Wondery

Wondery Launches Wondery Ad Analytics

~ jen

Wondery, the leading podcast and entertainment company announced the release of Wondery Ad Analytics, a new ad measurement suite to increase transparency, performance, and measurement for podcast advertisers. With over 55 show topping the Apple chats, Wondery has the most #1 global hits of any podcast studio and consistently delivers high-quality, conversation-inspiring content.

With Wondery Ad Analytics, Wondery is positioned to become a leading player in podcast ads measurement, directly addressing requests from advertiser for the types of products and services they want. The new measurement-as-a-service program gives advertising customers direct access to actionable campaign insights from trusted third-party providers. 

Wondery Ad Analytics includes six measurement products, and over a dozen third-party vendors, supporting US and non-US locales, making it one of the most comprehensive podcast ad measurement programs available in the industry including solutions for Brand Lift, Web Lift, Retain Traffic Lift, Offline Sales Lift, Brand Safety & Suitability, A/B experimentation and more.

Wordy is collaborating with measurement providers to build new features and bring first-to-market opportunities to advertisers. For example, Wondery is working with Barometer to improve transparency in brand safety by offer advertisers these first-to-market offerings:

  • Providing advertisers with brand safety and suitability ratings for non-English content with Barometer. This is the first-of-its-kind partnership improves transparency and accountability for non-English podcasts in the US, MX, BR, and DE.
  • Wondery is partnering with Barometer to enhance the Creator Intelligence solution by allowing podcast hosts to opt-in to share preferred identities and identity groups. By providing visibility into host identities, advertisers can proactively support a diversity of creators and align brand messaging with a diversity of hosts and audiences.
  • Wondery is the first publisher with cross-platform (i.e., video podcast) content uploaded into Barometer for brand safety ratings of visual and audio content. This feature will flag offensive language, conversations, words within audio as well as offensive visual elements for video podcasts.

Notably, Wondery Ad Analytics will also be working with Upwave on brand lift offerings, to create a direct data integration which allows measurement of baked-in and dynamic ads without the use of a pixel or URL pre-fix, making Wondery the first podcast publisher to ever measure baked in ads this way with Upwave.

These innovations support the growing need for customers to prove their impact, performance, and return on advertising dollars spent,” said Alyson Sprague, Head of Ad Measurement at Wondery. 

“Wondery is committed to improving data transparency, quality, and performance for advertisers through these first-to-market services, giving advertisers greater media planning controls, and has the potential to improve performance. The news of Wondery’s alliance with Barometer and first-to-market ad analytics offerings demonstrates Wonder’s commitment to serving its advertisers’ custom needs.”

About Wondery

Wondery is a podcast studio known for character-driven, binge-worthy stories including Dr. Death, British Scandal, Even the Rich, and Business Wars, and distribution of hit partner shows  SmartLess, Morbid, and How I Built This.

Wondery was behind six of the “Top 25 New Shows of 2023”, according to Podtrac, including Ghost Story, Exposed, and Stolen Hearts. Over 55 shows from Wondery have hit No. 1 on Apple Podcasts, including Scamfluencers and Stolen Hearts.

Many Wondery podcasts have been adapted for scripted television or streaming series, including Dr. Death and Joe vs Carol on Peacock, The Shrink Next Door, and WeCrashed on Apple TV+, and upcoming Gladiator and Dying for Sex for FX. 

Wondery has gained critical acclaim and commercial success for its immersive approach to sonic, emotionally driven storytelling. The Wondery app offers a unique, personalized podcast listening experience, including access to its premium ad-free offering Wondery+. With Wondery+, fans experience early access, exclusive shows and episodes, and ad-free listening.

Wondery Strikes Global First Look Deal With Campside Media For A Multi-Project Slate

~ jen

Podcast studio Wondery announced an audio first-look deal with Campsite Media, a leading podcast production company known for its award-winning and critically acclaimed journalistic storytelling. Under the multi-project commitment, Wondery and Campside will produce Limited Series podcasts, including non-English language titles, to be distributed by Wondery globally.

