Thursday, April 23, 2015

iHM Unveils Podcast Network Initiative

Buoyed by the 80 million downloads of the wildly successful podcast Serial, iHeartMedia is unveiling a new podcast-based network "SoundFront". The company is also expected to introduce a general marketing partnership with Snapchat.

iHeartMedia gave Adweek a sneak peek into five of its new programs.
  • Skybound Rundown: It's an indie gaming podcast developed by producers of AMC's The Walking Dead that offers, per iHeartMedia, "all the news you need to know about indie games by indie gamers." 
  • The Vent: Actor Jaime Pressley thinks celebrity moms are out of touch with normal lives and giving iffy advice through mainstream media. So on this podcast, she's sharing personal anecdotes and parenting tips, along with conversations with "real moms." Pressley's show is designed to be laid-back and humorous. "It's impossible not to laugh when you spend any time at all with Jaime," said Eric Day, managing partner at Trium Entertainment, which helped develop The Vent.
  • Heart of the Beat: IHeartMedia is heralding this program as "an auditory seminar with the most successful artists of our time, such as Jared Leto, deconstructing 'why' or 'how' their music was made."
  • Get Mic'd: Well-known radio personalities and social media stars will search for the "next great iHeartMedia DJ." Yes, it's a reality-TV-style talent contest.
  • Who Is Marty Hirsch?: A mockumentary, this podcast will employ the voices of real rock 'n' roll survivors to create a fictional image of "the man, the myth, the legend—Marty Hirsch."
Gayle Troberman
The launch dates, length and frequency of the programs hasn't been disclosed, and distribution details are still coming together. But the podcasts will run on iHeartRadio's app, iHeartMedia websites and possibly some of the media giant's countless radio stations.

Gayle Troberman, CMO of iHeartMedia, said there will be accompanying ad units for brands to appear in addition to the radio-style spots during the podcasts.

"We believe the advertising industry is dramatically under-invested in [digital] sound and audio storytelling," she said. "What's your brand's sound strategy? How does your brand tell stories with sound? That's what we want to address at the SoundFront."

Read More Now

No comments:

Post a Comment