iHeart’s podcast growth slows to 8%

• iHeartMedia released its financial report for Q2/24. Podcast revenue was up 8.1% year-on-year to $105mn - a slowing of growth, which the company expects to return to double-digits. Podcasting accounts for 11.3% of the company’s revenue (no change on the quarter).

  • “As a reminder, our leadership position in podcasting is in part the result of the power of our broadcast radio assets”, said Bob Pittman.

• Ad analytics service Podscribe is now IAB v2.2 compliant. It gained compliance on Tuesday. We list all IAB certified podcast companies.

• GARM, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media which set down frameworks and guidelines for brand safety, including podcasts, is to discontinue. The organisation had two full-time staff; X Corp filed a lawsuit against it earlier in the week.

• Headliner has announced an AI-powered text to video tool. It allows creators to ask for images to be generated for podcast videos; it’s in beta for Pro users.

• How many employees have left Libsyn over the past twelve months? We’ve been given a list of 28 names. John W Gibbons, the interim CEO, left the company earlier this week; the company has yet to make any formal announcement.

• Audio Audit, which gives your podcast a score for audio quality and shows how you can improve, now has a new tool - “unwanted noise detection”. It’s trained on sounds that you might not want in your podcast, like an adorable little spoodle who just will not stop woofing, Daisy, shut up. Here’s a recent episode of our daily podcast - it doesn’t like our Editor’s “sharp inhale”. Good, perhaps, for networks to check on audio quality?

Tips and tricks - with Ausha 🚀

• Let Ausha uncover which metrics to track for your YouTube podcast’s success.

• Learn from YouTube experts: watch the replay of a live session about Podcasting on YouTube with Ausha and YouTube specialists.

• Have you seen the transcripts that Apple Podcasts makes available yet? Here’s how they work - and how you can provide your own.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: TechCrunch Daily Crunch boasts today’s biggest tech headlines in a flash from TechCrunch! They’re using Airwave to help with monetisation and audience growth.

The How To Podcast Series calls itself a “judgement-free how to podcast for podcasters”, and features bite-sized, easily consumable tips, updates, and suggestions to help you on your podcast journey. It’s hosted by Dave Campbell, who joined Podnews as a personal supporter this week.

The Dan Bongino Show has posted its audience numbers - claiming 16,382,838 downloads in July - aided by his insight as a former Secret Service agent following the attempted Trump assassination. The show was number 5 in Podtrac, should you wish to do some comparisons, though Podtrac measures unduplicated audience rather than downloads.

Not Just Football with Cam Heyward has moved from ESPN to Vox Media in partnership with SBNation. Vox Media will assume marketing, sales, and distribution for the show, which unpacks the biggest stories from around the NFL.

Realm has added Something You Should Know to its slate; the show was previously with the Cumulus Podcast Network. Realm will now represent the show for ad sales. The show is a podcast dedicated to delivering life-changing insights in every episode.

The Podnews Weekly Review this week contains Oskar Serrander on Wondercraft’s new ad service; Josh Divney on Podcast Discovery’s Virtual Studio, and Mathew Passy on the new Podcast Beacons. We also discuss X Corp and GARM.

Heed the Call with Dan Hanzus & Marc Sessler is new from Backyard Ventures and Underdog Sports - expanding the partnership between the two companies. The show will take a deep dive into the NFL where the hosts will cover every game and storyline while having fun along the way.

In a world where 90% of startups fail within their first two years, strategist Niki Hutchison has launched From Overlooked to Fully Booked ® today. Niki is on a mission to simplify marketing to help entrepreneurial women go from obscurity to high demand in their businesses. The show has influential guests will share insights that are crucial for anyone looking to make their mark.

The Brown Girls Guide to Politics has announced a new mini-season, which explores voter perspectives, voter engagement concerns, the history of the US’s two-party system, and the anticipated impact of third parties on this upcoming election, particularly in pivotal swing states. It’s from Wonder Media Network, and launches today.