Amaze Media Labs Unveils The Branded Audience Growth Network

~ jen

Amaze Media Labs is proud to announce the launch of its groundbreaking Branded Audience Growth Network, a cutting-edge solution designed to help companies dramatically increase podcast listenership through a combination of targeted contextual advertising and proprietary technology. This innovation platform identifies listeners who perfectly align with a brand’s desired demographic for their own podcast, offering unparalleled precision and reach.

“Since introducing our first audience growth tool years ago, we’ve relentlessly refined our approach in collaboration with leading brands and podcast agencies,” said Brett Sklar, Co-Founder of Amaze Media Labs. “With the Branded Audience Growth Network, we’ve supercharged what was already the industry’s most effective podcast growth engine for branded content. The results speak for themselves — transforming corporate podcasts into market-leading shows is now easier than ever.”

The Branded Audience Growth Network enables brands to amplify their podcast episodes across Amaze Media Labs’ premium publisher network, delivering impressions and plays alongside contextually relevant articles. This ensures seamless alignment between a podcast’s content and its ideal audience, enhancing engagement and listener acquisition.

What sets this solution apart is the added precision in targeting. Brands and corporations can tailor campaigns based on industry, job titles, demographics, and even specific zip codes, ensuring that their podcast reaches the audience most critical to their marketing objectives.

“Our clients’ top request has always been the ability to reach key decision-makers with pinpoint accuracy,” said Robert Tuchman, Co-Founder of Amaze Media Labs. “With the Branded Audience Growth Network, we’ve developed the ultimate tool for audience development, perfectly suited for branded podcasts that focus on B2B sales, brand awareness, and thought leadership.”

About Amaze Media Labs

Founded in 2020 by Robert Tuchman and Brett Sklar, Amaze Media Labs was created to help brands thrive in the evolving world of community engagement through podcasts. The company offers a comprehensive platform that includes branded podcasts and audience development tools like the Branded Audience Growth Network and Audiencelift. Clients include major brands such as Dell Technologies, Wells Fargo, Pfizer, MetLife, Unilever, BetMGM, Ford Motor Company, and more than thirty Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit amazemedialabs.com.

Podcast One Names Steve Lehman Vice Chairman

~ jen

PodcastOne, a leading on demand pure play podcast platform offering a 360-degree turnkey solution, including content creation, brand integration and distribution, announced the appointment of Steve Lehman as its Vice Chairman, focusing on helping PodcastOne drive both organic and inorganic growth opportunities, as well as advising PodcastOne’s senior management with regard to PodcastOne’s mergers and acquisitions efforts and overall strategy and increasing its shareholder value.

Lehman will leverage his extensive background in business and finance, having headed both Nasdaq and NYSE companies, as well as start-up businesses in the media, entertainment, and tech industries.

“We are pleased to welcome Steve Lehman to PodcastOne. His unique knowledge of content and media, and his successful track record and history in merger, roll-up, and consolidation, perfectly aligns with PodcastOne’s strategy and vision for its long-term growth. We continue to launch new revenue channels with high margins atop of our existing strong infrastructure, and we look forward to leveraging Steve’s experience, leaning into his expertise and relationships as PodcastOne further builds its global brand,” said PodcastOne President and Co-Founder, Kit Gray.

Lehman has extensive experience on both boards, and advisory boards, with companies including Vymedic Biotech, Valkyrie Bitcoin ETF (Nasdaq), CoFoundersLab, DocuSign, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, Code and multiple other start-ups to series A companies.

Lehman was a first round investor in Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com, a partner in merchant bank Broadstream Capital Partners, and a seasoned investor, entrepreneur, and lifelong business leader. Lehman was the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the largest radio network in the US, Premiere Networks (Nasdaq), which is now part of iHeartRadio’s empire of audio companies.

Australian Podcast Survey PodPoll 24 Returns

~ jen

Australian Production house Deadset Studios and leading market research agency Insightfully announce the return of PodPoll: Australia’s podcast insights survey which delves into the podcast listening behaviors of Australians.

PodPoll 24 launches on Wed. 25 September via webinar, with presenting partner ABC listen, hosted by the ABC’s award-winning podcast host Marc Fennell and includes an in-depth presentation by Deadset Studios’ podcast strategist Kellie Riordan and Insightfully’s opinion researcher Leanne White.

