Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading podcast platform for creators and advertisers, announced an exclusive, multi-year advertising and hosting partnership with renewal with multi-hyphenate Nick Viall, his widely-popular podcast, The Viall Files, and his leading audio-first lifestyle media company, Envy Media, which specializes in pop culture and relationship-themed shows. 

This renewal follows a fiercely competitive bidding season, underscoring Libsyn’s commitment to fueling growth for top-tier creators and independent voices in podcasting.

This milestone marks a pivotal time for Nick and Libsyn, cementing Envy Media as the top pop culture podcast destination for listeners. As one of Libsyn’s most significant deals yet, it extends the successful partnership with Nick and Envy Media over the next three years.

“Speaking on behalf of everyone at Libsyn, we are honored to continue our partnership with The Viall Files and Envy Media,” says Libsyn Ads Chief Revenue Officer Rick Selah. “Nick Viall is the consummate professional in our business, and his group is simply incredible to work with, making it seamless for our sales team to drive successful brand campaigns within their content. We’re ecstatic for the opportunity to continue bringing millions of dollars of revenue to The Vial Files for years to come.”

Nick Viall is a TV personality, award-winning podcast host, and best-selling author. Since appearing on The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Bachelor, and competing on Dancing with The Stars and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Nick has become one of the most well-known talking heads in the dating/relationship and TV space. 

His widely successful weekly, multi-episode podcast, The Viall Files, explores relationships dynamics and reality TV through exclusive interviews with celebrities and reality TV recaps. Since its inception 2019, the show has amassed over 250 million downloads, continuously charts at #1 in Society & Culture and #3 Globally on Apple Podcasts, and last year’s Spotify Wrapped Report named the show in the Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S.. It has also been nominated for a People’s Choice Award and was voted one of the Top 10 Podcasts by the Associate Press.

“Over the last six years, I’ve had the pleasure of having the best job in the world. My mission has been able to the ultimate destination for the things I love: pop culture, relationships, reality TV, and more. The team at Libsyn have been the best partners imagine in helping me reach that goal,” Nick Viall shares. “I’m beyond lucky to have my wife, Natalie, as my co-host, and I’m so excited about Envy’s growing family of hosts, including Katie Maloney, Dayna Kathan, Crystal Minkoff, Cynthia Bailey, and more to be announced soon. Above all, I’m grateful for our household of listeners who make this show possible every day.”

“It is so rare in the entertainment business to find a network that wants to get up every morning and be in the foxhole with you, and I feel so lucky to have found that in Libsyn,”says Byron Ashley of Settebello Entertainment, Viall’s manager and Executive Producer of The Viall Files. “The entire Libsyn team is insanely hard working, extraordinary sophisticated, and above-all, fair and honest, and I could not be more excited to spend the coming years continuing to build with all of them.”

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading podcasting forum for creators and advertisers, announced the appointment of Christopher Avello as Vice President of Marketing. In this role, Avello will lead the company’s marketing strategy, expanding Libsyn’s reach and strengthening engagement across the platform. His appointment is effective immediately, and he will be based in Boston.

“Chris brings deep expertise in audio storytelling, performance marketing, and leadership, making him a valuable addition to Libsyn as we continue to invest in our podcasting platform for creators and advertisers,” Brenden Monaghan, CEO of Libsyn.

“Joining Libsyn at such a dynamic time for podcasting — one of the fastest-growing mediums — is an exciting opportunity,” said Christopher Avello. “Libsyn has established a strong foundation and commitment to empowering podcasters, from independents to established creators and advertisers. I look forward to shaping the marketing strategy to further amplify its influence and impact.”

With over two decades of experience in digital media, marketing, and subscription-based businesses, and the audio story-telling space, Avello brings a proven track record of driving growth and innovation. Most notably, he spent nearly 13 years at Amazon’s Audible, where he led marketing efforts for Audible’s integration with Alexa, Kindle, and Fire devices, as well as spearheaded international expansion effort into new markets such as Australia, Japan, Italy, Canada, and India.

Following his time at Audable, Avello served as Head of Subscriber Experience at Boston Globe Media, where he focused on optimizing the digital subscription journey and enhancing reader engagement.

