The rumor (fact)ory jumped the gun on the post-holiday work week with multiple reports of Spotify readying the launch of a new service tier. Targeted to “super fans,” the new plan would boost Spotify’s monthly subscription price by $5.99 per month. To justify the higher price, three added features are reportedly planned. Continue Reading
The Podcast Academy, which produces the annual Ambies podcast awards, has released nominees for the 2025 celebration. Click for ceremony details and the top nominees. Continue Reading
If rumors are to be believed, Netflix is contemplating adding video podcasts to its programming slate. As we learn from Business Insider his information comes from research company Bernstein, and is saturating Netflix news today. Continue Reading
ABC’s morning News podcast Start Here will expand its weekday schedule into the weekend. In the second part of a double announcement, the show will be syndicated to the ABC News Radio syndicates. Click for details. Continue Reading
Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, is blasting out celebratory vibes over a milestone: Full-year profitability for 2024. This first-ever announcement comes on the heels of Acast’s profitable Q4 release. Click for the CEO’s video announcement and details. Continue Reading
In a significant claim to podcast credibility, and reclaiming of star affiliations, Fox Corp. has acquired Red Seat Ventures, an audio and video producer with a specialty in podcasting. The deal reclaims two former Fox stars. Continue Reading
Measurability of podcast advertising has been a hurdle for buyers and sellers across the entire life of the category. Despite many meaningful advances in campaign measurement across the decades of audience growth, efforts to educate and reassure buyers are often part of agency promotions. A new study from podcast advertising agency Ad Results Media is both informational and tutorial, per that company’s defining style. Click for details and the download link. Continue Reading
In his latest column, James Cridland buys a new car and reports on its audio features — especially the radio tuner. DAB is there, and FM, but no AM at all. Not a crisis, he observes, because AM is simulcast on DAB. But there is unfavorable UX in other ways, and the screen fail one usability test after another. All this while James is at the 14th Atelier Radiophonique Romand in Switzerland, listening to Tomas Granryd discuss the EBU’s Connected Car Playbook. Swinging over to a review of that document, James finds a mix of great ideas and self-serving ones. As always, an interesting read. Continue Reading
In this week’s lengthy Q4 earnings call, the word “podcast” was mentioned six times: Three times each by Sudar Pichai (CEO, Google and Alphabet) and Philipp Schindler (Chief Business Officer, Google). Click for those details, and the financial rundown. Continue Reading
— Continuing Self-Reinvention (Universal Music Group)
— The Enduring Top 3 (Edison Research)
— — Head First (Dane Cardiel)