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Global buys into iHeartMedia — 8.8%

UK-centered media and technology company Global has activated its investment arm, Honeycomb Investments LTD, to acquire 8.8% of iHeartMedia, the largest American commercial radio group and top podcast publisher. Remembering that Liberty also owns a stake in iHM, we speculate a brewing battle of buyers, as listener reach and advertising pull are increasingly parts of a cross-category landscape. Continue Reading

PRX starts the “Ready To Learn” podcast accelerator for production teams making kids’ content

In a venture to encourage kid-friendly podcasts, PRX has launched Ready To Learn, an accelerator program for producers who have the same goal. It’s a 16-week training course, and five production teams will be accepted. Winning teams get $10,000 plus travel expenses. Click through for details and the application website. Continue Reading

Napster relaunch & stock listing — an iconic brand seeks continued status with new ownership

MelodyVR will rename as Napster after acquiring the brand and assets last summer, and will list on the London Stock Exchange. This will be Napster’s fifth incarnation. As a branding asset, it is still trading on its revolutionary reputation, even though its revolutionary impact is an echo from the past. For anyone who has been following online audio for 25 years, there is a coherent historical line between the original Napster and today’s ecosystem of on-demand streaming music. Click through for details. Continue Reading

Edison Research releases Top 50 U.S. Podcasts for 2020, Joe Rogan to Fake Doctors

Yes, another ranker. But the Edison Research Top 50 is distinguished by its underpinning of in-the-field survey work, part of the company’s Podcast Consumer Tracking Report. Over 10,000 podcast listeners were queried about their show preferences “continuously throughout 2020.” This means that, unlike server-side measurement by online tech companies, no podcast on earth is excluded. Click for details and the entire list. Continue Reading