Jottings of note:
Critically Impressive
Critical Role is a gaming collective with millions of fans, and its popular podcast has hooked up with SXM Media for exclusive worldwide sales and distribution. On that last point, Stitcher will take over hosting and distro across all listening platforms. Dealmaker Lindsey Bowen, who sports the compact title of VP, Head of Podcast Business Affairs and Content Partnerships at Stitcher, Pandora, and SXM Media, noted on LinkedIn: “The 15-year old me is finally impressed with 50-year old me.” READ MORE
Facebotch
The LA Times posts an investigative piece indicating that Facebook is pulling away from podcasting after a surge of initiative last year. Our own review (HERE) of FB’s podcast packaging called the effort “clearly not ready for primetime,” and our earlier effort to find the company’s self-promoted initiatives came up empty (HERE). Read the LA Times evaluation HERE.
Alexa, Tune Me In
TuneIn announces that its entire Premium content package is available via Amazon Alexa-powered devices. TuneIn and Alexa have a long history, with TuneIn’s many thousands of radio station streams available on the voice-enabled devices from Alexa’s start. The addition of Premium to Alexa adds proprietary music streams, the entire extensive sports lineup, and more. The sports piece is important, because it is activated with an unusually broad command: “Alexa, listen to sports.” Anyone who tries this will get an offer to a three-month no-cost Premium trial. Users who buy into Premium will see that payment executed through their Amazon account.