Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
In a new and intriguing Latino Podcast (non) Listener Report from Edison Research, one key survey question asks why respondents don’t listen. We see the results as pointing to the length of podcasts, and also difficulties in getting familiar with podcasts — a classic ease-of-use problem. Click for details, graphics, and metrics from this fascinating study. Continue Reading
In a reflection of what it calls its “flywheel business model,” the company formerly known as LiveXLive will change its corporate identity to LiveOne, mimicking its acquired subsidiary PodcastOne. A similarly modeled rebrand is being applied to all its business units. Click for deets. Continue Reading
Green Roll Media, LLC, a sports betting podcast network and an audio production and distribution company, and SuperBook Sports, a leading sportsbook and standard-bearer in sports oddsmaking founded in 1993, announced today they have partnered to create multiple podcasts for Green Roll Media’s sports betting podcast network. Continue Reading
SXM Media, the ad-sales division of SiriusXM’s combined digital audio assets — Pandora, Stitcher, Simplecast, and AdsWizz — launched SXM Podcast Universe, a few weeks ago. It’s a spacey interactive display of podcasts in the SXM network, and their audience characteristics. Today we test-drove it, and found it to be spacey, informative, and fun. Click for details, link, and screnshots. Continue Reading
Triton Digital has released the August edition of the Australian Podcast Ranker. We observe that it is reformatted from previous reports, and now delivers audience and download numbers for top 100 podcasts — a terrific bounty of information that helps quantify the Aussie podcast market. Continue Reading
Serial entrepreneur Brad Smith, who founded podcast hosting platform Simplecast, has been named Head of Podcast Products for SiriusXM, effective immediately, the company tells RAIN. Smith will manage a team responsible for SiriusXM’s podcast product strategy across all of its owned platforms – including SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher. Continue Reading
The second and final day of the IAB Fall Podcast Upfront featured video presentations, podcast hosts, metrics, conversations about technology, and a clear winner of RAIN’s informal “win the funny” prize. Click for very detailed coverage. Continue Reading
by Jeff Vidler
New opportunities for audio are capturing the attention of advertisers. But is audio advertising coming from new sources, or being moved around from one type of audio to another? Guest columnist and Signal Hill Insights President Jeff Vidler discusses how the audio industry is selling audio short. This is a manifesto, and a clear commitment for his company. A must read. Continue Reading
The first day of the two-day fall IAB Podcast Upfront occurred today, in a packed four-hour series of 10 presentations. The event, formerly annual and now a twice-a-year, spring-fall occurrence, showcases podcast networks to audio advertising buyers. Click for detailed coverage. Continue Reading
Slate has made an interesting partnership between its podcast division and Pocket, the Mozilla-built app which offers topical reading collections. Slate will put podcast-specific reading collections onto Pocket. The project is called “Stories Behind the Podcast.” We like how it crosses over media categories and broadens the podcast experience. Continue Reading
U.S. Podcast listeners exceed national medians in several categories which advertisers value, such as employment, income, and education. These just-released numbers come from Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard on the Westwood One blog. “The podcast audience profile is exceptionally attractive,” Bouvard writes. Continue Reading
In an example of podcasting’s growing allure across media categories, the film and television documentary studio XTR has opened a podcast division, and is announcing its first production. The new division is called Radio XTR — an interesting call-back to broadcast for a new media outfit. Continue Reading