Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
UK creative agency A Million Ads has made a public release of its proprietary Studio:Podcast platform, which creates personalized audio ads for use in podcast marketing. The platform has been operating in a non-public version, with podcast tech company Acast. Continue Reading
As we reported yesterday, iHeartMedia is striking out on Wall Street with an IPO. How the new stock will fare in iHeart’s post-bankruptcy phase is anyone’s prediction. The company is pushing a message of its size and positioning through key quotes, assertions, and attitudes manifest in iHeart’s S-1 SEC filing which declared the IPO intent. Continue Reading
Podtrac released a new set of data today exploring the most popular podcast topics. In both February 2019 and February 2018, the top three podcast categories were comedy, news and politics, and society and culture. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: More on the split between the BBC and Google. April Fools on the airwaves. Continue Reading
Westwood One released its 2019 Audioscape report, with an assessment of the latest trends and data in the audio industry. This year’s analysis focused on the impact of smart speakers and podcasts, and how their audiences differ from AM/FM radio. Continue Reading
Audio technology company Audioburst and Blubrry, a podcast hosting and statistics specialist, have entered a partnership. Under the terms of their deal, new and current Blubrry users can opt in to have access to Audioburst’s set of tools for creators. Continue Reading
Spotify is continuing its spree of podcast acquisition with the purchase of Parcast, its third buy of 2019. The deal will bring Parcast’s podcast library to Spotify, as well as its ability to attract audiences and its existing listener base. Continue Reading
We reported yesterday that the BBC blocked Google Podcasts’ access to BBC podcasts, so they cannot be represented in the Google Podcasts app. That block extends to playing BBC podcasts in Google Search results, via the native audio that Google has built there. The BBC declined to comment in response to our inquiry yesterday, but this morning an explanatory blog post appeared that lays out the BBC’s rationale. Continue Reading
Voxnest’s Spreaker platform is partnering with language-learning platform Babbel for its first foray into podcasting in the U.S. Multilinguish will explore how language connects people, with a different theme for each episode. New episodes will be published on Tuesdays. Continue Reading
Gimlet Media’s production staff announced plans to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East two weeks ago. However, the team’s efforts may not have an easy or straightforward path to success. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: BBC is blocking its podcasts on Google platforms. Much audio news ahead of Radiodays Europe. Continue Reading
The BBC has blocked its podcasts on platforms operated by Google. The block stretches to prevent access to BBC shows through the new Google Podcasts app, via Google Assistant, and from Google search. The move to restrict access began last week, according to Podnews. Continue Reading