Adelicious To Represent Hurst UK’s Podcast Offering

Hearst UK has partnered with the UK’s leading independent podcast hosting platform Adelicious in a deal that will see both its current slate of shows, and future launches, monetized via the platform.

Publishing powerhouse Hearst UK is home to some of the best-loved and trusted media brands. It’s podcasting offering bring the same success to audio, with high-quality and entertaining content that listeners love. The collaboration with Adelicious will initially focused on on the Runner’s World UK and best’s Suddenly Single podcast, with additional currently in the planning stage.

Runner’s World UK podcast: A staple since February 2018, this weekly podcast enjoys a loyal audience of running enthusiasts. Hosted by Runner’s World UK editors Rick Pearson and Ben Hobson, the show offers an engaging mix of news, tips and interviews with notable figures in running. Previous guests include actor Stephen Mangan, marathon legend Paula Radcliffe, and trail running icon Kilian Jornet.

Best’s Suddenly Single: Presented by Tim Vincent and Editor-in-Chief of best magazine, Siobhan Wykes, this weekly podcast explores how it feels to be suddenly single — yet again. They chat with their celebrity mates about their dating disasters, share hilarious and heartfelt stories, and offer expert advice on finding “the one” in this entertaining guide to navigating single hood.

Adelicious will represent Hearst UK’s podcasts commercially, connecting their podcast content with advertisers and supporting the monetisation and growth of Hearst UK’s podcast portfolio.

Craig Eastwood, Commercial Operations Director at Adelicious, said: “Hearst’s UK roster of iconic brands has set the standard for quality journalism and journalism and storytelling for decades and their podcast offering is no exception. From the inspiring conversations on Runner’s World to the whitty and relatable insights of best’s Suddenly Single, this shows present unique opportunities for advertisers to reach passionate and dedicated audiences. We are proud to bring Hearst UK’s podcasts into the Adelicious network and look forward to working with them on both these shows and some exciting new launches coming soon.”

Anna Bickerton, Platform Partnerships Lead at Heart UK said: “Our aim is to deliver world-class audio content that engages, inspires, and entertains our audiences. Working with Adelicious allows us to scale up our ambitions for these podcasts, taping into their industry-leading expertise to both unlock and maximize commercial opportunities and deliver even greater value to our listeners.”

Australian Audio Networks Develop Unified Digital Audio ID

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has used its annual audio showcase event HEARD to announce the launch of a unified digital audio ID.

The CRA Audio ID will simplify the way marketers buy digital audio with inventory from local broadcasters ARN, Nine, Nova and Southern Cross Austereo.

The unified digital audio ID will enable additional capabilities alongside CRA members’ existing programmatic offerings and is designed to deliver cross network campaign optimization through improved management of reach and frequency and enhanced targeting capabilities enabling marketers to achieve greater scale and enhanced efficiency in their digital audio strategy.

Speaking at HEARD, CRA, CEO Lizzie Young, noted the explosive growth in audio and said the announcement was another sign of the medium’s focus on digital transformation and making the medium easy to access for brands.

“We are in the midst of a digital audio boom across the Australian market,” said Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA. “We have our highest audiences in the last twenty years, the shift to digital consumption continues to grow as a portion of the overall audience but our revenue is yet to match our audience.”

“According to the latest Infinite Dial resect five times more Australians are listening to radio than ad-supported Spotify yet we know we underperform in the total addressable digital audio ad market.”

“This unified digital audio ID will make it easier for advertisers to achieve a more seamless buy, unlock better targeting and superior campaign results across Australia’s local and biggest ad supported audio players.”

The CRA Audio ID will launch in June with streaming audio, podcasting will follow along with additional data partnerships.

Young noted CRA’s strategy was to develop solutions which leverage world class technology to make audio say to buy as a key driver in developing the new unified digital audio ID solution along with considerations around privacy.

“We believe the launch of the CRA Audio ID is an important milestone in our digital transformation. It will enable better outcomes for marketers and sets a course for audios future as an effective and easy to buy medium.”

Partnering with GfK has also ensured seamless integration with their Radio 360 audience measurement system and provides the foundation for the industry to leverage new technology capabilities to improve the way audio is traded for the benefit of brands and customers.

BBC Studios Expands Partnership With Digitize New Media

BBC LogoBBC Studios, producer and global distributor of innovative and world-class audio content from the BBC, has expanded its partnership with leading digital advertising company Digitize to represent BBC’s podcasts to the advertising market in Ireland.

Digitize has a longstanding partnership with BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, selling inventory across online and video platforms. The expanded deal will see Digitize also represent hundreds of hours of premium BBC podcasts in the market.

