Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
In its first quarter earnings report this week, Cumulus Media framed a predictable Covid downturn as an upturn in progress. There’s more money in the bank. Podcasting experienced growth in revenue, downloads, and syndication strategy — and was also rebranded. Continue Reading
Peabody has announced its final nominees for this year’s awards, bestowed in June. Among the categories of Entertainment, Children’s/Youth, News, Documentary, and Public Service is a collection of eight Podcast & Radio nominees. Click for the list and descriptions. Continue Reading
Audio giant Audible is sending around notice of a development and production deal with audio storytelling company Treefort Media, to produce original scripted audio series. Described as a “first-look development and production deal,” three shows are starting production now, each one featuring known film actors. To our eyes, they appear primed for video/TV crossover. Continue Reading
New York’s Tribeca Festival (formerly the Tribeca Film Festival) will feature podcasting in its annual celebration on June 20. It is the first time podcasts are included in the agenda, which will also feature films, TV, and gaming. Audible is… Continue Reading
In November we reported a partnership of iHeartRadio and Pushkin Industries, the audio production company founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg in 2018. Now we learn of the first jointly produced show: Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi, which will drop on June 9. Continue Reading
New podcasts of note.
Trail Weight (The Podglomerate)
Roaring Earth (Roaring Earth)
Fresh Era (Stupid Fly) Continue Reading
Podcast ad spending peaked in March for the first quarter of this year, accelerating through the quarter on a monthly basis. This according to Magellan AI in its Q1 2021 Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report. Click for graphs and the download link. Continue Reading
by Steve Goldstein
In this guest column, Steve Goldstein presents a much-needed thought piece which examines where the value lies in podcast subscriptions — for creators, for audiences, and for the global ecosystem. “We don’t yet know the value between podcast content and someone’s wallet.” Essential reading. Continue Reading
Podcast platform Sounder has expanded its range of service with the launch of Sounder Plus, which bundles seven features. We exchanged thoughts with Sounder CEO Kal Amin. Click for details. Continue Reading
As Edison Research releases its 2021 Infinite Dial Australia (sponsored by Commercial Radio Australia, Southern Cross Austereo, LiSTNR, and Triton Digital), there are notable comparisons to be made with the U.S. version of this benchmark annual report. Click for details and graphs. Continue Reading
Calling it “an immersive sponsorship experience,” global podcast company Acast has introduced the Sponsored Stories ad format, which can be up to four minutes long. Acast Creative helps with production. Click for an audio example. Continue Reading
Spotify released a trio of announcements this morning. One predominates: Paid podcast subscriptions within Spotify. Continue Reading