RAIN Notes: Wednesday, May 8
— Full Spectrum (Libsyn)
— Exciting Audio Moments (iHeartMedia)
— The Biggest (Inside Radio)
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia Q4: Digital Audio Group continues to uplift revenue story
In iHeartMedia’s recently released earnings for Q4 2023, we see upward moving results for the Digital Audio Group balancing downward financials for the Multiplatform group. Click for much more detail and financial graphs. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia and Global join forces in comprehensive international sales and distribution partnership
In a comprehensive new agreement, two of the world’s largest media companies will distribute and represent each other’s podcast portfolios. Two major deal points underpin the architecture of this international agreement. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia Q3: Revenue up. Digital audio up. Podcasting way up.
iHeartMedia announced an upbeat Q3 earnings report this week. At the top line, the company might have wished it could splash a billion-dollar figure, but settled for $989-million — a seven percent year-over-year gain. Following the examples of recent quarters, the Digital Audio Group led the way directionally. Click for details. Continue Reading
Will Ferrell’s pod network to create multi-platform comedy show and talent incubator
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 Q2: Digital Audio Group leads revenue amid overall earning slippage
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 forges partnership with LinkedIn for launching, resourcing, and promoting podcasts
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
iHeartPodcasts launches Ruby, a newly organized branded podcast division
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
Podcast listening growth across all age demos at center of iHeartMedia report
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
Digital Audio Group leads iHeart revenue; podcasting even more
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
iHeartMedia and NBA release a portfolio of 11 new podcasts; create iHeart/NBA Podcast Network
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
First-person sponsor endorsements under FTC scrutiny; one case resolved
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