Pod Drop highlights noteworthy new and upcoming podcasts from across the vast and fast-growing category. Today’s announcements include Dr. Phil’s entry into podcasting and a new show from ESPN Radio personality Dan Le Batard. Also, a duo from a HowStuffWorks science show get a new project with iHeartRadio. Continue Reading
Specialized studies have been reporting growth in audio for years, and the general media research is reflecting the same result. Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for Q2 marked another steady quarter for radio, although its influence remains notably less among younger ears. The report also saw positive trends for smartphones, streaming audio, and smart speakers. Continue Reading
Streaming software company Shoutcast has released two new premium services for companies. The new subscriptions are Shoutcast for Business and Shoutcast for Enterprise. These plans are both intended to offer easy options for streaming a radio station to any device worldwide. Continue Reading
E.W. Scripps has completed its sale of eight radio stations, which marks the final steps of divesting its radio division. The media company sold stations in Boise, ID and Tucson, AZ to Lotus Communications for $8 million. Continue Reading
Tencent Music Entertainment has launched its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, making the long-awaited move to go public just before the year’s end. The Chinese music company has priced its shares at $13 a piece for a total of $1.1 billion. Continue Reading
Pandora has hired a new member of its programming team. Akim Bryant joins the audio company in the role of top 40 coordinator, curation programming. He will be based in Pandora’s New York office and will work closely with Tiana Lewis. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Broadcasting to British millennials. Two journalism awards for WNYC podcasts. Unqualified finds a home at WeWork. Continue Reading
AWAL, the artist services company owned by Kobalt, announced plans to open an office in Canada. The new location in Toronto is currently hiring for several positions. The office is scheduled to open in early 2019. Continue Reading
Deloitte has released its 2019 predictions and is forecasting a big year ahead for smart speakers. The company projected that the smart speaker market will be worth $7 billion in 2019, a spike of 63% for total industry revenue. The report also gave a positive outlook for radio and artificial intelligence. Continue Reading
Tencent Music Entertainment is facing yet another hurdle as its planned IPO date approaches. Investor Hanwei Guo is suing Guomin Xie, the company’s co-president, claiming that the exec allegedly coerced him into selling his equity stake in Ocean Music, which later became Tencent Music Entertainment. Continue Reading
The Wall Street Journal is the latest news outlet to join the ranks of daily podcasters. The publication has chosen Gimlet Media as its producing partner for the upcoming daily news show. Hot Pod reported that the collaboration had been announced internally and is targeting a launch in the second quarter of 2019. Continue Reading
Sony Music Entertainment and Rhapsody International have partnered to launch a streaming service in Japan. The platform, called mora qualitas, will offer high-resolution lossless FLAC audio at CD quality. It is built on Rhapsody’s Powered By Napster platform. Continue Reading