Month: April 2022

Triton Digital Released the March 2022 U.S. Podcast Report

~ jen

Triton Digital, the global technology and services provider to the digital audio and podcast industry, announced the release of the latest U.S. Podcast Report for the March 2022 reporting period (February 28 – April 3, 2022) as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service.

Yet again, Stitcher Media remained in the #1 spot on the Top Networks Report with 57.1M Average Weekly Downloads and 13.9M Average Weekly Users, followed by NPR climbing up to the #2 spot with 34.9M Average Weekly Downloads and 7.2M Average Weekly Users, and Audacity Podcast Network with 33.8M Average Weekly Downloads and 9.2M Average Weekly Users.

For the month of March, there were 225.4M downloads for the top 20 publishers.

For this reporting period, the top three podcasts based on downloads included NPR News Now (NPR) coming in again at #1, The Ben Shapiro Show (Cumulus Podcast Network) climbing to #2 and Crime Junkie (audiochuck/SXM Media) at #3.

New shows debuting this period for downloads and listeners include, The Thing About Pam (NBCUniversal News Group) and Twin Flames (Wondery).

Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey & David Spade (Audacy Podcast Network), Fantasy Baseball Today (Paramount) and State of Ukraine (NPR) were the new shows that debuted on the ranker for downloads.

New shows based on listeners this month included Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris (Wondery) and Snacks Minute (Audacy Podcast Network).

The Top Network Reports are ranked by Average Weekly Downloads and Average Weekly Users, in accordance with v2.1 of the IAB Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines. Certified by the IAB Tech Lab, Triton’s Podcast Metrics eliminated inconsistent measurement practices and self-reported data, providing content creators, marketers, media buyers, and the audio industry at large with validated and transparent podcast audience data.

Any podcast network or publisher with an audience in the United States is eligible to participate in the U.S. Podcast Report.

With 10+ years of digital audio measurement expertise, Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service provides reliable and informative data around how, when, and where podcast and audio on demand content is being consumed across multiple hosting platforms, with the ability to view metrics by date range, device, player, network, program, episode, and more.

Crowd Network Tips 10 Million Downloads

~ jen

Crowd Network, a rapidly growing Manchester-based audio on demand network, is celebrating 10 million podcast downloads in just over 18 months of launch.

Having launched a slate of new shows in recent months, including Go Love Yourself co-hosted by Laura Adlington and Lauren Smith, and The Sam & Billie Show from Sam and Billie Faiers, the independent network has seen downloads reach one million a month in the last five months.

Since its launch in September 2020, Crowd has created a suite of chart-topping shows to critical acclaim. Recent popular shows include Flight 149, a documentary series delving into the 1990 human hostage crisis and cover-up by the British Government, released in February this year. The company is in talks for a French series, speaking with French nationals involved in the scandal, to be released later this year.

As its library of shows grows, the network has welcomed six new faces in the last twelve months, with plans to grow the team by five over the next six months as show production ramps up.

Working with major names including Joe Marler, The Joe Marler Show, Geraint Thomas, The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, and Alan Cumming, Alan Cumming’s Shelves as part of its Crowd People division, the network’s Crowd Stories arm features award winning shows, such as Murder in House Two, and the chart-topping American Vigilante. Six new podcasts are in the pipeline for 2022 across its Crowd People and Crowd Stories divisions.

The success of these shows saw the network partner with LA-based Creative Artists Agency in 2021 to explore film and television options for existing shows.

Co-founded by a team formerly based at the BBC, Crowd is led by CEO Mike Carr. Carr commented on the milestone: “When the team and I first talked about launching our own network, we wanted to create a company that ultimately gave our people complete creative control over their content. We didn’t want to just produce audio with other media companies, and we didn’t want to create podcasts that we thought people wouldn’t truly connect with.

“To have 10 million downloads, multiple awards, and some of the biggest names in entertainment, like Joe Male an Geraint Thomas, behind us less than two years in, is true testament to the Crowd team’s hard work over the last 18 months. I’m thrilled to be on this journey with some of the best in the industry, working one some of the most popular podcasts out there. As an independent network, we’re aware that there are other, perhaps easier, routes to growth. Yet these options wouldn’t be in line with our core offering of creating and owning our own quality IP, a strategy that is clearly resonating with listeners, talent and the market. We’re growing quickly, organically, in a way that stays true to our original focus: quality shows that bring people together.”

