Panel submissions are open for Podcast Show London. Sounds Profitable is proud to announce we’ll be hosting a private event the evening before for our partners. More details to follow.
Questions To… YouTube’s Sandy Wilhelm
The Podnews interview series Questions To… continues with Sandy Wilhelm, the UK Head of Podcasts & News YouTube Partnerships. Similarly to last week’s interview with a Spotify representative, James Cridland asks Wilhelm how important RSS is to YouTube. She says It’s very important, simplifying delivery of podcast content onto YouTube. While there is no formal product feature announced that will allow YouTube-hosted podcasts to be distributed out of the YouTube ecosystem via RSS, she says it’s not impossible.
First Listen – The Exclusive Debut of “Can’t Stop Talking”
Yesterday British rock band The Struts debuted their latest single Can’t Stop Talking via an episode of The Struts Life podcast, produced by Pantheon Media. According to Podnews reporting, this is the first time a major label artist has debuted a track via a podcast. As Tom Webster wrote back in March, licensed music is one of the areas of podcasting where there is a clear audience waiting to be served, but labels have yet to buckle down and figure out viable methods of broadcasting music akin to YouTube’s burgeoning music scene. Bands like The Struts debuting entire singles on podcasts is a good step forward towards that future.
The Time Bomb Ticking Beneath the CTV Advertising Boom by Tyler Aquilina
New data from Omdia predicts global CTV (connected television) ad revenues among the bigger companies for streaming hardware and players will more than double over the next five years. Good news for Roku, who despite being one of the biggest names in the industry has experienced declining revenue growth and profitability. One plan to turn this around involves a partnership with The Trade Desk to increase demand and fix their ~50% fill rate. As third party data continues to decline in value, CTV companies like Roku will need more ways to get audiences in front of their increased demand. Podcasts could be the answer, with leaned-in audiences ready for a rewatch podcast to be the next reason they watch through a completed series on streaming.
How NFL and Webtoon cracked marketer’s most elusive target: Gen Z
Last week at Advertising Week New York, one question on everyone’s mind was how to connect with Gen Z, who, according to the article, spend more per capita than any other generation. Brands like the NFL and Webtoon have achieved this by tapping into the strong fandom culture many Gen Z-ers are part of. 83% of Webtoon’s users are Gen Z and young sports fans reportedly engage with their favorite games and teams across multiple platforms. Said VP of growth audiences at the NFL Sarah Bishop, “We’re constantly looking for ways that we can future-proof our business and reach the next generation of fan.” Podcasting’s personal nature takes direct advantage of the fandom connection, from hosts creating shared community around a particular show to the strong presence of fiction podcast fans on sites like Tumblr and X.
As for the rest of the news…
- Magellan AI has updated its Creative Analyzer tool
- Steve Pratt, author of Earn It, partnered with JAR Audio for a Q&A Webinar on October 17th.
- InsideRadio explores the developing technology powering podcasting
- NumberEight and Gameloft for brands have partnered to created gamified ad experiences
- Pinna has announced a new season of Grimm, Gimmer, Grimmest, featuring spooky stories for young listeners
- The Verge has kicked off a series of articles and videos focusing on technology developed in 2004, including an hour long deep dive on podcasting
Jobs in Podcasting
Senior Accountant at SoundStack
Senior Supervising Editor, Planet Money at NPR
