Imagine Entertainment, founded by Brian Glazer and Ron Howard, has struck an exclusive co-production, distribution, and presumably monetization deal with iHeartMedia, bringing the TV/film company into podcasting. The partnership will collaborate to launch six new series over the next two years distributed through the iHeartPodcast Network. Continue Reading
In the November Top Podcast Publishers list from Podtrac, U.S. Unique Monthly Downloads were flat mon over month, and year over year. In the RAIN Remix we re-sort the ranker on an average per-show basis within each network. Click to the see info graphics. Continue Reading
James Cridland returns with the latest installment of his weekly column. In this edition, James enthuses about the first Infinite Dial UK released by Edison Research. Also, the all-podcast radio format has been dropped from two iHeartMedia stations after “dismal audience figures,” DAB in Brisbane, and how BBC Radio 4 dropped off the air. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— And the Winner Will Be… (Webby Awards)
— Fixing It (EFF)
— Fake Rogan (Tim Heidecker)
A day after Spotify’s end-of-year Wrapped product, the company releases Wrapped for Publishers. It offers podcast listening metrics in 2021. It is stuffed with growth in double-, triple-, and even quadruple-digit percentage increases. Click through for details and a link to Spotify’s PDF. Continue Reading
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released its event schedule for the first half of 2022. The slate includes the IAB Podcast Upfront and the IAB NewFronts. The organization has also added a new showcase. Click for details. Continue Reading
Classical music radio/audio brand WQXR is honored today as “WQXR Day” in New York City, the recognition bestowed by mayor Bill De Blasio. This interesting and laudatory recognition honors the station’s 85th anniversary. WQXR operates a robust digital offering via its mobile app. Click for details and history. Continue Reading
United Kingdom residents beat the U.S. when it comes to consuming online audio, and especially enjoys Spotify. Those are two of the many comparative analytics revealed today by Edison Research in the company’s presentation of the first instance of its Infinite Dial consumer survey brand focused on the British Isles, Infinite Dial UK 2021. Click through for bunches of metrics, graphics, and a link to the entire study. Continue Reading
After weeks of anticipatory promotion, Spotify unleashed its annual “Wrapped” feature yesterday. Unfortunately, the package is available only in the mobile app, and the video presentation requires memory and operating system resources that are unavailable on some phones. The result is a wave of social media complaints that the Wrapped experience crashes quickly, and closes the Spotify app. We present Spotify’s tech requirements, without providing a universally accessible format. We also review the Wrapped personalized playlists, which are quite enjoyable and don’t have special requirements. Continue Reading
In a new blog entry posted yesterday, Pierre Bouvard (Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media) presents a truckload of trends related to Spotify, Pandora, AM/FM radio, and podcasting. A rich bundle of charts, interpretations, questions from RAIN, and answers from the author. Click through for it all. Continue Reading
Apple released its review of “best and most popular podcasts” today. Although many of the 22 honorees arepretty high in the charts, we think this is a good discovery list, worth exploring. Click for details. Continue Reading
Edison Research has released a new study: 2021 Car Buyers Survey. ONe key learning is that 90% of car buyers expect broadcast radio to be standard in-car equipment. As we thumb through the slides, we note some comparative metrics that position American consumers as more detached from in-car listening to AM/FM than in other countries. Click through for details and graphics. Continue Reading