June webcast streaming was mixed; several upward trends within overall flatness

Posted on by Brad Hill

Stream listening in June was a mixed story: A lift of only one percent month-over-month for the entire cohort, but 12 brands experienced month-over-month gain of 5% or more. Steady leader Pandora, whose stream volume sways the entire report, was almost exactly flat from May to June. The second-ranked entity, iHeartRadio, enjoyed an upward spike of five percent. The percentage leader in June was AccuRadio, up 11%. Continue Reading →

Beats 1 becomes Apple Music Radio, plus 2 new stations

Posted on by Brad Hill

Changes at Apple Music. The Beats 1 global live-streamed station undergoes a branding change, morphing into Apple Music Radio. More descriptive, if also more bland. Additionally, two new stations are created, forming a small ecosystem of streamed programming: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country. All three stations are available in 165 countries. Zane Lowe remains as creative director. Continue Reading →

Google advances its programmatic audio buying tools

Posted on by Brad Hill

Google has raised its game in programmatic audio. Google’s broad digital advertising platform, Ad Manager, is getting audio programmatic for the first time. Additionally, Google’s DV360 is enhancing its existing tools. DV360 is the abbreviated brand name of Display & Video 360, formerly called DoubleClick. The systems stumbles over RSS feeds, perhaps slowing adoption ion podcasting, though independent distribution platforms like Spotify and Pandora work fine. Continue Reading →

The Podcast Exchange launches TPX Studios production facility for Canadian businesses

Posted on by Brad Hill

Toronto-based podcast advertising company The Podcast Exchange (TPX) is announcing today the launch of TPX Studios, a production facility intended to meet a demand for business podcasting. The focus here is branded podcasting. In its promotion, the company notes that one in three Canadaians listens to podcasts, and that the on-demand audio category, mobile and immersive as it is, is a premium way to reach customers. Continue Reading →

Targetspot brings in Mario Cabanas as COO, and two more executive hires

Posted on by Brad Hill

Through its parent company AudioValley, Targetspot has announced the hiring of mario Cabanas as Chief Operating Officer. The notice comes with confident language around Targetspot’s resilience during and following COVID-19. Two other directorial hires accompany the announcement. Furthermore, AudioVally lists 15 open roles located in Europe on its jobs page. Continue Reading →

Spotify moves forward with more mixed-media playlisting; now it’s Daily Sports

Posted on by Brad Hill

Spotify has announced a new daily sports playlist, appropriately named Daily Sports. This new product triples down on mixed-media programming that combines spoken word and music. As such, the playlists are personalized to each user — at least so far as the music is chosen. Spotify has been down this road twice already, with Daily Wellness and Your Daily Drive. Mixing spoken word with music is part of the company’s effort to diversify listening, and shift usage time into low-cost non-music content. Continue Reading →

Nothing succeeds like success: Media Monitors Podcast Listener Survey

Posted on by Brad Hill

Measurement company Media Monitors released its Q2 Podcast Listener Survey results. The public reveal contains the top 25 podcasts according to a survey conducted in June. Also, a list of podcast publishers with the most number of shows in the top-200 list (not publicly shown) and top 10 categories in which those 200 shows are slotted. Every show in the top 25 is familiar, in title at least, to anyone into podcasting. Continue Reading →

Bob Pittman on podcasting, ubiquity, paywalling (Q2 earnings)

Posted on by Brad Hill

In last week’s iHeartMedia (IHRT) earnings call, CEO Bob Pittman discussed podcast strategy, podcast strategy, and podcast strategy. And a bit of radio. The financials included the entire business, and the COVID effect. But the go-forward mission leans heavily into on-demand audio, both as a stand-alone advertising business, and a synergistic opportunity with the largest array of commercial radio stations in the U.S. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading →

Entercom’s “fundamental transformation,” podcasting, film, and company definition

Posted on by Brad Hill

In Entercom’s Q2 earnings call on August 7, CEO David Field held forth with a considerable portion of his opening remarks focused on digital audio and cross-category business in the U.S.’s second-largest commercial radio group. In fact, “radio” is subsumed in Field’s broad definition of Entercom: “Entercom is now a scaled media and entertainment company.” Continue Reading →