Triton Digital Releases Inaugural Canada Report

~ jen

Triton Digital, the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry, announced the release of its inaugural Canada Podcast Report. This monthly online and interactive report provides insight into the most downloaded Podcasts overall, top Canada originated English and French language Podcasts, as well as the top Networks in Canada for the March 2022 reporting period (February 28 through April 3, 2022), as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service.

For the first time, media buyers have access to trusted third-party podcast measurements to make informed advertising decisions and podcast networks gain access to reputable consumption data delivering a better understanding of listening audiences to improve show monetization.

“As the leading podcast publisher in Canada, we are excited to showcase our success and momentum in Triton Digital’s inaugural Canada Podcast report and look forward to providing our clients with access to reputable, validated, and transparent podcast metrics across our library of programming,” said Julie Kerr, Senior Director, Digital Ad Product and Revenue Management, CBC & Radio-Canada Media Solutions.

For this reporting period, the top three Canada originated French language podcasts include Radiojournal (Radio Canada) at #1, Richard Martineau (QUB) #2, and Benoit Dutrizak (QUB) at #3.

The top ranked podcast overall is Dateline NBC (NBCUniversal News Group) with over 626K Average Weekly Downloads. Stitcher Media earned the #1 spot on the Top Networks Report with 4.5M Average Weekly Downloads and 1.2M Average Weekly Users, followed by CBC/Radio-Canada with 3.2 Average Weekly Downloads and 539.2K Average Weekly Users, and Wondery Network with 1.5M Average Weekly Downloads and 466.9K Average Weekly Users.

“Triton Digital’s Canada Podcast Report will also allow us to accurately capture reliable and trustworthy data for our clients, and significantly impact the growth of French-language podcasts across Québec and Canada,” said Jean-Nicolas Gangé, Directeur general QUB radio.

Total downloads of all shows by participating publishers in the month of March is 13.8M. Participating networks in the Canada Podcast Report include, All Things Comedy, Audioboom, CBC/Radio-Canada, Cogeco Media, Headgum, Kast Media, NPR, Paramount, QUB, Salem Podcast Network, Stitcher Media, The Roost Podcast Network, and Wondery Network.

“We are thrilled to release the Canada Podcast Report,” said John Rosso, President and Chief Executive Officer, Triton Digital. “Our monthly reports provide advertisers with the reliable measurement data they need to better understand podcast performance and this release highlights our commitment to serve the audio industry in Canada with validated and transparent podcast metrics.”

Participation in the Canada Podcast Report is continuously expanding and any podcast network or publisher with an audience in Canada is eligible to participate.

Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics measurement is certified by IAB Tech Lab as complying with Version 2.1 of the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines. It provides accurate and insightful data around how, when, and where podcast content is being consumed across multiple hosting platforms, with the ability to view metrics by date range, location, device, podcast name, episode, title, and more.

I Am Athlete Inks Content Deal with SiriusXM

~ jen

SiriusXM and I Am Athlete, the athlete-led media network founded by former NFL All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall, announced they have joined forces in a new expansive content deal that includes a nightly radio show and other game-changing projects.

The new agreement will expand the already popular I Am Athlete platform by delivering new innovative programming to more fans who want an authentic “locker room” perspective on sports and pop culture directly from those who played the game.

I Am Athlete and SiriusXM will produce a new nightly show that will air nationwide on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio (channel 82 on SiriusXM radios and on the SXM App). Debuting on April 27, I Am Athlete Tonight will air live every weekday from 7-9 pm ET/4-6 pm PT.

Former NFL defensive end Leger Douzable will lead a cast of rotating co-hosts that will feature Marshall, former NFL players LeSean McCoy, Brandon Flowers and Adam “Pacman” Jones, former NBA player Antoine Walker, former WNBA player Chantel Tremitiere and journalist Omar Kelly as they engage in the type of thoughtful, unfiltered discussions that the I AM Athlete Tonight episodes will also be available as podcasts after they air on SiriusXM.

SiriusXM and I Am Athlete have also entered into a developmental agreement and will combine the strength of both brands and platforms to bring additional engaging talent to the air and develop new and unique content in the future.

As part of the agreement, SXM Media, SiriusXM Holdings’ advertising sales group, is now the exclusive global ad representative for the popular I Am Athlete audio podcast – hosted by Brandon Marshall and Chad “Ochocinco”Johnson – and other audio podcasts developed with I AM Athlete. SXM Media also sells across the I AM Athlete video podcast. SXM Media is the gateway for marketer to the #1 U.S. podcast advertising network in reaching weekly podcast listeners, per Edison Research.

