Magellan September podcast ad list sees Geico scoop the lead
Magellan has released its September ranking of the top podcast advertisers. The month saw DraftKings make its debut on the list, and Geico took the top spot. Continue Reading
Radionomy to shutter; Shoutcast offer to internet radio producers
In a completion of an initiative started earlier this year Radionomy has announced a merger with Shoutcast, effectively shutting down the former and offering producers migration to an upper tier of Shoutcast called Shoutcast for Business. Continue Reading
FCC proposes letting AM stations voluntarily shift to digital broadcasts
Digital radio has been making leaps and bounds around the world, but the U.S. has been slower to adopt the technology. There may be more options to go digital in the future, though as the FCC has officially proposed allowing an option for all-digital AM broadcasting. Continue Reading
Pew: Interest in personalization and privacy concerns are a mixed bag with smart speaker owners
Pew Research released new data about the growing field of smart speakers. The organization’s survey from June 2019 identified trends in ownership of the devices, as well as gathering opinions about privacy and personalization in this emerging product segment. Continue Reading
CBC selects Acast for international podcast sales
CBC/Radio-Canada announced that Acast will be its first official podcast partner for international sales. “Our mandate is to inform, enlighten and entertain listeners, and we are excited to be partnering with Acast to support our global ambition and reach, as we look to bring Canada to the world through our unique and diverse original programming,” said Heather Gordon, a director for the public broadcaster. Continue Reading
Triton Digital and Voxnest enter deal for podcast stats
Triton Digital has announced a partnership with audio and podcast technology company Voxnest. “After receiving our own IAB Tech Lab certification, we wanted to prioritize linking arms with other leaders in the industry,” Voxnest President Francesco Baschieri said. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: Personalisation comes ever closer
by James Cridland
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Developments in personalized audio from Spotify and Google Assistant. Possible new stations at the BBC, and presenter changes at TripleJ. Continue Reading
Survey finds listeners want a human voice for their AI
New research from Voicebot.ai, Voices.com, and Pulselabs explored consumer preferences in voice assistant technology. The survey found that users much prefer the AI to have a human voice rather than a synthetic one, with human voices scoring 71.6% higher. Continue Reading
Luminary offering half-off discount for a year of its podcast subscription service
Luminary, a paid subscription platform for podcasts, is now offering listeners a discount for its service. The offer is available to new subscribers until December 4. Continue Reading
Spotify enters bundle deals for free trials and a concert partnership with Tic Tac
Spotify has been churning out industry partnerships at a break-neck pace for the past several months. The latest updates from the streaming service include four deals to expand access to Spotify Premium and a branded concert deal. Continue Reading
Congress to revisit performance royalties for broadcast radio with AM-FM Act
Play it again, Congress. Legislators are making another effort to create performance royalties for radio airplay. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) have introduced the Ask Musicians for Music, or AM-FM, Act. Continue Reading
Sonos posts Q4 revenue growth, acquires a voice AI startup
Sonos released its fourth-quarter financial results, closing out its first fiscal year as a publicly traded company. Revenue rose 8% on-year to $294 million. In addition to the financial results, Sonos has also announced an acquisition of a startup called Snips. Continue Reading