Today in the Business of Podcasting
Auddia Announces Intent to Strip Ads From Podcasts
App developer Auddia has announced (for the second time) their faidr app will soon use AI to remove advertisements from “the top 200 most popular podcasts,” providing a promised 50,000 episodes of content ad-free. faidr currently costs $5.99 a month and says they will add the ad-stripping tech on January 15th as a temporarily free feature. There’s also the strong possibility this update won’t happen, as the concept has already been delayed once. In fact, this was first announced back in June. When asked by Podnews if faidr would provide an opt-out process for podcasters, Auddia’s spokesperson responded “Why opt-out if no harm is being done?” And, of course, we’ll see once the lawyers get involved. [Source]
Digital audio ad spend in Australia up 16.2% September quarter 2023
Advertising continues to do well down under. According to the September edition of IAB Australia’s Online Advertising Expenditure Report, prepared by PwC, podcast digital audio advertising spend increased 19.2% in Q3. The report also finds 43% of Australians aged 12+ are listening to a podcast at least monthly. Overall podcast ad spend has grown $4 million AUD year-over-year. [Source]
Realm & IGN Strike Podcast Deal Including Scripted Adaptation Of Justin Roiland Videogame ‘High On Life’ From Squanch Games by Peter White
Realm, known for producing licensed audio fiction for IPs ranging from Stranger Things to Marvel comics, has now signed a deal to develop and distribute audio series based on video game IP. The earliest product of the deal will be an audio fiction set in the world of High on Life, the sci-fi comedy game created by ousted Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland (who is not involved with the project). While the High on Life podcast is catching headlines, it’s worth noting how much deeper this deal can go. IGN not only has deep ties in gaming, its parent company Ziff Davis outright owns a publishing company in the form of Humble Games. This deal could potentially lead to a wellspring of video game audio fiction adaptations/tie-ins. [Source]
…as for the rest of the news: Apple shares the most popular podcasts of the year, and Adam Bowie takes a look at the RAJAR Midas report.
Research Database Snapshot
Source: The Podcast Landscape from Sounds Profitable
What it says: Americans 18+ have generally positive perceptions of podcasters
What it means: “Only Murders In The Building” may have painted podcasters as on the fringes of society, but the truth is that podcasting is well regarded by the public
Why it’s cool: Nearly one in five say they a podcast is “something they’d like to do” – great news for future creators and new podcasts!
