According to Podnews reporting, SiriusXM has announced a round of layoffs that impact podcast teams and Earwolf, with 100 roles impacted. With that in mind we’d like to remind readers that Sounds Profitable hosts a free public job board for open positions from companies in the business of podcasting, updated daily as new positions come in. If you’re looking to hire, or looking for a new position, we’ve got over sixty listings currently at SoundsProfitable.com/Jobs
Podcasting: The Real Driver of the Commute
Acast has published a new report on podcast listening habits during commutes, built from a OnePulse survey of 350 weekly podcast listeners. Of the top three activities respondents listed as doing while listening to podcasts, “while commuting” tied with “while relaxing” for second place at 48%. Commuting podcast listeners are 22% more likely than overall listeners to be ‘very focused’ while listening, and 10% more likely to always listen to podcast ads.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced this week that the White House is now opening the press briefing room to “independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators.” Leavitt went on to explain the decision was motivated by Trump’s use of podcasts as a communication strategy during his reelection campaign.
German podcast marketers and publishers: Audio podcasts are here to stay
A group of podcast marketing and production companies based in Germany have published a whitepaper that showcases the advantages of audio compared to video podcasts. The paper stresses audio’s engagement and capability for intimate connection with audiences, the open nature of RSS distribution, and audio’s ability to be lean and location-agnostic during production. One important bit of context for this report is the fact audio content has thrived in Germany for quite a while, so much so Audible had a German audio fiction production arm even during the period where Audible was not producing them in the U.S. While video podcasting (clearly) is a powerful tool, there are still unique advantages to audio productions.
Bog Standard – from AdExchanger’s Optimizing the News
The IAB Tech Lab is eager to progress on new OpenRTB standards, with specific focus on two issues: supporting connected TV ad infrastructure, and shifting the industry from browser to more server-side focus. The tricky bit is getting everybody on the same page, as the article notes. Even if the IAB creates standards that can solve problems (e.g. retail media standardization), there’s not much in the way of enforcement mechanisms to compel wide adoption. Therefore if a solution requires reconfiguring existing tech, or significant change to pre-existing behaviors, companies might simply not participate in the standard. A move that then undermines the point of having standards in the first place.
As for the rest of the news…
- Simon Franklin from Acast shares his thoughts on Tom Webster’s article on podcasting ‘drinking its own champagne’, emphasizing how podcast ads about podcast ads help grow the industry.
- H.I.G. Capital has purchased measurement firm Kantar Media from Kantar Group for $1 billion, aiming to play a larger role in shaping the measurement ecosystem.
- MediaWorks has signed an agreement with AdsWizz to be its advertising sales representative in New Zealand
- Libsyn has announced a multi-year advertising partnership with The Jamie O & Mason Ho Show
- Podscribe has launched its new Advertiser Contacts tool in partnership with ZoomInfo
- AdExchanger’s Allison Schiff interviews Kepler CEO Remy Stiles about how consolidation of holding companies might mean more opportunities for small-to-midsized agencies that can offer relatively small clients more hands-on attention than the holdcos can.
