By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
Welcome to the media review from Francia24 and Radio Centrale Milano: radio, artificial intelligence, publishing, and large media and finance groups: two news items for each topic.
Radio
Ross Revenge undergoing repairs in Hull
The ship Ross Revenge has been booked at the MMS repair facilities and dry dock in Hull for structural interventions. The work will begin on Monday, March 8, after the vessel leaves the Blackwater estuary in mid-February for a journey of approximately two days with a tugboat.
According to Radio Caroline, the delay is due to the shipyard needing to complete work on a ship that crossed the Atlantic from Canada. The MMS shipyard was chosen for its reputation, competence, and experience. The ship will remain in the dry dock for at least six weeks, and this extra time will allow for extensive onboard preparations and continued fundraising.
Source: mediumwave.info
Substack introduces advertising in podcasts
The Substack platform has announced new monetization strategies for its podcasts, introducing dynamic advertising alongside the subscription model. This technology allows for the insertion and updating of advertisements in episodes, including those in the archive, without modifying the original recordings. The novelty also includes optional access to external advertising marketplaces to facilitate contact with advertisers.
According to Emarketer, this evolution addresses the dilemma between large audiences and loyal communities. While a niche audience can offer qualified advertising context, large masses ensure economies of scale. The sector is growing: WARC Media predicts that global investment in online audio will increase by 9.9% in 2026, despite 54.8% of surveyed US podcast consumers signaling dissatisfaction with excessive advertising.
Source: Newslinet
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence transforms Neighbours into a microdrama
The historic Australian soap opera Neighbours is being reworked via artificial intelligence into a vertical microdrama intended for smartphones. The RoseBerry Media project, which uses the RedSnapper tool, initially focuses on the figure of Margot Robbie, concentrating about 150 minutes of content on two of her past stories.
The initiative has sparked protests among the cast. Actor Stefan Dennis called the project “incredibly invasive, morally and legally wrong.” Former actor Matthew Werkmeister also expressed concern about the use of his image without consent, calling the operation a “way to quickly cash in” in reference to Fremantle. The MEAA union is assisting the actors, while legislative intervention is being requested to protect the creative sector from AI.
Source: The Guardian
Mimit and Ai4i launch the AI mapping
The Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence for Industry launched a public consultation on October 20, 2026, to reconstruct the AI supply chain in Italy. The initiative, which involves companies, startups, and research centers, will remain open until November 20, 2026, to identify skills, obstacles, and industrial policy priorities.
The survey examines the entire value chain, from hardware components to computing infrastructures, from data management to robotic systems. According to data from the Digital in Italy 2026 report, Italian spending on artificial intelligence reached 1.38 billion euros in 2025, an increase of 47.6%. The mapping aims to distinguish technology producers from integrators, analyzing strategic sectors such as manufacturing, robotics, and aerospace.
Source: AI4Business
Publishing and Large Media Groups
Channel 4 launches its first vertical social media drama
Channel 4 has debuted in the vertical microdrama market with the series “The Guest List”, produced in collaboration with the skincare brand Sol de Janeiro. The series, consisting of only five episodes of approximately 90 or 120 seconds each, follows the lives of a group of young women. The first episode introduces Amaka, a public relations consultant who sees her phone stolen during an invitation to a party on a boat on the Thames.
The author criticizes the distribution strategy, as the series releases only one episode per week instead of following the Asian model of massive launches. According to the author, the narrative is lacking intensity and is “as sweet as a Coca Zero,” comparable to watching advertisements. The vertical format is a global business that could be worth 26 billion dollars by 2030.
Source: The Guardian
Joshua Rogers launches new creative agency Gravity
Advertising veteran Joshua Rogers, who has worked at Trailer Park, Zealot, and Buddha Jones, has launched Gravity, a new independent creative agency. The company has already welcomed former colleagues including editors Matt McCrory and Brent Howard, and producer Patrick Dirks. The roster also includes a collaboration with creative director and editor Kazadi Katambwa, who worked with Rogers at Buddha Jones and has served as Lead Creative at Amazon Studios for the last three years.
Rogers stated that he wants to build a company that can be managed from the editing room, rather than from a large office or via a Zoom window. He added that Gravity’s goal is to serve intellectual properties by fully immersing themselves in the titles and brand identities, adapting to their specificity and DNA. Gravity is already engaged in campaigns for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the thirteenth season of American Horror Story, and the cinematic reissue of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth.
Source: Deadline
Finance
The risk of debt in artificial intelligence
According to Ed Zitron, the artificial intelligence industry is facing a critical financial challenge. Companies in the sector, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, will need at least 50 billion dollars in debt every year, likely with low credit ratings.
Zitron argues that the rising yields on ten-year US Treasury bonds are making the cost of money increasingly high for everyone, including large data center developers and technology companies. The author highlights how inflation and American public debt are affecting the market, potentially making the sustainability of funding for the AI sector difficult.
Source: Ed Zitron, Where’s Your Ed At
HSBC executive warns about the data center boom
Artificial intelligence represents a transformative technology capable of redesigning all business activities, according to Georges Elhedery, CEO of HSBC. The executive explained that AI will allow the bank to be engineered and will return power to colleagues thanks to the productivity levels it will guarantee.
However, Elhedery advised caution regarding infrastructure investments, suggesting selectivity. The head of HSBC stated that it is necessary to evaluate the quality of lease agreements and contract prices, as not all present a level that can be strongly sustained. The bank, which is also a data center operator, operates in a sector where global spending could reach 7 trillion dollars by 2030, according to McKinsey.
Source: CNBC
Radio Nizza and Francia24
You will find all news related to Nice and the French Riviera on radionizza.it
You will find all news related to France on francia24.com and franciaoggi.com
Closing.
Online, on BlueSky and Mastodon, on all smart speakers, and on the medium waves, this is the media review from Francia24 and Radio Centrale Milano.
And now for our French-speaking listeners, a brief recap of today’s news in French.
Dans l’actualité des médias, le navire Ross Revenge doit prochainement rejoindre le chantier MMS à Hull pour des réparations structurelles prévues dès le 8 mars. Parallèlement, la plateforme Substack diversifie ses revenus en introduisant la publicité dynamique dans ses podcasts, un secteur où les investissements mondiaux devraient croître de 9,9 % en 2026. L’intelligence artificielle suscite des controverses avec le projet de RoseBerry Media qui transforme la série Neighbours en microdrames verticaux, provoquant la colère de l’acteur Stefan Dennis et de l’ancien interprète Matthew Werkmeister. En Italie, le ministère des Entreprises a lancé une consultation publique, ouverte jusqu’au 20 novembre 2026, pour cartographier la filière de l’IA, un secteur dont les dépenses ont bondi de 47,6 % en 2025. Dans l’édition, Channel 4 teste le format des microdrames verticaux avec la série The Guest List, tandis que Joshua Rogers lance Gravity, une nouvelle agence créative indépendante travaillant déjà sur des titres comme American Horror Story. Enfin, le secteur de la finance s’inquiète des coûts de l’intelligence artificielle : Ed Zitron souligne le besoin de 50 milliards de dollars de dette annuelle pour des entreprises comme OpenAI, alors que Georges Elhedery, le PDG d’HSBC, appelle à la prudence concernant l’investissement massif dans les infrastructures de data centers.
Sign-off.
Online, on X and Mastodon, on all smart speakers and on medium wave, this is FranciaOggi with Centrale Milano 1575 kilohertz.
Source: AudioVisione – AM 1575 News