Latest news with #podcasting
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
How Does This Podcast Star Make $20 Million a Year?
The podcaster Joe Budden, an ex-rapper who has been called the 'Howard Stern of hip-hop,' wanted to flex a little. He accidentally over-flexed. Last month, he posted a screenshot of his traffic from Patreon, a subscription service that allows fans to pay creators directly through monthly contributions. It showed more than 30 million visits in 30 days. Revenue figures on the Patreon data had been scribbled over. But sleuths manipulated the image, and to them, it appeared that he had earned more than $900,000 — a number that made headlines. Yet that was just his earnings from the month of June. Overall, the Joe Budden Network is on a pace to generate more than $20 million this year, according to its chief executive, Ian Schwartzman. Mr. Budden agreed to share those and other details about his podcast business with The New York Times, offering a rare window into the economics of podcasting. Publishers of shows rarely share details of their revenue, or even their download or streaming figures. They want to maintain a competitive edge in the advertising marketplace and, like many private businesses, simply aren't keen to open their books. Mr. Budden's reason for releasing figures now, he said in an interview, goes beyond flexing; he and Mr. Schwartzman want to make a broader argument for maintaining independence as creators. They have been podcasting for a decade; although they spent two years working exclusively with Spotify, they are not affiliated with any outside podcast network or media company today. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How podcasters are taking over TV
When Gary Lineker's The Rest is Football unveiled a deal to broadcast Fifa Club World Cup highlights, it marked a watershed moment for podcasting. 'The Rest Is Football isn't just being listened to – it's being watched, shared, and talked about across Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, X and Instagram', said Tony Pastor, who co-founded the podcast production company Goalhanger alongside Lineker. In buying up licensed match footage, one of the most successful franchises in podcasting was acknowledging what many in the industry had long observed: podcasts are no longer merely an audio format, but are increasingly becoming the new TV. Popular shows including The Rest is Politics and The Rest is History are now accompanied by videos of their hosts chatting in the studio. Shows are broadcast not just on traditional audio platforms like Apple's podcast app, but on video-based services such as Instagram and TikTok. In a sign of just how significant this shift has been, YouTube is today the largest global podcast platform with over 1bn monthly views. Spotify, which has invested heavily in podcasts but has an audience just a tenth of YouTube's size, is now playing catch-up by showing videos of podcasts automatically when people listen. Traditional broadcasters are scrambling to keep up. In May, Channel 4 struck a deal to bring video programming to Spotify, building on an existing partnership with YouTube. Tim Davie, director general at the BBC, recently announced plans to make special news programming for YouTube and TikTok, while in a sign of the blurring lines between video and audio, the broadcaster has started to put podcasts such as Rylan's How To Be In Love on iPlayer, as well as on Sounds. In its regular programming, too, the influence of podcasting is clear to see. The latest series of the hit reality show, The Traitors, was accompanied by a 'companion series' dubbed Uncloaked, in which comedian and podcaster Ed Gamble interviewed contestants in a studio equipped with leather armchairs and microphones – set decoration that mimicked video podcasts. Episodes were also put out as podcasts – blurring the lines between formats. The growing importance of podcasting was also a key factor behind big pay raises handed to BBC journalists such as Nick Robinson and Laura Kuenssberg, who are now regularly presenting them alongside TV and radio duties. In the US, meanwhile, Fox News has made similar moves by inking a licensing deal with Ruthless, a hit podcast hosted by Republican figures. Evolution from on-demand radio Podcasting is hardly a new player on the block. The format traces its origins back to the early Noughties with the emergence of the RSS feed, which allowed internet users to download an audio file to listen on the go. For most of its early life, podcasting essentially served as on-demand radio. Over the years, however, it has developed into a major media format in its own right. Just over a fifth of UK adults listen to a podcast each week, according to Ofcom, up from 4pc in 2008. More recently, podcasting has undergone perhaps its biggest transformation to date – video. Put simply, people are increasingly watching podcasts as well as listening to them. Matt Deegan, a radio and podcast expert, says: 'If you're an audio podcaster and have done quite well out of that for a long time, you're in a bit of a quandary now because you've got to boot up the video side to reach that audience.' The reason for this explosion in video is partly a practical one: advancements in technology have made it much cheaper for creators to film their shows and far easier for audiences to view them. Many podcasts are also essentially talk shows, meaning viewers are familiar with the format. 'It's easier than it has ever been to film something along with recording it', says Scott Bryan, a TV critic and broadcaster. 