Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More


  • Radio on the TV

    Today comes news that Bauer is winding down the availability of its radio services on Freeview. This follows their previous departure from satellite and cable. So services like Absolute Radio, Kiss, Magic and Greatest Hits Radio will no longer be available on TV platforms – at least without using some kind of smart TV app…

    Radio on the TV
  • Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q4 2023

    Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q4 2023

    Edison Research is back with some new updated podcast listening metrics for Q4 2023. This is the third release in the series following Q2 2023 and Q3 2023 releases. Here’s the latest data: But to make comparisons a bit easier, here’s a table logging shows over the three releases to date: Things to note: Edison…

  • Apple’s Sports App

    Apple’s Sports App

    This week Apple launched a new app entirely devoted to sport. Apple Sports is initially available in the US, Canada and UK, and has a relatively small list of features. You basically pick which leagues you’re interested in, and which teams within those leagues you follow, and it’ll happily provide you with things like line-ups,…

  • Sports Numberwang

    I’m really only posting this, because I spent a bit too much time putting together a Thread of a response to a clickbait-y post about the major sporting events’ viewerships. I really shouldn’t rise to the bait, but… The Threads algorithm threw up this post. (A reminder that “Verified” just means someone who is willing…

  • Peak TV vs Peak TV

    Peak TV vs Peak TV

    If you Google “Peak TV”, the first search result is a Wikipedia article called “Golden Age of Television (2000s-present)” It reflects an era that started a little earlier with series like HBO’s The Wire and NBC’s The West Wing, but obviously carried on through the early 2000s, and broadly speaking, continues to this day. The…

  • Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold

    Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold

    I am a complete sucker for climbing films, documentaries and series. I’ve never actually done any climbing. Most of my walks in the mountains have been exactly that – walks. I’ve watched docs like Touching the Void and The Alpinist, and seen dramas such as The Eiger Sanction and of course, Cliffhanger. I’ve also seen…

  • Rebundling Sports in the US

    Rebundling Sports in the US

    Interesting news in the US, where Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox have announced a new as-yet-unnamed streaming service that will combine all their sports offerings into a single subscription. Combining the resources of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNews, ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV and ESPN+ into a single…

  • The End of the Podcast Exclusive?

    The End of the Podcast Exclusive?

    In the last week or so, two of the biggest podcasts deals around have been renewed. Smartless has moved away from Amazon/Wondery to SiriusXM Media in a “multi-year” deal said to be worth $100m. While SiriusXM members will get early, ad-free access to the title, everyone else will still be able to listen on RSS.…

  • RAJAR Q4 2023

    RAJAR Q4 2023

    This post is brought to you in association with RALF from DP Software and Services. I’ve used RALF for the many years, and it’s my favourite RAJAR analysis tool. So I am delighted that I continue to be able to bring you this RAJAR analysis in association with RALF. For more details on the product, contact Deryck Pritchard via…

  • Past Lives

    Past Lives

    I was making a list recently of all the new-ish films that I needed to catch up on. I was also trying to work out which film was on what streaming service. Past Lives was a problem, because it didn’t seem to be in any of the usual places (Mubi, BFI Player), but in Fopp…

  • Three TV Classics Still Not Available To Stream

    Three TV Classics Still Not Available To Stream

    There is, of course, an endless list of shows and films that are not available to stream on any platform. But I wanted to examine three series, all dating from the mid-eighties to mid-nineties that are still not available in the UK, but some of which have been appearing in the US. Last autumn Moonlighting…

  • Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q3 2023

    Edison Podcast Metrics UK – Top 25 Q3 2023

    Edison Research has just released their Top 25 shows for Q3 2023 from Edison Podcast Metrics. This follows their initial Top 25 for Q2 2023, released last September. Rank Podcast Producer Up/Down 1 The Joe Rogan Experience Joe Rogan – 2 The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett  The Diary of a CEO –…

  • The Festive 500 and the Cycling and Running Year Just Gone

    The Festive 500 and the Cycling and Running Year Just Gone

    In recent years, the Festive 500 seems to have become a little divisive. Sponsored by cycle clothing company Rapha, the Festive 500 is a challenge, largely undertaken using Strava, for cyclists to complete a total of 500km of riding between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. That’s eight days to ride an average of 62.5km…

Hadrian’s Wall

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