Correction: Contrary to our reporting yesterday, Adam Sachs is not leaving his position at SiriusXM or Team CoCo. The podcast and website version of the issue have been altered to reflect this and we apologize for the mistake.

This year’s edition of the IAB Internet Ad Revenue report has dropped, and has some good news about audio. B2B (business-to-business) and internet advertising have seen some of the most positive revenue growth since 2022. Audio, which encompasses music, radio, and podcasts, saw a 4.1% increase in revenue compared to 2023’s edition of the same report. The IAB’s Podcast Advertising Revenue report will be released during the Podcast Upfront on May 9th. [Source]

Investment bank Morgan Stanley weighs in on ARN and private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners’ ’s proposal to acquire broadcaster SCA. If the proposal is approved, Morgan Stanley expects ARN’s talent and content (including podcasts) to be moved into LiSTNR, creating a single audio streaming platform. Not all aspects of the proposed deal are public information. Still, the bank believes a larger version of LiSTNR with more ad inventory would be better positioned to grow, armed with a better tech stack and more first-party data. [Source]

This week Digiday’s “WTF is” explainer series tackles APRA, a proposed bill that would limit the amount of data companies can collect on people, while giving users the ability to manage, correct, and export their own data. Effectively an American version of Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which currently has bipartisan support. Given that support, it’s likely the act won’t disappear depending on how this November’s election cycle turns out. APRA has yet to be formally submitted to Congress for review, so in all likelihood the ad industry has a few months to figure out compliance strategies and adjust to a future with tighter regulation. [Source]

…as for the rest of the news:

• Max Cutler, former Spotify executive and Parcast co-founder, has announced his new media company PAVE studios. 

• The Peabody Awards and Center for Media & Social Impact have launched We Disrupt This Broadcast, a PRX-distributed podcast interviewing TV creatives shaping entertainment with disruptive new narratives and approaches, such as Quinta Brunson and Damon Lindelof. 

• Ashley Carman covers the curious trend of advertisements in which an influencer films the video so it looks like a clip of an authoritative figure being interviewed on a non-existent video podcast. 

• Conan O’Brien reflects on his career and how podcasting allows him more face time with guests and more opportunities for guests who have nothing to promote. 

• NBC announces This Was Us, a This Is Us rewatch podcast featuring actors from the show. This Was Us ended in 2022, making this one of the quickest official TV rewatch podcast debuts after a show’s finale.

Research Database Snapshot

What it says: The Top Five Shows for Exclusive Listeners

What it means: Edison tracks survey responses for the 500 most-named podcasts - among those, these five have the highest percentages of listeners who report listening to no other podcasts.

Why it’s NOT cool: C’mon, Joel Osteen - throw another podcast a bone and cross-promote, huh?

Jobs in Podcasting

Submit a press release or job posting for free

Made possible by Spreaker