Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
New podcast production skidded downward in October, establishing the sixth month trend of desultory trending. To be clear: Although no firm direction is established, the output level of new podcasts is drawing a fairly stable line, as production seems to be settling after a January peak and gradual lessening during the year. Click for graphs. Continue Reading
Podcast data and discovery platform Podchaser has developed a new audience category to help advertisers tailor the reach of their campaigns. It is political skew. The idea, in Podchaser’s words, is to “offer unprecedented clarity.” Click for the full read.
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Global podcast behemoth Acast released Q3 earnings this morning. Click for top-line key metrics and several revealing graphics. Continue Reading
Acast announces that it has formed a partnership with brand safety, suitability, and planning service Barometer. The news is targeted to podcast advertisers, with a promise to navigate risk, discover new content, and measure campaign performance. Initiatives like this reassure advertisers that podcast advertising (still rather a new kid on the block for some advertisers) can be as trustworthy and exacting as longer established media categories. Click for more.
Per annual tradition, Signal Hill Insights has released a data snack from its upcoming full meal of metrics — the annual Canadian Podcast Listener report. (The full feast will be served to subscribers on November 28.) In this peek, we learn that podcast listening is on the rise across categories of frequency, from “ever listened” to daily listening. Click for the graph and full-study info. Continue Reading
In his latest guest column, Amplifi Media chief Steve Goldstein tries out Google’s new NotebookLM AI tool, and shares the AI-generated audio. He calls it impressive, jaw-dropping, exciting, weird, and unsettling. We agree. Steve also pulls back from the amazement of it, reassuringly to human podcasters. In the past, we have called out some of Steve’s columns as “must read.” This one is on a higher level of must read … and listen. Continue Reading
Brendan Monaghan, one of the most prominent and influential executives and BoD members in the software and services industries, has been named Chief Executive Officer of venerable podcast company Libsyn. At the same time, Monaghan joins Libsyn’s Board of Directors. Click for background. Continue Reading
In a RAIN scrutiny of two newly released Podtrac rankers, we see the clear dominance of iHeart Audience Network in the delivery of podcasts. In the list of 21 leading U.S. podcast publishers (sorted by unique monthly audience), we find six networks that also appear in the top Global Delivery ranker. We blend the data; click for the chart. Continue Reading
In a teacherly presentation that jams together more text and imagery than we ever thought could fit onto 19 pages, SiriusXM advocates for the compelling nature of audio messaging. Click through for RAIN’s detailed coverage, graphics, and sourcelink. Continue Reading
Recently we covered the release of Steve Pratt’s newly published book, Earn it: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers. Here, guest columnist Steve Goldstein interviews Pratt about verified listening as a key statistic, “Tik Tok brain,” surpassing mediocrity, the difference between attention and retention, the multi-platform challenge, the pressure to create at volume, and focusing on underserved audiences.Lots of gems in this one. Continue Reading
In a new survey report called Who Is Listening? produced by Manchester-based Sport Social Podcast Network, in cooperation with UK’s Mindfield Research, the mission is to better understand the lives of sports listeners. That includes their demographics, income, home ownership stats, purchasing habits, and their passion for sport and exercise. Click for results, graphics, and source link. Continue Reading
The average cost per thousand (CPM) for podcast advertising in September dropped three percent from August. According to Libsyn’s monthly reckoning, the average CPM rate for a 60-second ad spot was $21.37 on September 1, compared to $22.04 a month earlier. That per-thousand rate was the lowest in 52 months. Click for the four-year cost chart. Continue Reading