NPR

Podtrac Top Publishers ranking shows monthly drop, yearly gain

Posted on by Brad Hill

Podtrac released its monthly Top Podcast Publishers ranking for november. The company noted that global unique streams and downloads decreased for the Top 10 publishers by 10% from October and increased by 40% over November 2019. This makes sense, as the long Thanksgiving weekend might disrupt podcast listening routines, while the overall category growth over a year made November a growth story over that longer time frame. In the numbers: A large catalog disparity, in which iHeartRadio operates ten times as many podcasts as NPR does, illustrates different strategies of two powerhouse podcast networks. Continue Reading →

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Steve Goldstein: How to improve podcast listening on 60 million smart speakers. A talk with Tom Webster.

Posted on by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein
In this guest column, Steve Goldstein chats with Edison Research SVP and ubiquitous keynote speaker Tom Webster about the podcast experience through smart speakers. the conversation is informed by stats and charts from the Edison/NPR Smart Audio Report. Continue Reading →

Spoken Word Audio Report 2020: Share jumps; 43% listen daily

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Spoken Word Audio Report 2020, produced by Edison Research and NPR, is out. One broad and important finding: 75% of the U.S. population (18+) listens to spoken word audio monthly. Daily, it is 43%. AM/FM is paying the price for increased listening to other platforms of spoken word audio; the trend is clear from 2014 to 2020. Click through for much more, and graphics, and a link to the download. Continue Reading →

NPR leverages member stations to make “Consider This” a localized news podcast

Posted on by Brad Hill

Announced at today’s IAB Podcast Upfront (Day 1), NPR is changing Consider This into a localized news podcast serving 10 regions. will hear a version of Consider This with reporting on their community from their community, alongside a national view from NPR. NPR notes that this program is unique to podcasting, and made possible by public radio’s shared journalism and digital networks. Delivering the right localized show to each listener is accomplished by AdsWizz and Nielsen. Continue Reading →

NPR podcast revenue to surpass radio, as “sea change” shifts listening

Posted on by Brad Hill

If Q2 was the Covid Quarter, NPR was infected. The U.S. public radio network lost about a quarter of its audience during that period. The main influence? Loss of morning and evening car commuting. But this trend is balanced by shifts to in-home device listening, increasing reach overall. Podcast revenue will surpass broadcast ad revenue for the first time. Click through for details. Continue Reading →

“Hidden Brain” podcast moves to Midroll Media for exclusive repping

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Hidden Brain podcast, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, has moved its ad representation exclusively to Midroll Media, the ad sales division of Stitcher. (Stitcher has recently been acquired by SiriusXM, from E.W. Scripps, in a deal which will close by Q3). Alongside this deal, Hidden Brain will be produced independently by Hidden Brain Media, starting October 1. The podcast will continue to be distributed by NPR. It’s a chart success — click through to see its placements.
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60-million people own smart speakers; usage grows (NPR/Edison Research Smart Audio Report)

Posted on by Brad Hill

Tom Webster (SVP, Edison Research) and Joel Sucherman (VP, New Platform Partnerships, NPR) held forth in a Zoom webinar to present the Smart Audio Report 2020, a collaboration of the two companies. The report consisted of a wealth of metrics, including specialty survey questions relevant to Covid-19, and “qualitative research” — videos of users talking about how they use smart assistants. Click for details. Continue Reading →