He then joined Catapult as Vice President of Performance Marketing, where he led marketing strategy for both B2B and B2C initiatives, including the launch of Catapult One, the company’s first direct-to-consumer hardware subscription business. Most recently, he was General Manager of Chirp Books, overseeing strategy and growth for the audiobook marketplace.

About Liberated Syndication

Celebrating our 20th year in podcasting, Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”) is the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers to host, distribute, monetize, amplify, and measure their audio and video content.

The Company hosts more than 70,000 shows and delivers over 2.5 billion downloads annually to listeners globally. Libsyn Ads offers industry industry-leading podcast advertising solutions, serving as a comprehensive ad buying and management offering for creators, advertisers, and agencies to initiate and manage highly targeted campaigns across thousands of shows.

Visit libsyn.com or investor.libsy.com for more information on the Company and the platform it powers.

Liberated Syndication, Inc. (“Libsyn” or the “Company”), the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, issued a reminder that it’s previously announced Tender Offer to purchase shares of its common stock is set to close as scheduled and will not be extended. The Tender Offer was launched to purchase shares for an aggregate price of $10 million at a price per share ranging from $1.10 to $1.60, in $0.10 increments.

The Tender Offer, which commenced on November 13, 2024, is set to expire at 11:59 P.M., Eastern Time, on December 13, 2024. Interested stockholders are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity before the deadline. Shares tendered may be withdrawn at any time prior to the expiration of the Tender Offer. Stockholders who do not wish to participate do not need to take any action.

Pursuant to the Tender Offer, stockholders of the Company may tender all, or a portion of their shares at a price specified by the tendering stockholder (“tender price”) of not less than $1.10 and not more than $1.60 per share, in $0.10 increments. 

Pursuant to the Tender Offer, the Company will first purchase all tendered and not withdrawn shares at the lowest price within the range of prices specified above and will then purchase all tendered and not withdrawn shares at the next highest price within the range of prices specified above (in $0.10 increments) and will continue this process until the company has purchased ip to $10 million in the aggregate of its common stock.

Stockholders will receive their tender price proceeds in cash, subject to applicable withholding (if any) and without interest, for shares tendered at prices equal to or less than the purchasing price, subject to the conditions of the Tender Offer.

The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are detailed in an Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal and annex to that letter have been mailed to the Company’s Stockholders. These documents are available on the Company’s website at www.libsyn.com.  

The Tender Offer will be subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase. To be valid, tenders of shares must be made prior to the expiration date of the Tender Offer period and otherwise in accordance with the instructions for tendering shares set forth in the Offer to Purchase and related Letter of Transmittal.

The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has authorized the Tender Offer. However, none of the Company, the Company’s Board of Directors, the depository or the information agent for the Tender Offer makes any recommendation to stockholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering their shares or as to the price or prices at which stockholders may choose to tender their shares. The Company has not authorized any person to make such recommendation.

Stockholders must make their own decisions as to whether to tender their shares, and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which their shares should be tendered. In doing so, stockholders should read carefully the information contained in, or incorporated by reference in, the Offer to Purchase and in the Letter of Transmittal (as they may be amended or supplemented). Stockholders are urged to discuss their decisions with their own tax advisors, financial advisors and/or brokers.

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced the appointment of Brenden Monaghan as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Mr. Monaghan has also been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors.

A seasoned leader in technology and podcasting, Mr. Monaghan will spearhead Libsyn’s next phase of innovation and expansion. His appointment comes as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary in podcasting, marking a pivotal moment in its history.

Monaghan joins Libsyn from Roda, where he served as CEO, disrupting the car care industry with innovative, on demand technology. He brings extensive podcast industry and leadership experience, having co-founded and served as CEO of Megaphone, a fast-growing podcasting platform that was acquired by Spotify for $235 million just six years after its launch.

Under his leadership, Megaphone delivered a compound annual growth rate in excess of 130%. At Spotify, Monaghan led the global Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business, expanding its podcasting platform into Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions.

