Studio71 Podcast Network Launches New Ad Product For Scaled Reach And Enhancing Audience Targeting

Studio71, a global leader in digital media, is introducing awareness driven network-wide buys to its podcast network, empowering advertisers to reach targeted audiences at scale. Already a proven strategy across Studio71’s YouTube and OTT/FAST channels, this expansion allows podcast advertisers to seamlessly and precisely engage key audience segments.

These awareness campaigns mark a shift from the traditional direct response advertisers focused on individual shows, and it opens up a new category of brand partnerships that were under-represented in the podcasting space. By leveraging advanced targeting capabilities across its podcast network, Studio71 allows brands to connect with specific demographics while reaching broader audiences.

For example, Studio71 launched network-wide campaigns focused on key audience demographics across multiple shows, such as Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya, Donut Media’s Past Gas, and Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald. While the genres of the shows vary, Studio71 was able to target key audience overlaps, which were calibrated in real time during flights, driving meaningful business outcomes for brands.

Studio71’s podcast network experienced remarkable growth in 2024, increasing its listenership on Spotify by 48%. Known for its ability to scale content across audio and video platforms, Studio71 has been successfully selling across both formats. This underscores the company’s ability to provide scalable, high-impact advertising opportunities across a diverse slate of over 100 creator-led shows.

The company has achieved similar success with YouTube direct media buys for its creator network, which includes over 1,800 premium channels and over 14 billion monthly views.

“Audience-level targeting is transforming our advertising strategy, moving beyond per-show campaigns to provide deeper insights and measurable impact across multiple podcasts,” said Matt Crowley, Co-CEO of Studio71. “These awareness campaigns open up a new category of advertising for our podcast, like Bald and The Beautiful, Past Gas, and Juicy Scoop.”

According to Nielsens’s 2024 Podcast Brand Impact Database, podcast ads boost significantly brand awareness, with 70% of listeners recalling a brand and 60% researching the product afterward. Studio71’s ad insertion process ensures precise and transparent ad performance metrics, such as confirmed impressions and detailed audience insights. 

This allows Studio71 to provide advertisers advanced solutions that combine the personal touch of traditional podcast ads with the precision of modern digital marketing.

Currently, Studio71’s network leverages a massive social reach of over 200 million engaged followers across platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The company provides creators with distribution, podcast advertising management, integrated brand partnerships, and targeted marketing efforts.

NZ Podcasting Summit 2025 – Date Set In Auckland NZ

The NZ Podcasting Summit returns for 2025. A day of Aotearoa, podcast producers, presenters, practitioners, and providers to meet, collaborate, learn, and grow.

Saturday May 10, 9am — 4:50pm. AUT University WG Building, Auckland Central

Event Highlights include:

Speakers & Panelists: 13 people across six themed sessions, including Guyon Espiner, a journalist with over 30 years of experience, and Sonia Gray, actor, presenter, and producer of “No Such Thing As Normal” sharing insights into their podcast projects.

Panel Discussions: Engage with industry experts like Ethan Sills, Podcast Production Manger at NZME, and David Fisher, investigative journalist and host of Chasing Ghosts: The Puppeteer as they dele into topics ranging from investigative podcasting to production techniques.

Networking Opportunities: Interactive sessions in the morning include “Mic Breaker”, hosted by comedian Alan McElroy, and “Mic Drop Marathon,” a group effort to record as many most hosts and guests as possible on a single podcast episode.

