Claire said “There has been a generational decline in legitimate sports subscriptions in the under-35s. That is caused a little bit by piracy, but mostly by the attractions of so many other attractive smartphone options.”

Alice said “Politico’s iceberg model enables mass reach supported by digital advertising, but with Pro at the core — niche, B2B and targeted at industry professionals. In 2018, Pro subscriptions globally accounted for half of the revenues, but 0.1% of users. Solid growth and a premium audience will be attractive to advertisers.” 

Douglas said “I don’t think governments feel they don’t need the media, but they see it as one among many options, while there was a time when [broadcasters and newspapers] were the only option." 

Tom said “While it’s definitely true that the Sussexes need Netflix more than Netflix need the Sussexes, the value of the couple’s brand is hugely useful to a service that has to launch new shows to a global audience of anywhere between half a billion to a billion. It’s very expensive to launch to that size audience. If you have a globally recognised face, it’s a whole lot easier."

He added “The Sussexes are a brand connected to an even bigger brand. Just like buying the Derby winner the week before the race, Netflix can buy them some documentaries, have them sit around chatting on camera for an afternoon and make efficient use of their time.”

Karen said "A second reason is planning. Other European countries have more liberal planning laws. Councils present one obstacle. The farmers on whose land towers need to go present another."

She describes the operators’ spectrum as “barcode-like: rather slim slivers of it, rather than large bands."

Tom said the popularity of The Crown would have informed Netflix’s decision to strike a deal with the couple. However, he said, “the Sussexes may imagine they will dictate the shows they want to make but Netflix will have a firm hand on the tiller."

Claire said “You have to have a lot of vim for this. The government is on its back foot. Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings were sustaining a lot of this, but they have lost a lot of steam," referring to Mr. Johnson’s powerful chief adviser.

Julian said “Although the trend is obviously shifting more and more online and particularly through social media channels, TV is still the most important source for people to consume their news.So from that perspective I suppose it makes sense that if you are looking to launch some sort of news provision you’re going to look at potentially using some sort of TV channel.”

He added “It’s regulated very carefully so that’s why people who still continue to watch news on TV – because they believe they are able to get an independent view. That isn’t to say different sources don’t have certain leanings…”