‘we always strive to offer diversity in our content’
Oli Walters – Head of UK Sales, audioBoom
Q3: People go nuts for the true crime and sport genres, but we know there’s a plethora of content out there that goes beyond just these categories. Content-wise, are you experimenting with any new podcasts that could potentially reach a wider audience such as families in the home for instance?
True crime and sports-based content will always be big players in the podcasting world because listeners crave content that is divisive and generates discussion. Then again, these are key aspects of any engaging production and don’t only lend themselves to the sport and true crime categories. ‘News & politics’ is a fast-moving landscape and there is a hunger for debate and information. Our flagship political show, ‘Remainiacs’ feeds this beast on a weekly basis, keeping listeners informed and up to date, while our new series ‘Qmmunity’ offers dedicated historical context and insight into the lives and futures of the LGBTQA+ community in this evolving political world.
While podcasting has grown rapidly in the UK, even over the last 12 months, there are still many people that are not yet familiar with how to use a podcast app – or even know what a podcast is. And that’s the main challenge that we face here at audioBoom; keeping existing podcast audiences engaged with fresh and interesting content, but also enticing new listeners while showing them that there is a space for their interests in the podcasting world.
Jonathan Ross is a great example of a traditional broadcaster moving into the podcasting space and bringing his existing fan base with him. We’ve recently launched ‘I Like Films’ with Jonathan Ross. Ross has fans of all ages, who trust him. They know what to expect from him on tv, buying into him as a ‘brand’ and his authentic enthusiasm and passion for film. For those who’ve never downloaded or listened to a podcast before, someone like Ross is a catalyst for exploration in a medium that can be quite overwhelming to step into.
Likewise, at the end of November, we will be launching a series with Heston Blumenthal called ‘Pod & Chips’ which finds Heston exploring the science behind food and cooking with special guests. Again, Heston is a trusted face on television and a trusted voice in the world of cooking and Science to boot. Heston, perfectly blends entertainment and knowledge, making food science accessible to the masses. And that is what we’re really excited about: blending authentic knowledge and passion with entertainment for all existing and potential listeners out there.
Here at audioBoom, we are passionate about making sure people know that they are represented in the podcast world, so we always strive to offer diversity in our content.
Q4: You’ve highlighted that there’s been a wave in podcast engagement and where there’s an audience, there’s advertising! What are your predictions for the future podcast advertising landscape?
Thankfully, I don’t need a crystal ball as we can already see what is likely to happen.
If the US podcast market is any indication, then we will continue to see very high growth over the coming years. Already our UK team have achieved recorded breaking revenues this year which are up 4-fold on 2017 and I’d expect Acast will be responding to similar growth patterns.
If we look to the US podcast market who are estimating triple-digit growth between 2018 – 2020, revenues could reach as much as $659 million (£500m). As great as that is, it is still only 3% of the total spend on radio which doesn’t necessarily mirror a medium that is listened to by almost half of the entire US population. The UK is no different and I believe that the podcast market here could be worth as much as £30m by 2020 which isn’t too shabby for a channel that is still very much in its infancy.
CONNECT