Advice & Expertise: Gain practical knowledge from sessions like “Starting $ Growing a Podcast Business in New Zealand,”

Schedule Overview:

9:00 AM: Event Opens — Registration and networking over tea and coffee

9:50 AM: Welcome Addresses by AUT and Summit organizers

9:50 AM: Session 1 — “Podcasting the Personal” with Sonia Gray

11:00 AM: Session 2 — “Mic Breaker” hosted Alan McElroy

11:50 AM: Session 3 – “Mic Drop Marathon” presented by Free FM

1:45 PM: Session 4 — “Starting & Growing a Podcasting Business in NZ (Panel Session)

2:40 PM: Session 5 — “An Assortment of Experts” presented by RØDE (Panel Session)

3:55 PM: Session 6 — “Investigative & Advocacy Podcasting (Panel Session)

4:50 PM: Event Concludes

Persephonica Adds Fire Power To Leadership Team With Appointment Of BBC Sounds Commissioner

Persephonica, the award-winning UK production company behind hit podcasts Miss Me? And Dua Lipa: At Your Service, has appointed Fiona Hanlon as Managing Director, to lead its entertainment expansion.

Fiona brings 17 years of experience at the BBC where she worked with major names including Maya Jama and Scott Mills. She played a key role in the success of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw, shaping its creative direction and audience engagement.

Following her time at Radio 1, Fiona was part of the launch team for BBS Sounds, where she led the commissioning of popular music formats such as Pop Top Ten with Rylan and Scott, which was visualized for iPlayer. Fiona also developed companion content for hit TV series such as Peaky Blinders, Normal People, and Killing Eve.

At Persephonica, Fiona will grow the company’s entertainment stage, continuing its winning streak of launching habit-forming shows with A List talent, which connect with millions of listeners. 

The industry-leading company has pioneered in the field of podcast visualization, from its work on The News Agents to Miss Me?, reaching millions of viewers on YouTube. Persephonica has also expanded into live events, with two sell-out shows at London’s Hackney Empire in March. Fiona will continue to grow commercial opportunities for their formats on social media, and in front of live audiences.

This news of Fiona’s appointment comes straight off the back of two awards for Persephonica’s flagship current affairs show, Political Currency, at the inaugural Political Podcast Awards.

Fiona Hanlon says: “Persephonica has built an excellent reputation for working with world-class talent to create standout podcasts. I’m excited to lead the next phase of growth, expanding our entertainment slate, and developing fresh, innovative formats, fronted by hosts that have a special connection with their fans.”

Dino Sofos, Persephonica CEO, says: “Fiona joins at a key moment for the company, as we prepare to launch major new original shows in the UK and beyond, with a focus on bold formats, big talent and premium visualization. Fiona has an eye for spotting gaps in the market and matching top tier hosts with unique ideas. We are incredibly lucky to have such a creative powerhouse leading Persephonica into an exciting new chapter.”

Podscribe Launches Enhanced “Double Device Graph” for Updated Measurement Accuracy

Podscribe, a leader in podcast attribution and incrementally testing, announces the expansion its device graph capabilities by combining Tapad (Experian) and Neustar (TransUnion) Device Graph technology. This enhancement delivers unprecedented scale and accuracy in audience measurement.

Key Advancements 

The enhanced Double Device Graph achieves:

  • 85%+ US household match rates
  • 3x increase in digital identifiers for matching
  • Higher confidence matches through dual-graph triangulation
  • Improved conversion tracking through expanded digital identifier coverage

Expanded Audience Intelligence 

Through the TransUnion partnership, Podscribe now provides comprehensive Neustar audience segments, enabling advertisers and publishers to:

  • Access detailed household demographics and behaviors
  • Track segment-specific campaign performance
  • Identify top-converting audience segments
  • Match advertisers with optimal podcast audiences
  • Create targeted content based on verified listener profiles

“By combining the two leading US device graphs, we’re setting out a new standard for measurement accuracy in podcast advertising,” says Matt Drengler. “Our clients can now make decisions based on actual listener behavior, not assumptions.

Availability 

The enhanced Double Device Graph capabilities are available immediately for all Pudscribe measurement clients.

About Podscribe

Podscribe specializes in attribution and incrementally testing for podcasts, streaming, and beyond. Leveraging pixel-based tracking and household-level data, Podscribe delivers actionable insights, empowering advertisers to measure true campaign strategies, and confidently report ROI.

