News

A new podcast incupator project: iHeartRadio with Tongal

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartRadio, one of the world’s largest podcast publishers, and Tongal, a content creation and talent crowdsourcing platform, are teaming up on The Next Great Podcast, an open call for submissions to win resources for developing a new iHeartRadio podcast. Tongal, which has been a resource for film production, will likely gain more recognition in podcasting with this venture. Semi-finalists get $1,000 each, and the winner gets an on-ramp to making an iHeartRadio podcast. Continue Reading →

SiriusXM: Streaming, acquisitions, and the uncertainty of podcasting

Posted on by Brad Hill

In its recent Q2 earnings call, Sirius XM discussed streaming, its multiple acquisitions, and podcasting in some detail. Remarks about podcasting are quite interesting, somewhat shading the industry as young and largely immature, while evangelizing the production and marketing power of SiriusXM. Click through for many quotes. Continue Reading →

Pandora / Publicis / Edison study: 50% of “heavy” listeners are 35+

Posted on by Brad Hill

Pandora is releasing a raft of survey results gleaned from a study conducted by the streaming company in league with Publicis Media Exchange and Edison Research. The purpose is for advertisers to better understand levels of consumer adoption of streaming. Pandora is releasing a raft of survey results gleaned from a study conducted by the streaming company in league with Publicis Media Exchange and Edison Research. The purpose is for advertisers to better understand levels of consumer adoption of streaming. Click through for extensive results/ Continue Reading →

SiriusXM earnings: Cost of acquisitions (Stitcher; Simplecast)

Posted on by Brad Hill

SiriusXM held its Q2 earnings call, during which the cost of the recently acquired Stitcher was revealed — it is $265-million. Buying Simplecast cost the satellite company $28-million. The earnings call also reminded investors of a February SoundCloud investment of $75-million. On the financial side, Sirius subscription revenue notched up a bit from the same quarter in 2019.
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Impact (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard) choose ART19 for hosting / distribution

Posted on by Brad Hill

Impact, which is a content accelerator and online marketplace co-founded by Imagine Entertainment’s partners Brian Grazer & Ron Howard, has selected leading audio platform ART19 to host and distribute IMPACT: The Podcast. The show is described this way: “Impact’s new podcast brings together storytellers and entertainment industry leaders to explore the process of content creation and the way art shapes the world around us.” Tons of celebrity guests. Continue Reading →

Pandora puts interactive voice ads into beta

Posted on by Brad Hill

“Voice-activated tech is proliferating,” says Pandora, and the company has extended that aspect of digital lifestyle into responses to streaming audio ads. This week, Pandora is launching interactive Voice Ads to beta, following an alpha launch in December. The company asserts this as a first-to-market ad format in streaming audio, and the plan is to scale voice features to both listeners and select advertisers. Continue Reading →

AudioUK releases COVID-19 production guidelines for podcasts, audiobooks, and radio

Posted on by Brad Hill

The trade organization AudioUK has released a detailed document containing guidelines for producing audio safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27-page paper covers details like workspace cleaning and protective equipment, in addition to strategic production challenges of producing audio while observing social distance guidelines. Click through for a link. Continue Reading →

Tenderfoot TV and iHeartmedia hook up for podcast co-production

Posted on by Brad Hill

Tenderfoot TV, which produces for television, film, and podcasting, is partnering with iHeartMedia in an agreement that will create nine original shows  for the iHeartRadio Original Podcasts division. The upcoming podcast slate will focus on limited series as well as several weekly shows, a new strategy for Tenderfoot TV, who has garnered over 500 million downloads for its true crime hits since the company’s launch in 2016. Some of the collaborative shows will be completely new; the two companies will also co-produce new seasons of existing shows. Continue Reading →