iHeartMedia

Sports Illustrated goes with iHeartMedia for multi-year content deal and boutique production studio

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartMedia has announced a multi-year deal with Sports Illustrated. It includes original podcast production and the formation of Sports Illustrated Studios. iHeartPodcast Network will distribute the new shows, naturally, as well as SI’s existing portfolio. Most of the new shows will be launched in 2022; one new title scheduled for later this year. One of the new audio sports network podcasts will dip its toe into the true crime genre. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia partners with Catalina, stretching podcast attribution to offline physical shopping

Posted on by Brad Hill

On the day of its presentation at the IAB Podcast Upfront, iHeartMedia announces a partnership with Catalina, a shopper intelligence and real-time database company, to provide podcast advertising attribution related to offline shopping. The alliance and the information it delivers are targeted to CPG companies. Continue Reading →

NFL gears up to launch podcast network, partnering with iHeartMedia

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartMedia sent us details on its latest partnership: The audio giant will team with the National Football League for an NFL podcast network. The NFL already owns a slate of podcasts in its NFL Media unit, so while there is a creative element to the deal, part of the plan is about distribution and (presumably) monetization. New shows will emerge before the 2021-2022 season starts. Continue Reading →

Will Packer Media partners with iHeartMedia for new podcasts

Posted on by Brad Hill

Will Packer Media is entering a formal and longer-range partnership to create a slate of scripted and unscripted podcasts for iHeart. Will  Packer is a Hollywood producer. James Lopez is his production partner in the Fight Night podcast, a true crime show which was placed in iHeartRadio in 2020. The first spawn of this new arrangement will be an urban drama scripted series centered in present-day Oakland, California. It is set to launch in the second quarter of 2021. Continue Reading →

UK’s Global seeks to buy 49.99% of iHeartMedia

Posted on by Brad Hill

UK-based radio and technology behemoth Global is attempting to acquire 49.9% of iHeartMedia, the largest commercial radio group in the U.S. Doing so would require exemption from U.S. government rules that regulate foreign ownership of U.S. broadcasting companies. Global is seeking that exemption now, and in doing so seems to be revealing a potential misunderstanding between the two companies. There are precedents in which the FCC has granted exemptions, but not of this scale. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia reorgs as two reporting entities in a dramatic organizational and executive reset

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) sent an announcement, just after market close, describing a new corporate reporting and business operation structure. In the new arrangement, all of the company’s digital ventures are broken out as iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. Alongside, the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group will include the radio business of America’s largest commercial radio holding company. Click through for the new executive assignments and other details. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia acquires Triton Digital from Scripps

Posted on by Brad Hill

Behemoth audio company iHeartMedia will buy leading digital audio technology provider Triton Digital from media juggernaut E.W.Scripps, exactly 28 months after Scripps acquired Triton. The deal further fortifies iHeart’s imposing array of audio production and monetization platforms across radio, streaming, and podcasting, while closing out Scripps’ short-lived deep dive into digital audio. History and perspective. Continue Reading →

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Global buys into iHeartMedia — 8.8%

Posted on by Brad Hill

UK-centered media and technology company Global has activated its investment arm, Honeycomb Investments LTD, to acquire 8.8% of iHeartMedia, the largest American commercial radio group and top podcast publisher. Remembering that Liberty also owns a stake in iHM, we speculate a brewing battle of buyers, as listener reach and advertising pull are increasingly parts of a cross-category landscape. Continue Reading →