Mercury Launches Game-Changing New Podcast Network for Independent Creators

Mercury, a new UK-based podcast network, has officially launched. It is designed to support the unique needs of independent creators looking to grow and monetize their podcasts.

Since onboarding its first show in November, Mercury has already sold over one million ad impressions, and boasts over 500,000 downloads per month.

It’s initial roster represents independent shows across entertainment, history and leisure ranging from four to six-figure downloads per month. Additionally, Mercury plans to launch a slate of original titles to launch a slate of original titles over the coming year, and is also in development with two prominent true crime podcasters on a new show to launch in late 2025.

Mercury’s ambition is to represent the world’s best independent podcasts and creators. It’s offering differs from other networks, with a strong focus on ensuring podcasters keep full control of their content. Benefits include direct involvement and sponsorship decisions. Mercury also promises a more personalized approach than other networks, prioritizing ‘value over volume.’

Mercury is founded by Liam Heffernan, an award-winning independent podcaster from the UK, whose own shows include: America: A History. He has previously worked for companies including Auddy and The Podcast Boutique, and was featured on Podpod’s 30 Faces to Watch list, touted as a future industry leader.

“As an independent podcaster myself, I know that the biggest challenge facing creators isn’t content’ it’s time and resource,” says Liam. “Current networks are failing to address these needs, and are failing to offer a truly valuable network proposition to those podcasters who are big enough to monetise but need support, and don’t want to surrender control over their show for it. This shouldn’t be a compromise.”

“In Mercury, we have revolutionized what it mean to be a podcast network. It places value over volume, it puts content before ads, and it puts creator support at the very heart of its offering. By coming at it from this mindset, we’ve been able to hit the ground running an go toe to toe with the biggest networks for the best independent shows and creators out there … and we’re winning.”

“Passion is something you can find in abundance in the independent podcasting space. We wouldn’t take time out of our busy life to create podcasts unless we had the passion for the subject,” says Em McGowan, co-founder of the Independent Podcast Awards and host of Verbal Diaorama.

“Film history is mine, and I wouldn’t be making episodes almost six years later if I still didn’t have that passion. But no-one said it was easy, and it remains just as tough to be an indie podcast as it has ever been.”

“What drew me to Mercury was that passion for independent podcasts. It was clear from the get-go that Liam was eager to have a Verbal Diorama aboard, and passionate about increasing its visibility in an often crowded space. As an independent podcaster himself, he understands the issues we face. I have big goals for Verbal Diorama; joining Mercury is one step closer to me achieving them.”

German Podcast Marketers and Publishers / Audio Podcasts Are Here To Stay!

The German podcast marketers and production companies Seven.One Audio, Axel Springer Audio, Audio Alliance, Acast, Studio Bummens, iq digital and Mit Vergnügen have published the whitepaper: Audio podcasts – come to stay, which takes a closer look at the advantages of audio podcasts compared to the trend of video podcasts. From flexible use and efficient distribution to cost-effective production — audio podcasts remain unbeatable!

The strong growth of audio podcasts continues. In addition to audio-only podcasts, the trend towards video podcasts has also been on the rise on the market for some months now. However, this trend is not equally sensible and beneficial for all podcasts… so it’s time to take a look at the many advantages of audio podcasts!

5 arguments for audio podcasts:

Audio podcasts enjoy absolute platform freedom in distribution! The decentralized distribution of audio podcasts via RSS feeds enable podcast hosts to make their content accessible to a wide audience without being bound by economic conditions or technical specifications of individual tech platforms.

Audio podcasts score points when it comes to monetization! Compared to YouTube, audio podcasts offer up 16 times higher monetization opportunities. Video podcasts, on the other hand, face considerable monetization hurdles. Unlike audio, they cannot be played independently via ad servers. The control lies entirely with closed platforms, the so-called “walled gardens” such as Spotify, YouTube or TikTok, which therefore have access to control the advertising inventory as well as the advertising formats and prices. The structure of these walled gardens also makes it more difficult to book podcast reach, as advertisers have to place different ads for YouTube, Spotify and the RSS feed.

