We now have a tangible glimpse at how the pandemic has affected podcast advertising in the US — as opposed to listenership, which had been our primary focus over the past few months — courtesy of the IAB’s fourth annual podcast ad revenue study that came out yesterday. These reports are principally supposed to provide […]

Burnout is a topic we’ve been consistently keeping tabs on for a while here at Hot Pod, especially since the substantial reader response we got to this piece last spring. From all the conversations I’ve had about this since, I’ve come to realise that there are several traits specific to podcast work that can amplify […]

Yesterday, SiriusXM formally announced that it is acquiring Stitcher. According to the press release, the transaction will involve $265 million in cash payment to Scripps, with an additional $60 million on the table based on performance goals through 2020 and 2021. This puts the value of the deal at $325 million, officially making this the […]

This Week in Spotify. (1) From the Wall Street Journal: “Omnicom Media Group plans to spend $20 million on advertising in podcasts distributed by Spotify Technology SA under a deal covering the second half of this year, the companies said.” At this point, Omnicom’s advertising will be limited to Spotify’s exclusive and original podcasts. The […]

And there you have it: Stitcher will have a new parent company. The Wall Street Journal’s Anna Steele had the scoop last night, reporting that SiriusXM will buy Stitcher from EW Scripps in a deal that’s valued at around $300 million, citing people familiar with the matter. That value would make this the biggest podcast […]

As a fan, Shontavia Johnson was dismayed when she learned that the hosts of the podcasts she loves — Another Round and The Nod — don’t control or fully own the content they spent years making. But as a lawyer, she wasn’t surprised. The two may be different shows with different people, but to Shontavia, […]

This Week in Spotify. Two stories that are part of the same thread: First, today, Spotify is releasing localized versions of Sandra, Gimlet’s scripted podcast series from 2018, in four non-English speaking markets: Brazil, France, Germany, and Mexico. According to the corporate blog post, the effort involved script alterations, casting choices, and local production teams […]