Will Ferrell’s podcast network, Big Money Players, is working with iHeartMedia to create a multi-platform comedy creators program and multimedia comedy show. The talent incubator part of this will roll out at Ferrell’s discretion, highlighting his personally selected comedians. Those individuals will join the BMP network and be showcased across the iHeartMedia ecosystem. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia’s Q2 earnings report, rich with metrics and charts, describes a giant audio company whose growth is focused on the digital side, with consolidated financials slipping a bit year-over-year. Click for lots of detail and graphic charts. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia is breaking news about the audio behemoth’s new partnership with business-oriented social media platform LinkedIn. Broadly, the agreement intends to support creators produce, launch, and scale podcasts. From iHeart’s perspective, the goal is to pair its infrastructure and distribution… Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has created a formal division for its branded podcasts, called Ruby. iHeart claims the first dedicated team of its kind from a major media company committed entirely to the production, sales and marketing of branded podcasts. Click for show and talent details. Continue Reading
The State of Podcasting 2023 is the ambitious title of a new iHeartMedia report. If the title reaches high, the data scale upwards too. The reach of podcasting, measured by daily listening. has soared upward for all age groups in timelines going back to 2015. There is also an interesting result when you put podcast listening next to Netflix subscriptions. Click for details, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading
One striking aspect of iHeartMedia’s revenue reporting for Q4 and full-year 2022: Digital revenue leads revenue growth, and podcasting leads even more. The trend is true for Q4 and full-year 2022. Click for details. Continue Reading
iHeart Media and the National Basketball Association have revealed a slate of team-specific shows released to what is being called the iHeart/NBA Podcast Network. The lineup includes original podcasts from six NBA teams – the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs. Click through for show details and listen links. Continue Reading
A prevailing type of sponsor message in podcast advertising is the host-read personal endorsement of a product or service. If you listen to a lot of podcasts, you develop an impression that companies give away a high volume of samples as the basis of this marketing strategy. An FTC investigation — started last year and completed last week — potentially pokes a hole in that assumption. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia today announces that Sarah van Mosel, formerly CRO of Stitcher, will lead the company’s new iHeart Audience Network (“iAN”), an highly scaled audio inventory and audience targeting environment that spans podcasting (iHeartPodcast Network), streaming audio (iHeartRadio), and the vast reach of the largest commercial radio group in the U.S. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia released results of a consumer survey about how listeners releate to audio presenter — radio and podcasts hosts. iHM partnered with PMX (part of Publicis Media) to execute the study, which is titled “Exploring the Brand Benefits of Trust and Companionship in Audio.” Click through for the takeaways. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia is partnering with digital talent network/studio to form a new network called Curativity. The alliance kicks off with three kid shows. Continue Reading
In a signal of how well resourced networks can use technology to enlarge their footprints, iHeartMedia is pairing with audio-AI company Veritone to translate and synthetically voice iHeart’s leading podcasts for Spanish-speaking markets. Click for details, and a link to RAIN’s interview with Veriton president Ryan Steelberg. Continue Reading