Pandora is part of SiriusXM’s NFL 2020 coverage plan, and sponsor pitch

Posted on by Brad Hill

Continuing the cross-channel programming and monetization which has been part of the SiriusXM/Pandora merger from the start, a pR is circulating today which advertises the sponsorship opportunities around the upcoming NFL 2020 season, which will be assertively covered by both platforms. Pandora will carry some curated analysis originating on the SiriusXM NFL Channel, and also program game-time music playlists. Continue Reading →

Steve Goldstein: Chartapalooza — Why Every Podcast Chart Is So Different

Posted on by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein
Podcast success charts have multiplied, and it’s understandable if your confusion has multiplied along with them. Steve Goldstein is undaunted, as he accepts the challenge of untangling who is measuring what, and explaining why the competing rankers (there are at least eight of them) differ. An illuminating column. Continue Reading →

NPR top publisher, “The Daily” top podcast in Podtrac August rankers

Posted on by Brad Hill

In a new release schedule, Podtrac is distributing the Top Podcasts and Top Podcast Publishers rankers simultaneously today. In the Top Podcasts list, we see a general month-over-month stability. Among top podcast publishers, NPR and iHeartRadio continued their 1/2 dance with NPR taking the #1 slot this month by a sliver. Tap through for complete details. Continue Reading →

Advertiser podcast interest up 2.5x over five years; intention up 4x; Westwood One study

Posted on by Brad Hill

Westwood One has released its fifth annual podcast advertising study, in collaboration with Advertiser Perceptions. This report is synced with the IAB Podcast Upfront, also in its fifth year. One key takeaway is that advertiser interest in podcasts, and intent to buy, have grown by multiples since 2015. Click through for details, numbers, links, and charts. Continue Reading →

Jeff Vidler: Could Apple Show Broadcasters the Way For Live Radio?

Posted on by Jeff Vidler

Signal Hill Insights President Jeff Vidler contributes this very interesting column about Apple’s interesting movement toward traditional radio. “It’s interesting that Apple’s latest foray into audio is a doubling down on the old school notion of human-hosted, human-curated radio.” What does it mean for broadcast radio, if anything? Jeff does some blue-sky thinking. Continue Reading →

Patreon, widely used by podcasters and musicians, reaches unicorn status with fundraise

Posted on by Brad Hill

Patreon, the patronage crowdfunding platform, is now valued over $1-billion, the threshold for “unicorn” status — a popular venture-capital term for companies which stand at a pinnacle in their niches. The milestone is publicized in the wake of a recent fundraising round which yielded $100-million based on a valuation of $1.2-billion. Click through for examples of high podcast earners in podcasting. Continue Reading →

Podcast networking service Wildcast launches to connect hosts & guests for networking

Posted on by Brad Hill

A new podcast networking platform, Wildcast, is launching today to facilitate networking among hosts and guests. The main function is to help podcasts find guests, and the reverse, to help people with knowledge or a message to find podcast guesting opportunities. Beyond that core purpose, the overriding mission is networking of whatever type is helpful to the industry. The site is operating free of charge for a preliminary launch period. Continue Reading →

Joe Rogan lands on Spotify; not exclusive yet; some shows missing

Posted on by Brad Hill

As reported, The Joe Rogan Experience — the world’s most successful podcast by many measures — has landed in the Spotify app. Thus marks the start of this well publicized exclusive distribution deal. Except … not exclusive yet. We are still able to play Rogan in other podcast apps. That’s not totally unexpected; the publicized deal details did note that episodes would persist for some amount of time before lowering the gate. There’s another peculiarity, though: Not all the episodes have made it into Spotify, according to reports. Speculation of censorship is circulating. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia partners with The Recount for three new political podcasts

Posted on by Brad Hill

This appears to be a short-term partnership, at least to start — iHeartMedia and The Recount plan to launch three new political podcasts focused on the upcoming election. Perhaps the podcasts will continue post-election, but the stated launch rationale is “to inform voters’ decisions and actions leading up to this historic moment.” The Recount is a media platform best known for its The Daily Recount video series. Click through for descriptions of the new shows. Continue Reading →