iHeartMedia partners with Veritone’s synthetic voice/translation tech to broaden global podcast reach

In a signal of how well resourced networks can use technology to enlarge their footprints, iHeartMedia is pairing with audio-AI company Veritone to translate and synthetically voice iHeart’s leading podcasts for Spanish-speaking markets. Click for details, and a link to RAIN’s interview with Veriton president Ryan Steelberg. Continue Reading

Investor note bullish on podcast & streaming as “catalyst” for leading radio groups

Equity research analyst at B. Riley Securities, Daniel Day, projected growth metrics for the second half of this year, and 2022, for three top radio groups — iHeartMedia, Audacy, and Cumulus Media. His “robust growth estimates” for digital revenue are his most bullish outlooks, with a particular focus on podcasting. Click for details. Continue Reading

An investment gap: Brand advertising misses the mark — audio.

A newly released study from marketing/strategy firm WARC tells a story of missed opportunity on the buy side, and missing revenue on the sell side of audio. While 31% of the average consumer’s media consumption is now audio, only 8.8% of the average media budget is allocated to audio, and 25% of advertisers do not invest in audio at all. The research identifies audio buyer types, and evangelizes the values of audio marketing. Continue Reading

iHeartMedia and TuneIn enter wide-ranging partnership: iHM stations added, iHeart to rep, Triton to monetize

In a hefty, wide-ranging partnership, iHeartMedia and its Triton Digital subsidiary are going into business with TuneIn. In the agreement iHM’s 850 radio stations will be piled into TuneIn. iHeart will also become TuneIn’s premier local ad sales representation partner. Further, Triton will monetize TuneIn’s local inventory, which promises to help advertisers reach new audiences at scale, according to the press notice.
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