'If you know what you're doing, you can have a setup with a video camera that's got great audio quality.' Whether or not there is a burning consumer demand to watch podcasters pontificate in a studio is difficult to determine. A recent survey conducted by Edison for Ofcom found that 40pc of people who listen to a podcast with video prefer to consume it in an audio-only format. This may reflect when people engage with podcasts. Unlike TV, which people watch when they get home from work, many may turn on a podcast while sitting on the train to work. However, podcasters want to make sure they can reach the widest possible audience, wherever – and however – they are consuming shows. Larger audiences naturally bring the promise of greater advertising revenues, too, as podcasters monetise their shows on multiple platforms. What's more, video provides more opportunities for sponsorship and product placement, such as Dragon's Den star Steven Bartlett, clutching a bottle of Huel in his Diary of a CEO podcast. 'As a creator, you're making a show, and your show is there to be distributed in lots of places, and it should work in all of those media,' says Deegan. 'Its evolution isn't about all audio podcasts becoming video, it's more that people are creating shows that you can get on lots of different platforms.' The consequence is that most consumers – particularly younger ones – no longer distinguish between audio and video. A podcast is therefore now defined by its style and content, rather than its format. Media battle The bleeding of podcasts into TV poses yet another threat to traditional broadcasters and publishers as they battle to retain attention in an increasingly crowded media market. This was perhaps best exemplified by Piers Morgan's decision last year to leave Rupert Murdoch's TalkTV and instead pursue his own show on YouTube. Tellingly, YouTube viewers watched more than 400m hours of podcasts on TV sets last year. Traditional media outlets face significant hurdles in harnessing the power of podcasting in all its forms. Perhaps the biggest risk is a race to the bottom, in which broadcasters shun big-budget hits in favour of cheap podcast-style programming that low-budget rivals can easily compete with. This threat is particularly acute as broadcasters and producers warn of a funding crisis for high-end British dramas. Regardless of how they respond, there is a sense that traditional media outlets are reluctantly starting to accept that viewing habits have fundamentally changed. If they want to stay relevant, broadcasters can no longer ignore the rise of the podcast as TV. 'After years of maybe being quite dismissive and letting it do its thing, I think traditional broadcasters are realising that now you have to invest, and if that means doing a similar setup to what YouTubers and podcasters are doing, then so be it,' says Bryan.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Sound and Vision
Log on to social media these days, and it's likely that you'll come across a video of two people in a studio, talking. Usually the host is famous — Joe Rogan, or Amy Poehler or the Kelce brothers. Often the guest is, too. And while the clip on social media is probably brief, the video it's been cut from may well be three, four, even five hours long. This is podcasting in 2025: Many of the most popular shows are now video conversations that seem to stretch on forever. They often feature major political figures and may even have played a role in electing Donald Trump to his second term. The sheer profusion of these talk shows poses a very basic question: Who, exactly, is watching all this? I put that question to podcast creators and viewers, industry analysts and executives. And the answer, it turns out, is complicated. In today's newsletter, I'll explain what I learned. Who's watching One thing we do know: A lot of people are hitting play on podcast videos. YouTube announced recently that more than a billion people a month watch podcasts on its platform. And according to the most recent survey research, around three-quarters of podcast consumers play podcast videos. What makes it complicated, though, is that we don't know whether everyone playing these videos is actually watching them. The same survey showed that more than 40 percent of people who play podcast videos on YouTube listen to them only in the background — say, while folding laundry or doing other work. Podcasting began as an audio-only format, which led to an extraordinary degree of intimacy between listeners and hosts. Hearing the same people in your ears week after week tends to do that. Video podcasts strive for the same, or an even greater, sense of intimacy with their audience. One superfan of 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von' told me that she liked to watch the entire podcast because it made her feel less alone and as if she had company over. (Von's show, which regularly draws hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube, typically runs for about two hours.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Emirates 24/7
14-07-2025
- Business
- Emirates 24/7
Arab Podcast Programme' sparks a new wave of regional talent in inaugural week
