Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
There are many ways to measure a hit podcast. Audience reach. Downloads. Number of reviews. Star rating. Another is to observe how persistent the back catalog is in charts. We looked at Apple’s top-200 Episodes chart in the U.S., in the Comedy category — with a goal of discovering which shows hold the most chart placements. Click through for the results. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Eric Nuzum offers an insightful analysis and prediction. In this view, 2020 was better than you might think, and the future could be more challenging than you assume. This is a must-read piece. Continue Reading
Podcast advertising intelligence company Magellan AI released its “Spenders, Movers & Shakers” list for November. Bank of America and McDonald’s take the #1 and #2 spots for increased podcast ad spending. Bank of America jumped from $128,000 in October to 1.9-million in November. Mcdonald’s jumped from $174,000 to $1.7-million. Click through for context and the full list. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro unleashes an epic list of lists — 32 media brands which released end-of-year “best podcasts of 2020” roundups. From Esquire to Vanity Fair. From Town & Country to Teen Vogue. Dive in now; thank Jeff later. (Or blame him; your choice.) Continue Reading
The Spotify podcast deal-making dreadnought sails on, now signing the ex-royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to an exclusive production arrangement. The model seems to be taken from the Spotify/Obamas deal which tied a new production company, Higher Ground, to Spotify (not an equity acquisition). Likewise, Harry and Meghan have fashioned a production company called Archewell Audio. Click through for details and a trailer. Continue Reading
by Steve Goldstein
In this year-in-review guest column, Steve Goldstein ruminates on audio’s growth from outdated also-ran in the media universe, to an essential component of the media mix. And the audio story is more than just Spotify and SiriusXM. Continue Reading
ABC Audio has released its end-of-year special programming. these shows will be distributed to network radio stations, immediately followed by posting to the ABC New Radio specials podcast feed. That feed is currently populated mostly by daily updates. Click through for details. Continue Reading
Podtrac released its Top 25 New Podcasts of 2020 list. The release follows an earlier reckoning at the end of Q3 — an intermediary list. We compare the two for a look at which podcasts (six of them) were added in the two months which separate the two list measurements. Click through for the graphic. also — the network power of Wondery and iHeartRadio is on display. Continue Reading
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced that the annual Podcast Upfront, a fall event in past years (September in 2020), is moving to the week of May 10 in 2021. The idea is to get it closer to the IAB NewFronts (week of May 3), the video counterpart to the podcasting event, “to enable marketers to evaluate their omni-channel investments in an increasingly holistic way.” Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. In this edition, a rundown of four online courses and webinars for getting a better understanding of podcasting issues and skills. Also — Sirius XM and Howard Stern. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio announces today that its Podcast Awards program will continue in 2021, in a virtual format. In past years the January event was staged at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, CA. The 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be on January 21, streamed on iHeart’s Facebook and YouTube locations, the iHeartRadio app (naturally), and broadcast or streamed on some iHeartMedia radio stations and virtual sites. Click through for a complete list of categories and finalists. Continue Reading
by Bill Rosenblatt
Guest columnist Bill Rosenblatt speculates a podcast world in which Amazon has acquired Wondery, fulfilling that rumor. A certain bifurcation would become evident in that scenario, pitching an Amazon/Spotify axis pushing for exclusivity of content, and an iHeartRadio/NPR axis pushing for ad revenue. A must-read column. Continue Reading