Building further on the relationship, Wondery and Campside have collaborated previously, including three seasons of Suspect with the fourth season coming later this year, Sports Explains The World from Wondery and Meadowlark, and Campside Co-founder Matt Shaer reporting and hosting Wondery’s Over My Dead Body. Campside and Wondery both strategically align in creating compelling podcasts that serve as the building blocks for television and film adaptations. Currently, Suspect is being developed as a TV series at Amazon MGM Studios with Wondery and Campside Media producing.

“We have worked with Campside on several projects, including Suspect, and I’m honored we’re expanding our collaboration with them,” said Marshall Lewy, Chief Content Officer, Wondery. “Their instinct for fascinating stories and excellence in journalism fits perfectly with Wonder’s commitment to delivering captivating narratives to audiences worldwide. I am particularly thrilled that this partnership includes global investigative series, and it marks a big milestone as we continue to bring the most bingeable, groundbreaking and thought-provoking series we can to our listeners.”

“Marshal Lewy and George Lavender, now Wondery’s Head of Creative Production, were my introduction to audio — the helped teach me how to make a successful narrative podcast,” Matt Shaer, Co-Founder of Campside Media said. “This deal feels like a genuine full circle moment: From those early days of the medium, to collaborating on the Suspect franchise, and now working in partnership on a broad new range of shows. As a creator, I can’t think of a better home for Campside’s work than Wondery.”

Renowned for their compelling journalism-first approach and creator-driven content, Campside Media was recently recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023, producing over 40 limited series podcasts, with 20 television and film adaptation projects in development. Wondery is an industry leader in transitioning podcasts into television shows and to date has produced 6 prestige limited TV series.

The Audio Production Awards Announces Amazon Music & Wondery As Pay What You Can Scheme

~ jen

AudioUK is delighted to be joining forces with Amazon Music & Wondery for a third year on the Pay What You Can scheme to help the Audio Production Awards to grow and to reach more audio creators across the UK. The scheme is key to ensuring inclusive and equal accessibility within the industry – an ambition shared by Amazon Music, Wondery, and AudioUK.

The APAs is sponsored by Audible and organized by AudioUK, the trade body which champions and supports independent audio production businesses in the UK.

The Awards, now in its thirteenth year, recognizes and celebrates achievement in audio production, across a huge range of audio content: podcasts, audiobooks, sound design, radio presenting, and are open to production talent across the UK.

There are 22 awards ranging from Best Producer in Comedy, Factual, Drama & Fiction, Arts, Music, Entertainment, Lifestyle & Society, Audiobooks, Sound Design and more, plus a variety of on-mic and emerging talent awards, Best Ensemble Cast, and the special AudioUK award – last year awarded to Lily Ames and Laura Blake, Heads of The UK Audio Network (UKAN).

The Pay What You Can Scheme was first introduced in 2021 to enable those who would find the cost of entry or cost of a ticket for the Awards a barrier to doing so.

Chloe Straw, Managing Director of Audio UK, said:

“I’m delighted that we will be teaming up with Amazon Music & Wondery on the Audio Production Awards Pay What You Can scheme once again. Their commitment has enabled us to expand the scheme and to do more outreach to ensure we are reaching more and more people each year. We introduced it to make sure that how much money a person has, or the challenges they face, are not barriers to entering or attending the awards. The support is key for the growth and success of the scheme.”

Jess Radburn, Head of International Podcast Content at Wondery, said:

“Continuing to provide independent creators with access to the Audio Production Awards through the Pay What You Can Scheme is incredibly important to Amazon Music and Wondery. We are committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and sustainable audio landscape, and helping to reduce the financial barrier to entry some creators find is an important part of this.”

Contact katie@audioproductionawards.co.uk to access the scheme.

Entry Information

The Awards are opening for entry earlier this year so applicant will have 9 weeks to enter instead of 6 in previous years.

Early Bird entry fee is frozen at 2018’s prices of £35+VAT for AudioUK Members and £45+VAT for non-members, and will run for 7 weeks until Monday 11th September at 9am. From then on, the standard entry fee will be £45+VAT for AudioUK Members and £55+VAT for non-members until the final deadline on Wednesday 20th September at 2pm (please note: there will be no late extension to the entry deadline).

TO ENTER plus all category descriptions, eligibility criteria, and further details, click here.

Amazon Music And Wondery Sponsor International Women’s Podcast Awards 2022

~ jen

The Skylark Collective have announced Amazon Music and Wondery as sponsors of this year’s international Women’s Podcast Awards.

The sponsorship sees Amazon Music and Wondery showcase a shared commitment to the Skylark Collective’s ambition of amplifying the voices of women in podcasting, and providing recognition to those – both behind the mic and behind-the-scenes – who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences.

Both Amazon Music and Wondery are also launching a new initiative to encourage diversity and inclusion in podcasting.

The Amazon Music and Wondery Awards Fund will help to provide complementary tickets for the in-person event at The Conduit, and the global livestream online for those who find the costs prohibitive, and wouldn’t be able to attend.

This fund will provide the means for people worldwide to attend the awards free of charge, and is a big step forward in the endeavour of both The Skylark Collective and Amazon Music to continually improve accessibility in podcasting.

Completing of a short form is all that is required to apply. The fund launched on 1 August to coincide with the release of tickets for the event.

This year’s International Women’s Podcast Awards will be hosted by podcaster, writer, and comedian Deborah Frances-White of The Guilty Feminist at The Conduit in London on Thursday 29 September. The ceremony will be attended by a live audience in London, with a global livestream available for guests around the world. The category shortlists will be announced in early September.

Naomi Mellor, founder of International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “Last year’s event had a wonderful energetic, supportive atmosphere full of joy, laughter and support, and we’re delighted that with the support of Amazon Music, we can open the door to even more podcasters joining us either in London or online to attend this year’s awards.

“We are constantly striving at The Skylark Collective to support as many podcasters as we can, and to create a truly level playing field in this exciting and growing industry.

“The global podcasting family is a wonderful place where everyone should feel they belong. This partnership provides us with another excellent way of providing a means of facilitating that, and we can’t wait for this year’s event.”

You can find out more about the fund and the awards at the Skylark Collective website.

Wondery and Tinkercast Announce New Strategic Partnership

~ jen

Wondery and Amazon Music, announced a strategic partnership that will begin by focusing around an exclusive licensing and ad sales partnership with all new existing content from Tinkercast, the leading kids and family podcast company.

Starting in September and expanding into 2022, Wondery will gain exclusive rights to Tinkercast merchandise and exclusive distribution and ad sales rights to podcast content, including hit shows Wow in the World, Two Whats and a How, Camp WeWow, and more to come.

Tinkercast will launch two new shows in the coming months: Who, When, Wow! and Flip and Mozi’s Guide to How to Be an Earthling. Created by Tinkercast and hosted by Rebecca Sheir (Circle Round), Who, When, Wow! is an auditory journey into the lives of unsung heroes, unknown heroines, and amazing humans. Each episode immerses kids and their grown-ups in a historical narrative around one fascinating figure you might not hear about in school but brought WOW to our world!

The second new Tinkercast Original follows alien travel guides, Flip and Mozi, who crash their UFO into Earth and have to call a “tow ship” from their home planet. So they do what any good travel writer, blogger, or ponder would do, and decide to wait out the 3,000 lightyears it will take to arrive learning How to Be An Earthling! Flip & Mozi’s Guide to How to Be an Earthling features Tinkercast’s signature “cartoon-for-the-ear” audio animation and The Pop Ups award-winning stylings to inspire today’s kids to find harmony with the earth and be caretakers of all our animal earthlings! Flip & Mozi are curious and not-so-courageous reporters that encourage listeners to explore their own world and submit “field reports” of animals they observe to be featured on the podcast!

New Tinkercast content will be released one week early, exclusively available on both Amazon Music, and ad-free on Wondery+. New episodes will continue to be available on all podcast services after the one-week exclusive window. Additionally, Amazon Music and Wondery will expand Tinkercast’s merchandising business with new products and Prime shipping, and its availability to even more listeners through voice with Alexa.

“Tinkercast has led the way in engaging the hearts, minds and imaginations of young listeners, creating fun ways to educate and enrich their lives,” said Jen Sargent, Wondery CEO. “ We are thrilled to partner with the leader in kids and family audio content as we continue to build our slate of content for everyone to enjoy.”

“We are beyond proud to have our kids and family content live alongside Wondery and Amazon Music shows and we can’t wait to wow audiences with our new original podcasts through this partnership this fall.” said Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Tinkercast CEO.

Wondery is home to family storytime podcast Little Stories Everywhere hosted by Academy Award Nominated Actor Virginia Madsen and celebrated voice actor Robbie Daymond. Little Stories Everywhere brings you magical, adventurous, fantastical tales for the entire family. And first-of-its-kind immersive storytelling podcast Imagined Life Family, with the same hosts, will take you on an immersive journey into the life of someone who has made a positive impact on the world, from Lin Manuel to Jane Goodall. This new partnership with Tinkercast signals Wondery’s intent to expand even more into the kids and family content space.

Wondery Signed an Agreement to Join Amazon Music

~ jen

Wondery announced that it has signed an agreement to join Amazon Music. When the deal closes, nothing will change for listeners, and they’ll continue to be able to access Wondery podcasts through a variety of providers. With Amazon Music, Wondery will be able to provide even more high-quality, innovative content, and continue their mission of bringing a world of entertainment and knowledge to their audiences, wherever they listen.

Wondery is an innovative podcast publisher with a track record of creating and producing top-rated podcasts that entertain and educate listeners, including Dirty John, Doctor Death, Business Wars, and The Shrink Next Door. Wondery is already delighting listeners with its collection of immersive podcasts, and the company is evolving this entertainment medium into a truly new and exciting experience.

Amazon Music launched podcasts in September 2020, and together with Wondery, Amazon Music hopes to accelerate the growth and evolution of podcasts by bringing creators, hosts, and immersive experiences to even more listeners across the globe, just as they do with music. This is a pivotal moment to expand the Amazon Music offering beyond music as listener habits evolve.

Amazon Music’s commitment to podcasts, their focus on high quality audio with the Amazon Music HD tier, and our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, make Amazon Music a premier destination for creators.

Together with Wondery, Amazon Music will continue to bring more customers to streaming as they expand selection and ensure they are a destination for their customers to find, discover, and listen to the creators and artists they enjoy.

The New York Times reported that Hernan Lopez, Wondery’s founder, will step down as chief executive when the deal with Amazon closes, and Jen Sargent, Wondery’s chief operating officer will take over management, according to an Amazon spokeswoman. The New York Times also reported that Amazon would not “predict” when the Wondery deal was expected to close.

Wondery Explores a Potential Sale

~ jen

Bloomberg reported that Wondery, the company behind Dr. Death and Dirty John, has hired financial advisers to explore a potential sale. According to Bloomberg, Wondery is expected to garner at least $200 million if it pursues a sale and could fetch a much as double that, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Bloomberg article stated that this matter has not yet gone public. Personally, I become a bit skeptical about news that is announced in this way. I’m not doubting that Bloomberg spoke to people that had inside information about the potential sale. My concern is that situations like this one, that are not yet made public, have the potential to fizzle.

Wondery was founded by Hernan Lopez in 2016. Previously, he was the former CEO of Fox International Channels. He left his job running 350 international TV channels for Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, Inc. in order to build a new podcast network. Wondery teamed up with ART19 to help with distribution and infrastructure and dynamic ad insertion across multiple podcasts.

In 2019, Wondery introduced Wondery + a subscription service that auto-renews monthly or annually. Subscribers get behind the scenes content, as well as brand new, unreleased, episodes. According to Bloomberg, Wondery+ enables Wondery to not be entirely dependent on ads for revenue. Wondery launched the Wondery Podcast App this year, which is free to download. Wondery+ is accessible through the Wondery Podcast App.

Bloomberg pointed out that one potential hurdle in a Wondery sale is a “legal issue”. CEO Hernan Lopez was indicted in a FIFA bribery case in April of 2020. Hernan Lopez has pleaded not guilty. Another problem is that, according to Bloomberg, Wondery doesn’t own the intellectual property for some of its shows.

Wondery Appoints DAX as its Exclusive Advertising Partner in Canada

~ jen

Wondery announced the appointment of DAX, the pioneering digital ad exchange from Media and Entertainment group, Global, as its exclusive advertising sales partner handling Wondery’s advertising inventory in Canada.

Wondery produces numerous hit shows across the globe surpassing 1 billion downloads including Business Wars, The Shrink Next Door, Dr. Death, and Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment. Wondery’s slate of content also includes NBC News podcasts and School of Greatness as well as Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast, The Bill Bert Podcast and The Dollop in its portfolio.

Wondery’s podcasts are distributed across a wide array of platforms across Canada. Its portfolio contains eight #1 shows and has grown downloads 154% during the first half of 2020 v 2019. Wondery is also the first podcast network to expand into local language marketplaces with the launch of eight language editions of Dr. Death and six language versions of Business Wars (including French), and many more to come.

The partnership will enable DAX to offer Canadian brands and advertisers spot ads and host- read podcast sponsorship.

Commenting on the announcement, Declan Moore, Head of International for Wondery, said “We are thrilled to partner with the DAX team in Canada. In addition to Host and Producer/Network reads, Wondery is expanding its product offering to include spot and programmatic solutions. The DAX team have established hundreds of successful partnerships with leading brands, and we’re excited to connect marketers with the rapidly growing Wondery Canadian audience.”

Chris Nimigon, Chief Revenue Officer of DAX Canada added: “Wondery have created an impressive portfolio of hit shows which we’re extremely excited to share with our advertising partners. With podcast audiences growing consistently across the globe, our new partnership creates a clear opportunity for brands and advertisers to align with Wondery’s quality productions and reach engaged listeners across Canada, at scale.”

Wondery Launched the Wondery Podcast App

~ jen

Wondery has launched its own app that features its lineup of original programming, Variety has reported. The app is available for download now on Apple’s App Store and on Google Play. (The Google Play version might be in beta). The Wondery App is free, and includes in-app purchases.

According to Variety, the goal of the app is to entice listeners to pay to listen to Wondery podcasts ad-free. In other words, they hope the app will make customers choose to buy a subscription to Wondery+

“Very early on, when I started the company, we knew at some point we wanted to have our own place where listeners could listen to the Wondery shows,” Hernan Lopez CEO of Wondery, said. “But we also knew we had to wait until we had enough shows, and the Wondery brand had enough breadth for people to go through the trouble of downloading an app and use it on a daily basis”.

A monthly subscription is $4.00/month. An annual subscription is $34.00/year. It appears that those who download the Wondery App can buy Wondery+ through it. Wondery+ comes with exclusive episodes and the full Wondery+ catalog, completely ad-free. The exclusive ad-free content includes Blood Ties, The Sneak, and Hollywood and Crime: Billionaire Boys Club.

Unlike other podcast apps, Wondery’s app will only include Wondery shows. To me, it sounds like a really good deal for people who are already fans of the company’s podcasts. This is especially true for people who listen to episodes of Wondery podcasts every day.

Wondery CEO Hernan Lopez Indicted in FIFA Bribery Case

~ jen

The Wrap reported that two former 21st Century Fox sports marketing executives were charged with bribery earlier this month in the U.S government’s FIFA corruption investigation. The investigation was focused on the bribes made to soccer officials with millions of dollars in exchange for lucrative media and marketing rights to international tournaments and events.

The Guardian reported that Carlos Martinez, former president of Fox Latin America, and Hernan Lopez, former chief executive of Fox International Channels, had been charged with wire fraud and money-laundering offenses.

The Wrap points out that they were charged alongside Uruguayan sports company Full Play Group and Gerard Romy, the former co-CEO of the Spanish Media company Imagina Media Audiovisual.

A quote from Hernan Lopez’s lawyer appeared on several news sites that discussed this situation:

“It’s shocking that the government would bring such a thin case,” Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for Lopez, also said. “The indictment contains nothing more than a single paragraph about Mr. Lopez that alleges nothing remotely improper. Mr. Lopez can’t wait to defend himself at trial.”

On April 9, 2020, The Guardian reported that both Carlos Martinez and Hernan Lopez were granted bail set at $15m, with an evening curfew and international travel bans imposed. Both men pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges.

It is worth noting that Wondery is still doing well. You don’t have to worry about your favorite Wondery shows disappearing, or otherwise being affected, by the FIFA controversy.