The I Am Athlete Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.

“We are excited to team up with SiriusXM. SiriusXM is an extraordinary company that shares our passion for innovation in storytelling and giving the athlete a platform,” said Marshall. “I Am Athlete is the premier destination for athletes to tell their own stories, write their own scripts, highlight successes and also hold each other accountable. The sports media landscape has drastically changed. Our partnership brings our unique content and approach to storytelling to fans, every day.”

“I Am Athlete has established itself as a prominent and popular podcast because it is the kind of authentic straight-from-the-athlete talk that fans love and want more of. We’re excited to team up and build on that,” said Steve Cohen, SVP, Sports Programming and Podcasts, SiriusXM. “Brandon and team will produce new and exclusive content that will enhance our Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. And together, we look forward to developing new talent and content for I Am Athlete and SirusXM that will appeal to listeners everywhere.”

Triton Digital Releases the New Zealand Ranker for March 2022

~ jen

Triton Digital, the global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry, announced the release of the latest New Zealand Podcast Ranker. The Ranker provides insight into the Top 100 Podcasts as well as the Top Networks in New Zealand from 1 March through 31 March, 2022, as measured by Triton’s Podcast Metrics measurement service.

The Top 100 Podcast Ranker and Top Network Ranker are ranked by monthly listeners, in accordance with the latest IAB Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines.

For this reporting period, the top three podcasts include The Mike Hosking Breakfast (NZME/iHeartRadio/ARN), Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley on ZM (NZME/iHeartRadio/ARN), and Castile True Crime (Audioboom).

New podcasts debuting on the ranker this month include Grey Areas with Petra Bagust (MediaWorks Radio Limited) and The Front Page (NZME/iHeartRadio/ARN).

For the month of March, there were 8.1M downloads of all shows by participating publishers.

Participating networks in the New Zealand Ranker include Audioboom, Headgum, Kast Media, LiSTNR (SCA), MediaWorks Radio Limited, NZME/iHeartRadio/ARN, Stitcher Media and Sports Entertainment Network (SEN).

Recently, Triton Digital introduced the New Zealand Podcast Ranker website – an enhanced and experience for New Zealand advertisers and agencies seeking podcast consumption insights.

Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics measurement service is certified by the IAB Tech Lab a complying with Version 2.1 of the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines. It provides accurate and insightful data around how, when, and where podcast content is being consumed across multiple hosting platforms, with the ability to view metrics by date range, location, device, podcast name, episode, title, and more.

Lemonada Media Launches Debut Podcast from BEING Studios

~ jen

From Lemonada Media, the podcast network that makes life suck less, comes BEING Trans — the debut series from the network’s BEING Studios, the first audio reality podcast studio where audio meets reality TV. The first series from the studio is a six-part unscripted doc-reality series that follows four transgender individuals living in Los Angeles.

Over the course of three months, the crew — led by reality TV expert Kasey Barret (MTV’s The Real World, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Born This Way) — recorded hundreds of hours of live conversations, experiences and intimate moments with cast members as they lived them, providing a uniquely unfiltered look at their daily lives.

Throughout the season, you’ll meet Jeffrey, a transgender man and standup comic navigating his career as well as his relationship with his partner, Emma. You’ll meet Mariana, a trans woman from Guatemala who is tackling tough issues at a local LGBTQ center along with her coworker Kadence. You’ll meet Chloe, who’s new to Los Angeles, and new to sating as a trans woman. And you’ll Sy, who’s figuring out their relationship and family dynamics with their husband Robert since coming out as trans non-binary. Dating, parenting, doctor visits, career quandaries, parties — you’ll get to hear them all.

“I’ve spent my whole career in unscripted television, and the opportunity to translate that into an audio format that was too exciting to pass up,” said BEING Studio Executive Producer Kasey Barrett, “Over the course of the taping, we fell in love with this incredible cast, and I think our listneners will too. A crew with no lights or cameras really creates an intimate environment, allowing listeners to truly feel like they are walking in another person’s shoes.”

Last summer, Lemonada announced the launch of BEING Studios, which creates groundbreaking, immersive audio reality podcasts that provide an unfiltered look into other people’s lives. Through thoughtful and entertaining narrative storytelling, BEING Studios offers listeners intimate, first-person access into worlds and people they not otherwise know. Future seasons will feature different topics and storylines, and immerse listeners into new worlds.

