Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles “Upfronts”

Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles Upfronts

Television industry folks are familiar with “upfronts,” where networks present their new slate of shows to clients and advertisers. They are a big deal. Yesterday, podcasts did their own Winter Podcast Upfronts, at the Los Angeles talent agency UTA.

This is significant because large advertisers are spending more and more money on podcasts.  According to Edison Research’s Tom Webster, podcasts’ share of total audio consumption has doubled since 2014. This equates to tens of millions of hours of listening time, according to this nice recap from Digiday.

The Winter Podcast Upfronts included presentations from major players like ESPN and NPR.  Capitalizing on the rampant success of their 30 for 30 documentary series turned podcast, the sports network will unveil a podcast later this year about Donald Sterling. You may remember his wife made him sell the Los Angeles Clippers amid mountains of controversy.  NPR’s Serial, a longtime podcasting leader, will look at the public education system this fall.  The key takeaway here: Major media companies are investing time and money in podcasting, and it’s here to stay.

The Digiday story also mentioned dynamic ad placement, and its importance with time sensitive content, such as new movie releases.  Podcasts are often time-shifted. Listeners consume shows days or weeks after publication, so large companies rely on technology to place targeted ads in podcasts.   I still believe the best ads for podcasts are live reads and “evergreen.”  Ads gain credibility when read by hosts.  That’s because it’s in the voice and style of the rest of the show.  Don’t believe me? Look no further than the clowning around the guys from Pod Save America do in their ads for Stamps.com, the Cash App, Sleep Number, and more.  These companies may not love the hosts’ foul language, but the ads gain a level of authenticity.

Bottom line: Podcasts are becoming more relevant and mainstream by the day.  If you or your company would like to start a podcast, I can create it for you.