Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
Australian broadcast and audio company ARN has released a metrics report after one year of managing the Australian franchise of iHeartPodcast Network. The headline brag point: Downloads doubled. Some categories outperformed. Click through for insights and a month-by-month graphic. Continue Reading
Evergreen Podcasts has made an investment in Podcast Radio, the UK all-podcast DAB+ radio station that addresses the London, Surrey, Manchester, and Glasgow markets. The investment amount is undisclosed, but the purpose relates to the Podcast Radio production network, announced late last year, which we now understand will be powered by Evergreen. Continue Reading
Nine months ago the BG Ad Group in Marietta, Georgia approached a metro Atlanta newspaper with an idea to increase non-traditional revenue, digital downloads, and hyperlocal following. The idea? A hyperlocal podcast. The model has scaled to other newspapers in Georgia. Click for a case study in hyperlocal branded podcasts. Continue Reading
In February 2020, we called the Podtrac Top Podcasts ranker “business as usual.” The same characterization remains a year later. We compared Podtrac’s recently released Top 20 Podcasts list for February 2021 with the year-ago list. Fifteen of the shows remain the same, with four of the top five retaining their positions. Click through for a graphic illustration. Continue Reading
Two questions about digital audio programmatic advertising were addressed in Triton Digital’s presentation at the RAIN Podcast Business Summit yesterday: 1. Is programmatic advertising a “race to the bottom” in ad revenue? 2. What are actual CPM rates in podcasting? Triton SVP Stephanie Donovan answered both with a view of average CPM rates for podcast programmatic advertising. Continue Reading
The Podcast Academy has announced nominees for its inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio — nicknamed The Ambies. The nominees were sent around this morning in a press release. They also appear HERE. Through a membership vote, 164 nominees have… Continue Reading
Podcast creation and monetization web service Sounder has raised $2.1-million, a year following $1.8-million the young company scooped up in March 2020. Over 14 months, the company has attracted about 4-million of seed financing. Continue Reading
In the company’s Q4 earnings call last week, iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman and COO/CFO Rich Bressler emphasized podcasting and recent digital audio acquisitions, and touched on a new view of international opportunity for iHeart. Click of tap through for details and quotes. Continue Reading
New podcasts of note.
In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson (ABC Audio)
Stolen: The Search for Jermain (Gimlet/Spotify)
La Brega (WNYC & Futuro Studios)
Evergreen Podcasts has introduced a sports channel, appropriately named Evergreen Podcasts Sports Channel. The new sub-network, carved out for listeners and advertisers seeking to target those listeners, is stocked with six shows as of today — a mix of new and existing podcasts. Click for details. Continue Reading
FOX News Podcasts sent around a notice that adding five shows to its network blend of subscription and free podcasts. In a machine-like release timetable, it’ll be weekly launches starting a week from today, March 8. The FOX News Podcasts network shows 53 shows available today. Most are free; a handful can be purchased as a series or per episode. Click through for details. Continue Reading
In Entercom’s Q4 earnings call this week, podcasting was prominently referenced as part of the company’s digital initiatives. One investor asked whether selling off podcast acquisitions Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios might be in the future, if the acquisition value of those outfits exceeded their revenue potential. CEO David Field’s answer was definitive. Continue Reading