Emmy Creator Shutout, SiriusXM Play Reveal, & More

Sirius, long commercial-free in cars, is betting on advertising to capture new listeners by Lillian Rizzo

CNBC covers the announcement of SiriusXM Play, the first ad-supported subscription plan for app streaming and in-car listening from SiriusXM. The $7/month Play tier is currently only available on a limited basis, and starts with around 130 music and talk channels (with plans to add more over time). With the addition of ad-supported inventory, SiriusXM has introduced net-new first party inventory to the ecosystem. More ad supported first party audio inventory means more momentum for a company already established as one of the leaders in audio.

Audioboom Acquires UK Podcast Leader Adelicious

Breaking quite literally as I was writing this issue: British podcasting platform Audioboom has acquired Adelicious. The resulting combination is set to make one of the UK’s largest locally-produced podcast networks with an aggregate 125 million monthly downloads and video views. Adelicious CEO Andrew Goldsmith is set to become President of a consolidated UK division under the Adelicious brand, as well as joining the Audioboom executive team.

Gen Alpha is Old Enough to Hit ‘Add to Cart’—Here’s What That Means for Commerce by Jed Baker

The “nag factor” entered advertising parlance in the 70s, describing the power of kids to pester their parents into a purchase decision based on an ad the child encountered. Data from a recent Horizon Media study of parents shows that factor likely could be revisited with renewed interest, with 77% of millennial parents agreeing their kids are more influential to their purchase decisions than they were to their own parents. Advertisers would benefit from closely considering the media journey that younger Gen Z/Gen Alpha are currently on, and where they are most likely to be engaged with an advertising-funded product. For example, the thriving Kids & Family podcasting scene, which both appeals directly to kids as well as the parents co-listening.

After another shutout, do creators need the Emmys?

Back in March at a Variety SXSW event, YouTuber Rhett McLaughlin highlighted the disconnect between the traditional TV ecosystem and creator content, such as the disproportionate awards and advertiser attention paid to The Tonight Show vs the content creator equivalent Good Mythical Morning. Now Emmy nominations have been announced and for a second year running, despite energetic lobbying, content creators are not in the running. Hot Ones did not make it past the trio of Colbert, Kimmel, and Stewart for nomination in Outstanding Talk Show. Meanwhile Good Mythical Morning did not get into Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series (a category dominated by web companions of unscripted TV shows). With some content creators rivalling/surpassing the audience of their broadcast TV peers, the question now becomes: do content creators even need legacy award recognition?

Acast delivers hot & spicy results for KFC Australia

Acast has a new case study covering a brand awareness campaign for KFC, run in Australian markets back in Q4 of 2024. The collaboration leveraged Acast podcast talent to produce host-read ads and social reels highlighting KFC’s Hot and Spicy item menu, netting 65.6% increase in brand favorability when compared to the dont-recall group of respondents. Case studies like this (especially ones that include the ads being discussed) fill a not-often-addressed gap in podcast advertising’s ability to demonstrate its worth. Brands can benefit from seeing them, I like covering them, it’s a win-win all around.

As for the rest of the news…