Tel Aviv-based Riverside.FM, a browser-based recording studio that offers fluent interplay of audio and video, raised $9.5-million in a round led by Alexis Ohanion’s Seven Seven Six. New product features have just been released, and the company plans to double staff from 20 to 40. Click through for details and link to job openings. Continue Reading
Podcast media planning platform Magellan AI is out with its monthly top 15 podcast advertisers, and the “Movers & Shakers” list of top increased spends. This edition is for the month of March. Top spend overall? $3.8M by BetterHelp, a familiar online therapy brand to avid podcast listeners. Click for details and link. Continue Reading
Cumulus Media-owned Westwood One Podcast Network will rebrand as Cumulus Podcast Network, the change taking place on May 6. Suzanne Grimes, Executive Vice President Corporate Marketing and President, Westwood One, will retain responsibility for the Company’s podcast sales network. The public-facing renaming makes eminent sense. Continue Reading
Jottings of note:
— Threading the Apple (Nathan Gathright)
— Selling the Score (Variety)
— Tracking (Edison Research / WNYC)
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by Matt Deegan
Guest columnist Matt Deegan (Folder Media) reports on Apple’s new announcements and product lineup for podcast creators, set to launch next month. Who does it work for, and who does it not work for? And what about Android users — the global smartphone majority? A clarifying and essential read. Continue Reading
A whopping 31 presentations will be featured at the upcoming IAB Podcast Upfront (titled “Listen Up!”) scheduled for May 11-13. SuChin Pak will anchor the show with a rotating cast of co-hosts. Details and final schedule. Continue Reading
In an announcement targeted mainly to podcast creators, Apple announced two upcoming features that will enable podcasters to earn subscription revenue, and organize channels of content to increase listening. While both those features widely exist elsewhere, SVP Eddie Cue calls it “the next chapter of podcasting.” New analytics are also in the offing. It all comes out in May. Continue Reading
Entering one of the most populated and competitive podcast categories, the Los Angeles Times is launching a morning news show. Called The Times, the podcast is scheduled to launch May 3, hosted by Gustavo Arellano, a features writer and former opinion columnist for the news organization. Click for trailer. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia sent us details on its latest partnership: The audio giant will team with the National Football League for an NFL podcast network. The NFL already owns a slate of podcasts in its NFL Media unit, so while there is a creative element to the deal, part of the plan is about distribution and (presumably) monetization. New shows will emerge before the 2021-2022 season starts. Continue Reading
Yesterday was hints. Today is a formal announcement with considerably more detail. Facebook suddenly adores audio, and is working with speedy timelines to introduce a suite of integrated audio products. Podcasts, yes, both as creator and distributor, folded into a matrix of ways to make and hear audio.
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Facebook has non-announced that audio might be a thing, sometime soon. In other words, Mark Zuckerberg confided to a journalist that Facebook will soon imitate Clubhouse, and somehow get into podcasting, plus put a limited native audio function in the platform. Click through for details and a good deal of acidic reaction from us. Continue Reading
Podcast attribution company Podsights has released the latest in its quarterly Benchmark series — titled for Q2 2021. There is new element not in previous reports: Demographic info resulting from a partnership with Experian, the consumer data company. Click through for details, data, graphs, and a link to the report. Continue Reading