Libsyn's AdvertiseCast to release monthly ad-rates report

Sounds Profitable, Podnews’s ad-tech newsletter, is one year old. This week, Podnews’s Editor writes a guest column about the benefit of listening: You work in audio ad-tech. So listen to it. You should subscribe!

• Exclusive: Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast is to release monthly average advertising rates to aid transparency for the industry - and has launched a report showing historical rates within AdvertiseCast’s marketplace. August’s figure, based on individual 60-second spots rather than downloads, was an average CPM of $23.57.

• First look: 22% of podcast listens for Acast’s top 100 US shows happen outside the US. The company has hired its first Content Business Development Director. Michael Leonard will work with US publishers to capitalise on their growing international audiences.

• First look: The UK’s Fresh Air Production and Canada’s Pacific Content have announced a new partnership to create podcasts for global brands. The company has released a special epsiode of Fresh Ears to herald what they call the first global centre for branded podcasts.

• Hot Pod has been acquired by Vox Media. Senior reporter for The Verge, Ashley Carman, will be the new lead writer for the newsletter; Nick Quah, who launched Hot Pod in 2014, will become a full-time podcast reviewer. Hot Pod will remain at $7/month, becoming Vox Media’s The Verge’s first paid product.

• PodFest Origins, the next PodFest event, will take place as an in-person event on Nov 4-5 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa FL; and as a virtual event between Oct 28-Nov 3.

• Podtrac reports that iHeartRadio is still #1 for podcasting, according to their US podcast publishers list for August. The average US monthly audience was up 15% from July - a figure affected by Apple Podcasts’s download bug - but down 2% year-on-year. Podtrac measures participating publishers only.

  
  Sep 7 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• YouTube has hit 50 million subscribers to YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. Spotify has 165m paid subscribers.

• iHeartMedia and the NFL have unveiled their programming slate.

• Journalist, writer and podcast host Jacob Goldstein has joined Pushkin Industries.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Sep 7 2023

Tips and tricks

• Tanner Campbell highlights the benefit of good microphone technique rather than expensive acoustic treatment in a room.

Podcast News - with Podcast Movement

Workin’ On It launches next week on iHeartRadio: hosted by Meghan Trainor and her brother Ryan Trainor. We hope it isn’t all about the bass, no treble, or it’ll be really hard to listen to.

Guardian Australia today launched Australia Reads, a three-times weekly podcast highlighting the best of Guardian Australia journalism.

It was said: Sports is a sports extension of an award-winning documentary franchise. Produced by Shining City Audio, a joint venture between C13Originals and Jon Meacham, it features the most important and inspirational sports speeches throughout history, and launches today.

Was I in A Cult? launches today from iHeartRadio - a documentary-style podcast showcasing people who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult.