Personal Audio won its patent infringement lawsuit against CBS. The company is commonly seen as a patent troll, holding intellectual property rights for what it claims is an essential part of podcasting. A jury in Marshall, Texas, supported Personal Audio’s claims and awarded it damages of $1.3 million. The company has outstanding patent suits against the FOX and NBC networks. Continue Reading
Two weeks ago podcast production and distribution company Earwolf merged with The Midroll, a podcast advertising agency spawned from Earwolf’s monetization efforts, to form Midroll Media. RAIN spoke with new Midroll Media CEO Adam Sachs about the merger’s values, how podcast ads are sold, and the future of on-demand talk programming. Continue Reading
Podcasting is a surging content category in online audio, but still off the mainstream path compared with Internet radio and music-service giants and their multi-billion-dollar valuations. Aggregators and producers such as Podcast One and Midroll Media are leveraging new platforms to raise awareness, and revenue, of online-only talk programs. Out on the fringe, some podcast creators are seeking funding and visibility on crowdfunding platforms.
Knowing about The Media Podcast project inspired us to survey crowdfunders Kickstarter and Indiegogo to observe how podcast creators are using them, and to what extent they are succeeding. Continue Reading
Comedy podcast network Earwolf Media announced its merger with podcasting advertising network The Mid Roll, to form Midroll Media, an end-to-end production and monetization company for online program producers. Jeff Ullrich, founder of Earwolf, is the founder and CEO of the combined entity. Continue Reading
Radio Explorer, a beta work-in-progress from the BBC, hooks into the resurgence of podcasting and the archived radio trend. It aims to provide instant listening to talk programs in response to search queries. A focus on depth at the expense of breadth makes for an experience that feels carefully curated. Continue Reading
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a kind of sheriff’s office for civil liberties on the Internet, has received an encouraging ruling from a government office that regulates patent reviews. The judgment clears the way for the EFF to challenge the validity of a controversial lawsuit against podcaster Adam Corrola and other podcast publishers. Continue Reading
Last week at RAIN Summit West, the lens focused on podcasting for a panel called “The Podcast Phenomenon: Capturing Listeners with Compelling Content.” Click through for full audio. The discussion ranged from creative excellence to the challenges of audience measurement. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit NYC, “Pureplays and Podcasts Day,” occurred yesterday at The Greene Center. The event was sold out weeks in advance, and atrocious weather didn’t stop most attendees or dampen enthusiasm in the room. Here, a wrap-up of the first two panels. Continue Reading