Yesterday we reported rumors that Spotify might acquire sports/pop podcast network The Ringer, founded by ex-ESPN Bill Simmons. Today a second swirl of rumors speculates that Simmons is asking $200-million for the deal. We scratch out some rough arithmetic. Continue Reading
Spotify’s next podcast acquisition could be The Ringer, the network established by Bill Simmons in 2016. The Ringer is a sports and pop culture podcast publisher; Bill Simmons is ex-ESPN and helped start the 30 For 30 sports series. There is some fearful reaction on Twitter. Continue Reading
With podcasts on track to be commanding a cool billion dollars in ad revenue, the fight to be the leading listening platform will only be getting more intense. This year kicked off with multiple reports from difference sources with their own datasets about which service is the biggest. James Cridland of Podnews gave his take on how to reconcile the different assessments Continue Reading
Spotify caught eyes and ears last spring with its plans for a piece of voice-activated hardware dubbed Car Thing. Now, it seems to have a new setting as its next goal, according to the latest update from a noted reverse-engineer. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research posted a graphic from its fourth-quarter podcast tracker survey ahead of the launch of its Podcast Platforms report. The data, from a consumer survey of 576 podcast users, show Spotify with a lead in the overall weighted average of four national cohorts. Spotify is also the leading podcast app for Canada, Australia, and the UK, according to MIDiA’s research — but Google leads in the U.S. Continue Reading
Spotify is letting the fur fly. The company has launched a fun new tool that will let pet owners create playlists dedicated to their pets. It will combine those traits with the owner’s listening habits to create a collection that both can equally enjoy. The company also compiled an infographic with the results from surveying 5,000 pet owners in the U.S., UK, Australia, Spain, and Italy. Continue Reading
Spotify has reached a licensing deal with Warner Music Group, which ends a complicated international dispute between the companies. The two parties had been locked in a legal debate about Spotify’s launch in India last February. Continue Reading
Using CES as a soapbox, Spotify has announced new ad-insertion technology for its podcasts. By most accounting, Spotify is the second-largest podcast distributor in the English-speaking world. Creating its own digital ad-tech unleashes a tectonic shiver in the podcast ecosystem of creators, publishers, technology companies, and advertisers. Continue Reading
Podcast hosting company and listening app Podbean released a 2019 roundup indicating general growth of its publishing metrics and comparison of where its podcasts are being listened to. There are also interesting income figures for top-earning podcasts. Continue Reading
Stream listening was level in October compared to September, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The year-over-year view showed a 4% drop, largely due to Pandora’s six-month gradual slide. Six leading radio streamers and pureplay AccuRadio all notched gains in October. Continue Reading
Spotify is making inroads as a listening platform for podcasts, but the company is still looking to reach an ever-wider audience. The service now shows a button on its homepage that encourages listeners to select topics of interest to drive podcast recommendations. Continue Reading
Stream listening slipped 3% in September, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker, pulled down by Pandora’s key listening metric which dropped 4%. Overall webcast listening in Triton’s top-20 cohort stayed level from the same month last year. Continue Reading