Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Voxnest Debuts State of the Podcast Universe Report 2019


Voxnest
Voxnest

2019 has been a banner year for the podcasting industry. While podcasts were gaining some serious momentum in 2018, the explosion of growth and evolution of content this year took podcasting to the mainstream. With over 800,000 podcasts in existence and the industry on track to make $1 billion in ad revenue by 2021, Voxnest has released "The State of the Podcast Universe Report 2019" to examine how podcasts became part of more than 62 million listeners' weekly routines this year.

A big element of launching podcasts into regular conversations has been the Voxnest calls the "Hollywoodification" of the industry. While celebrities certainly weren't foreign to the industry prior to 2019, some of the biggest names in pop culture and entertainment -- former President Barack and Michelle Obama, Conan O'Brien and Will Ferrell just to name just a few -- made their debut (or are about to) into the podcast stratosphere.

In conjunction with the big names, an enormous amount of media and entertainment franchises started dipping their toes into the podcasting pool this year. Sony Music announced joint ventures with podcast producers in the U.S., UK and Italy, while Apple announced that podcasts are on the way, iHeartRadio made Shonda Rhimes the executive producer of their original podcasts and Marvel signed a multi-year agreement with SiriusXM and Pandora for a variety of shows set to launch in 2020. Plus, Entercom, one of the biggest radio conglomerates in the U.S., acquired podcast production companies Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios.

While these media giants just started to get their feet wet, Spotify dove straight into the deep end. They started the year off by announcing their plans to spend $500 million acquiring podcast startups. The company snapped up podcast publisher Gimlet Media -- home to popular shows like "Homecoming," "Reply All," "Heavyweight" and "The Clearing" -- along with Anchor, podcast recording and distribution platform. It also improved podcasting features on Soundtrap, an online music studio they purchased in 2017, and acquired Parcast, another podcast production company, making Spotify the second-largest podcast company.

While the amount of growth isn't projected to be as large as last year, Voxnest reports there's still an estimated 42 percent increase, which puts advertising revenue for 2019 at $678.7 million. With growth also comes an evolution of advertising delivery mechanisms. While the IAB's latest study, from June, reported that baked-in ads still made up the majority of ads, at 51 percent, the firm feels confident that dynamically inserted ads have now surpassed its counterpart.

With more availability for buyers and sellers -- thanks to the definitive data that this format offers -- and the chance for smaller podcasters to monetize their shows, the report forecasts these conversations are only the beginning.

To view the report, visit http://bit.ly/PodcastUniverseReportEN

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

Jack Speer Retires from NPR After More Than 25 Years
Jack Speer
Jack Speer
NPR's longtime newscaster Jack Speer has announced his retirement, closing a chapter on a career that spanned more than a quarter-century and left an enduring mark on public radio journalism. Speer, whose steady presence and clear delivery became a familiar voice to millions of listeners, joined NPR in 1998. More

KMBY to Celebrate 90th Anniversary with Birthday Bash
KMBY-AM & FM in Monterey
KMBY-AM & FM in Monterey
One of Monterey Bay's most enduring broadcast institutions, KMBY (1240 AM and 106.7 FM), is turning 90 -- and the station is inviting the entire community to celebrate the milestone with a two-day birthday party next weekend. The festivities will take place at KMBY Studios at 651 Cannery Row, Monterey, on More

Amanda Lee Joins KJ103 Morning Show in Oklahoma City
Amanda Lee
Amanda Lee
iHeartMedia has announced that Amanda Lee will be the new morning co-host for KJYO (KJ103) Oklahoma City. Effective immediately, Lee joins hosts TJ and JRod for the newly rebranded "TJ, Amanda, & JRod in the Morning." In her new role, Lee will help guide listeners through the morning with a mix of current More
Advertisement

Lil Shawn Power Joins Party-FM as First On-Air Host
Lil Shawn Power
Lil Shawn Power
Q-Broadcasting's Party FM has adds its first air personality, bringing longtime local radio figure Lil Shawn Power to the afternoon lineup. The bilingual Rhythmic CHR outlet, which airs on WONQ-AM (1030) Oviedo-Orlando and FM translators W230AL (93.9) and W278CN (103.5), had been operating jockless since its More

Joe Bullard Departs 96.1 Jamz After Nearly Three Decades
Joe Bullard
Joe Bullard
Longtime Tallahassee radio personality Joe Bullard has unexpectedly parted ways with WHBX-FM (96.1 Jamz), reports WCTV-TV, ending a remarkable run that spanned nearly 30 years on the Cumulus Urban AC outlet. Bullard's final day on the air was June 17, according to a statement from his family. There was no More

iHeartPodcasts Launches ''American History Hotline''
''American History Hotline''
''American History Hotline''
iHeartPodcasts has launched a new original series titled American History Hotline, a weekly show hosted by musician and history enthusiast Bob Crawford. The podcast debuts today with two inaugural episodes that take listeners on a deep dive into some of the most curious and critical moments in U.S. history. More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement