Megaphone

Immediate Media Co Joins Megaphone And The Spotify Audience Network

~ jen

Immediate Media Co, the special interest content and platform company, has announced a partnership with Spotify’s Megaphone to host its award-winning podcast portfolio. From March 2023, Immediate Media’s podcast shows will be hosted and monetized through Spotify’s enterprise podcasting platform, Megaphone.

Megaphone is the industry-leading podcasting platform for enterprise publishers and professional podcasters globally as it offers a comprehensive set of tools that enable publishers to publish, monetise, and grow their podcast businesses. With 489 million MAUs, Spotify is the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service. In the UK, Spotify reaches more than half of the online population.

As the UK’s leading publisher podcast producer, Immediate’s output includes the HistoryExtra podcast – which recently celebrated 200 million downloads – Radio Times’ View From My Sofa, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast and the BBC Good Food Podcast with Tom Kerridge.

Immediate produced 750 podcast episodes across its portfolio last year, with 12 ongoing series across its brands and 5.5 million downloads per month. Partnering with Spotify will further increase the reach and profile of Immediate’s content, driving innovation and commercial growth.

The Immediate podcast portfolio features a range of expert voices and high profile guests, alongside Tom Kerridge on BBC Good Food, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast features Alan Titchmarsh, Monty Don, Adam Frost, Francis Tophill and Art Anderson with guests including Michael Mosley, Dame Judi Dench, Joe Lycett, and Deborah Meaden, and the BBC Good Food Health podcast which in January hosted Nutracheck’s expert nutritionists.

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

Top names from the world of TV film and entertainment include Jed Mercurio, Helen Fielding, KSI, Letitia Wright, Louis Theroux, Stephen Fry, and Daniel Radcliffe have all joined Radio Times’ View From My Sofa.

Olive magazine’s podcast has the latest foodie trends, travel tips and hacks every week, whilst the new Top Gear series features high profile names from the world of motor sport, including Jenson Button.

Sean Cornwell, Immediate’s Platforms CEO, says: “Immediate has been consistently growing our podcast output, reach and revenues over the last few years, and our partnership with Spotify will help further accelerate this growth. The combination of our trusted brands and quality content is continually attracting new audiences and this partnership will enable us to significantly scale our proposition.”

Chelsea Bradbury, Head of UK Publisher Partnerships at Spotify says: “Over the past year, we’ve been focused on strengthening Megaphone’s already robust offering to ensure it remains the best place for publishers to understand and grow their audiences and monetise their content. We are thrilled to partner with Immediate Media and we believe these tools will play a critical role in helping them accelerate their growth.”

Spotify Adds New Bundle For Megaphone Publishers In Europe

~ jen

Spotify is forging a path to modernize audio advertising in order to deliver more impact for advertisers and drive growth for creators and publishers. Over the last few years, we’ve launched game-changing ad tech like Streaming Ad Insertion, and the Spotify Audience Network, and welcomed podcast platforms Megaphone, Podsights and Chartable to the Spotify family. These advancement not only strengthen Spotify’s podcast prowess; we believe they’ll help the entire industry reach new heights.

At the same time, we are investing in growing our international ads business, specifically in Europe, growing our teams and introducing products in the region to help us achieve this goal. In the U.K., we’ve expanded our Megaphone business development team, with Chelsea Bradbury leading as Head of U.K. Publisher Partnerships.

We are continuing this momentum with the introduction of a new bundle for Megaphone publishers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The bundle grants them free access to both Chartable and Podsights – all while maintaining Megaphone’s current price points.

Here’s what this bundle means for podcast publishers:

Chartable is our podcast analytics platform that enables publishers to know and grow their podcast audiences through promotional attribution and audience insight tools.

Podsights is a leading podcast advertising measurement service that helps advertisers better measure and scale their podcast advertising.

Through this suite of offerings, publishers will be able to easily apply key analytics and measurement solutions across their entire podcast business.

Megaphone publishers in these markets will now have access to Chartable, allowing them to access unique audience insights and deeper understanding of their promotional campaigns with SmartPromos and SmartLinks.

With Podsights, publishers will be able to tap the platform’s powerful ad attribution tools. This will enable them to measure the impact of ad campaigns running in their podcasts, proving the value of their content and driving the greater advertiser market.

At this time, Megaphone clients will need to access Podsights and Chartable separately from the Megaphone platform. Over time, Spotify intends to make it possible for Megaphone users to tap into these tools directly with the Megaphone experience.

Nina Harvey, International Head of Publishers and Business Development at Spotify: “Over the past year, we’ve been focused on strengthening Megaphone’s already robust offering to ensure it remains the best place for publishers to understand and grow their audiences and monetize their content. We are laser focused on helping European podcast publishers grow their businesses and we believe these tools will play a critical role in making this happen.”

We are also thrilled to share that the UK’s Reach is the latest publisher to join Megaphone. Reach is home to more than 130 national and local media brands, reaching 80% of the UK online population. Reach’s podcasts generate an average of 1.7 million monthly worldwide downloads with a strong focus on Sports and Entertainment. Reach’s best known and most listened to weekly shows include Blood Red: The Liverpool FC Podcast, Everything is Black and White, a Newcastle United Podcast, and Pod Save The King, which focuses on Royal family news, interviews, and fashion.

Reach will be part of the Spotify Audience Network, our audio-first advertising marketplace that makes it possible for advertisers of all sizes to connect with listeners across a broad range of content on and off Spotify. Megaphone podcast publishers who have opted in to the network have seen meaningful improvement in their ability to effectively monetize their content.

Leslie Harris, Head of Digital Partnerships, 3rd Parties and AV at Reach: “We are very excited to join Megaphone and the Spotify Audience Network at a key moment in our podcast growth cycle as we gain momentum in the market. We look forward to witnessing its acceleration through this new partnership.”

AdLarge Adds Matt Turck To Leadership Team

~ jen

AdLarge announced Matt Truck has joined the leadership team as Head of Podcast Growth and Strategy. As AdLarge continues to expand its podcasting portfolio, Turck will oversee revenue development, partnership growth and contribute to the overall strategy of the podcast portfolio.

Turck, co-founder of Megaphone, acquired by Spotify in December of 2020 served most recently as the Head of Megaphone Publisher Solutions at Spotify, overseeing the development of podcast advertising supply. At Megaphone, Matt helped pioneer the digital transformation of podcast advertising, introducing audience targeting at scale, bringing data, measurement, and other digital tools to the podcasting space.

Prior to joining Megaphone, Matt was the Publisher of Slate and an early experimenter in podcast advertising, starting when Audible sponsored Slate’s Political Gabfest in 2008. He oversaw the development of the industry’s first branded podcasts, including GE’s Podcast Theater “The Message,” which held the #1 position in Apple Podcasts for several weeks. Prior to Slate, Turck spent 20 years with Time Incorporated, holding several prominent positions, including Publisher/President of This Old House and Associate Publisher of Time magazine.

“Partnering with Cathy and the AdLarge team for many years, I’ve gained enormous respect for their leadership in podcasting,” said Turck. “Now, I’m thrilled to be in a position to help Adlarge continue to shape the industry.”

Cathy Csukas, AdLarge Co-CEO commented on the announcement, “Matt brings an abundance of experience and expertise to the AdLarge team. With the speed at which the marketplace continues to move, it’s wonderful to have him on board to help us continue our expansion as well as provide exceptional service and products to the industry.”

CuriousCast Podcast Network Joins Spotify Podcast Platform Megaphone

~ jen

Corus Entertainment’s award-winning podcast network Curiouscast announced that it will be joining Megaphone, Spotify’s enterprise podcasting platform, to host its full lineup of podcasts. In addition to hosting all Curiouscast podcasts on the Megaphone platform, Spotify will have access to select Curiouscast inventory to monetize via the Spotify Audience Network.

The Spotify Audience Network is an audio-first advertising marketplace that makes it possible for advertisers of all sizes to connect with listeners across a broad range of content on and off Spotify. Megaphone podcast publishers who have opted in to the Spotify Audience Network have seen meaningful improvement in their ability to monetize.

“Working with Spotify and Megaphone is the next step in our evolution as a network. We are excited to be working together to grow our audiences and provide for new opportunities for our advertisers both in Canada and around the world,” said Chris “Dunner” Duncombe, Director of Streaming and Podcasting, Curious/Corus Entertainment.

“Audiences worldwide are tuned into digital audio at record rates and the numbers are rising,” said Emma Vaugh, Head of Advertising Business Development & Partnerships at Spotify. “Digital audio consumption surpassed radio for the first time in Canada last year according to a recent eMarketer study. Given this growth, we’re thrilled that leading publishers like Curiouscast are leveraging best-in-class tools across both Megaphone and the Spotify Audience Network to better monetize and measure their content.”

The award-winning Curiouscast network launched in 2018 and is home to internationally recognized brands with diverse audio storytelling, including: Edward R. Murrow International Podcast Award and RTDNA winners Crime Beat (now adapted for TV on Global News and Hulu) and 13 Hours Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre; the #1 Canadian-produced music podcast, The Ongoing History of New Music; and 2020 Canadian Podcast Award winners Dark Poutine, History of the 90’s, as well as Nighttime, The Peak Daily, Escaping Denver, Marsfall, and RTNA winner Global News What Happened To.

Spotify’s Podcast Platform Megaphone Welcomes Two Leading French Publishers

~ jen

Spotify’s Megaphone, one of the world’s leading podcast publishing and advertising platforms for enterprise publishers, continues its expansion in France by welcoming Bababam and Choses à Savoir, two of the leading French publishers. This comes as the podcast market in France is booming:

According to podcast analytics firm Chartable, podcast downloads in France grew 76% between 2020 and 2021.

This growth has continued in 2022 with unique podcast downloads increasing 46% YoY in February 2022 vs February 2021.

What’s more, per a May 2021, IAB Europe report, ad spend on podcasts across Europe is expected to grow by more than 50% to over €200 million 2023.

It is in this context that publishers Bababam and Choses à Savoir have chosen Spotify’s Megaphone to provide a single service for all their podcasting needs, from creation to monetization to analysis. As part of joining Megaphone, these two publishers will be the early testers of the Spotify Audience Network in France. This means that Spotify will be unlocking more advertiser demand for Bababam and Choses à Savoir, driving increased monetization for their businesses while helping advertisers target more French podcast listeners. The Spotify Audience Network will be available to all French advertisers later this year.

“We are delighted that two of France’s leading publishers, Babamam and Choses à Savoir, have chosen Megaphone by Spotify as their podcast platform of choice. Megaphone formally launched in France just a few months ago and we’re pleased with the momentum the platform has seen in this important market. We’re ready to serve more enterprise podcast publishers across Europe with our robust, differentiated offering and help them to grow their business,” said Emma Vaughn, Global Head of Advertising Business Development & Partnership at Spotify.

“Bababam was created with the conviction that it was necessary to democratize the podcast. We do everything possible to offer ambitious and popular productions to the general public. This partnership with Spotify’s Megaphone was therefore logical given its weight in the market and its position as a rallying point for the ecosystem. Bababam Originals recently produced Noises, voted best native podcast of 2020 at the Salon de la radio, and Silencio, a critically acclaimed series starring Zita Hanrot and Alban Lenoir, among others,” explains Pierre Orlac’h, founder of Bababam.

“At Choses à Savoir, the most listened to native podcast network in France, we are happy to join Megaphone, whose service meets all our needs in terms of creation, analysis and monetization. This collaboration will allow us to accompany our development, the rapid growth of our audience on the 20 Choses à Savoir podcasts, and to ensure our mission: sharing knowledge with the greatest number of people.” Louis-Guillaume Kan-Lancas, founder of Choses à Savoir.

Spotify Announced Strategic Acquisition of Megaphone

~ jen

Spotify announced that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Megaphone, one of the world’s most innovative podcast advertising and publishing platform. Together, Spotify and Megaphone will help advertisers and podcast publishers realize the full potential of podcasts. The two companies will achieve this through the power of Megaphone Targeted Marketplace and by making Streaming Ad Insertion available to third-party podcast publishers for the first time.

With this acquisition, Spotify continues to deliver against its goal to become the world’s leading audio platform and focus on growing audio monetization across the industry. The acquisition follows Spotify’s launch of Streaming Ad Insertion, an innovative podcast ad technology that delivers the intimacy and quality of traditional podcast ads with the precision and transparency of modern day digital marketing.

