Sounds Profitable

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

More than a third of marketers will increase their brand marketing investments this year by Meaghan Yuen
Meet Podcast X-Ray by Dan Misener
Toyota Signs Eli Manning and Brock Purdy as National Partners and Announces Plans for Super Bowl LVIII as The “Official Automotive Partner of the NFL”
AI-powered podcast ad producer AudioStack raises £2.5m

If someone peeked into podcasting in the late 2010s, they would’ve seen an industry in ad tech infancy in comparison to podcasting’s capabilities now. The official Podcasting Sound Summit at SXSW will help re-introduce the industry and show off its new capabilities.

Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

Netflix's Threat Isn't in Hollywood. It's YouTube by Entertainment Strategy Guy
Here’s what a $7M, 30-second Super Bowl ad can purchase in digital media in 2024 by Kimeko McCoy
What People Are Doing When They Aren’t Listening To Your Podcast by Steven Goldstein
Spotify Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:


Spotify’s Multiplatform Strategy, Rogan Going Public
WTF is accreditation for Black-owned publications? By Sara Guaglione
AdvertiseCast Marketplace Podcast Advertising Rates

…as for the rest of the news: Andrew Goldsmith has been promoted to CEO of Adelicious, BBC Sounds has publisher their Q4 report, and the Hollywood Reporter has published the full list of nominees for the 2024 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, the winners of which will be announced live at a particularly podcast-heavy SXSW.

Here's what you need to know for this week in the business of podcasting:

Apple Podcasts Debuts Automatic Transcript Generation
Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Ends Spotify Exclusivity
Lessons From The Brand Podcast Summit
Triton Digital’s U.S. Podcast Report, 2023
New Direct-to-Consumer Podcast Advertising Report

Quick Hits:
Knowing Half the Battle in Podcasting by Tom Webster. Half the battle of podcasting is keeping up with changes to the audience, and this week Tom looks at the “neglected half” of the work.
Wondery Announces Original Podcast Black History, For Real. The new podcast, produced by DCP Entertainment, is a weekly series breaking down the lesser-known events and individuals that have shaped Black culture.
ESPN Podcasts to Air Weekday Afternoons on ESPN2. Five video podcasts produced by ESPN will be aired on their second channel as part of a seasonal content initiative, filling the 2-3PM EST time slot Monday-Friday.
The Free and Open Ad-Supported Internet. A new IAB study that looks into the feelings of internet users when it comes to advertising’s place online and how it keeps certain sites and services free to use.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Is No Longer Exclusive to Spotify by Caitlin Huston
98% of Global Marketers for Direct-to-Consumer Brands Say Podcasts are Effective in Reaching Consumers, Acast Study Finds
RAJAR Data Release, Q4 2023
Still Waiting For That Cookie To Crumble? We’re In The ‘In-Between Years,’ Says IAB CEO David Cohen by Sarah Sluis

…as for the rest of the news: As for the rest of the news… Audacy is set to lay off 25% of employees from Pineapple Street, Digiday shares thoughts from attendees of IAB ALM, and the spring thaw comes early as AdAge covers which agencies might be buying (or bought) after a slow 2023 for M&A.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

The Free and Open Ad-Supported Internet
Brand Podcast Summit Keeps the Focus on the Audience by Jeff Vidler
In rocky digital advertising landscape, advertisers reconsider direct mail by Kimeko McCoy
Digiday+ Research: Publishers held onto their staff and titles last year, even as traffic fell by Julia Tabisz

…as for the rest of the news: SXM Media signs $100+ million three year exclusivity deal with Smartless, Acast’s Megan Davies talks about AI’s role in podcasting, and Triton Digital’s Sharon Taylor has published predictions for podcasting’s 2024 from nine industry leaders.

With apologies to G.I. Joe, half the battle of podcasting is not the changes in technology, but keeping up with changes to the audience. Tom Webster digs into the “neglected half” of the work of podcasting.

Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

Apple’s New iOS 17 Software Is A Positive Step For Podcast Advertisers And Content Creators John Wordock and Pierre Bouvard
Triton Digital US Podcast Report 2023
Audiobooks Are Booming. Spotify Wants in on the Action by Alexandra Alter
The Results Are In: Here’s What Americans Streamed in 2023 by John Koblin
Amazon rolls out ads on Prime Video by Jasmine Sheena

…as for the rest of the news: Ari Paparo interviews Spotify’s Per Sandell to discuss the company’s targeting and adtech, Linkfire announces Engaged Listeners metric for Apple Podcasts, branded podcast production Pop by Pacific Content launches, and MediaPost interviews Ad Results Media's Gretchen Smith about podcast advertising.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:

Transcripts on Apple Podcasts
ESPN Podcasts to Air Weekday Afternoons on ESPN2 Starting January 29 by Alex Feuz
George Carlin’s Estate Sues Podcasters Over A.I. Episode

…as for the rest of the news: Amazon dethroned BetterHelp as top podcast spender on Magellan AI’s December tracker, and Wondery debuts a new toy line inspired by Wow in the World.

And Podfront comes to PodMov.

Monday, March 26th, Sounds Profitable has partnered with Podcast Movement to present the inaugural Podfront, an upfront-style event bringing brands and publishers together. Hosted by Tom Webster and Bryan Barletta, the event runs 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with food and beverage provided.Whether you represent a brand that’d like an invite, or a publisher who’d like to participate, check out the official Podfront page!