Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
Bloomberg is reporting that podcast network Wondery is for sale, hopin to attract a buyer in the $200-400-million range. This according to unidentified sources for the Bloomberg report. According to those sources, Wondery revenue will surpass $40-million this year. Continue Reading
AdsWizz has announced that it is a finalist in three OMMA Awards. The OMMA Awards (Online Marketing Media and Advertising) exist to honor agencies and advertisers that engage and advance digital advertising. Click through to see the categories. Continue Reading
by Bill Rosenblatt
Guest columnist Bill Rosenblatt analyzes Amazon’s most significant entry to podcasting — a podcast listening service integrated with Amazon Music. Comparing Amazon to Spotify is instructive, and this piece also takes into account how Amazon’s lead in the smart speaker market plays into strategic decision around podcasting. One question for the near future, according to rosenblatt: How will audiobooks play in these global audio platforms? Continue Reading
Titles You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton, the ex-Secratary of State is down for hosting an iHeartRadio Original Podcast. It’s too facile to say this project was inspired by Michelle Obama’s show on Spotify, but it does optically represent a counterpoint. Launching september 29, it’ll be a conversational program, featuring what we think is a pretty interesting lineup of guests. Click through for details and to hear the trailer. Continue Reading
Podcast hosting giant Libsyn is announcing a new partnership with Player FM, a podcast listening app and discovery engine. The deal is effective immediately, and Libsyn’s clients can distribute their shows to Player FM starting now. Libsyn’s research indicates that Player FM is a top-10 3rd-party aggregation app by number of downloads. Continue Reading
by Steve Goldstein
Everyone knows about podfades, podcasts that start but don’t continue due to lack of initiative. “Many are started on a whim; some creators hope for instant stardom and riches,” Steve Goldstein observes. But this column is about making a strategic choice to end a podcast run. “The ongoing question for podcast producers and creators to ask when thinking of pulling the plug is whether a show is on its way up, sideways, or out.” Goldstein itemizes and explains six decision points in this important column. Continue Reading
Podcast advertising intelligence company Magellan AI released some research on how buyers place their holiday marketing in podcasts. Looking at last year’s holiday advertising, and examining podcast holiday content, the company comes up with recommendations for this year. Chief among them to buyers: Get your podcast advertising in place now. Click through for details, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading
Lipstick & Vinyl, the podcast network specializing in female and under-represented podcasting talent, has added two shows to its network: Amended and The Gatekeepers. They, along with the whole portfolio are represented by focus 360, which is also an investor in Lipstick & Vinyl. Click through to hear recent episodes. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro provides news and commentary about the podcasting launch in Amazon Music, executive shuffling at SiriusXM, Chartable fundraising, the Black Podcasting Awards, and more. Continue Reading
ART has announced an expansion of its monetization and advertising intelligence capabilities by adding support for the VAST standard, and broadening its partnerships. VAST was originally a video ad delivery standard, but is now merged with DAAST, the audio counterpart. Continue Reading
Amazon Music has launched its expected Podcasts listening section. It is straightforward, cleanly presented, and unconcerned with innovation. (That last point not necessarily a bad thing for a mass-market platform.) We cruised through the mobile and web version of the new platform. Click through for details and loads of screenshots. Continue Reading
Pod Drop features new and returning podcasts. Today: Futuristic galactic retribution from DUST, Jon Meacham returns with great American speeches, and Expedia brings back a podcast about … travel. Continue Reading