Podcasting 14 - RAIN News

YouTube (finally) enables RSS for podcasts; but no ads allowed. (Sort of) Questions abound.

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Brad Hill

YouTube has (belatedly) enabled RSS feed uploads of audio podcasts. This awaited feature is important because YouTube is commonly cited in listener surveys as a preferred platform for consuming podcasts. RSS is the foundational anatomy of podcast distribution which makes hooked-up shows appear in all podcast listening apps. The announcement is plainly good news, eagerly awaited by the creator class. There is also uncertainty about details. Continue Reading →

iHeartPodcast Awards returns with SXSW partnership

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Brad Hill

The iHeartPodcast Awards, formerly held independently in a Los Angeles performance venue, and simulcast online, will return on March 11 at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin. The event is revived via a partnership with the SXSW Conference and Festivals. Details. Continue Reading →

Podcast ad rates flat in December: Libsyn AdvertiseCast

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Brad Hill

The average cost per thousand (CPM) for podcast advertising remained essentially flat in December, about one dollar lower than the average rate in November. This from the monthly reckoning at AdvertiseCast. Click for graphs and multi-year high and low points. Continue Reading →

Steve Goldstein: Five Strategies For Podcast Expansion In A Zero-Sum Audio World

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein observes that Americans listen to four hours of audio per day … and that metric has not changed for a decade. “Time spent is unmoving,” he says, “and so it begs the question: How can podcasting (or any audio sector) continue to grow listening in a seemingly static audio environment?” Steve details five recommendations. Continue Reading →

Fewer new podcasts in 2023; episode volume remains stable

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Brad Hill

2023 saw fewer new podcast launches than in each of the previous four years. The most recent year which produced fewer was 2018. New episode volume remains high, over four years. Click for numbers and charts.
Continue Reading →

1.5B downloads; 10k advertisers; $50M creator payments — Audioboom 2023 snapshots

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Brad Hill

Audioboom released a few snapshot statistics for 2023, representing the scale of its consumption, sales, and podcaster payments. Citing an Edison Research metrics, UK-headquartered Audioboom observes that it is the fifth biggest podcast publisher in the U.S.A. Click for more numbers. Continue Reading →

Podcast listeners can’t be paid to stop listening, and other insights (Acast)

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Brad Hill

Acast released a handful of metrics resulting from a survey of U.S. podcast listeners. We learn about in-car listening, a comparison with audiobooks, and more. Continue Reading →

Top 3 podcast advertisers unchanged in November; $57M spent by top 15 (Magellan)

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Brad Hill

In Magellan AI’s reckoning of the top podcast advertisers (by spend) in November, we see a lot of repetition from the previous months. Eleven of the top 15 advertisers in the previous month of October landed on the November list again. We do some month-over month analysis, and a six-month comparison. Click for the numbers, graphs, and top-line points. Continue Reading →

Nine new shows enter Triton’s Australian Podcast Ranker

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Brad Hill

In an encouraging sign of variety in listener choice, 44 Australian podcasts debuted on Triton Digital’s Australian Podcast Ranker for November. The ranker lists 200 podcasts, a first-time expansion of Triton’s format. The company cites “the influx of new podcasts.” Click for more info. Continue Reading →

1

Steve Goldstein: The Ups And Downs Of Audio In 2023

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein

In this epic review of podcasting in 2023, guest columnist Steve Goldstein takes us on a retrospective tour of business developments in the fast-moving, still-evolving industry. What is a podcast — that existential question starts things off. YouTube. Gimlet. The job scene. Amp. Brand safety. The audio market generally. Research notes. Success at the top. AI. Omnichannel distribution. SiriusXM. Wall Street. Public radio. And … the opportunity of 2024. A must read. Continue Reading →

NPR sunsets the NPR One app, unifying mobile features in the NPR app

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Brad Hill

In a dramatic simplification of its mobile experiences, NPR is discontinuing the NPR One app. In this consolidation the company has moved NPR One features into the existing (and now revamped) NPR app. Click for details and history. Continue Reading →

Steve Goldstein: Authenticity And AI In Podcasting

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein

“Authenticity is Merriam-Webster’s 2023 word of the year,” Steve Goldstein informs us in his latest guest column. That word resonated in the podcasting field, used to represent a unique value to both listeners and advertisers — “both a cliche and a cornerstone,” Steve says. That brings podcasting up against AI, arguably pretty low on the authenticity scale. Things brings up a conundrum: Is AI a boon to podcasting or a threat? Steve holds forth. Continue Reading →