Hello! It has been an uncharacteristically light week in the podcast world (although not, you know, the world world). Really enjoyed hearing from you all about the Rogan piece — he certainly elicits a lot of feelings from people across the board! I guess that’s why he’s number one.
Nearly half of kids are listening to podcasts every week
Plus, PRX’s revenue dip and SiriusXM’s earnings.
Plus, PRX’s revenue dip and SiriusXM’s earnings.
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
I’ve got a roundup today of bits and bobs from the week. But first, I want to give a shoutout to our friends at On Air Fest. Jake went to the On Air Fest LA Business Summit on Wednesday and said it was an awesome event. One of the big talks was Ashley Carman’s chat with Mack Sovereign, EVP of content and strategy at Wave Sports + Entertainment, which produces New Heights with the Kelce brothers. Sovereign talked about how the show exploded, thanks to the Taylor Swift effect. The show is still at number one on Apple podcasts and number two on Spotify — you can read Carman’s recap here. Jake says I am not allowed to be snotty about the football bro show, so I won’t be.
Let’s get to it.
Lightning round ⚡
- PRX published its annual report yesterday. It reported a major drop in corporate sponsorships since its 2021 report (the latest one made available). This year, PRX recorded $12.8 million in underwriting revenue. In 2021, the organization received $22.7 million in underwriting. It reflects the financial troubles seen at public media stalwarts like NPR and WNYC, which also saw major dips in corporate sponsorships. The company laid off 10 percent of staff earlier this year.
- SiriusXM reported earnings earlier this week. Podcasting revenue grew 28 percent year over year, while the company was down 94,000 SiriusXM subscribers and 112,000 Pandora subscribers. The company will be previewing its next-gen streaming app next week.
- We Can Do Hard Things, the chart-topping self-help podcast hosted by Glennon Doyle, is getting a contract renewal and a rebrand. The show, which was originally called We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, is now officially adding Doyle’s sister Amanda Doyle and wife (and former soccer star) Abby Wambach as cohosts. The show currently ranks at #57 on Apple Podcasts and #151 on Spotify.
- United Talent Agency published a study last week that found 48 percent of kids between the ages of 3 and 12 listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, and 67 percent listen to podcasts at least once a month. UTA has a vested interest in growing this space, as the company is invested in family-friendly audio company Starglow Media. It is worth noting that my six-month-old listens to podcasts when I am feeding him his bottle, but if you can believe it, he does not have much of an opinion on The News Agents’ Israel-Gaza war coverage.
- I simply love that the Good Morning America sex scandal has a podcast ending. Former GMA anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes will host a new show with iHeartMedia, aptly named Amy & T.J. The podcast debuts December 5th and will ostensibly be about current events, but is it? Is that why you would tune in? Anyway, good for them.
That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!
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