Crooked Media goes international for ads with Acast

Ford Motor Company doesn’t use coupon codes or vanity URLs - but they still know how their ads perform. Podcast advertisers have similar tools to use. Find out more in Sounds Profitable this week, with Podsights - and subscribe today.

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• First look: Crooked Media has signed with Acast to unlock international advertising and sponsorships across its podcasts. The company’s shows will be available to advertisers in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand for the first time.

• Audioboom has released their H1/21 half-year financial report. Revenue is up 93% on H1/20. The company makes $50.73 per thousand downloads, a figure that’s up 92%. In June they saw 92.8m downloads.

• Substack is funding the launch of Booksmart Studios, a podcast network, to the tune of “a six-figure advance”. So far, they’ve launched Amna Khalid’s Banished, John McWhorter’s Lexicon Valley and Bob Garfield’s Bully Pulpit, with two more titles to come.

  
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• Shuffle, a podcast app allowing you to chat with other fans, is now available in “Early Access” for Android users. (This is a limited-place beta test program, open to anyone).

  
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• Spotify’s Parcast is reported to have signed a first-look deal with UK podcast producer Noiser.

• Transistor’s campaign to get 25 companies to enable Stripe Climate, and donate at least 1% of their revenue towards fighting climate change, has been achieved within 24 hours.

• Triton Digital’s LATAM Podcast Report for June is out, with a debut appearance from Audiochuck Adlarge/cabana’s Crime Junkie.

• Podshare is a new online ad-tech platform launched today. Andrew Menczel, the co-founder of owning company Piccolo Podcasts and Media, says: “Our platform will make it easy for brands big and small, local and international to find your podcast and sign up to advertise with you.”

• Launched earlier this week, Hope Media, a Christian broadcaster in Sydney NSW Australia, has unveiled a collection of podcasts that they describe as “something for everyone”, including buried stories in Australian history, Christian sporting elites and wisdom from leaders.

  
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• You can now vote in The Podcast Awards - Podnews is in the 'politics and news’ category and we’d be super grateful for your support. Linktree is to be a key sponsor of the awards.

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Tips and tricks

• Acast says that they’ve learnt a lot about podcast subscriptions while beta-testing Acast+; pricing appears to be best at around a cup of coffee ($3-5), and a great starting goal is 3% of your audience.

Podcast News

We Interrupt This Broadcast was launched yesterday: narrated by NBC’s Brian Williams, each podcast episode unfolds and presents an in-depth look into the reporting of, and reaction to events that have since become history. It’s based on the book by Joe Garner.

The Town That Knew Too Much launches today: a podcast documentary about Cheltenham, the home of British spying. Nick Hilton, the host and producer, was interviewed on the Podland podcast last week.
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PodcastOne has launched Cheating: When Love Lies, which delves into the taboo topic of cheating and asks the hard questions about affairs: how common are they, who’s having them, and why?

The Haunted Estate with CelinaSpookyBoo has teamed up with Studio71 for new episodes, guests and wild stories about not just spooky things but the hauntings of everyday life. It made it to the top 75 of the Apple Podcasts chart.

From Left Handed Radio, John Jambon hosts Your Stupid Stupendous Brain. In this episode he uncovers the mystery of 2011: a year that everyone swears they can remember even though it never officially occurred.

The Reasonable Doubt Podcast, a companion podcast to ID’s Reasonable Doubt TV show, has launched season two, with exclusive insight on the investigations seen on TV, provide updates on where the case stands now, and discuss what didn’t make it into each episode.

Running Things with Donovan Bailey launched last week, hosted by the world record-breaking sprinter and two-time Olympic Champion. It describes itself as “a major new lifestyle talk show to the podcast space, featuring an internationally-renowned heavyweight from the world of sports.” It’s being distributed by Acast.