Within ad-supported audio, podcasting has greater “share of ear” than Spotify/Pandora (Edison)

Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights officer at Westwood One, is back at it in the company blog, divulging results of the subscription Share of Ear consumer survey conducted by Edison Research. One of Bouvard’s key points in this latest blog post is the time-spent leadership of podcasting over ad-supported Spotify Free and Pandora. Click through for that infograph, and more. Continue Reading

24% of Cumulus radio streams are on smart speakers; and interesting ad campaign results

“Smart speaker ownership soars and brings AM/FM back into the home,” writes Pierre Bouvard in a new Westwood One blog post. A key statistic from the parent company backs this up: 24% of stream listening to Cumulus radio stations happens on smart speakers. Cumulus booked an interesting smart speaker preroll campaign with a consortium of Ford dealerships. Click through for more context, a chart, and link to more. Continue Reading

Podcast listeners are young, avid, and growing their listening (Westwood One)

Westwood One has released the latest in its Audioscape series, posted by Brittany Faison to the Westwood One blog. The data are taken from Edison Research, and the focus of this release is squarely on podcasting. For years, Westwood One has been the most forthcoming distributor of metrics from Edison’s proprietary subscription product, Share of Ear, and that’s where this info comes from. Click through for key points and graphics. Continue Reading

Cumulus Q3: Podcasting up nearly 50%, 102M September downloads

A few interesting notes related to podcasting from Cumulus Media in the company’s Q3 earnings report. Cumulus owns Westwood One and the Westwood One Podcast Network, although neither entity was mentioned by name in the earnings call remarks by CEO Mary Berner and CFO Frank Lopez-Balboa. Podcasting provided a bulward during trouble performance of streaming and local digital marketing. Continue Reading

There’s weekly listening and “heavy” listening: Westwood One Podcast Download, fall 2020 report

One key takeaway from the drop of Westwood One’s annual Podcast Download report, released last Friday, is that “heavy” podcast listeners (6+ hours per week) are increasing. There is much more to this sprawling 65-page study, which covers podcasting’s rebound from the Covid disruption, listening apps, age breakdowns, and behavior of “newcomers” and “pioneers.” Click through for charts, key points, and the download link. Continue Reading

Advertiser podcast interest up 2.5x over five years; intention up 4x; Westwood One study

Westwood One has released its fifth annual podcast advertising study, in collaboration with Advertiser Perceptions. This report is synced with the IAB Podcast Upfront, also in its fifth year. One key takeaway is that advertiser interest in podcasts, and intent to buy, have grown by multiples since 2015. Click through for details, numbers, links, and charts. Continue Reading

Podcasting spot load is 5% as brand advertising grows and revenue steadies (Magellan / Westwood One)

In a data-rich blog post informed by Magellan AI research, Westwood One has published a raft of research findings about podcast advertising. The headline is that podcast advertising is “pandemic proof,” based on the field’s resiliency from pandemic disruption. The study examines month-over-month and quarterly trendlines to track the stability of podcast advertising, a consistently low spot load (to use a radio term), and the continued emergence of brand advertising. Click through for numbers and graphics. Continue Reading