The second annual Xfronts was held today as a virtual promoting the indie layer of podcast publishers and networks to advertier brands and agencies. Click through for highlights, pics, and links. Continue Reading
by Steve Goldstein In this guest column, Steve conducts a fascinating (and very frank) interview with Gordon Borrell of Borrell Associates. It’s crystal ball time, and Borrell has no sugar coating. “Linear broadcasters or publishers really should be looking at 2031. There is clear data to project what ten years from now will look like… and it does not look good.” This is really about the growth, belated and necessary, of local news coverage in the podcast category. It’s a “massive opportunity” in this conversation. A must-read.
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Research company eMarketer has conducted a global survey of podcast listening, from which it has formulated a projection of global reach to 2024. In addition, eMarketer has released a table showing reach by country in 18 regions. Click for the numbers. Continue Reading
In Spotify’s public-facing Q3 earning summary, the word “music” is used 10 times; the word “podcast” is used 17 times. That’s not to say that podcasting is a more important revenue driver than music, but the category certainly led the discussion in today’s early-morning investor call. Click for details and financials. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Deadly (Evergreen Podcasts)
— Read-along Audio (SXM Media)
— Cold Case (Imperative / Cumulus / Vespucci)
Today The Verge is a hub for rumors that Amazon is building what might be called another Clubhouse competitor. From what we (don’t exactly) know, it sounds like it might also compete with Spotify’s Greenroom, Spotify Shows, Twitter Spaces, Facebook Audio Rooms, and others. Continue Reading
SiriusXM is announcing today that its SXM Media group has obtained exclusive ad-repping for Crime Junkie, a persistent top-10 podcast (currently #2 in Apple’s All Podcasts list for the U.S., as of this post), and for all shows within the Audiochuck network of which Crime Junkie is the flagship. Continue Reading
Renewing a deal that started in 2018, Acast and the BBC have renewed their arrangement for a second three-year period. Acast will sell ads in BBC podcasts outside of the UK. It is strictly an international arrangement; the BBC arranges its podcast sponsorships directed to UK listeners. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Heat (Vox Media)
— Breakage? (WIRED on Spotify)
— Incoming (Sony Music Podcasts)
From iHeartRadio we receive a notice that Paris Hilton is at the center of a new podcast production, Trapped In Treatment. It will launch in 2022, and is a combined effort of the celebrity with four media companies: iHeartMedia, London Audio (a division of 11:11 Media), Warner Bros., Unscripted Television, and Telepictures. Continue Reading
For his latest collection, music superstar Ed Sheeran is partnering with YouTube Shorts by producing one Short for each song. YouTube Shorts is the video behemoth’s competitive stab at Tik Tok. Continue Reading
James Cridland returns with one of his more technical columns, in which he closes the can of worms opened in last week’s coverage of a frequency switch at 4BC in Brisbane, Cridland’s home base. Lots of graphics. But first, the UK’s decision about FM switch-off, a new rule for smart speakers, the geography of Wales according to TuneIn, and the new BBC logo. Continue Reading