“Brendan’s impressive track record in podcasting and high-growth tech companies, combined with his strategic vision and hands-on leadership, makes him the perfect choice to lead Libsyn’s next chapter,” said Patrick Dolan, Chair of the Board of Directors at Libsyn. “With his guidance, we’re confined that Libsyn will accelerate its profitable growth as a market leader, enhancing our content creation services for the next generation of podcasters and expanding our advertising marketplace to bring new engaging content to brand and agency advertisers.”

Mr Monaghan stated, “I am extremely excited to join Libsyn as CEO. Libsyn has an amazing legacy of serving publishers and advertisers alike. I look forward to joining a strong team to build upon Libsyn’s achievements and to significantly drive even greater outcomes.”

Prior to Megaphone, Monaghan was General Manager of Slate Magazine, where he led the publisher to profitability and diversified its revenue streams. Before that, he held business development roles at The Washington Post. Monaghan holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with a focus on Finance, from Duquesne University.

Separately, on October 11, 2024, the Company and all parties to the Registration Rights Agreement (the “RRA”) dated June 3, 2021, entered into a Waiver Agreement (the “Waiver Agreement”). The Company entered into the RRA in connection with an equity financing completed in 2021, which provided participants in the equity financing a right to Registration Delay Payments in the event certain conditions were not met by the company. 

Under the Waiver Agreement, each participant in the 2021 equity financing waived its rights to all Registration Delay Payments for all periods after January 1, 2025.

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

“With AI and deepfakes raising concerns about content integrity, podcasting remains a trusted medium for listeners and advertisers alike, supported by new tools that ensure brand safety and suitability. We’ve always prioritized brand safety across our platform and our recent partnership with Barometer reinforces this commitment by providing real-time, continuous verification of brand suitability for every episode in our marketplace. This gives the advertisers confidence that their message aligns with content that reflects their values across our extensive podcast network,” said Rick Selah, Chief Revenue Officer of Libsyn.

September 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 creator, advertisers, and agencies. The Company releases the figures to empower podcaster and advertiser communities to readily monitor the market pricing and provide greater insight into podcasting advertising as a monetization vehicle. The data is derived from actual sales across Libsyn’s Ads’ network of thousands of shows.

For September 2024, the average CPM rate for a 60-second ad spot was $21.37. This represents a slight increase compared to the previous month’s CPM rate of $21.36 in August 2024. However, the September 2024 CPM rate was below the prior year September 2023 CPM rate of $22.84.

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

Government: $31

Technology: $29

Health & Fitness: $24

The three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audiences at more accessible CPM rates include Kids & Family, Sports, and History, which averaged around the high teens to low 20s in September.

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’s 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: https://advertising.libsyn.com/podcast-advertisng rates.

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.

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

“With the holiday season just around the corner, it is time for brands and agencies to incorporate podcast advertising into their festive marketing plans. Podcast hosts create an environment ripe for influence and discovery among their engaged listeners. 

As rising podcast audiences celebrate, decorate, host, travel, donate, and shop, marketers should embrace the valuable podcast ad opportunities to capture the holiday spirit, boost marketing efforts, and drive consumer action. 

With peak seasonal rates around Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday in November, followed by holiday shopping in December, now is the ideal time to invest in podcasts to achieve unmatched brand recall, positive brand sentiment, and broad, scalable reach,” said Rick Selah, Chief Revenue Officer of Libsyn.

July 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 data across Libsyn Ads’ network of thousands of shows.

For July 2024, the average CPM rate for a 60-second ad spot was $21.90. This represents a very slight decrease compared to the previous month’s CPM rate of $21.92 in June of 2024. The July 2024 CPM rate was also slightly below the prior year July 2023 CPM rate of $21.96.

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

Technology: $30

Government: $26

Business: $23

Moreover, three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audiences at more accessible CPM rates include Health & Fitness, Comedy, and Education, which averaged around the high teens to low 20s in July.

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 capabilities, and brand safety and suitability tools.

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

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

“The time is now to leverage the unique seasonal opportunity that summer presents for podcast advertising. Summer is a powerful window for brands to reach and connect with valuable audiences in their screenless moments. As audiences embrace the outdoors and travel — so too should the ads,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer of Libsyn.

