NATPE Contentcast Virtual Conference Looks At Podcasting Business

Today

The intersection of podcasting and television served as the focus of NATPE's virtual CONTENTCAST conference on podcasting content all day WEDNESDAY (7/14).

Opening with "THE OFFICE" co-star BRIAN BAUMGARTNER discussing his ventures into podcasting, the agenda included several variations on the concept of the value of podcasts to the entertainment industry as both an extension and enhancement of video and film IP (with monetization opportunities) and a generator of IP moving in the opposite direction, along with a healthy dose of self-promotion for companies in the podcast space.

SIRIUSXM Pres./Chief Content Officer SCOTT GREENSTEIN, in a discussion with PROPAGATE Chairman/CEO BEN SILVERMAN and explaining his company's aggressive move into podcasting, pointed to opportunities in curation ("The volume (of podcasts) is enormous and there is no curation system, and if there's one thing SIRIUSXM does well, it's curation") and production (he criticized podcast production values before his company's entrance into the field and touted SIRIUSXM's ability to attract talent to podcasting). SILVERMAN added that "big names are going to be big names" regardless of the medium, arguing for the use of big-name talent for podcasting projects, although he also pointed to his company's development of podcasts like "UP AND VANISHED" and "LORE" for television. Meanwhile, GREENSTEIN predicted that music will play a bigger role in podcasting, although he did not address the issue of licensing.

EDISON RESEARCH SVP TOM WEBSTER offered a quick rundown of podcast data from recent studies, pointing to the gradual balancing of listening between men and women and the increased diversity of podcast listenership and content. He also used the latest Share of Ear data to demonstrate the growth of radio listening in the last six years as opposed to AM/FM.

AUDIBLE EVP/Head of U.S. Content RACHEL GHIAZZA told HOT POD and VULTURE writer NICK QUAH about her company's changing strategy, moving from working with public radio hosts early in its original content development days to experiments with single-episode dramas and working with figures from the theater and music. In a separate session, VIACOMCBS SVP/Podcasts STEVE RAIZES, IMPERATIVE ENTERTAINMENT Pres./Podcasts JASON HOCH, and EXILE CONTENT STUDIO Head of Podcasts NANDO VILA discussed their companies' strategies, from VIACOMCBS looking to exploit the company's existing IP to IMPERATIVE's focus on non-fiction narrative stories and EXILE's bilingual approach.

A three-part segment on adapting IP between the audio and visual media included a presentation by ROOSTER TEETH/THE ROOST PODCAST NETWORK's AJ FELICIANO on his company's ventures and the importance of data-driven brand-building and growth marketing, plus panels on the legal and licensing issues surrounding migrating IP and marketing the cross-platform ventures.

Scheduled for later in the day were another three-part session on monetization with panels on innovation in monetizing audio and cross-platform ad sales along with a NIELSEN presentation with brand-lift case studies for ad spends including both TV and podcasting; another panel on driving IP between platforms; and a "fireside chat" between iHEARTMEDIA's CONAL BYRNE and comedian/actor/podcast host KEVIN POLLAK.

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