The BBC is one of the largest producers of audio in the world with a range of premium podcasts that are widely listened to by audiences in Ireland, including BBC Global News Podcast, Football Daily, The Infinite Monkey Cage and the current hit Stakeknife. Last year, a dedicated audio division was created in BBC Studios, paving the way for the company to fully realize the commercial opportunities in the global audio market.

Louise la Grange, SVP, BBC Audio, Digital News and Streaming BBC Studios, said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Digitize to represent BBC podcasts in Ireland’s ad market. This deal will introduce our world-class audio catalogue including World of Secrets, Cover, and You’re Dead to Me to new advertisers in Ireland, where Digitize has a proven track record of representing premium content. For brands who want the very best of BBC audiences, we will have even greater capabilities to incorporate BBC podcasts in campaigns across the rest of the BBC Studios portfolio.”

Ronan O’Loughlin, Commercial Director, Digitize, said: “Our team is so excited to be partnering with BBC Studios to offer their incredible audio content to the Irish market. The Irish are one of the biggest consumers of podcasts globally and are very discerning in their tastes, and advertisers are constantly looking for quality, trustworthy content with which to align their brand messaging. BBC Studios and Digitize are delighted to be able to join forces to offer this huge opportunity to advertisers.”

As the commercial arm of the BBC Group, BBC Studios is responsible for the international distribution and monetization of the BBC’s unrivaled catalogue of premium audio originals across news, technology, sports, travel, science, true crime, food, finance and more. The newly created BBC Studios audio division is now home to one of the largest audio production companies in Europe, as well as the international distributor BBC audio content. BBC podcasts are widely available to listeners wherever you get your podcasts.

Wondery Extends Relationship With Wow In the World

Trailblazing podcast studio Wondery, and audio-first children’s media company, Tinkercast, extended their deal to continue establishing top kids & family podcast Wow in the World, a the first 360° franchise originating from a podcast.

Under the extended deal, Wondery has exclusive distribution, merchandise, ad sales, and YouTube distribution rights for Wow in the World and all Wow in the World-branded podcasts, including WeWow and Two Whats?! And a Wow! In addition to distributing new episodes of Wow in the World and it podcast extension, Wondery+ will continue to release new episodes ad-free and one week early.

Created by Tinkercast and hosted by renowned podcast pioneers and New York Times-bestselling children’s book authors Guy Ray and Mindy Thomas, Wow in the World is a beloved part of family routines everywhere.

In 2025, Wow in the World celebrates its 10th season with special guest appearances, mash-ups with other well-known characters and celebrities, and brand new WOW episodes for its most “bonkerball” season yet! This Fall will also see the release of Wow in the World’s landmark 250th episode, which will be a special musical episode.

Wow in the World is hitting the road this year with the return of Make It Wow! live tour . Hosted by Mindy Thomas and Carly Q. Ciarrocchi (Who, When, Wow: Mystery Edition), Make It Wow! Is a fact-paced science-packed, laughter-inducing, interactive live game show where real kids are the stars. The tour kicks off in Bethesda, MD on March 29 before heading to Denver, CO in April 6. Additional cities and dates will be announced in the coming months.

Wow in the World fans can also look forward to the latest release from the franchise’s #1 New York Times-bestselling book series. Releasing this October from HarperCollins, the new book, Dinosaurs Are Wow: A Roaring Thunder of Prehistoric Wonder, will transport readers back to a prehistoric world filled with colossal creatures, dense jungle, and explosive volcanoes. Packed with eye-popping illustrations, quizzes, jokes, astounding facts, and more, this book is reader’s ticket to a roaring adventure through time!

Building off last year’s momentum across toys, books, and live events, Wondery will further expand the Wow in the World line of STEM toys and figurines — the first every toy line based on a podcast — to deliver more moments of that WOW! 

The Wow in the World toy line made its retail debut in Fall 2024 with a range of STEM toys, figurines , and more that connect laughter to learning and children to the world around them. These timeless toys and play patterns were reimagined for today’s kids by leveling up their play via unique features and companion audio recorded by Wow in the World hosts Guy Raz & Mindy Thomas  — an industry first for a toy line.

“The Introduction of the first-of-its-kind Wow in the World toy line last year reinforced how well the podcasts complement families’ daily routines, including playtime,” said Nicole Blake, Chief Brand Officer at Wondery. “As we continue to work with the team at Tinkercast to elevate and evolve the Wow in the World franchise, we are looking to collaborate with partners who create innovative products that spark kids’ curiosity and provide new ways for them to engage with the IP beyond the podcast.”

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!