In an announcement targeted mainly to podcast creators, Apple announced two upcoming features that will enable podcasters to earn subscription revenue, and organize channels of content to increase listening. While both those features widely exist elsewhere, SVP Eddie Cue calls it “the next chapter of podcasting.” New analytics are also in the offing. It all comes out in May. Continue Reading
Entering one of the most populated and competitive podcast categories, the Los Angeles Times is launching a morning news show. Called The Times, the podcast is scheduled to launch May 3, hosted by Gustavo Arellano, a features writer and former opinion columnist for the news organization. Click for trailer. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia sent us details on its latest partnership: The audio giant will team with the National Football League for an NFL podcast network. The NFL already owns a slate of podcasts in its NFL Media unit, so while there is a creative element to the deal, part of the plan is about distribution and (presumably) monetization. New shows will emerge before the 2021-2022 season starts. Continue Reading
Yesterday was hints. Today is a formal announcement with considerably more detail. Facebook suddenly adores audio, and is working with speedy timelines to introduce a suite of integrated audio products. Podcasts, yes, both as creator and distributor, folded into a matrix of ways to make and hear audio.
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Facebook has non-announced that audio might be a thing, sometime soon. In other words, Mark Zuckerberg confided to a journalist that Facebook will soon imitate Clubhouse, and somehow get into podcasting, plus put a limited native audio function in the platform. Click through for details and a good deal of acidic reaction from us. Continue Reading
Podcast attribution company Podsights has released the latest in its quarterly Benchmark series — titled for Q2 2021. There is new element not in previous reports: Demographic info resulting from a partnership with Experian, the consumer data company. Click through for details, data, graphs, and a link to the report. Continue Reading
Digital audio advertising company AdsWizz is announcing having reached the milestone of one billion monthly downloads. The company is paired with podcast host Simplecast, via separate acquisitions by parent entity Sirius XM. Continue Reading
Jottings of note:
— Social Finance to Social Audio (Audible)
— QR Resurgence (Podnews)
— Icy Warning (eMarketer)
— Diversity Hire (PRX)
Podcast database company Rephonic has launched the Podcast Audience Graph which is both fun to use and a smart discovery mechniasm. Click through for a link and graphics. Continue Reading
Podcast advertising is famously looser than radio and TV advertising. When delivered via a host riff, it is more informal and improvisatory … and longer, giving added value to advertisers. Audioboom’s EVP Thomas Mancusi worked with Magellan AI to calculate a dollar value of podcasting’s generosity to advertisers. Continue Reading
Spotify is putting its podcasting initiative more in the public eye with the launch of top-100 charts on a public website. Interestingly, Spotify has developed a Top Episodes chart for the USA. We poked around the new product, and reached out to Chartable CEO Dave Zohrob for his view. Continue Reading
Jottings of note:
— Seriously (Podcasting Seriously Award Fund)
— A Squad (She Podcasts)
— A Startup Guide (NPR)