European media and entertainment company Global released its own statistics about digital radio and podcast listening in March. These figures came from Global’s Data Platform and AudienceOne Data. DAX, Global’s digital advertising arm, provided the statistics for music streaming and Alexa briefings. Continue Reading
Acast announced that its global podcast listens increased 7% for the weekend of March 21-22. That’s the equivalent of more than 750,000 listens. The podcast company also noted that listening habits have shifted in response to the global outbreak of COVID-19. Continue Reading
Voxnest shared its latest statistics on podcast listening, offering a global snapshot of how COVID-19 has impacted audiences. The company noted that its Spreaker is the top hosting platform in Italy, which has been hardest hit by the pandemic in Europe. It also shared details from Spain, from across Europe, and some early figures from the U.S. as it prepares for the full force of the virus. Continue Reading
BBC Sounds has introduced an app for connected televisions. The app rollout is beginning on YouView and Virgin Media devices, but will launch on other platforms in the future. Continue Reading
Speech recognition tools are known to be flawed systems that make occasional errors in comprehension. However, a new study revealed that those errors aren’t so occasional for black users. The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue Reading
The New York Times Company has acquired Audm, a startup that creates audio versions of long-form journalism for subscription access. Founders Ryan Wegner, the director of spoken word audio production, and Christian Brink, director of product, will join the Times Company along with the rest of the Audm team. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has tracked the growth of streaming along with many other consumer behaviors over the years. Now, the company is turning its data toward understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on media industries. The report predicted that just the change of more people working from home would increase available entertainment time by 15%. Continue Reading
Google Podcasts is getting a new look. A redesigned version of the Android platform is beginning a gradual rollout, bringing an updated layout and a few new features. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has been offering resources and support to the up-and-coming artists who might be getting hit hard by COVID-19 preventive measures. The company’s most recent move is a partnership with Twitch. Continue Reading
Robert Sasuke, a podcast producer and three-time winner at the Latin Podcast Awards, wrote a blog post examining the growth of the medium in the Dominican Republic during 2019. The country has seen a boom in podcast creation, he found, but there are still long strides to make in terms of audience. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Updated report on Norway’s digital transition. Interview with Wondery COO. Pandemic tips for artists from SoundCloud. Continue Reading
Spotify has introduced a new podcast API for developers. The tool will allow third-party devs to create new ways for listeners to connect with podcasts on Spotify outside from the streaming service’s app or websites. Continue Reading