Will Ferrell’s pod network to create multi-platform comedy show and talent incubator

Will Ferrell’s podcast network, Big Money Players, is working with iHeartMedia to create a multi-platform comedy creators program and multimedia comedy show. The talent incubator part of this will roll out at Ferrell’s discretion, highlighting his personally selected comedians. Those individuals will join the BMP network and be showcased across the iHeartMedia ecosystem. Continue Reading

iHeartMedia forges partnership with LinkedIn for launching, resourcing, and promoting podcasts

iHeartMedia is breaking news about the audio behemoth’s new partnership with business-oriented social media platform LinkedIn. Broadly, the agreement intends to support creators produce, launch, and scale podcasts. From iHeart’s perspective, the goal is to pair its infrastructure and distribution… Continue Reading

Podcast listening growth across all age demos at center of iHeartMedia report

The State of Podcasting 2023 is the ambitious title of a new iHeartMedia report. If the title reaches high, the data scale upwards too. The reach of podcasting, measured by daily listening. has soared upward for all age groups in timelines going back to 2015. There is also an interesting result when you put podcast listening next to Netflix subscriptions. Click for details, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading

iHeartMedia and NBA release a portfolio of 11 new podcasts; create iHeart/NBA Podcast Network

iHeart Media and the National Basketball Association have revealed a slate of team-specific shows released to what is being called the iHeart/NBA Podcast Network. The lineup includes original podcasts from six NBA teams – the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs. Click through for show details and listen links. Continue Reading

First-person sponsor endorsements under FTC scrutiny; one case resolved

A prevailing type of sponsor message in podcast advertising is the host-read personal endorsement of a product or service. If you listen to a lot of podcasts, you develop an impression that companies give away a high volume of samples as the basis of this marketing strategy. An FTC investigation — started last year and completed last week — potentially pokes a hole in that assumption. Continue Reading

iHeartMedia selects Sarah van Mosel to lead the iHeart Audience Network

iHeartMedia today announces that Sarah van Mosel, formerly CRO of Stitcher, will lead the company’s new iHeart Audience Network (“iAN”), an highly scaled audio inventory and audience targeting environment that spans podcasting (iHeartPodcast Network), streaming audio (iHeartRadio), and the vast reach of the largest commercial radio group in the U.S. Continue Reading