“One of our core values at Lemonada is empathy. We know building empathy works best when we are immersed, entertained, and in love with the character and people. Last spring, we Brough Kasey on to work with us to marry the best of reality TV with the best of audio, and BEING Studios was born,” shares Lemonada CEO and co-founder Jessica Cordova Kramer.

“Then, the hard work began. Casting, field recording, post-production. Sele Leota, our co-executive producer, our diverse crew, and our staff at Lemonada, have been deep in the weeds, creating a new way to tell first-person stories. Seeing elements of TV transform into an audio medium has been fascinating, challenging, and legitimately exhilarating, added Stephanie Wittles Wachs, Lemonada co-founder and chief creative officer.

The production team for BEING Trans includes: Kasey Barrett (She/Her), executive producer; Sele Leota (He/Him), co-executive producer; Myrrh Gossett (They/She), associate producer; Scott Hanlon (He/His), audio supervisor; Mary Mejia (They/Them), audio field recordist; Shar Jossell (She/Her), story consultant; and Greta Stromquist (She/Her), assistant producer.

The first two episodes of BEING Trans are available now on all major podcast platforms, with exclusive weekly bonus content available to Lemonada Premium subscriber on Apple Podcasts. New episodes will be released weekly.

Warner Music Group Launches In-House Podcast Network

~ jen

Warner Music Group (WMG) unveiled its new new podcast network, Interval Presents, which will produce multi-format, culture-forward audio content at the intersection of music, pop culture, and social impact.

Building on WMG’s ever-growing music catalog and its roster of celebrated talent, the network will leverage the power of a major music company to create a platform for artists and cultural movers to unpack trending conversations, amplify underrepresented voices, and explore the impact of music artistry from diverse perspectives. WMG’s Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy & Business Development, Allan Coye, will oversee Interval Presents in the role of General Manager.

Coye said: “Interval Presents allows us to develop and share podcast content that propels fresh, engaging conversations around trending topics and issues that matter to diverse communities – all through a culture-forward lens. This is just the beginning and as we grow, we hope to stay true to our roots in music while also using audio artistry as a vehicle to explore new terrains of storytelling, and ultimately, connect deeply with our audience.”

“Interval Presents is a natural progression of Warner Music Group’s long history of producing generation-defining music, supporting creatives, and driving culture,” added Oana Ruxandra, Chief Digital Officer & EVP of Business Development, WMG. “There’s a hunger for more inclusive and authentic podcast content and, with Allan leading the charge, we’re thrilled to launch an audio platform that will connect with this growing audience and spotlight and breadth of voices and perspectives.”

The first slate of podcasts from Interval Presents, which will roll out throughout the year, will include various formats, including talk shows and narrative-driven episodic shows. Audiences can look forward to shows hosted by award-winning artists such as Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o (represented by CAA and Mainstay Entertainment) who will host a show centered on non-fiction cultural storytelling that explores the African diaspora; Grammy-nominated singer Jason Derulo (represented by UTA) who will headline a podcast series produced by Clamor that uses vocal performances to tell a fictional, noir-inflected romance story; and Grammy-nominated songwriter and entrepreneur Billy Mann, who will challenge the stigma around failure in a show featuring some of the world’s biggest stars and their stories about confronting adversity.

Snap Judgement – the production company behind the long running podcast and radio show, Snap Judgement – will produce Nyong’o’s aforementioned show as well as a future content for Interval Presents.

Additionally, Interval Presents has partnered with production company Awfully Nice, who developed Idris and Sabrina Elba’s podcast Coupledom and the Ambie-nominated series The Messenger; as well as audio-first production company Double Elvis, the company behind the award-winning podcasts Disgraceland, About a Girl, Dear Young Rocker, Here Comes the Break, and many more.

Podcast Freelancer Hub Is A Matchmaker For Podcast Freelancers

~ jen

For a long time, getting clients has been a tough job for most podcast freelancers, despite their obvious skills and talents. Without a dedicated platform for the same, most podcast freelancers and their clients looking for these freelancers have been left in limbo creating a glaring gap between them.

Podcast FreeLancer Hub is a membership-based lead generation marketplace that is set to address this imbalance and connect podcast freelancers with clients looking for freelancers.

Its creator, Mike Santos, was quoted saying. “One of the things that podcast freelancer hub does differently is that we don’t act as a middleman in the sense that we only introduce you to clients. So whenever a client visits your profile page, what happens is that they just fill out all of the contact information, and what we’ll do is just forward this information to you, and you can pick it up from there and negotiate with the client.”