“Summer’s leisurely pace encourages longer, uninterrupted listening, leading to higher ad recall and conversion rates. To maximize relevance and engagement, advertisers should align campaigns with summer themes like travel, outdoor adventures, seasonal sales, and back-to-school.”

June 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 data across Libsyn Ads’ network of thousands of shows.

For June 2024, the average CPM rate for a 60-second ad spot was $21.90, which represents an increase compared with the May 2024 CPM of $21.63. The June 2024 CPM rate was slightly below the prior year June 2023 CPN in June.

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: https://advertising.libsyn.com/podcast-advertising-rates

Libsyn Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, shared insights from its 2024 IAB Podcast Upfronts presentation and released its May 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates, including the highest and most accessible CPM categories.

IAB Podcast Upfront Takeaways

At the 2024 IAB Podcast Upfronts, held last month in New York City, creators, brands, agencies and media buyers convened to discuss the state of podcast advertising and preview the latest in talent and tech. After years of double-digit increases, podcast advertising posted a modest revenue increase of 5% to $1.9 billion in 2023. That said, podcasting is projected to more than double its 2023 ad revenue growth rate (+12%) in 2024 and reach nearly $2.6B by 2026, according to IAB & PwC’s U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study.

Libsyn Ads, the world’s premier podcast advertising network, was among the podcasting innovators that took the IAB stage with its esteemed partners: Liz Alesse, Vice President, ABC Audio, ABC News, and Nick Viall, Host, The Viall Files. Here are some key takeaways from Libsyn’s “The Magic of Podcasting: How Brands are Finding Success with the Right Partners” panel:

Nick Viall Bets Big on Podcasting: Nick underscored his confidence in the podcasting space and discussed his ambition to leverage his successful podcast, “The Viall Files,” as a springboard to launch a full-fledged media company. Announced earlier this year, Envy Media is his new audio-first lifestyle brand centered on pop culture, reality TV, and relationship-themed shows.

ABC Audio Leans in to Storytelling: For ABC, diving into the podcast space was an obviouscnhoice due to the unique creative freedom and flexibility the medium offers. ABC Audio is collaborating with ABC News, the Walt Disney Company, and other properties to lean in to innovative storytelling — deliberately avoiding traditional storytelling techniques from other mediums and tapping the very best podcast audio storytellers that they can find. And after years of success, they’re only just beginning to scratch the storytelling surface of their extensive IP and archives they have access to.

Nick Viall Believes in Vodcasting’s Power: Nick emphasized the importance of the visual element of his podcast, noting that he always has considered both audio and video equally to be crucial from the start. Vodcasting offers a clear advantage by allowing shows like his to market themselves and expand their reach through short clips shared on social media. Fans also create their own clips to share on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, leading to an episode with nearly 2 million downloads generating 1.4 billion impressions across the internet. And with that reach, more advertisers are seeing the clear ROI.

ABC Audio Adapts to Changing Consumption Habits: With changing consumption habits, ABC Audio offers shows like “Start Here,” a thoughtful daily news podcast hosted by Brad Mielke that covers top stories of the day in 20 minutes. They also produce “FiveThirtyEight Politics,” a niche podcast that takes a scientific approach to breaking down the latest political developments. There’s a lot of political content that advertisers may shy away from, but shows like this are very data-driven and unbiased – i.e. brand suitable and investment worthy.

May 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates

The following rates, which are denoted as cost per thousand or CPM, are published monthly by Libsyn Ads, which provide 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 data across Libsyn Ads’ network of thousands of shows.

For May 2024, the average CPM rate was $21.63 for a 60-second ad spot. That figure is slightly lower than last month (April 2024 avg. CPM rate: $21.89), and the same month last year (May 2023 avg. CPM rate: $23.34).

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

Technology: $27

Business: $25

Education: $24

Moreover, three categories where advertisers can effectively tap into highly engaged audiences at more accessible CPM rates include Arts, Fiction, and TV & Film, which averaged around the high teens to low 20s in May.

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. Historically monthly CPM rates can be found at the Libsyn Ads website at: https://advertising.libsyn.com/podcast-advertising-rates.