Are You Not Entertained?

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver are joined by Davide Tesoro-Tess, the strategist who helped shape Sky Italy, to unpack the biggest media question of the moment: what happens when consolidation, separation and vertical integration all start happening at once? From Comcast and Sky to RTL, MFE and the future of free-to-air versus pay TV, they dig into why Europe’s broadcasters are rearranging themselves, whether the real prize is...

Brian Moore, one of the most recognised and colourful characters in English rugby over the last forty years, joins The Captain this week. A man with a wide and varied career, he was not only a formidable rugby player who represented England and the British Lions, but has also been a solicitor, broadcaster, author, and manicurist. An ardent fan of ballet and opera, he is a man you simply cannot put in a box. Brought to you by Fortnu...

This week’s Goal/Own Goal swings from the Open Championship’s pure sporting theatre to Bryson DeChambeau’s full-bore nonsense, with Grant and Roger tearing into the difference between actually winning and simply making everything about yourself. From there it’s a sharp, slightly brutal World Cup post-mortem on Messi, legacy, dignity, and the tiny human vanishing act that can sit behind genius, all wrapped in...

In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Charlie Methven for a sharp, candid conversation about leadership, football, and the hard lessons that come with both.  Charlie reflects on the personal cost of a life lived on the move, the tension between honest words and public perception at Sunderland, and why he believes the game is shaped as much by identity and feeling as by facts and numbers.  He a...

This week’s Goal Own Goal is a World Cup special that kicks off with Roger’s overcooked summit-wine haze and Donald Trump somehow ending up in a fight with Giorgia Meloni, before the real debate lands: whether England’s win over Mexico was the birth of belief or just one of those classic moments that tempt English football into another grand, doomed act of self-confidence. Grant and Roger chew through the red card...

Jon Miller - President of NBC Sports Programming joins The Captain this week. One of the most influential and powerful executives in North American sport - Jon Miller is the man responsible for NBC”s and Peacock’s extraordinary sports broadcasting - including the Olympic Games, The English Premier League, the NBA and NHL. We learn about Jon’s own passion for sport - golf, tennis and American football - and his own...

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver welcome Mike Darcey, former strategic brain behind Sky and ex‑CEO of News UK, for a deep dive into the messy frontier where sport rights, streaming and regulation collide. Using Rupert Murdoch’s quiet war on the NFL as a starting point, they unpack 60 years of antitrust logic, why “no single buyer” rules gave fans more packages but not always better value, and whether in an era of ap...

This week’s Goal Own Goal is a special World Cup edition that starts with Trump somehow picking a public fight with Giorgia Meloni and ends with England suddenly playing like a 1990s Premier League side under Tuchel instead of suffering through another Southgate straitjacket.  Grant and Roger chew over England–Croatia, the weird thrill of not knowing which England will turn up, the fine art of not antagonising Ital...

In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Ray Ranson for a frank conversation about the move from football to business, and the harder lessons that came with it.  Ray reflects on the ruthless side of life in deals, the pressure of keeping a game face, the painful lesson of backing a pioneering sports tech deal that had the vision but not the pricing power to match.  It’s a conversation about...

This week’s Goal Own Goal swings from Roland Garros heat exhaustion and prize-money grumbling to the usual grand tour of football’s modern absurdities: Celtic’s managerial politics, Arsenal’s latest lesson in defending like their lives depend on it, PSG’s triumph, women’s football still waiting for the promised mass audience, and FIFA’s relentless mission to turn the World Cup into a luxury...

Season 3 of The Captain’s Table focuses on the movers and shakers of the sports industry. This week, The Captain is joined by the real Sheriff of British Sport, Jon Dutton — not of Yellowstone fame, but the current CEO of British Cycling and soon-to-be CEO of Team GB, the British Olympic Association. We learn about Jon’s passion for Rugby League, Rugby Union, and Cycling, as well as his unique leadership style tha...

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver are joined by Peter Hutton – a man who has worked for three modern moguls, Murdoch, Zaslav and Zuckerberg – to unpack what sport really means to big media in 2026. From Eurosport and the Olympics to Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount and the Saudi Pro League, they dig into whether spiralling rights fees have become a “survivor tax”, why bundling and streaming are reshaping the o...

Roger Mitchell sits down with Australian entrepreneur Ant Arena for a candid conversation about ambition, setbacks and what happens when a big idea hits the real world. From building Aura, an AI-driven sports streaming platform, to battling government delays, cash flow pressure and deals that slipped away to bigger players like Microsoft and Sony, Ant reflects on the lessons that came with the journey and the people who stayed with...

Grant and Roger dive into a vintage Old Firm weekend and a three‑way Scottish title race, with Hearts crashing the party while a clueless Labour leader suggests Celtic and Rangers should politely cheer for each other.  From there they go big picture: Rangers’ lost menace, clubs rebranded into asset‑class logos, and Roger’s new essay asking whether football should change for Gen Z or die with its soul intact. Along ...

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver launch Citizen AYNE, a new AYNE series inspired by Citizen Kane, by rewinding to the white‑heat of the dot‑com boom and Roger’s time running the Scottish Premier League. Using their first deal together as a live case study, they unpack how tech money, over-excited broadcasters and new investors created a “boom on a boom” in media rights, why today’s AI and chip-stock frenzy fee...

Grant’s racing the clock to make a tee time at Sunningdale, but first he and Roger pull apart the future of LIV and Saudi money: Neom’s burning cash, the tallest‑building curse is flashing red, and suddenly golf’s easy money era doesn’t look so easy.  From there it’s London in flames — Clear Lake buzzword merchants, Spurs hiring a “lead psychologist” on LinkedIn, Karen Brady disc...

In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Giles Morgan to explore a lifetime at the sharp end of sports sponsorship — from wielding HSBC’s global checkbook to reinventing himself as the Sponsorship Doctor. Giles reflects on how his Hong Kong glory years brought lasting regret of choosing career over time with his children, and the humbling reset that followed.  He also lays out a lifetime&r...

Grant binge‑watches 24 hours of Masters coverage as Rory hangs on to claim back‑to‑back green jackets. From there he and Roger jump to Arsenal’s title nerves, German ultras nicking and burning flags, Infantino’s tone‑deaf World Cup cash‑grab, and why real, messy fan culture and lower‑league chaos still feel infinitely more honest than the leveraged “sport as asset class” fantasy. Along the way: Marie‑Louise ...