By Olly Hutson
Are you up to date on the podcast industry news? Staying ahead of the curve is critical for marketers and media buyers as we seek to maximize our audio advertising impact, especially when the current economic climate means every ad dollar is scrutinized. As more brands leverage podcasts into their marketing mix and the industry evolves, understanding current trends, opportunities, and challenges can help you drive more meaningful outcomes for your business.
Here we present a deep dive into the latest podcast industry developments globally and locally so that you can stay informed about new possibilities in 2023. Find out which YouTube competitor has acquired a podcast platform, how Google is integrating podcasts into its search capabilities and why the New York Times are backing audio. Plus who made it to the top Australian podcasts and advertisers list, plus how much US podcast ad revenue has grown in Q1.
Top 15 advertisers for Australian podcasts
McDonald’s is the top advertiser on Australian podcasts for Q1 2023. Other top advertisers include Amazon, Stan, Expedia and Optus.
March quarter spending in Australian podcast advertising grew by 43% year on year. The report found that all podcast categories saw an increase in investment, with Technology (up 267%), Education (up 186%), and True Crime (up 157%) genres seeing the most exponential year on year growth.
Read more: Ad News
The top Aussie podcasts for April
The Australian Podcast Ranker has been released for April. Mamamia’s But Are You Happy? is the highest new entry. The #1 podcast, with 962k listeners and over 2 million downloads, was Casefile True Crime. ARN’s iHeartPodcast network had four additional podcasts in the top 10 including 7am and Life Uncut.
Full list here: Podcast Ranker
New Google podcast search experience
A new podcast search experience in Google is being rolled out in the US. Users on mobile who search for generic terms like “kids podcasts” or “news podcasts” now get individual podcast cards, which, when clicked on, include links to players Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Apple said the update is a recognition of the fact that people don’t want to listen to podcasts on-line — they would rather use the app of their choice.
Currently, the feature is only available to Google Search users in the U.S. (We understand it will roll out to more markets over time, after the initial performance is assessed.)
Read more: Tech Crunch
US podcast ad revenues grew 26% in 2022 (iAB)
Podcasting continues to be one of the fastest growing digital channels, growing two times faster than digital advertising overall, according to IAB’s “U.S. Podcast Advertising 2022 Revenue & 2023-2025 Growth Projections” study.
News has also dropped from its place as the top genre for ad revenue: the sports category is now #1, with a 15% share.
Find out more: iAB
Study reveals UK podcast consumption has doubled in the last 5 years
UK: RAJAR released the Spring 2023 MIDAS Report, which measures multiplatform audio. The number of people listening to podcasts each week has doubled in the past five years (from 11% to 22.8% of the population) - but the time spent listening to podcasts has increased further, up by more than 2.3x.
Full study: Rajar
The New York Times goes all in on a new podcast app
NTY debuts a one-stop app for subscribers, with new short-form stories and an even shorter daily morning podcast.
It includes an exclusive show called The Headlines, new episodes of “This American Life” a day early, a daily playlist of news and ideas each weekday morning, and a range of narrated articles from The New York Times and other publishers.
Find out more: Vanity Fair
New podcast media platform aims to unify industry voice
Close to the Mic aims to bring podcast industry voices together from New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
The mission behind Close to the Mic is to promote and profile the work of those in the sector, in what founder Sonia Yee describes as “an increasingly competitive environment that continues to change.”
Read more: Radio Today
iHeart launches “one of the world’s most technically advanced news podcasts”
ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia has today announced new podcast series Your News Now, bringing listeners personalised news, sports and weather that adapts the content based on the listener’s location.
“Your News Now is a technological first and we are proud to be delivering up-to-date geo-targeted news with world-class journalists to audiences,” said ARN’s Head of News & Information, Fiona Ellis-Jones.
Find out more: Radio Today
Amazon releases four new echo smart speakers
The smart speaker is credited with bringing radio back into the home and the voice-activated industry continues to evolve with the addition of three new tabletop devices and a new set of wireless earbuds from the Amazon Echo line.
“Customers around the world love Alexa as their trusted, personal AI—they’ve now purchased well over half a billion Alexa-enabled devices, and use of Alexa increased 35 percent last year,” Rohit Prasad, Alexa Senior VP, and Head Scientist, said.
More: Podcast News Daily
A new mental health podcast network for Gen Z has launched.
Astro Studios is from the hosts of Teenager Therapy, the Ambies-winning podcast; Gael Aitor said that the aim is to produce content that helps young people deal with overwhelming emotions.
Find out more: Astro Studios
Rumble acquires podcasting and live streaming platform CallIn
Rumble, the video-sharing platform, announced that it has acquired CallIn, the San Francisco-based podcasting and live streaming platform founded by technology entrepreneur and investor David Sacks. Rumble hosts Donald Trump’s Truth Social network, and the video platform is popular among American right and far-right users.
Get the whole story: News Wire
As the market continues to grow and evolve, staying in-sync with the latest news, trends, developments and opportunities is key to unlocking its full potential. Need more help understanding the podcast industry? For more analysis, insights, and commentary on the growing podcast industry,sign up to our newsletter or feel free to contact us anytime.