Audio podcasts score with impressive listen-through rates and are real situational all-rounders! They achieve a 150 percent higher listen-through rate than video podcasts. While audio podcasts achieve an average of over 80 percent across all genres, the view-through rate for video podcasts on platforms such as YouTube is only around 33 percent. The reason for this is that podcasts can also be consumed on the side, e.g. while driving, at home.

Audio podcasts create a particularly intimate atmosphere! Without cameras and elaborate setups, the interviewees can express themselves in a more natural and informal way. This strengthens the authenticity and trust of the listeners and leads to unscripted conversations that appear approachable.

Audio podcasts are lean and location-independent in production! They require minimal technical effort and time. In contrast, video podcasts require elaborate studio setups and extensive equipment. Copyright issues, findability in the mass of video formats and adherence to a regular publication rhythm also pose additional challenges. Video content also requires higher bandwidths, which entails additional costs.

Conclusion: There are podcasts for which a visual layer offers added value in terms of content, e.g, interview podcasts in studio situations. The video layer can also be a good marketing tool to generate attention on social media. However, podcasters should carefully consider whether the positive effects of switching to video podcast outweigh the challenges and negative effects!

Triton Digital Releases 2024 US Podcast Report

Triton Digital, the global technology company and services leader to the digital audio, podcast, and broadcast radio industries, released its third annual U.S. Podcast Report. The report provides insights into the evolving U.S. podcast landscape for 2024, including listening habits, audience demographic data, and insights into the top podcast, networks, and debuts from the Triton U.S Podcast Ranker, and more.

According to the report, the number of monthly podcast listeners continues to rise with 23% growth over the past three years and almost 10% over the past year. InIn 2024, 44% of the U.S. population reported listening to a podcast within the past month. These listeners were found to be younger, more educated, more affluent, and more diverse. Podcasting has proven to be an engaging and powerful medium for storytelling, conversations, current events and entertainment. Other notable findings include:

  • YouTube continues to be the preferred platform for most listeners, capturing 33% of listeners in 2024 — its highest share yet — marking a steady rise from 27% in 2021.
  • The top podcast genres of 2024 were News (25% of downloads) True Crime (19%), and Comedy (13%). Of True Crime podcast listeners, 67% were female, of Comedy podcast listeners, 61% were male, and of News podcast listeners, 56% were male.
  • The top sales networks of 2024 in the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker were iHeart Audience Network at #1, SiriusXM Podcast at #2, and NPR as #3.
  • NPR News Now (NPR) remained the top podcasts in 2024. Crime Junkie’s “SERIAL KILLER: The Alphabet Murders Part 1” episode was the most downloaded, while MURDERED: JonBenét Ramsey was the most popular, based on downloads in the first 30 days.
  • Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita (Cumulus Podcast Network) had the #1 debut in 2024.

The report incorporates data from multiple sources, including IAB Tech Lab certified Triton Digital Podcast Metrics service, which measures server log data from the Triton Omny Studio platform and a variety of other industry hosting platforms. It also includes the data from Triton Podcast Metrics Demos+ solution, which provides demographics and audience characteristics for podcasts of all sizes, as well as Demos+ survey of 12,000 mostly podcast listeners in the U.S., done in collaboration with Signal Hill Insights.

“2024 marked another year of remarkable growth for the podcast industry, with listenership broadening across demographics and becoming more mainstream than ever,” said Daryl Battaglia, SVP Measurement Products and Strategy, Triton Digital. “As new audiences dive into podcasts and spend more time listening, fueling deeper engagement, genres like True Crime, Kids & Family, and History drive the highest back catalog consumption, creating untapped opportunities for programmatic advertising. At Triton Digital, we remain dedicated to providing deep insights into listener behavior and platform preferences as this dynamic media continues to evolve.”

Adelicious Partners With Immediate

Immediate, home to trusted brands that people love including Radio Times and Good Food, has partnered with Adelicious, in a deal that brings its full podcast portfolio and any new future shows to the network.

Immediate is the UK’s leading UK publisher podcast producer. It’s portfolio, available on all major podcast platforms includes the HistoryExtra Podcast, the UK’s biggest history podcast which recently celebrated 270+ million all-time downloads, The Radio Times Podcast, BBC Gardners’ World Magazine Podcast, and The Good Food Podcast. In 2024, Immediate produced 600 podcast episodes across 16 ongoing series, achieving 3.5 million downloads per month.

Adelicious aims to build on this exceptional podcast portfolio by identifying new commercial opportunities for the brands and collaborating on audience growth strategies, enabling them to both grow existing shows and further expand their portfolio. Immediate’s podcast portfolio is also available in the Spotify Audience Network.

The Immediate podcast portfolio showcases expert voices, high-profile guests, and renowned personalities, catering to a wide audience of diverse taste.

The hugely popular HistoryExtra Podcast features interview with notable historians on topics spanning from ancient history through to historical conspiracies and events shaping our modern world. Episodes feature historical perspectives on everything from Tudor monarchs, the D-Day landings, to the 5,000-year history of tattoos.

Whilst The Radio Times Podcast attracts leading names for interviews from the world of entertainment, with previous guests including Matt Damon, Helen Fielding, KSI, Louis Theroux, and Stephen Fry.

Other highlights include Alan Titchmarsh, Monty Don, and Adam Frost on the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast and celebrity chef Tom Kerridge as a regular host of the Good Food Podcast.

Andrew Goldsmith, CEO of Adelicious said: “Immediate’s podcast portfolio is an extraordinary addition to our network, bringing millions of listens and an incredible diversity of shows. From history to entertainment and expert-led lifestyle content, this partnership ensures there’s truly something for everyone. We will now be working together to continue to support existing shows, alongside creating even more opportunities for listeners and advertiser alike.”

Immediate is home to some of the UK’s most loved consumer brands, including Radio Times, Good Food, Nutrcheck, HistoryExtra, and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, which collectively reach a UK audience of 21 million users every month across their media channels”

Cath Waller, Immediate’s Managing Director of Advertising, says: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Adelicious. Their commercial expertise in podcasting and experience within our sectors, alongside a clear understanding of the value of our premium editorial brands, make them an excellent fit. We’re confident that this partnership will help us achieve our podcasting ambitions, connecting our trusted content with many more listeners and brands, whilst continuing to bring joy to our audiences.”

New Zealand’s #1 Podcast Between Two Beers Signs Multi-Year Partnering With Acast

Independent podcast company Acast has signed a new global partnership with New Zealand’s most popular longford interview podcast, Between Two Beers. 

Boasting more than four million total downloads and 150,000 monthly listens, Between Two Beers features in-depth conversations with New Zealand’s biggest starts across the fields of sport, business, entertainment and more. Guests include businessman and ex-All Blacks star Marc Ellis, international model Rachel Hunter, prolific broadcaster Jason Gunn, rugby coach extraordinaire Sir Wayne Smith and Olympian Dame Lisa Carrington.

Between Two Beers has signed a multi-year partnership with Acast, who will be the exclusive hosting, distribution and monetization partner for the podcast globally. The partnership will include ad sponsorship opportunities on the audio podcast, video podcast and associated social channels. The video podcast has had more than two million views on YouTube and the hosts have amassed over 10,000 followers across their socials.

