by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. Also, he claims to have listened to non-political podcasts … for one day. Continue Reading
The consolidation trend which has defined and accelerated enterprise podcasting for the past four years has a new story to tell today. iHeartMedia has reached agreement to fully acquire Voxnest, parent company of the Spreaker hosting and technology platform. Technology is the main impetus for this alignment, from iHeart’s perspective. Voxnest self-describes as “an audio technology company, specializing in podcasting solutions.” Click through for details, perspective, and quotes. Continue Reading
Titles You and Me Both with Hillary Clinton, the ex-Secratary of State is down for hosting an iHeartRadio Original Podcast. It’s too facile to say this project was inspired by Michelle Obama’s show on Spotify, but it does optically represent a counterpoint. Launching september 29, it’ll be a conversational program, featuring what we think is a pretty interesting lineup of guests. Click through for details and to hear the trailer. Continue Reading
In what it calls a historic joint venture, iHeartMedia is announcing a partnership with Charlamagne Tha God to create The Black Effect network. This alliance and initiative are clearly well developed at launch, with 18 shows in the pipeline for undated launches. In addition, Charlamagne’s nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club, will bring its replay podcast to The Black Effect Podcast Network as its flagship show, effective immediately. Click through for the list of launch shows, and quotes. Continue Reading
This appears to be a short-term partnership, at least to start — iHeartMedia and The Recount plan to launch three new political podcasts focused on the upcoming election. Perhaps the podcasts will continue post-election, but the stated launch rationale is “to inform voters’ decisions and actions leading up to this historic moment.” The Recount is a media platform best known for its The Daily Recount video series. Click through for descriptions of the new shows. Continue Reading
In last week’s iHeartMedia (IHRT) earnings call, CEO Bob Pittman discussed podcast strategy, podcast strategy, and podcast strategy. And a bit of radio. The financials included the entire business, and the COVID effect. But the go-forward mission leans heavily into on-demand audio, both as a stand-alone advertising business, and a synergistic opportunity with the largest array of commercial radio stations in the U.S. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading
Tenderfoot TV, which produces for television, film, and podcasting, is partnering with iHeartMedia in an agreement that will create nine original shows for the iHeartRadio Original Podcasts division. The upcoming podcast slate will focus on limited series as well as several weekly shows, a new strategy for Tenderfoot TV, who has garnered over 500 million downloads for its true crime hits since the company’s launch in 2016. Some of the collaborative shows will be completely new; the two companies will also co-produce new seasons of existing shows. Continue Reading
Here is the latest in our perio;dic update of major audio stock performance. In the chart below, we see the violent fluctuations in stock value for Spotify (SPOT), SiriusXM (SIRI), iHeartMedia (IHRT), and Entercom (ETM). These four companies embody numerous audio creation, distribution, and technology entities, including: Gimlet Media, Parcast, Anchor, Pandora, AdsWizz, Simplecast, iHeartPodcast Network, Stuff Media, Cadence13, RADIO.com, and Pineapple Street Studios. Continue Reading
In an imaginative podcast project, iHeartRadio on Friday released 49 commencement speeches recorded by celebrities from Bill & Melina Gates to Eli Manning to Aaron Mahnke. The entire iHeartMedia network of 850 radio stations participated in the project. Click through for audio. Continue Reading
In iHeartMedia’s Q1 earnings call, Chairmand and CEO Bob Pittman laid out his company’s revenue trendlines, a review of strategic decisions, and his views of a hopeful future. In simple coronavirus strokes: Listening is up, advertising is down, and digital initiatives are providing the best result and will propel future recovery. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announced that it launching a platform to help brands reach consumers during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The SmartAudio COVID Recovery Program is a collection of three products aimed at helping businesses reconnect with existing customers and reach new ones. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has entered a partnership with Uno Radio Group, a leading Puerto Rico broadcaster. The move that will extend the iHeartRadio brand to Puerto Rico. Uno Radio Group listeners will receive access to iHeartMedia’s content and programming, and iHeart’s advertising partners will be able to work with Uno Radio Group’s stations. Continue Reading