Pocket Casts gets a new CEO: John W. Gibbons

Podcast listening app Pocket Casts has filled the CEO position that was exited by predecessor Owen Grover in march, with the hiring o f John W. Gibbons. Gibbons brings with him more than 20 years of experience in digital media and entertainment with globally recognized brands. Most recently, he served as a Principal at Atom Tickets as well as a strategic advisor to Podchaser and Props Project. Continue Reading

IAB Podcast Revenue Report: Revenue nears $1B; host reads still dominate

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released its annual Podcast Advertising Revenue Study for 2019. It contains last year’s metrics and projections for full-year 2020. COVID-19 is built into the forecast research. $1B annual revenue is in sight, though projections have slowed down that track. Host-read ads still dominate. So do direct-to-consumer ads. Click through for much more. Continue Reading

DAX scores exclusive sales for Wondery in Canada

Podcast content network Wondery has appointed DAX as its exclusive advertising partner in Canada, we are learning today. DAX will offer Canadian advertisers spot ads and host-read sponsorship messages. Wondery continues to be enterprisingly international. Although translation is probably not necessary for the Canadian market, wondery has been a pioneer in translating hit shows for non-English speaking audiences in other parts of the world. Continue Reading

New York Magazine (Vox) hires editorial director for audio: Hanna Rosin

Another legacy media brand dives deeper into podcasting. New York Magazine (a Vox company) hired its first editorial director of audio, Hanna Rosin. A Stanford University alumna, D.C.-based Rosin comes to New York Magazine from The Atlantic and Slate, according to her LinkedIn page, but is probably better known to many as co-host of NPR’s Invisibilia.  Continue Reading

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Michael Robertson: Is the Spotify Deal With Joe Rogan Illegal?

by Michael Robertson

This guest contribution by iconic digital audio entrepreneur Michael Robertson digs into the U.S. copyright code and finds a statute which might relate to, and potentially invalidate, Spotify’s exclusive distribution deal with Joe Rogan. Continue Reading

Podtrac Top Podcast Publishers (June), plus RAIN remix

Podtrac has released the June edition of the measurement company’s Top Podcast Publishers ranker. Many publications make noise about NPR reclaiming the #1 spot from iHeartRadio (and we hereby note it dutifully), but these two podcast powerhouses are separated by a small fraction of the key metric, US Unique Monthly Audience, and they flip back and forth. Click through for the chart, and RAIN’s remix based on per-show averages. Continue Reading

Voxnest State of the Podcast Universe: Key trends for mid-2020

Voxnest released a mid-year interim report, part of its State of the Podcast Universe, which is an annual release at year-end. The report is divided into four main observational sections corresponding to podcast business trends: Business, Advertising, Listening, Content. We’ve raided the report for a few key points; click through for a link to the actual download. Continue Reading