Megaphone is IAB certified again

• Megaphone is now IAB certified under v2.2, says an email to customers. They’re the second company to certify to the new v2.2 standards; the first was Captivate. Megaphone was one of three Spotify companies who quietly withdrew from IAB certification at the beginning of the year, as Podnews reported in April; after criticism from customers, that decision was changed in early June.

• Libsyn Ads released its July 2024 Podcast Advertising Rates. The average CPM rate was $21.90, essentially static against June’s $21.92. The company’s new CRO, Rick Selah, warns us that the holiday season is “just around the corner”.

• Locked On Podcast Network is launching two new sports Fast TV channels. Locked On NFL and Locked On College Sports will both stream on Amazon Fire TV, YouTube, NewsON and Zeam.

• Audio Flux circuit 04 is open for submissions. Designed to elevate independent audio, new voices, and big ideas in podcasting, you’re invited to create short “fluxworks” about a “first time”.

• In the UK, RAJAR says that the number of people listening to podcasts every week has grown from 11.7mn to 12.3mn - reaching 21.3% of the population. The BBC released Q2/24 data on its proprietary BBC Sounds app: total plays are down 5.5% on the quarter (vs Q1), it’s also seen a 2% drop in weekly audience. However, the BBC posted 3% higher podcast downloads via open RSS, to 209mn - those figures aren’t IAB compliant.

Aug 2nd is the Last Chance to Enter The Signal Awards

Paid content

Submit your podcast by tomorrow night!

Being honored by The Signal Awards sets your team apart with recognition from our industry’s top experts, and acts as proof that your work is setting standards for podcasting worldwide. By entering, you present your work before The Signal Awards Judging Academy, an invitation-only body of podcast professionals from acclaimed organizations like NPR, Vox Media, CNN, Condé Nast, Sony and Lemonada Media among many others.

Grow your audience, celebrate your team and stand out. The Extended Entry Deadline to submit is Aug 2, 2024. Enter your podcast for consideration.

Moves and hires

• Marie Joyce has been promoted to Head of Sales, Victoria, at Mamamia. She started with the company in 2021, and worked for NOVA Entertainment before that.

• Joni Deutsch has been promoted at The Podglomerate; she’s now Senior Vice President of Marketing & Audience Development.

Tips and tricks - with Ausha Pro 🚀

• Master audience engagement by creating listener personas with Ausha’s guide.

• Learn Ausha’s key strategies to build a dedicated audience for your podcast.

• In an interview, Tom Webster shares five strategies to grow your podcast audience. (He’s got a book out (aff), which you might want to buy.)

• Podcasting for Dummies has updated its cheat sheet. Mind, that big paragraph on ID3 tags? Ignore it. Only 20% of podcasts use ID3 tags at all, and they’re virtually useless.

Podcast News - with Airwave

New on Airwave: The History of WWII Podcast covers the last great war in intimate detail. It’s produced and narrated by Ray Harris Jr, who has a degree in history from James Madison University. “I’ve been waiting years for someone to do a podcast on WWII and couldn’t wait any longer,” he says.

The News Agents is claiming it has now had over 100 million downloads. The show is from Global in the UK, and was launched with Persephonica. It’s hosted on Captivate.

Investies has joined the fwd. podcast network from AdLarge. The show offers invaluable financial guidance and advocacy, providing listeners with unfiltered advice on the stock market and economic trends. It’s hosted by Linda Garcia, a recognized financial expert, author and educator.

Hacking Humans publishes its 300th episode today. In its 6+ years it has seen nearly 4.5mn downloads and says it is still the go-to for entertaining and educational discussion of social engineering, cons, scams and phishing schemes. It’s from N2K Networks.