Two nearly century-old brands. One brand-new animated series. And a first-of-its-kind partnership that's never been done before.

This special episode of the Media Odyssey Podcast was recorded on the Croisette at Cannes Lions, hosted inside BBC Studios' headquarters, and features three guests across two breaking news announcements. Jasmine Dawson, SVP of Digital at BBC Studios, returns for what's become an annual tradition on the pod to unveil the Affinity advertising network. Affinity is a five-vertical, fandom-first ad sales operation expanding globally with a major push into the US. 

Dan McGolpin, Director of iPlayer and Channels at BBC, joins to announce a new internal BBC Group partnership that will see BBC Studios' digital sales team represent public service BBC YouTube channels outside the UK for the first time. 

And Anna Rafferty, SVP Digital Consumer Engagement at the LEGO Group, joins to break the news of a first-of-its-kind Bluey x LEGO co-commissioned content series dropping on YouTube the same day the episode publishes.

The throughline across all three conversations is the same: fandom, trust, and the growing conviction that reaching audiences isn't enough,  you have to move them.

Key Takeaways:

1. Affinity's Five Verticals
BBC Studios has launched Affinity, a fandom-first advertising network built across five verticals: Family (anchored by Bluey), Auto (Top Gear), Travel & Food, Entertainment, and Our World (anchored by BBC Earth, built over 10 years across IP including Blue Planet and Big Cats). Each vertical is built around existing trusted BBC IP, with third-party studio IP (Magic Light Pictures' Zog, Acamar's Bing) layered in to deepen the offering. 

2. The BBC Group YouTube Expansion
BBC Studios and BBC Public Service are launching 50+ new YouTube channels in 2025, roughly half through BBC Studios, half through public service. Dan McGolpin describes a strategic shift from treating YouTube as a marketing tool to actively building communities, particularly for under-25s in the UK. The approach mirrors what BBC Studios has learned about channel specificity: rather than one BBC Sport account, they've spun off a dedicated BBC Football channel, with more sport-specific channels to follow. 

3. The Internal BBC Partnership
The first piece of breaking news: BBC Studios' Affinity team will now sell advertising outside the UK for selected public service BBC YouTube channels. This will be the first time the two arms of BBC Group have formally unified their commercial digital strategy. Previously BBC Studios' digital ad operation focused exclusively on BBC Studios content. This expansion means the Affinity network now spans both the commercial and public service sides of the BBC, giving advertisers access to the full depth of the BBC content portfolio on YouTube worldwide.

4. The Bluey x LEGO Co-Commission
The second piece of breaking news: a 10-part content series with LEGO brick recreations of fan-favourite Bluey moments, co-commissioned by BBC Studios and the LEGO Group, dropping on YouTube. Anna Rafferty describes it as an editorial co-commission, not just a product partnership: the series was built around the insight that children love to "play their stories," creating a watch-play-build loop designed to deepen engagement across both the Blueyverse and the LEGO universe simultaneously.

5. The Fandom Measurement Model
BBC Studios' core KPI is average watch time. Bluey averages nearly 15 minutes of watch time per session, against a portfolio average of 13.3 minutes, both significantly above industry benchmarks. 77% of BBC Studios' viewing happens on CTV — meaning the majority of Bluey and Top Gear consumption is happening on the living room television, with high co-viewing rates that make it especially valuable to advertisers. 

Thank you Jasmine Dawson, Dan McGolpin, and Anna Rafferty for joining the pod!

Jasmine Dawson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminesdawson/

Dan McGolpin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-mcgolpin-093268123/ 

Anna Rafferty - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annarafferty/ 

Interested in sponsorship? https://forms.gle/2LCWfX2HBNT8mtpx8 

Connect with us on Linkedin:

Evan Shapiro - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer/ 

Marion Ranchet - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionranchet/ 

The Media Odyssey Podcast - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-odyssey-podcast 

• (00:00) - Cannes Lions Kickoff
• (02:06) - Fandom First Results
• (03:24) - New KPIs Hours Watched
• (04:36) - Beyond Bluey Repeatable Playbook
• (05:58) - Affinity Network Five Verticals
• (11:25) - Community Led Bluey Examples
• (17:01) - BBC YouTube Partnership Expansion
• (21:20) - 50 New Channels Plan
• (21:51) - World Cup Banter
• (22:20) - Verticals and Communities
• (23:28) - Operating Model Explained
• (25:07) - US Expansion and Global Ads
• (26:23) - Lego Guest Joins
• (28:00) - Bluey Lego Series Premiere
• (36:44) - Release Strategy and Wrap