The RAIN Online Audio Advertising Summit was held in Chicago this week, resulting in a riveting program and extended networking opportunities for its 200 attendees at the House of Blues. A new format was introduced. Continue Reading
Google has released its awaited native Android podcasts app, Google Podcasts. While Google is planting its podcast discovery and distribution flag years after Apple established the category in iTunes, the release positions Google Podcasts as clear opposition to Apple’s Podcasts app. Continue Reading
Spotify held its slight lead over Pandora in March stream listening, an advantage established in January after three years of chasing. Aside from that metrics rivalry, the Top 20 group in Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics report gained one percent in overall listening compared to February. PLUS — a little bit of smart speaker reporting. Continue Reading
Digital audio advertising platform TargetSpot announced today the opening of an office in Toronto, as it continues a global expansion. The Canadian office is in Toronto, and the recently hired Nora Wallace has been appointed to lead it as Sales Director. Continue Reading
Earlier today London-based podcast company audioBoom announced it has obtained funding of 4.5-million GBP to solidify its operating future and strategy. We reached out to Chief Operating Officer Stuart Last for more details. The Q&A which unfolded is quite interesting, and portrays a company keen to execute a programming strategy along three key lines of business. Continue Reading
In 2018 there is a fresh sense that programmatic audio is coming into an era of recognition and marketplace maturity. RAIN spoke with Scott Walker, Pandora’s SVP of Programmatic Sales, and Alexis van de Wyer, CEO of AdsWizz. The conversation touched on Google’s entry into programmatic audio, predictions of the future, and Pandora’s acquisition of AdsWizz.
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As an indication of how audio publishers are flowing into smart speaker distribution, tech company XAPPmedia announced it has enabled over 1,000 voice-enabled apps on the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Mark Ramsey overlays U.S. census data on podcast audience demographic data, reaching a startling conclusion and a broad strategy for growth. Continue Reading
The new YouTube Music app has been rolling out gradually through the vast population of Android users. How does the refreshed app look and feel? How effectively does it surface YouTube’s immensely deep catalog? Continue Reading
Digital audio technology company AdsWizz won the Drum Digital Trading Award in the category of Best Overall Technology for Programmatic Trading. Of special note is that this awards program, which has been running annually since 2014, covers all media categories for digital advertising. So the top placement is not only a celebratory moment for the company, but a spotlight on the maturation of digital audio as an important programmatic advertising medium. Continue Reading
Live365, the venerable internet radio platform for webcasters at all levels, is now streaming in Canada. Licensing from SOCAN and Re:Sound enables the company to distribute in the U.S. neighbor. “This is only the beginning of our expansion,” says CEO Jon Stephenson. Continue Reading
London-based podcast creation/hosting company audioBoom has raised 500,00 GBP in its continuing efforts to secure operational capital, according to a May 25 filing on the London Stock Exchange website. The money comes from existing investor Candy Ventures (Nick Candy, 90% shareholder), and appears to fund audioBoom operations to June 30 at least. Continue Reading