On the same day that Edison Research and NPR released The Spoken Word Audio Report for 2021 (RAIN coverage HERE), Spotify announced its acquisition of Findaway, the audiobook facilitator and distributor. Finances of the deal are undisclosed, and might not represent the potential long-term impact of the acquisition to Spotify and to spoken word listening. Continue Reading
The 2021 edition of the annual Spoken Word Audio Report, a comprehensive survey study fielded by Edison Research with support from NPR, is out. Key findings include how all kinds of spoken word audio listening (podcasting, audiobooks, AM/FM talk radio) is quickly growing, and largely eating into AM/FM talk radio. Click through for many in-depth details, graphics, and the download link for full results and videos. Continue Reading
In the October Top Podcast Publishers list from Podtrac, U.S. Unique Monthly Audiences increased or was flat for 19 of the Top 20 publishers in October over September. In the RAIN Remix we re-sort the ranker on an average per-show basis within each network. Click to the see info graphics. Continue Reading
Global podcast network Audioboom has created a self-serve global marketplace which joins podcasters and advertisers. The company says that SHOWCASE represents over 250-million podcast impressions per month for ad buyers. Audioboom’s Ad Rip, arguably the cleverest piece of ad tech this year, is included. Audioboom now has two basic campaign approaches for podcast advertisers. Click for detail. Continue Reading
Data is starting to emerge from the 2021 edition of the Canadian Podcast Listener Report produced by Signal Hill Insights with support from TPX. Signal Hill president Jeff Vidler has posted what he calls “early observations” from the 5th annual study which was fielded in October. Click through for the details.
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Jottings of Note
— Tips for Both Sides (Libsyn)
— Laughing It Up (Audible)
— Yay or Nay (Spotify)
In Podtrac’s newly released October edition of its Top Podcasts ranker, we see extreme stability in the list. Click through for RAIN’s 4-month comparative analysis. Continue Reading
New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) has made an exclusive national marketing agreement with Stitcher, a subsidiary of Sirius XM, in which SXM Media will represent ad sales for NHPR’s original podcasts. Continue Reading
Publicly traded podcast empire Acast reported Q3 earnings this week, and the results show uplift for a growing company striving for net profitability. Click through for financial details and new business deals. Continue Reading
In the third quarter, iHeartMedia’s podcast revenue gained 184% compared to the same quarter last year. That according to Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman during the Q3 earnings call. Much talk of Podtrac status, success metrics, and post-cookie revenue generation. Continue Reading
What is a live ad read? In a general sense, it is delivery of ad copy by the program host. What if the program host is an AI voice? That is the framework for Trinity Audio’s new AI-powered audio advertising experience. We explore implications. Continue Reading
In what the company calls a “major development” on its AI platform, podcast media planning platform Magellan AI is announcing Verified Downloads, a new feature which reveals show downloads, individual episode downloads, and unique listenership. IN a democratizing effort, the company is pitching to podcasters of all sizes. Continue Reading