By Peter Preston

While austerity is still affecting most areas of British life, there’s no restraint in the sums being bandied about for both sports rights and online content for streaming.

There’s no squeeze being felt in at least two succulent media areas, Brexit or no Brexit. Indeed, the cash registers are beating out a euphoric tune.

There’s TV and the Premier League, just coming up for its next three-year rights renewal. Only seven years ago, the going rate for the whole shooting match was £594m. Today – fuelled by the 2013 entry of BT into a suddenly competitive market – it’s £1,712m, and expected to go up by at least 40% in the next bidding round.

BT is already paying more for its top matches than Sky spent on the whole of its sports coverage a decade ago. Hyperinflation.

But it could all get much worse (or better) as the second media joy story kicks in. Jay Hunt, one of the most successful creative minds in British TV, is to become the European driving force for Apple as it puts an initial $1bn into streaming shows, ready to compete with Amazon (currently spending $4.5bn) and Netflix ($6bn heading for seven). Content, content. For the moment, film- and video-makers have struck gold.

Quake, then, if you’re Sky or BT, fearing a new soccer bidder on the block as prices take off again. There’s only one consolation. When Enders Analysis examined this scene, it reckoned that any serious sports rights newcomer would need $10bn for starters. Even insanity has its price.

What have you done, Lord Fairness?
Why does Nigel Lawson keep cropping up on perfunctory BBC interviews about climate change or Brexit? Because he’s Lord Rent of Impartial-moment, ever ready to balance Remain voices or keen environmentalists. But what happens when Lawson gets his global warming figures in a twist? The BBC has to apologise for not setting him straight.

Oh blessed irony! Your token “fairness” chap blows the house of balance down and you’re left re-assembling the pieces. Count Nigel out for the future. Soon the desperate list of impartiality mongers on BBC standby will be a very short one: with just Nigel 2 (Farage) left.