PodPoll 24 demonstrates podcast have become a staple in the media diet of Australians. The survey data sheds light in emerging trends and several untapped opportunities in the podcasting landscape.

Deadset Studios Director Kellie Riordan says this is a huge opportunity for media houses, marketers and brands. “PodPoll 24 shows there’s still a significant gap to fill with podcast content tailored to their needs and desires.”

Insightfully Managing Director Leanne White added: “PodPoll 24 reveals millions are now listening each day and that there’s a huge opportunity for new content in lifestyle, health, comedy, and more.”

PodPoll 24 covers:

Which content genre are the most popular, as well as which genre are under-served

Generational differences in podcast consumption

Time spent listening via hours and number of episodes each week

Trends on branded podcasts and host-read ads

Trends on what people are doing while listening.

Wed 25 September 2024 – 12 noon (AEST) – Via webinar registration 

New York Festivals 2025 Radio Awards Open For Entries

~ jen

The New York Festivals 2025 Radio Awards competition is officially open for submissions. 

The New York Festivals Radio Awards offer a platform to celebrate creative storytellers from around the world. For 67 years, NYF has recognized both innovation and exceptional quality in broadcast audio content across all genres and platforms since 1957.

“This year, we are thrilled to announce the debut of multiple new categories for fiction and nonfiction reflecting the ways today’s audio storytellers are encouraging audiences everywhere to tun in and stay engaged,” said Rose Anderson, EVP and Executive Director, New York Festivals. “They join our existing categories for Sound Art, Audio Books, Podcasts, and Social Justice.”

Always at the forefront of the evolving global landscape of audio content creation, the 2025 Radio Awards has kept pace with global industry trends and introduced seven exciting new categories further showcasing the wide range of talent and creativity that drives the industry.

The Pop Culture Documentary category highlights and celebrates creative radio documentaries that capture today’s trends.

New in Entertainment, the Anthology Program category shines a spotlight on engaging curated audio collections. Digital Anthology will showcase the diverse audio selections encompassing digital media. Anthology Podcasts honor expansive works featuring unique voices united by a common theme or purpose. Audiobooks transports listeners into new worlds, the new Audio Book Technical Production Team category celebrates innovative contributions in the industry.

On Air Talent categories set the stage for honoring captivating top-tier audio talent, new categories for 2025 include Program Host and Sports Anchor/Analyst.

Since 2023, The National Press Club, the World’s Leading Professional Organization for Journalists, has partnered with the New York Festivals to honor the highest scoring news program across the Coverage for Breaking News Story, Coverage of Ongoing News Story, Nonfiction Series, Investigative Journalism Podcast, and News Podcast categories. 

For 2024, Murder in Boston: The Untold Story of the Charles and Carol Stuart Shooting, produced by The Boston Globe and presented by The Boston Globe and HBO Documentary Films, was recognized by New York Festivals with the 2024 National Press Club Award in the Investigative Journalism Podcast category.

NFY Radio Grand Awards for 2024 went to the following programs: The Beatles’ Legacy: Red and Blue by Howlett Media Productions Ltd. for Music, Hamlet Noir from Almost Tangible for Drama, and Bloodlines by CBC Podcasts, BBC Asian Network, BBC Sounds for Narrative/Documentary Podcast. The 2025 winner will be announced this April during the 2025 Storytellers Gala.

New York Festivals honored the 2024 competition’s award-winning entries at the 2024 Storytellers Gala virtual event on April 16th. The virtual event included global audio highlights, award winners’ acceptance speeches from around the world, and up-close and personal spotlights featuring some of radio’s most respected storytellers.

Award-winning entries for 2025 will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery.

The entry deadline for the 2025 Radio Awards competition is January 31, 2025.

Sport Social Gets Three New Official Football Club Podcasts

~ jen

Europe’s largest sport-dedicated podcast network, Sport Social, has secured three new podcast partnerships with major football clubs Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa.

The new shows join a formidable repertoire of over 500 podcasts hosted by the network, including The Official Man City Podcast and the award-winning The Anfield Wrap.

The partnerships are a testament to the increasing number of rights holders that are looking to utilize podcasting to provide loyal fans with exclusive and in-depth access to their favorite team, players and sport. Creating opportunities for long-form audio, video, and live content outside of traditional media platforms, major sports clubs are able to utilize podcasting to connect with their fans in a new and meaningful way.

