Australia’s SCA enjoys jump in streaming metrics

Southern Cross Austerio (SCA) has  released a  basket of bragging-rights metrics for key streaming properties. SCA’s live streaming audience has grown 58% year-over-year, and the company says that digital audio is its fastest growing advertising platform. The combined streaming for SCA networks reached an audience of 1.5-million in September. The total digital audio network includes the two main broadcast networks, Hit and Triple M, and also Soundcloud Radio. Click through for graphs and links. Continue Reading

Spoken Word Audio Report 2020: Share jumps; 43% listen daily

The Spoken Word Audio Report 2020, produced by Edison Research and NPR, is out. One broad and important finding: 75% of the U.S. population (18+) listens to spoken word audio monthly. Daily, it is 43%. AM/FM is paying the price for increased listening to other platforms of spoken word audio; the trend is clear from 2014 to 2020. Click through for much more, and graphics, and a link to the download. Continue Reading

Cadence13 partners to release “Fiasco” (season one) out of Luminary exclusivity

Cadence13 is helping to unleash the Fiasco podcast from Luminary’s exclusive subscription service. The three-way partnership involves Cadence13, Luminary, and Prologue Projects, the last of which is the show’s producer. Season 1 will be released via public RSS, containing six episodes. Seasons 2 and 3 remain exclusive to Luminary. Continue Reading

Amazon acquires podcast.com and podcasting.com

In a blockbuster domain acquisition which indicates strategic purpose, Amazon has acquired the domains podcast.com and podcsting.com, we learned from Podnews. The domains lead to the Audible landing page for podcasts. Audible does not distribute public podcasts via RSS, but it does create originals. This is a land grab by Amazon-owned Audible, and it seems like the company is creating a unique category definition and experience of audio storytelling. Continue Reading

Sam Harris: Has the Pandemic Offered a Pathway to Kids’ Podcasts?

RAIN is delighted to introduce the first piece from guest columnist Sam Harris of Hook Research in the UK. In this inaugural column, Harris explores the state of the kids spoken word content market in the UK and contemplates the benefits for brands operating within it. Plenty of research and quotes here, plus an overview of the child-oriented podcast and audiobook markets. Continue Reading

Acast adds keyword targeting to podcast advertising, citing the supremacy of context

If users search for online content based on keywords, why shouldn’t advertisers purchase marketing campaigns the same way? In fact, they can do that within Google’s ad ecosystem. Now, podcast advertisers have an avenue for keyword-based targeting within the Acast marketplace, according to an Acast announcement. The initiative is based on proprietary technology, and an interesting view of the future. Continue Reading

Spreaker launches Campaign Manager, giving podcasters more direct control of ad trafficking

Podcast host and technology company Spreaker has launched the Spreaker Campaign Manager, a tool which allows podcasters to have a more direct relationship with advertisers while increasing the podcaster’s control over ad placement. It is geared to shows where advertisers are “knocking down your organization’s door to be included in your catalog of podcasts,” Spreaker says. Continue Reading

IAB UK Podcast Upfronts 2020: Presentation summaries and videos

Following the U.S. Podcast Upfront a month ago, today the IAB UK produced its corresponding event. This post contains summaries and videos of the presentations. As in the U.S., the UK Upfronts transpired virtually. Presenters for this event were Acast, Audioboom, Bauer Media, DAX, Podfront, and Spotify. Following are the session summaries from the IAB UK website, and the complete video presentations. Click through to see it all, and link to the IAB UK. Continue Reading

Bryan Barletta: Programmatic Advertising is the Hero Podcast Publishers Are Looking For

The latest Sounds Profitable column by Bryan Barletta explores, demystifies, and evangelizes programmatic audio advertising. Along the way he offers a much-needed review of the VASt standard, and explains why audio publishers love programmatic. Continue Reading