He adds, “Now what that means is that you’ll be responsible for setting your own rates. And you don’t have to let us know whether you’re working with a certain client; how much you charge them is entirely up to you. As a result, the entire site is built to be a lead generation marketplace. We’ll offer a membership option once it’s completely functional.”

Described as the Tinder for Podcast freelancers, Podcast FreeLancer Hub has been gaining traction since its launch and now boasts some leading names in the podcast industry as its member. Now, interested clients can easily browse their listing page to find an available podcast service provider or list their project on the job board and let the developers introduce them to the best freelancers available to them.

With this new match-making platform, clients can now save a plethora of time finding the right podcast service providers as they will be connected to an interested podcast service provider as soon as they list their requirements on the job board.

Spotify Allows Creators in Select Markets to Publish Video Podcasts

~ jen

Spotify began activating Video Podcasts for Creators on a limited basis last Fall. Now, Spotify is allowing podcasters the option to accompany their audio with visual components.

As this audience grows, Spotify is also opening up the Video Podcast capability to more creators. This was announced on April 21, 2022.

Starting today, we’re expanding Video Podcasts on Spotify to all creators in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and the U.K. Creators will have the ability to upload their video content to Spotify through Anchor as easily as they already publish audio.

In addition, Spotify is adding new features to help set up creators for success.

New features include:

Access for everyone: Starting now, creators in these five markets can find Video Podcast uploading capabilities on Anchor’s web platform. We plan to roll this out to additional markets in the future.

Podcast Subscriptions: Spotify Podcast Subscriptions will be available for video podcasts, empowering creators to own their monetization models by creating exclusive content, gating video, and more. Stay tuned – we’re working on more monetization features to come soon.

Integration with Riverside: Now, when you embed a Video Podcast episode from Spotify, the video will play directly in the embed player wherever you placed it. It’s a great tool – whether you’re excited to share great content with friends or grow your audience.

Video Bulk-Replace: Bulk-replace allows Anchor creators to easily replace their existing audio episodes with video versions from an easy-to-use interface. Get ready for more time creating content and less time editing it.

Video Analytics: Video-specific analytics will give creators deep insights into their videos’ performance on Spotify, enabling them to better understand their audiences and publish content suited to them.

Interactive capabilities: Our interactive podcast features, like Polls and Q&A, will be available for Video Podcasts so creators can connect with and get feedback directly from their listeners.

Obamas To Leave Spotify To Seek Podcast Deal Elsewhere

~ jen

Former President Barack Obama, and Former First Lady Michelle Obama, will not renew their exclusive partnership with Spotify, according to three people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg appears to be the first to report this news.

The former first family’s production company, Higher Ground, won’t be signing a new deal with the audio platform according to people familiar with the negotiations. The company is instead talking to other distributors about a deal worth tens of millions of dollars, among the most-lucrative in the podcasting business.

According to Bloomberg, Higher Ground is in the middle of negotiations with several potential partners, including Amazon.com Inc’s Audible and iHeartMedia Inc., said the people, who asked not to be identified because the conversations are private. Higher Ground is seeking a deal that will allow it to produce several shows and release them on multiple platforms at the same time. Bloomberg reported that this could explain iHeart’s interest given that it hasn’t historically relied on an exclusive strategy for its podcasts.

Spotify and Higher Ground partnered in June of 2019. Under the Higher Grounds partnership, both Obamas would develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics. The multi-year agreement was with Higher Ground Audio, an expansion of the Higher Ground production company that would oversee the move into podcasts.

In 2020, Higher Ground and Spotify announced The Michelle Obama Podcast. The show was hosted by Michelle Obama, who brought in special guests to discuss topics like sibling relationships and raising children to girlfriends, women’s health, mentorship, and marriage. Bloomberg reported that The Michelle Obama Podcast was one of Spotify’s five most popular podcasts in 2020.

CNN reported in 2021 that Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen have teamed up to host a podcast about masculinity, race, fatherhood, and their professional and personal journeys. The podcast was called Renegades: Born in the USA and was part of a multi-year partnership between Spotify and Higher Ground.

The Verge reported that it is unclear if the controversy with the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, and/or the musicians who removed their work from Spotify, contributed to the Obamas’ decision to look for hosting elsewhere.

Considering everything I’ve read about this news, it sounds like Higher Ground is interested in creating and producing podcasts that will not be exclusive to Spotify. It also appears that Spotify is either hesitant about that deal, or is not interested in podcasts that will not be exclusive to their platform.