Having launched at the start of August, Potters’ Pod: The Official Stoke City Podcast marked the first of the new podcasts to join the network. Hosted by television presenter and nationally renowned content creator Rob Adcock, the podcast offers fans exclusive long-form interviews with first time players, getting under their skin to reveal more of their personalities than ever before and tell their own stories. Its first episode features recent signing Viktor Johansson as well as co-host former Stoke City Striker Chris Iwelumo.

Sport Social has also strengthened its existing relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The network, which already supports the club with the production of its short-form news updates Wolves Express, is now working closely with host, match-day commentator and fan favorite Mikey Burrows to relaunch Wolves Weekly as the fresh and renewed The Official Wolves Podcast. Launched on the 15th August, the show provides fans with in-depth discussion and debates around their favorite team.

Rounding off the network’s recent success is its brand new partnership with Aston Villa, whose podcast The Official Aston Villa Podcast, launched on the 6th of September. Hosted by Alan McInally and Kate Tracey, the show will feature special guests including star players, coaches and club legends. It’s first episode will see summer signing Amadou Onana reacting to the club’s Champions League draw — the Villains’ first ever foray into the competition.

The partnerships come at a time of significant growth for Sport Social, which currently boasts 10 million monthly downloads across its shows. Aston Villa, Stoke City, and Wolverhampton Wanderers will join an impressive list of rights holders already working with the network, including the likes of World Athletics, Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United.

Thomas Holdcroft, Head of Marketing and Communications at Stoke City FC, celebrated the partnership: “The launch of Potters’ Pod is an integral part of our endeavors to elevate our content offering for our supporters to be proud of and enjoy.

“We are working really positivity with the Sport Social team on creating something that tells the authentic stories of well known Potters, and helps our fans to get to know the person behind the player in every episode.”

Jim Salverson, Sport Social’s Director of Sport, added: “It’s a pleasure to be joining forces with Stoke City and Aston Villa, and to be expanding our work with Wolves. All three clubs understand the potential of podcasting for building those crucial connections with their fans, and for giving them the content that they want. It’s great to be able to work with them to help make the most of these opportunities and create strong, engaging content that resonates deeply with its audience. I look forward to seeing the shows grow over the coming weeks.”

Podcast Discovery Announces New PR Hire

~ jen

Leading podcast marketing agency, Podcast Discovery, announces a new addition to its publicity team.

Taking on the role of PR and Outreach Executive, Rebecca Adams will lead on publicity for the company’s podcast clients. Rebecca has a production background starting off as a producer for radio and television in Australia. She moved to London in 2018, working on projects for Bauer, Global News UK, and a variety of podcasts including titles from Netflix.

Rebecca also has had much success generating coverage and growing awareness for a wide range of celebrities across the entertainment press. Podcast Discovery is looking forward to letting her loose on our clients’ talent and guests to fly the flag for their brilliant work.

Here is what Rebecca has got to say about taking on the role: “I am beyond excited to start working with the team. With my experience in broadcast and PR, I look forward to using my skills and relationships to take our podcast clients to the next level and help grow their audiences.”

Co-founders, Matt Hill and Matt Deegan say: “Podcast Discovery’s had a brilliant 18 months, working with a diverse range of clients from The Economist and Politico, to All3Media and Crooked. As a full-service agency we work across social, video, paid and press. We’re excited Rebecca’s joining the team to help work with our clients’ shows to get the coverage that they deserve.”

Libsyn Ads Unveils August 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates

~ jen

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced its August 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates, including the highest and most accessible CPM categories.

“Podcast advertising in August 2024 presents a pivotal opportunity for brands and agencies to drive meaningful engagement. With 88% of podcast audiences describing their listening experience as deeply meaningful, the CPM rates underscore the tremendous value of reaching attentive consumers,” said Rick Selah, Chief Revenue Officer of Libsyn. 

“Listeners also feel a genuine, intimate connection with podcasters as more influential than social media or entertainment figures, this shift opens a significant opportunity for brands. The trust and intimacy that podcasters cultivate create a unique bond, positioning them as some of the most impactful creators of our time.”

August 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates

The following rates, which are denoted as cost per thousand or CPM, are published monthly by Libsyn Ads, which provides comprehensive podcast advertising solutions for creators, advertisers, and agencies. The Company releases the figures to empower the podcaster and advertiser communities to readily monitor market pricing and provide greater insight into podcasting advertising as a monetization vehicle. The data is derived from actual sales across Libsyn Ads’ network of thousands of shows.