Advertisers will now be able to activate across Spotify’s Original & Exclusive podcasts while scaling reach through the Megaphone Targeted Marketplace. For podcast publishers, the acquisition will unlock innovative tools that will help them earn more from their work. This includes the opportunity to opt-in to have their content monetized, matching their listeners with even greater demand from advertisers.

Following transaction close, Spotify will soon make Streaming Ad insertion available to all podcast publishers on Megaphone, the first time this technology will be made available to third parties. With Streaming Ad Insertion, podcast publishers will be able to offer more valuable podcast audiences to advertisers based on confirmed ad impressions.

“We are still in the early chapters of the streaming and audio industry story, but it is absolutely clear that the potential is significant,” said Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content & Advertising Business Officer, Spotify. “We look forward to Megaphone joining Spotify on our mission to accelerate smarter podcast monetization for advertisers and podcast publishers powered by a scaled audience and state-of-the-art technology.”

“We are incredibly excited to join Spotify to help advance the podcast medium for publishers and advertisers alike,” said Brendan Monaghan, CEO, Megaphone. “We believe that Megaphone and Spotify’s shared value in innovation will drive the podcast ecosystem forward around the world.”

Megaphone Studio Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

~ jen

Megaphone announced the one-year anniversary of Megaphone Studio on October 23, 2020. Serving upwards of 50 brands at any given time and leveraging tools including a fully remote audio production setup, a curated roster of podcast voiceover talent, ad effectiveness testing for audio creative, Megaphone Studios is regarded as a hub of creativity and innovation capable of handling the volume and myriad needs of the most diverse cross-industry client base in the business.

Megaphone Studio’s one-year anniversary arrives as a promising juncture for Megaphone and the podcasting space overall. Podcast listenership is up across every metric and category, brining unprecedented interest from advertisers and media companies alike.

Within Megaphone ecosystems, monthly downloads have surged to a record 827M for the month of September. Underlying this growth is the uniquely intimate and effective medium of the podcast ad, where formats and best-practices continue to evolve as new channels and data signals emerge.

Megaphone studios was created as a center of creative excellence to push this evolution forward, by evangelizing the value of the podcast medium and its definitive creative best practices in advertising, and by maximizing that effectiveness by drawing upon the best available technology, analytics, and measurement tools – all while preserving the unique intimacy of the listening experience.

Megaphone Studio is perfectly positioned for the growth we’re seeing in the podcast medium, by focusing on the marriage of best-in-class creative and the most sophisticated technology the industry has to offer,” said George Gehring, Senior Director of Creative Solutions at Megaphone. “Podcast audiences are the most passionate and leaned-in audiences in the mix. We create ads that emulate podcasts and therefore resonate with these audiences. Megaphone Studio’s vision is to create a team and an environment dedicated to these highly engaged audiences, delivering them the best audio ad experience while preserving the magic of the podcast medium. Through creative experimentation and innovation, and by leveraging data and analytics from creative testing, we’re able to validate the work we do and ensure that the entire industry benefits from our findings.”

Megaphone Hires David Cohn as Head of Sales

~ jen

Megaphone announced the appointment of David Cohn as Head of Sales. Cohn joins the leadership team with a focus on driving Megaphone’s unique landscape and boosting digital and integrated sales strategies.

“David has a fantastic track record not only for digital and integrated advertising sales, but also building and keeping relationships with agencies, brands, and sellers,” said Brendan Monaghan, CEO of Megaphone. “He’s a huge asset and will look to guide our sales team in big moves in the New Year.”

Cohn has been in the media business for more than 20 years, with 18an experience in digital. His career started with Paid Programming, then TV Spot Sales which ultimately evolved to integrated and digital. Most recently, Cohn held the title of Senior Director of National Sales with WarnerMedia where his accounts exceeded $20mm.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Megaphone team,” said Cohen. “This team has created such an innovative product for serious podcasters and advertisers, I hope to bring to the table deeper cross strategies for growth and podcast monetization.”

Cohn is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and currently resides in Westchester NY, with his wife of 20 years, Nicole, and three children.

Megaphone is a US-based podcast technology company that provides hosting and ad-insertion capabilities for publishers and targeted ad sales for brand partners.