Advertise on podcast: Unfiltered Media

Hotspex CEO Shane Skillen joins Justin Lebbon to unpack how LLMs are reshaping consumer buying, why strong brands can override AI recommendations, how AI quietly skews media plans toward digital, and whether creators threaten TV.

Barb's new CEO Caroline Davey and partnerships head Luca Vannini give their first interview, laying out an ambitious roadmap to blend panel and streamer first-party data, move to second-level measurement, and rethink JIC relevance amid squeezed budgets.

Justin Lebbon and Ian Whittaker unpack two S&P demotions: Trade Desk's slide out of the S&P 500 as Amazon and Google squeeze the DSP market, and Nike's exit from the S&P 100 after a brand-eroding pivot to performance and DTC.

Ian Whittaker unpacks his report "A Risk Too Far", arguing the UK's DTT switch-off should be pushed from 2034 to 2044 — on national resilience, household access, and the commercial hit to broadcasters. Justin Lebbon pushes back.

Justin Lebbon and Ian Whittaker unpack the escalating collision of politics, tech and media law — from four state AGs suing Meta, to Disney suing the FCC, to the state AG challenge to the Paramount/WBD deal.

Comcast Advertising president James Rooke argues premium video is inherently performative and can win share back from the big platforms — if TV makes itself as easy to buy as social and proves outcomes via incrementality.

Ian Whittaker and Justin Lebbon dissect the politics stalling the Paramount/Warner Bros Discovery deal, the tech-titan PR push on AI, and how a Burnham government could reshape UK media and social-platform policy.

Justin Lebbon and Ian Whittaker run through Q2 results — Alphabet, Comcast, Netflix, Havas and Publicis — and unpack why soaring AI CapEx is spooking investors plus ad investment figures remain resilient despite the war and political uncertainty

Justin Lebbon and Ian Whittaker unpack the agreed Sky–ITV deal, the likely regulatory path, whether ITV Studios gets bought, and why Comcast is splitting off NBCUniversal — plus the collaboration-not-just-consolidation lesson from Norway.

Disney's global ad president Rita Ferro talks trust and premium inventory, competing with Big Tech on value not price, the "mid-market" growth tier, live/fandom monetisation, and how AI is reshaping ad operations.

NBCUniversal's Mark Marshall talks to Justin Lebbon about a blockbuster sports year, the new Performance Insights Hub, Universal Ads' push into the "messy middle," diversification via events like BravoCon, and why the US measurement fight makes the whole TV industry look bad.

Most investors overlook the game-changing signals from SpaceX's recent IPO; Elon Musk's space empire is shaping the future of tech, media, and capitalism itself. In this pre-Cannes episode, we unveil how SpaceX's valuation and Musk’s control are rewiring the investment landscape, impacting everything from AI advancements to media giants' strategies. We also discuss the real implications behind billion-dollar deals like Roku’s buyout by Fox, and why media companies are trapped between short-term survival and long-term innovation. And why the cost to compete has major impacts on valuations. We also discuss: The forces driving SpaceX’s soaring valuation and what it signals for AI and space exploration. Why media giants are consolidating, and the risks of ceding control to a handful of monopolistic playersHas Fox overpaid for Roku and why we might think that; market reaction to the deal. How current tech valuations are creating a 'performative capitalism' style over substance that may reshape marketsThe looming squeeze on traditional media's revenues amid AI hype and advertising shifts

Most agencies remain constrained by legacy structures, short-term KPIs, and slow-moving processes. But a new generation of independent agencies is proving there's another way. In this episode, we speak with Ali Reed, Chief Growth Officer at Brainlabs, about why the future of marketing belongs to bold, agile, AI-powered businesses. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Ali explains her move from traditional agency networks to Brainlabs and discusses how independent agencies are using AI to accelerate innovation, deepen client relationships, and drive sustainable growth.

This episode features a discussion with Erez Levin, a prominent speaker and writer in the advertising industry, focusing on the concept of quality media. The conversation explores the challenges of defining and valuing quality in a landscape dominated by major platforms and unlimited impressions. Erez introduces the "quality trifecta," which includes media quality, creative quality, and audience/data quality, emphasizing the importance of assessing these dimensions to drive effective advertising outcomes. The discussion also touches on the industry's shift from deterministic models to more probabilistic approaches, highlighting the need for advertisers to prioritize long-term brand value over short-term metrics with the role quality media plays into that.

This episode explores the fundamental shift from efficiency to dominance in digital advertising. Ian shares why the traditional ad tech model is at a crossroads, with many players facing margin squeeze or consolidation, while a few with true differentiation may thrive. You’ll discover how the biggest platforms - from Google to Amazon - are the real gatekeepers not only selling vast quantities of media but also controlling the pipes. We also debate: The real drivers behind the market’s skepticism with ad-tech stocks, referencing TTDHow AI could overturn ad tech economics and bring true efficiency back to media buyingThe risks of consolidation, with parallels to the Standard Oil case and the implications for publishers and brandsWhy agencies’ opaque rebates and kickbacks threaten the integrity of ad buying and how transparency and proprietary solutions are the futureWhat premium publishers must do to protect their value amidst a landscape where power consolidates in the hands of the few