A quick update on The Addition. The extra stories at the top of the newsletter for Premium Subscribers have developed and will continue to do so, becoming more scoopy, gossipy and full of insider info. They will remain behind the paywall. There will be other Premium Subscriber-only stories, too. However, the main story in the newsletter will now be sent in full to all registered subscribers. It will go behind the paywall after a month. Freeriders will need to upgrade to have access to the archive! The What I’m Watching and What to Watch This Weekend sections will remain available for all.

This is, as all things are when you’re running your own business, an experiment. I reserve the right to change my mind! The best way to get the most from The Addition and support the growth of independent media remains a Premium Subscription. There is also a Tip Jar, where you can leave a one-off contribution.

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Premium Subscriber Stories

Beaten by the Mail Man

Hacks love nothing more than scooping their rivals. So well played the Daily Mail’s David Patrikarakos, who, on Sunday, published the inside story of the camp in Syria where IS fighters, past, present and, terrifingly, future live. He even went to IS bride Shamima Begum’s tent, although she had headed elsewhere. Meanwhile, it took until Tuesday for the BBC’s Orla Guerin to get out her story from the same site. Better luck next time, Orla.

BBC Stars Spread Thin

Mark Chapman really is everywhere. Not only is he one of the hosts of Match of the Day and The Sports Agents podcast, both alongside Gabby Logan, as well as 5Live Sport, but he’s now featuring more and more on Sky Sports too. “Chappers” had popped up for a few League Cup ties before, but now he’s doing some Super Sunday too, including the weekend just gone. Kelly Cates, also now on MOTD, does some Sky Sports presenting and has filled in on The Sports Agents. I’d always thought this was a no-no, but the BBC doesn’t seem to mind sharing its stars. Given Aunty’s budgetary constraints, perhaps offering some flexibility is the only way they can get the top presenters to sign in the first place…

DAZN Wins El Clásico

El Clásico - the Spanish football clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona- has always been a big deal. On Sunday, the giants met again, earning 2.95 million unique viewers, about 22.2% of the national audience in Spain. Not bad, given the game was on streamer DAZN, not a mainstream broadcaster. The ad numbers were good too, per Sportcal. The numbers won't be the same in the UK, where the game was buried on Premier Sport. Sadly, La Liga's deal with ITV has come to an end, and the game wasn't in the Saturday evening Disney+ slot.

Boxing Day Football Compromise Must be Found

Whether I’m going to the stadium or watching on TV with leftovers, Boxing Day football is one of my favourite Christmas traditions. I explained why the deluge of matches is so great in a piece for The Spectator. I’m not alone in enjoying it. Sadly, we will have no such pleasure this festive period, and the media look like it’s too blame. Per the Daily Mail, only one game is scheduled for Boxing Day 2025. This is so the Premier League can fufill its TV obligations.

Dominic King and Mike Keegan reported that “no final decision has been made”. However, the bank holiday falls on a Friday this year. The Premier League is “contractually obliged to deliver 33 weekends to broadcasters and needs to deliver on its promise". Consequently, Boxing Day will have only the usual singular Friday Night Football match.This is likely to irritate a lot fans, who love the tradition of going to a match after Christmas Day.

A couple of things to note. There is a full slate of action in the lower divisions, which will be televised. The WSL has a winter break, so none of those games will be taking place and do not have to be fitted into the TV schedule.

Surely, a compromise can be found so that multiple Premier League matches take place on 26th December. Why can’t the TV companies agree that that particular Friday, on this particular year, counts as a weekend and accomodate something that fans actually like. I think I’ve probably answered my own question...

This was not a problem in recent years. Amazon had the rights to 20 games, including the 10 on the 26/27th December and one earlier in the month. That package was not offered in the 2023 auction. As Philip Buckingham explained for The Athletic, the smallest available package at the last auction was 33 games, picked up by TNT Sports, almost entirely for the 12.30pm Saturday slot.

The December TV fixtures are not yet set. I'm sure football reporters will be happy to spend the day not working if nothing changes. However, I suspect there will be a fan backlash, the TV companies will relent and we will get more boxing day football than is currently expected. Maybe two or three games. There will have to be some sop to the broadcasters though, leaving the majority of matches for the weekend. (Does anyone even know what day of the week it is between Christmas Day and New Year anyway?)

Next year it won’t be an issue, because Christmas Day is a Friday. For now, you need to plan to have your turkey sandwiches watching It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard for the 100th time instead of boxing day football.

What I’m Watching

It’s been a tough few days without The Celebrity Traitors after that cliffhanger ending to last week. In the interim, I’ve mostly been keeping up The Paper and The Morning Show.

What I’m Reading

I’m going through Vanity Fair’s profile of New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. He’s likely going to win the contest, and I want to get my head around it all. There’s also essential coverage of Paramount and its possible WBD takeover on Puck.

What I’m Listening to

I’m not a grime person, but Flava D’s new track with Stush, called Energy is absolute filth. Killswitch Engage’s Consequence album remains on heavy rotation since I saw them live a couple of weeks ago.

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