The inaugural week of the second edition of the 'Arab Podcast Programme,' a pathbreaking initiative organised by the Dubai Press Club, witnessed a distinguished group of content creators and industry experts from across the Arab world sharing their insights with enthusiastic Arab youth eager to carve a niche within the fast-evolving digital media realm of podcasting. The accent on enabling young participants to find their feet as audio content creators – with established professionals sharing their creative vision, expertise, and technical knowledge – underscores the rapid growth of this vital sector and the increasing interest in podcasting as an influential and innovative media platform aligned with the trends of modern media. Launched on July 7 at the Dubai Press Club, the Arab Podcast Programme features five weeks of intensive training under the supervision of Charbel Issa, a certified trainer on Podeo, a leading podcasting platform in the Middle East and North Africa region. The training sessions are designed to offer participants a clear idea of fundamental concepts while they gain new skills through hands-on practical training modules. Hosting the second edition of the Arab Podcast Programme is part of the Dubai Press Club's sustained efforts to promote the growth of the Arabic podcasting industry and contribute to the development of a dynamic and evolving digital media landscape across the region. The initiative aligns with the rapid changes being witnessed in terms of digital content consumption patterns and aims to support a more active and influential Arab presence in one of the fastest-growing media segments worldwide. Podcasting continues to grow its share as a major platform for free expression and a fertile ground for innovation and creative media content. The opening week of the event witnessed broad participation from young men and women from across the Arab world. Participants were guided through eight foundational training modules covering various stages of podcast production – from content strategy development, podcast branding, and post-production, to recording quality, hosting, and distribution across podcast platforms, as well as marketing strategies. Aspiring young men and women were introduced to the fundamentals of podcasting from a holistic professional perspective, grasping basic concepts before delving into the intricacies of professional recording techniques, audio setup, audience trend analysis, and approaches to benchmark the audio identity of content. Discussions also included global best practices in podcast production. Maryam Al Mulla, Acting Director of the Dubai Press Club, emphasised that the remarkable levels of engagement from participants over the inaugural week reflected the profound interest among Arab youth to carve a niche for themselves in this dynamic domain. Podcasting is among the most engaging forms of media, particularly amongst younger audiences, she noted. She said: 'We are thrilled by the strong and enthusiastic response to the second edition of the Arab Podcast Programme. Right through the inaugural sessions, we have witnessed a profound eagerness and passion among participants to master podcasting techniques that could enable them to produce high-quality Arabic content capable of competing regionally and globally. 'The programme is designed to be a comprehensive training platform, not limited to theoretical knowledge but also rich in intensive practical aspects, enabling participants to develop their own audio projects under the guidance of experienced trainers and professionals.' She added: 'Through this initiative, we aim to enhance the appeal and reach of Arabic content in the global digital space and to provide Arab youth with the opportunity to express their ideas and concerns through modern tools that can deliver optimal results amid the rapid technological shifts rippling through the new media landscape.' Stefano Fallaha, CEO and Founder of Podeo, said: 'We are pleased to witness the tremendous interest generated by the second edition of the Arab Podcast Programme organised by the Dubai Press Club. It represents an important step in strengthening the presence of Arabic audio content on the global stage.' He added: 'Such targeted initiatives play a key role in equipping young Arabs with the knowledge and tools needed to produce innovative, high-quality content. This aligns perfectly with Podeo's mission to support the podcasting ecosystem in the region by creating opportunities for content creators to monetise their work and transform their creative ideas into impactful productions that reach wider audiences. At Podeo, we strongly believe in the importance of hands-on training and direct experience in sharpening the skills of the new generation of creators, helping them establish a strong presence in one of the fastest-growing media industries worldwide.' Through the second week, participants are gearing up to present initial pitches for their podcast ideas, ahead of entering the third stage of the programme. Each participant will receive personalised feedback and guidance to help refine their projects courtesy of experts from The Direction Podcast, Podcast Pro, and the Dubai Press Club. The inaugural week featured a host of training sessions and interactive discussions encompassing a wide range of topics, including the development of the podcasting industry regionally and globally, essential skills for voice presenters, scriptwriting for podcasts, and how to choose topics that resonate with audience interests. Over the coming weeks, participants will engage in more specialised training, including building an audio brand identity, digital marketing strategies for podcasts, managing relationships with digital platforms, and producing fully developed podcast episodes. The episodes thus developed will be showcased during a special screening at the conclusion of the event, where the work of individual participants will be evaluated. The hosting of the Arab Podcast Programme as part of the Dubai Press Club's initiatives reflects its unwavering commitment to enhancing the capabilities of media professionals in the Arab region and equipping them with appropriate tools to stay relevant in a fast-changing media landscape heading into the future. This effort is aligned with Dubai's pioneering role as a hub for modern Arab media enterprises and its significant contributions to the development of an innovative and thriving Arab media environment.
Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
British podcasts are great — but there's a north-south problem
A few notable exceptions aside, podcasting can feel disproportionately metropolitan, often in accent, certainly in gaze. Much of the talent may originally come from afar (Alastair Campbell, Bradford; Emily Maitlis, Sheffield) but for many London feels like their pulpit. Crossed Wires, the podcast festival that last weekend took over some of Sheffield's best-known venues, including the Crucible Theatre, seeks to redress that. It was founded by the podcaster Alice Levine (My Dad Wrote a Porno, British Scandal), the producer Dino Sofos (the creator of Americast and The News Agents) and the local impresario James O'Hara (the music festival Tramlines), and the ambition is to create a podcasting equivalent to the Edinburgh Fringe, albeit for just one weekend annually. Sofos, however, wants to challenge London's cultural capital year round. He spent 14 years down south, pioneering BBC formats like Brexitcast. But to build his audio company Persephonica, he came home to Sheffield. Increasingly he perceives a north-south divide in career opportunities for young creatives, with the high cost of housing giving an unfair advantage to those already from the southeast. But podcasts can be produced from anywhere (as exemplified by two of Persephonica's highest-profile yet hardest-holidaying presenters, Dua Lipa and Lily Allen). Sofos dreams that others — perhaps even the BBC — will follow him to Sheffield and help to make England's sixth biggest city a centre for podcasting. This year's festival had the BBC Radio 1 breakfast host, Greg James, as its creative director. First, he lured back one of the city's most beloved sons, Michael Palin. The natty 82-year-old reminisced about once alighting from the London train 'wearing one of those communist-style collarless shirts'. A gruff South Yorkshireman barked, 'Hulloo!' before declaiming sotto voce: 'Bourgeois are back.' Palin has never worn that shirt since. • The best podcasts and radio shows of the week James hosted the Friday headliner Nobody Expects the Michael Palin Podcast. Then, a delightful Sheffield/Palin-themed edition of Rewinder. It was recorded at Cole Brothers, which for generations was Sheffield's destination department store, but since the closure of John Lewis in 2021 is a semi-derelict high street eyesore. Last weekend it was reclaimed as a BBC hub. So, in a sense, the bourgeoisie were back (Radio 4's controller even popped along to settle a potentially unpaid Palin guinea fee from the 1960s). But the venue's bare bulbs and wires hanging from concrete girders made this a buzzy, down-to-earth space. 'A better audience than at the Hay Festival,' said Rob Lawrie, the bluff Yorkshireman presenter of the investigative hit To Catch a Scorpion. North and south, privilege and poverty, the politics of a post-industrial landscape, all were recurring themes across a northern-accented weekend attended by more than 20,000. As Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett's guest on Dish, the Hull-raised comedian Lucy Beaumont was bleakly funny about the hunger-staving, cheap stodgy staples of Yorkshire cuisine. • The best podcasts and audiobooks for a family road trip Audiences flocked to hear a recording of Jarvis Cocker reading the Shipping Forecast. His Pulp bandmate the drummer Nick Banks joined Drunk Women Solving Crime. At the gateway to the Peak District, the novelist David Nicholls discussed his hiking romance You Are Here with Sara Cox ('delighted to be on my second favourite side of the Pennines'). At the festival's stimulating finale Pod Save the UK, Oliver Coppard, the mayor of South Yorkshire, dealt impressively with shouts of 'shame on you' for saying his office would not turn away arms manufacturing jobs, given local levels of long-term unemployment. Crucially, Crossed Wires events were great fun. The Saturday evening headliner was the class-riffing comedy Help I Sexted My Boss, presented by the Capital Radio breakfast host Jordan North and the etiquette expert William Hanson. Even before curtain up at the sold-out 2,200-capacity City Hall, its bars had run dry of 'G&D', the show's signature tipple of gin and Dubonnet. • Read more radio and podcast reviews Its innuendo-laden humour harks back to a pre-Palin(lithic) age. 'I'm more City Hall — you're sod all,' was Hanson's opening salvo to North, as if he were a snooty southern pantomime villain talking to Buttons. To cheers, North (born in York, brought up in Lancashire) explained Sheffield to Hanson (Bristol) as the city of Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Self-Esteem and Sean Bean. For the second half's opener, he and the producer did a 'full Monty', stripping to gold lamé briefs. Hanson, more demurely, unveiled a half Sheffield United, half Wednesday strip, then came good officiating the marriage proposal of Tristan to Shona. You'd have to have been a right misery-guts to have not been borne along. Edinburgh's festivals have been pivotal to the careers of some mentioned here, including Palin. Although this was much smaller in scale, it felt like there were parallels — another walkable festival in a university town girded by hills. I hope Sheffield's Crossed Wires succeeds and helps to devolve more podcasting power to the regions. What podcasts have you enjoyed recently? Let us know in the comments below
