Why you’ll get the best of the BBC, first, on BBC Sounds by Mary Hough
After a trial period, the BBC has decided to keep its strategy of podcasts releasing in timed exclusivity on the BBC Sounds app before hitting open RSS feeds. According to the piece, the two common availability windows will remain seven days or 28 days of exclusivity on BBC Sounds. The 18 month trial of this strategy reportedly brought 218,000 new listeners to the app (a 4.3% population increase), though the majority of their podcast audience remains on open RSS feeds.
Spotify Continues Video-Forward Strategy [Multiple Sources]
Spotify’s shift to growing their video presence gains momentum, with reporting from Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman saying the company is offering deals. According to anonymous sources, Spotify is offering bespoke deals to podcasters that range as high as seven figures to bring video podcasts to the platform. Notably, the deals discussed do not demand exclusivity, allowing the shows to continue their YouTube presences as well. In addition the company is growing its own in-house video podcast production, such as the new ‘vodcast’ series Countdown To, which promotes upcoming music with behind-the-scenes artist interviews. The new series kicks off with a video about Jelly Roll’s upcoming album, featuring Machine Gun Kelly.
Don’t Go Dark On Advertising During Election Season, New Research Suggests by Alyssa Boye
In new data shared by AdExchanger, TV and video measurement service iSpot recently ran a survey to gauge how consumers feel about ads during political cycles, with over 24,000 individuals surveyed. The results are in: according to the survey, “23% of Americans say they’re annoyed by political ads, but their annoyance doesn’t carry over to brand ads that surround political campaigns”. 10% of these respondents also trust brand messaging less when political ads are present, and 15% felt increased annoyance with all ads during political campaigns. However, these self-reported “ad haters” are a consistent part of the election cycle, as the survey was made to compare this election season with the three-month period preceding the 2016 and 2020 elections. In contrast, 37% of people surveyed said that political ads increased their attention paid to other ads running at the same time. Brands are reportedly preparing to continue ad spend up until the election, but with a healthy dose of restraint.
As for the rest of the news…
- A piece from Chief Marketer breaks down why podcast ads seem to be the industry’s secret weapon, and how more brands can take advantage
- The Podcast Business Journal interviewed Steve Pratt
- The Media Leader tests Google’s Audio Overview by generating AI podcast conversations.
- Brian Stelter, writing for Vanity Fair, covers the political utility of podcasts and how easy it is for conflicts of interests to create a quid pro quo atmosphere.
- Adelicious has announced a new video podcast from Alex Jones (the Welsh one) and Harry Judd focusing on media recommendations.