For August 2024, the average CPM rate for a 60-second ad spot was $21.25. This represents a minor decrease compared to the previous month’s CPM rate of $21.93 in July 2024. The August 2024 CPM rate was also marginally below the prior year August 2023 CPM rate of $22.10.

The three highest CPM categories in August based on delivered advertising were:

Government: $29

Technology: $29

Health & Fitness: $24

The three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audiences at more than accessible CPM rates include True Crime, Sports, and Fiction, which averaged around the high teens to low 20s in August.

Moreover, Edison Research’s latest True Crime Consumer Report reveals that the genre captivates an estimated 119 million American podcast listeners, ranking as the third most listented-to genre among weekly podcast audiences.

Selah continued, “As we head into fall, popular genres like True Crime, Sports, and Fiction are set to perform exceptionally well, with True Crime remaining a standout. Our exclusive offerings, like the ABC Audio True Crime bundle, give brands a unique opportunity to tap into this dedicated fanbase and maximize their impact. And with the kickoff of the pro football, basketball and hockey seasons, along with growing interest in Fiction, fall presents a prime moment for advertisers to connect with highly engaged audiences.”

Libsyn Ads is the top one-stop destination for brands and agencies to access high quality brand-safe, engaging podcast content at scale. With hundreds of exclusive podcasts and thousands of participating shows, advertisers can tap into Libsyn Ads’ highly sought-after podcast advertising inventory, as well as benefit from its unmatched specialist expertise, advanced targeting solutions, outcome-based measurement capabilities, and brand safety and suitability tools. 

Historical monthly CPM rates can be found on the Libsyn Ads website at http://advertising.libsyn.com/podcast-advertising rates.

Magellan AI Introduces Reach Lift Measurement Product

~ jen

Magellan AI, the leading audio intelligence and measurement company announces the launch of Reach Lift. This first-of-its-kind podcast measurement product brings advertisers unprecedented visibility into reach-related campaign performance, transforming how they assess and optimize their podcast ads investments. 

Wondery, a premium podcast network, with over 55 #1 podcasts on Apple, collaborated with Magellan AI Reach Lift for the initial launch of the product.

Reach Lift offers comprehensive, unduplicated reach insights for podcast campaigns within their broader digital media mix. This innovative produce gives advertisers access to reach-related performance metrics, and highlights opportunities for optimizing reach across podcast shows, empowering advertisers to make insights-driven planning and optimization decisions before, during, and after a campaign.

“We’re trilled to work with Wondery to bring Reach Lift to Advertisers,” said Jim Ballas, Head of Publisher Partnerships at Magellan AI. “Our advanced analytics platform, combined with Wonder’s premium content network, creates a powerful solution for advertisers seeking to optimize their podcast campaigns and find new, unreached audiences.”

Key features of Magellan AI Reach Lift include:

Comprehensive view of total campaign reach across advertisers’ podcast and total digital audio and video buy

Unique reach delivered by the campaign

Incremental reach delivered by a podcast network

Cost per unique tech across the total digital audio and video campaign

Identification of top shows in the Wondery network for reach-based optimization and planning support.

Alyson Sprague, Head of Ad Measurement at Wondery, added, “Magellan AI Reach Lift provides advertisers with greater visibility into total campaign reach, and the role of podcast ads in a total digital media mix. We are excited to collaborate with Magellan for the launch of this innovative product, helping advertisers reach new, relevant audiences across the Wondery network.”

This product marks a significant advancement in podcast advertising measurement, providing marketers with the best-in-class tools they need to make data-driven decisions and optimize their digital audio and video advertising strategies.

For more information about Magellan AI Reach Lift, visit https://www.magellan.ai

About Magellan AI

Magellan AI is the all-in-one platform for podcast advertising intelligence, media planning, and measurement. Magellan AI has created the world’s largest database of podcast advertising data, covering 50,000 podcasts. Advertiser and agency media buyers rely on Magellan AI’s podcast media planning and measurement platform to discover, connect with, and analyze the performance of podcasts, streaming audio, and YouTube.

Publishers trust Magellan AI to grow ad sales with intelligence and performance measurement, drive content acquisition, and streamline ad ops. Learn more at https://magellan.ai

The Impact Of Podcasts Report Released

~ jen

CoHost, a leading provider of podcast analytics and audience insights created by Quill Podcast Agency, and Sounds Profitable, a renowned podcast industry trade organization, are excited to announce the release of their latest research report, “The Impact of Branded Podcasts”.

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the current branded podcast landscape, offering insights directly from 50 brands in podcasting.

Key Findings:

Thought Leadership: Podcasts have proven to be a powerful tool for establishing thought leadership, with 76% of brands prioritizing this objective with their audio strategies. Additionally, 46% of respondents view podcasts as a more effective medium for establishing thought leadership than other marketing channels.

Resource Allocation: Many brands dedicate substantial budgets to podcasting, with 18% investing over $100,000 annually. Despite this, resource challenges, including time and personnel, remain a top concern for 58% of respondents.

High Satisfaction: An impressive 90% of brands expressed satisfaction with their podcast’s performance, highlighting the medium’s effectiveness in achieving marketing objectives.

Strategic Support Needs: 42% of brands feel underserved in podcast marketing and competitor research, presenting opportunities for industry innovation and support.

CEO and Founder of CoHost and Quill, Fatima Zaidi states, “Podcasts are a crucial element of strategic communication. “The Impact of Branded Podcasts” report explores how brands use podcasts to build communities, generate sales, and establish thought leadership. Gone are the days of inauthentic marketing, customers want stories and connections – podcasts provide that.”

Tom Webster, Partner at Sounds Profitable adds his biggest takeaway from the report, sharing “One thing that struck me was how many regulated industries (healthcare, financial services, pharmaceuticals, etc.) have found the benefit of branded podcast — they are a great way to show your customers that the people behind the brands support them, and aren’t just trying to sell them.”

“The Impact of Branded Podcasts” report serves as a valuable resource for marketers and brand strategists, providing actionable insights into opportunities and challenges branded podcasts present. It delves into the benefits of podcasts, from thought leadership to lead generation, offers guidance on how brands can navigate the complexities of podcast production and marketing and breaks down how brands invest in audio.

The Impact of Branded Podcasts Report is now available for download. For more information and to access the full report, visit the CoHost website.

Mamamia Announces Georgie Nichols As Chief Revenue Officer

~ jen

Mamamia announced the appointment of Georgie Nichols as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).

Georgie Nichols joins Mamamia with over 25 years experience across Media, Marketing and Agency teams including National Sales Director at Seven West Media, General Manager at Carat and Media Director at Telstra.

Nichols is an award winning leader who will lead the Mamamia sales team and set the strategic commercial direction for revenue and partnership growth. Nichols will be a member of the Executive Leadership team which also consists of newly appointed Zara Curtis (Chief Content Officer), Luca Lavigne (Chief Operations and Product Officer), Riley O’Neill (Chief Financial Officer), Mia Freedman (Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder) and Jason Lavigne (Executive Chair & Co-Founder).

Natalie Harvey, CEO, said: “We took our time, searching far and wide to find the perfect leader for our Sales team and to join our Executive Leadership Team. This role was the missing piece of our puzzle and we were looking for the best of the best. As we launch hard into the new era at Mamamia, we needed someone who was entrepreneurial, curious & strategic, commercially strong, had strong relationships in market and was an exceptional leader. Basically, we were looking for a unicorn and we found her.

Georgie has all of this attributes & more. Her passion for leading people while creating and nurturing client & agency relationships as well as her enormous engine and infectious energy is inspiring. Her undeniable strengths combined with the ambition and the momentum of Mamamia is a perfect match. She is the best people & commercial leader I have ever worked with and I can’t wait to see her make magic at Mamamia.”

Georgie Nichols said “Working for a media brand whose purpose you are passionate about with an incredible leadership team focused on sustainable growth is my definition of THE Dream. Mamamia’s core purpose is to make the world a better place for women and girls and with one of the strongest leaderships teams in the country, my dream is about to become a reality!”

Mia, Jason and the entire Mamamia team have done an incredible job building Australia’s largest independent women’s media brand over the last 16 years. I am so excited to join them alongside media powerhouse and newly appointed CEO Natalie Harvey, and creative and brand extraordinaire and Chief of Content Officer Zara Curtis to help continue to drive the brand forward. I can’t wait to get started!”