YouTube ads made more than $4 billion in Q1 2020
Alphabet has released its first-quarter results, including figures and stats for YouTube. YouTube ads generated $4.04 billion in revenue. Continue Reading
Merlin promotes Charlie Lexton as new COO
There’s another leadership change happening at Merlin, the independent label group and digital rights management group. Charlie Lexton has been promoted to the newly created post of chief operating officer. Continue Reading
Voicebot.ai survey: 87.7 million U.S. adults have smart speakers
Voicebot.ai has released its latest report on U.S. smart speaker adoption. According to its most recent surveys, the U.S. smart speaker installed base has grown 32% to 87.7 million adults. Continue Reading
Spotify sees overall growth in Q1 2020, is “optimistic” about its COVID-19 future
Spotify’s first quarter of 2020 included positive results on many important metrics, even as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold around the world. The company is even remaining positive about the rest of the year, not changing its outlook for most key performance indicators, although it acknowledged the uncertainty ahead. Continue Reading
Spreaker launches Publisher Plan, bridging personal and enterprise hosting
Podcast technology platform Spreaker sent us an announcement of a new customer layer called the Spreaker Publisher Plan. That might sound generic, but is actually a precise layer of service that fits between the platform’s open sign-up service and its enterprise hosting capability which was launched last year. In our view, this product targets an increasingly thriving layer of indie podcast networks. Click to know more. Continue Reading
Apple Music arrives on Samsung Smart TVs
Apple Music is now available on Samsung Smart TVs. It is the first TV brand to integrate the streaming music platform on its devices. The music program will be available on models dating back to 2018. Continue Reading
Podtrac coronavirus tracking: Week-over-week growth for audiences and downloads
Podtrac has shared its weekly podcast listening data of audience trends during the coronavirus pandemic. The period of April 20-26 included two promising results: growth in downloads and audiences. Continue Reading
This American Life is now available on Spotify
Big news today for the many fans of This American Life. The iconic podcast is now available on Spotify. Its arrival is a move that could help further entrench Spotify as a major podcast listening platform, and marks a meeting of podcasting’s past and present. Continue Reading
Sirius XM Q1 results: Small growth for satellite radio operation and mixed performance for Pandora
Sirius XM has released its financials for the first quarter of 2020. The satellite radio and audio company reported revenue of $1.95 billion, up from $1.74 billion in the same period of 2019. Net income totaled $293 million, or 7 cents per share, up from $162 million, or 3 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Continue Reading
London’s Podcast Radio launches a live weekly chart show
Podcast Radio, the interesting all-podcast DAB+ radio station in London, has announced a weekly interview show of its own called The Pod 20. It’s a chart show with a podcaster guest interview. The show will be hosted by Graham Mack Continue Reading
Tidal reportedly offering free, video-only membership tier
Tidal appears to be adding a unique new option for connecting with its library. Billboard reported that the streaming service is launching a free tier called Tidal Access. Continue Reading
BIA revises 2020 local advertising outlook, with coronavirus cutting 10% from original predictions
BIA Advisory Services has released a new forecast for local advertising revenue that reflects the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The original outlook expected that U.S. local advertising would reach $161.3 billion this year, with digital sources pegged to be $66.9 billion. Continue Reading