APM announces new podcasts and a returning season

American Public media (APM) has sent PR descriptions of two new podcasts, and one returning show. The return is season two of Spectacular Failures, which is described as “ridiculous stories of business disasters. The new season drops on August 3. No trailer yet. One new show features comedian Tig Nagaro. The other comes from Marketplace and is a children’s show. Continue Reading

Impact (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard) choose ART19 for hosting / distribution

Impact, which is a content accelerator and online marketplace co-founded by Imagine Entertainment’s partners Brian Grazer & Ron Howard, has selected leading audio platform ART19 to host and distribute IMPACT: The Podcast. The show is described this way: “Impact’s new podcast brings together storytellers and entertainment industry leaders to explore the process of content creation and the way art shapes the world around us.” Tons of celebrity guests. Continue Reading

Triton Digital’s latest U.S. Podcast Report: Stable, upward bumps in top-network downloads

Triton Digital has released its U.S. Podcast Report, an every-four-week rolling weekly average of downloads and listeners. This report covers the June 8 through July 5 period. Things look pretty much the same as the previous report, for the top 15 podcast networks. NPR is on top for average weekly downloads and listeners. Stitcher remains #2 for downloads, and moves up to #2 (displacing Entercom/Cadence13/Pineapple Street Studios to #3 — but we think Entercom/Cadence13/Pineapple Street Studios should win a special prize for longest network name). Click through to see the Top 15 Networks. Continue Reading

Pandora puts interactive voice ads into beta

“Voice-activated tech is proliferating,” says Pandora, and the company has extended that aspect of digital lifestyle into responses to streaming audio ads. This week, Pandora is launching interactive Voice Ads to beta, following an alpha launch in December. The company asserts this as a first-to-market ad format in streaming audio, and the plan is to scale voice features to both listeners and select advertisers. Continue Reading

NY Times acquires Serial Productions; $25M; podcast land rush continues


The New York Times has acquired Serial Productions, home to legendary podcast Serial. Both organizations have attained critical, audience, and monetary success with sparse portfolios. the Times promises to grow the Serial Productions catalog, which currently contains two active podcasts according to Podtrac. Click through for more analysis and acquisition details. Continue Reading

PRX develops partnerships for new podcasts based on women’s suffrage

PRX is partnering with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (created by Congress) and the National Park Service, and a cast of celebrities, to create new podcasts inspired by the suffragists throughout U.S. history who have worked to secure women’s right to vote. PRX notes that 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. Click through for show details. Continue Reading

Spotify announces video podcasts

On Spotify’s announcement blog, the company announced yesterday that video blogging is now native to the platform. The feature is not Spotify’s first foray in video presentation, but it is a new global feature for the company’s podcast service. This feature seems like a stage-setting for Joe Rogan’s video format, which moves exclusively to Spotify by end-of-year. Continue Reading