NFL gears up to launch podcast network, partnering with iHeartMedia

iHeartMedia sent us details on its latest partnership: The audio giant will team with the National Football League for an NFL podcast network. The NFL already owns a slate of podcasts in its NFL Media unit, so while there is a creative element to the deal, part of the plan is about distribution and (presumably) monetization. New shows will emerge before the 2021-2022 season starts. Continue Reading

Podcast listeners are high-income, high-education, and respond to Pharma/Health ads (Podsights Benchmark Report)

Podcast attribution company Podsights has released the latest in its quarterly Benchmark series — titled for Q2 2021. There is new element not in previous reports: Demographic info resulting from a partnership with Experian, the consumer data company. Click through for details, data, graphs, and a link to the report. Continue Reading

By one reckoning, podcasting gives $400M “intrinsic added value” to advertisers

Podcast advertising is famously looser than radio and TV advertising. When delivered via a host riff, it is more informal and improvisatory … and longer, giving added value to advertisers. Audioboom’s EVP Thomas Mancusi worked with Magellan AI to calculate a dollar value of podcasting’s generosity to advertisers. Continue Reading

Audioboom Q1: “A breakthrough” with double-digit revenue gains, quarterly profit, $41 CPMs, more

Publicly traded Audioboom (London Stock Exchange) released its Q1 results. CEO Stuart Last called it “a breakthrough period for Audioboom.” The company’s quarterly releases are especially notable as Audioboom is the only publicly traded major pure podcast publisher; the results offer a glimpse into podcasting economics. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: Zooming in on 8% of podcasts

by Steve Goldstein
In a follow up to last week’s column, Steve Goldstein collaborates with Podnews, and continues to bring an intelligent and realistic view of the global podcast catalog. Two-million podcasts, per recent headlines? A more sensible number is much lower. This Amplifi/Podnews research is a must read for potential creators, and for advertisers.
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Vox Media acquires Preet Bharara’s Cafe Studios

Vox Media announced Sunday evening that it has acquired Cafe Studios, co-founded in 2017 by Preet Bharara. Cafe Studios explores how law and policy intersect with politics, news, business, history, and technology. The acquisition will be placed in Vox Media Podcast Network, a division of Vox Media Studios, a unit of Vox Media.  Continue Reading

Podtrac March rankers: Stability is an understatement

Podtrac released its monthly rankers for March: Top Podcasts, and Top Podcast Publishers. Each list has 20 spots, and they measure U.S.-derived statistics among Podcast measurement clients. There is never a great deal of movement in the monthly drumbeat of these high-profile rankers, and the March metrics are remarkably locked-in from the previous month. Click through for highlights and the lists. Continue Reading