mtpx8 Connect with us on Linkedin:Evan Shapiro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer/ Marion Ranchet - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionranchet/ The Media Odyssey Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-odyssey-podcast (00:00) - Heatwave and Setup (00:42) - Guests Intro and RoseBerry Origin Story (05:13) - Why Vertical Needs Premium (09:22) - EPIS Platform Explained (12:06) - Syndication and Data Flywheel (15:46) - Neighbors Vertical Clip (18:22) - How Verticalizing Works (22:31) - Originals and New Genres (24:22) - Dating Reality Trailer (24:53) - Love Or Money Twist (25:50) - Gamified Tokens Debate (28:14) - Vertical TV Goes Mainstream (31:13) - Mobile As New Cable (32:24) - Proof In The Data (35:02) - Quibi To TikTok Shift (37:36) - Repurposing At Scale (38:46) - Red Snapper Workflow (41:18) - Data Driven Windowing (43:37) - Wrap Up And Predictions
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    45 mins
  • BLUEY, LEGO, AND CROSS GENERATIONAL FANDOM

    BLUEY, LEGO, AND CROSS GENERATIONAL FANDOM
    Jul 2 2026
    Two nearly century-old brands. One brand-new animated series. And a first-of-its-kind partnership that's never been done before.This special episode of the Media Odyssey Podcast was recorded on the Croisette at Cannes Lions, hosted inside BBC Studios' headquarters, and features three guests across two breaking news announcements. Jasmine Dawson, SVP of Digital at BBC Studios, returns for what's become an annual tradition on the pod to unveil the Affinity advertising network. Affinity is a five-vertical, fandom-first ad sales operation expanding globally with a major push into the US. Dan McGolpin, Director of iPlayer and Channels at BBC, joins to announce a new internal BBC Group partnership that will see BBC Studios' digital sales team represent public service BBC YouTube channels outside the UK for the first time. And Anna Rafferty, SVP Digital Consumer Engagement at the LEGO Group, joins to break the news of a first-of-its-kind Bluey x LEGO co-commissioned content series dropping on YouTube the same day the episode publishes.The throughline across all three conversations is the same: fandom, trust, and the growing conviction that reaching audiences isn't enough, you have to move them.Key Takeaways:1. Affinity's Five VerticalsBBC Studios has launched Affinity, a fandom-first advertising network built across five verticals: Family (anchored by Bluey), Auto (Top Gear), Travel & Food, Entertainment, and Our World (anchored by BBC Earth, built over 10 years across IP including Blue Planet and Big Cats). Each vertical is built around existing trusted BBC IP, with third-party studio IP (Magic Light Pictures' Zog, Acamar's Bing) layered in to deepen the offering. 2. The BBC Group YouTube ExpansionBBC Studios and BBC Public Service are launching 50+ new YouTube channels in 2025, roughly half through BBC Studios, half through public service. Dan McGolpin describes a strategic shift from treating YouTube as a marketing tool to actively building communities, particularly for under-25s in the UK. The approach mirrors what BBC Studios has learned about channel specificity: rather than one BBC Sport account, they've spun off a dedicated BBC Football channel, with more sport-specific channels to follow. 3. The Internal BBC PartnershipThe first piece of breaking news: BBC Studios' Affinity team will now sell advertising outside the UK for selected public service BBC YouTube channels. This will be the first time the two arms of BBC Group have formally unified their commercial digital strategy. Previously BBC Studios' digital ad operation focused exclusively on BBC Studios content. This expansion means the Affinity network now spans both the commercial and public service sides of the BBC, giving advertisers access to the full depth of the BBC content portfolio on YouTube worldwide.4. The Bluey x LEGO Co-CommissionThe second piece of breaking news: a 10-part content series with LEGO brick recreations of fan-favourite Bluey moments, co-commissioned by BBC Studios and the LEGO Group, dropping on YouTube. Anna Rafferty describes it as an editorial co-commission, not just a product partnership: the series was built around the insight that children love to "play their stories," creating a watch-play-build loop designed to deepen engagement across both the Blueyverse and the LEGO universe simultaneously.5. The Fandom Measurement ModelBBC Studios' core KPI is average watch time. Bluey averages nearly 15 minutes of watch time per session, against a portfolio average of 13.3 minutes, both significantly above industry benchmarks. 77% of BBC Studios' viewing happens on CTV — meaning the majority of Bluey and Top Gear consumption is happening on the living room television, with high co-viewing rates that make it especially valuable to advertisers. Thank you Jasmine Dawson, Dan McGolpin, and Anna Rafferty for joining the pod!Jasmine Dawson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminesdawson/Dan McGolpin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-mcgolpin-093268123/ Anna Rafferty - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annarafferty/ Interested in sponsorship? https://forms.gle/2LCWfX2HBNT8mtpx8 Connect with us on Linkedin:Evan Shapiro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer/ Marion Ranchet - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionranchet/ The Media Odyssey Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-odyssey-podcast (00:00) - Cannes Lions Kickoff (02:06) - Fandom First Results (03:24) - New KPIs Hours Watched (04:36) - Beyond Bluey Repeatable Playbook (05:58) - Affinity Network Five Verticals (11:25) - Community Led Bluey Examples (17:01) - BBC YouTube Partnership Expansion (21:20) - 50 New Channels Plan (21:51) - World Cup Banter (22:20) - Verticals and Communities (23:28) - Operating Model Explained (25:07) - US Expansion and Global Ads (26:23) - Lego Guest Joins (28:00) - Bluey Lego Series Premiere (36:44) - Release Strategy and Wrap
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
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