Best friends Steve Holloway and Seamus Martin launched the podcast in 2019, armed with only a microphone and laptop in a Hamilton garage. Within five years, the show skyrocketed to the top of the Apple and Spotify charts in New Zealand and won awards for ‘Best Society and Culture Podcast’ at the 2024 New Zealand Radio and Podcast Awards and the ‘Gold Spotlight Award” at the New Zealand Podcast Awards. In 2023, Between Two Beers won ‘Best Episodic Podcast” at the Voyager Media Awards.

Ryan Lamont, Senior Podcast Development Manager at Acast (Australia & New Zealand), says:

“Steve and Seamus are the gold standard in the New Zealand podcast space, having built a huge listenership through their authentic passion for storytelling, commitment to the craft of podcasting and richly detailed research of their guests. It’s a delight to partner with my fellow Hamiltonians as they step into this next chapter of their career as independent podcaster with omnichannel creators with the global support of Acast.”

Between Two Beers co-host Steve Holloway says:

“We’ve had three fantastic years with NZME and are so grateful to everyone there who helped build our show and supported us along the way. Our move to Acast is incredibly exciting for our podcast and business, and we couldn’t be happier with our new home.

This podcast started five years ago, in my Hamilton garage, and what it’s become has eclipsed our wildest dreams. As independent creators, we’re so excited about the opportunities in front of us and where we can take Between Two Beers in 2025 and beyond.

Acast has done an incredible job of supporting us through the move and buying into our vision and will manage our ads and sponsorships — allowing us more time to laugh, cry and say ‘journey’ with the world’s most interesting guests.”

Between Two Beers will continue to release weekly episodes across all major podcasting platforms, alongside a full version of the podcast on YouTube.

SoundStack Appoints Digital Audio Luminary John Morris As Chief Product Officer

SoundStack, the audio-as-a-service (AaaS) announced the appointment of John Morris as Chief Product Officer (CPO). Morris will lead the development of products and features, solidifying SoundStack’s leadership position in podcast/streaming delivery, programmatic advertising, measurement, and more.

“Alongside the incredible growth that SoundStack continues to experience, we never lose sight of the core values that got us here, and we look for people who exemplify them naturally,” said CEO Jon Stephenson. “With over 20 years of not only building world-class streaming/podcasting platforms, ad servers, and programmatic SSP’s, but never thinking twice about rolling up his sleeves to get the job done for a partner, John Morris is accountability and hustle personified.”

Morris is widely-respected in digital audio as an innovator who has architected some of the most robust, cloud-based streaming and podcasting platforms in media. He held many roles at streaming audio and ad tech pioneer Abacast, culminating in the role of CTO and Co-President at the time the company’s acquisition of WideOrbit in 2014. 

At WideOrbit, Morris expanded the company’s digital offerings to include podcasting and later took ownership of and expanded the company’s programmatic supply-side platform, tightly integrating it into his streaming, podcasting and ad serving products. His efforts and vision created new revenue channels for publishers and maximized the value of their inventory.

In 2021, Audacy acquired Morris’s WideOrbit business, rebranding it as AmperWave. He joined Audacy as SVP and GM of AmperWave. During his tenure, Morris consistently grew his business while leading significant technical developments, including the launch of a new programmatic SSP, holistic yield-optimization technologies, and a robust inventory forecasting platform.

“I’m a passionate builder,” Morris explains. “I need to be in a company where everyone is excited to innovate in a way that solves real problems for the digital industry. SoundStack is unrivaled in its passion to life the entire audio market by providing independent solutions and services that put publishers first. I can’t wait to show the worlds some of the incredible tech we’ve got in the works.”

About SoundStack

SoundStack is the audio-as-a-service (AaaS) company for every kind of digital audio business — podcasters, digital broadcasters, platforms, advertisers and more. Giving those businesses equal access to the big tech market makes audio hosting/delivery, monetization and measurement simple and effective for everyone.

Fully independent, the company’s team of 75+ audio tech experts is guided only by what delivers the best results for its 14k+ customers. SoundStack is headquartered in Pittsburg with offices around the country, and is the parent company of Live365.