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Chartable finds downloads down as coronavirus spreads, but listens saw an even bigger drop

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Chartable released an assessment of podcast listening, adding a new layer to the picture of how the world is consuming media during a pandemic. It combined data about downloads with its listening statistics from publishers from Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Podcasters. It examined a subset of about 6,000 podcasts and compared their March results with a baseline of those from the second half of February, when there were just over a dozen confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Continue Reading →

Magellan research: How is coronavirus affecting podcast advertising?

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Brad Hill

With the coronavirus crisis saturating media news, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that quarantine references would seep into podcast advertising — especially when podcasts hosts are controlling the message to a large extent. Magellan, and podcast advertising analytics company, examined the phenomenon. Continue Reading →

Podsights Covid-19 survey indicates optimism in the business side of podcasting

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Brad Hill

Podsights, a podcast research and attribution firm, put a survey into the field with general questions about the future of podcasting, and more specific focal points on audience uptake and advertising spend during the coronavirus phase. Continue Reading →

Podtrac weekly coronavirus update: Listening drops across the board, uptick for business shows

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Brad Hill

Podtrac continues its very interesting year-to-date and week-over-week charting of podcast downloads and audience size. New in this report, Podtrac has added arrays of micro charts for 19 major podcast categories. In these, we see interesting stories being told of attention paid to different types of content. It can be understood as a kind of sociological study of listening in a stressful era. Continue Reading →

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Lyceum launches beta of specialized educational audio platform

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Plenty of podcasts are informative, but formal educational content is an emerging niche within the audio field. Lyceum is a new operation that exclusively provides educational audio programming. The business will produce original podcasts and audio courses, as well as helping existing educational podcasters to connect with audiences. Continue Reading →

POD DROP: Pineapple Street gets busy, plus Joe Biden’s podcast

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Brad Hill

Pod Drop features new, interesting, and returning podcasts — now with trailers! Today, two new shows from Pineapple Street Studioes (one unannounced), and the new Joe Biden podcast. Continue Reading →

Google to launch educational livestream series about voice technology

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Google is launching a livestreamed video series to inform users about the capabilities of voice technology. The monthly series, VOICE Talks Presented by Google Assistant, will be created by a partnership between Google and digital content experts Modev Productions. Continue Reading →

Deezer stats find listeners turning to at-home content and voice assistants under quarantine

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Deezer has published listening data about its platform as audiences react to the latest changes in the coronavirus pandemic. The streaming service reviewed its global listener trends between March 2 and March 22. The company saw the disappearance of many commutes reflected in its peak hours of activity. Continue Reading →

Vivendi completes sale of Universal Music Group minority stake to Tencent and partners

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anna Washenko

After a lengthy process that seemed at many points like it would come to naught, Vivendi has officially sold a stake in Universal Music Group to a consortium led by Tencent. The completed deal is for a 10% stake in the major label, with the option to acquire another 10% at the same valuation. Continue Reading →

Spotify Kids app rolls out to three more markets, including the U.S.

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Spotify has been taking a meandering path for the launch of its standalone Kids app. The program is designed for children, with no ads and with age-appropriate content. While the app is a standalone piece of software, it requires a Spotify Premium Family subscription to use. Continue Reading →

Pocket Casts CEO Owen Grover departs podcast app

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Pocket Casts, the podcast app owned by a group of public media operations, is having a change of the guard. CEO Owen Grover is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Continue Reading →

Jacobs Media Techsurvey: Younger listeners driving digital uptake, including podcasts and streaming audio

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Jacobs Media has released the results for its annual survey into radio and media. The 2020 Techsurvey had 504 commercial radio stations in the U.S. and Canada participating. The slides show insights about radio, podcasts, streaming audio, and smart speakers for a divided digital audience. Continue Reading →