Recently, a US House subcommittee voted to increase funding for public broadcasting by $40 million for the 2023 fiscal year. It would also provide a record $565 million in advance funding through 2025. Broadcasters stated the recommendation restores “$100 million in lost purchasing power.”

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies proposed a $242.1 billion FY2023 funding bill that includes the $60 million in additional funding for radio stations’ interconnection systems and infrastructure. The bill could create jobs, improve education and child care, strengthen public health infrastructure, and push forward equal treatment for women and shows a 13% increase over 2022.

Public broadcasters largely supported the bill. America’s Public Television Stations President and CEO Patrick Butler said, “While this is the first step in this year’s appropriations […], it is a […] step in the right direction, and we are most grateful to subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro and Ranking Member Tom Cole for being […] strong champions of public broadcasting.”

He went on to say, “After a decade of level funding, resulting in $100 million in lost purchasing power, this legislation would go a […] long way toward restoring that purchasing power, and with it, our ability to provide […] educational services, […] public safety communications, […] civic literacy, and […] beloved programming [that] millions of Americans need and value. The broad support for public media funding among […] Republicans and Democrats […] reflects the overwhelming support of the American people for our service […]. We couldn’t be more proud of the subcommittee’s confidence in our work.”

Butler also spoke about public broadcasting’s crucial role in getting out necessary public safety communications and educational initiatives, especially in the US’s rural communities. This new federal investment in public broadcasting could ensure that Americans can get critical information for free. He stated that local public television stations and their public service mission depend on this type of investment to “ensure that everyone, everywhere, every day has access to these essential services for free.”

Remote learning would also be among the necessary services affected. Bulter stated, “This mission includes remote learning services in all 50 States, providing a datacasting communications bridge for students without adequate access to broadband[…].”

It would also help improve the communication between federal, state, and local governments on public safety communications, ranging from early earthquake warnings to National Guard readiness[…].”

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of this funding, because of the current concerns among Americans, is how it would aid constituents with connecting to government officials on important health information and other crucial social issues. Moreover, Butler states that it would allow broadcasters to continue “chronicling the history, culture, and public affairs of hometown America.”

A Step Toward the Future of Broadcasting

Bulter talked about the future America might see as well. He said, “Public television stations are ready to do more, to help revolutionize education in a post-pandemic America, to train more of [our] adults for the employment opportunities […], to expand our work in civil defense, to create a […] well-informed citizenry that considers issues [civilly and constructively], and to use a portion of our licensed spectrum to enhance telehealth, national security, Smart Cities connections, transportation efficiency, precision agriculture and more.”

There’s also been broad support for this broadcasting funding from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. This act reflects the growing support of the American people for public broadcasting services in communities across the county, especially in smaller and rural areas. The subcommittee’s confidence in the industry is a necessary, positive step forward.

Bulter went on to give more details and said, “We await further word on […] Ready To Learn, a competitive grant program at the Department of Education that supports [creating and distributing] educational media content to millions of children […]. This program […] helps close the achievement gap between children from low-income families and their more affluent peers. We remain hopeful that Ready To Learn’s essential work will continue […] through full funding. In the meantime, we are most grateful to the full membership of the subcommittee for the […] support they have demonstrated […] for […] America’s public television stations.”

Hopefully, everything progresses smoothly, and we can see this enhanced funding bridge the communication gaps in several sectors.

SOURCES USED: https://www.insideradio.com/free/house-subcommittee-votes-to-up-public-broadcasting-funding-to-565-million/article_1cad52d4-f3ff-11ec-87ea-7fd4d9c4b284.html https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/public-broadcasters-applaud-dollar40m-funding-increase-vote

The future of streaming will live in cars and IoT!

Streaming technology is constantly growing. As the consistent frontrunner, with 82% of internet traffic devoted to video streaming, it’s no wonder we see new ways to access those streams. Moreover, pandemic streaming saw a considerable increase. Not just video but music and podcasting also saw a massive rise in streaming numbers during the lockdown.

Music streaming traffic grew by 20%. Led by Spotify and Apple Music, sudden increases in usage during the pandemic led to increased streaming. Accessibility and convenience are essential factors in streaming growth as they’re a top priority for listeners. In 2018 alone, they helped drive a 49% growth in on-demand music streaming.

Where is the future of streaming going? Let’s take a closer look.

OTT Media Services Expanded

Over-the-top (OTT) media services grew before and during the pandemic. In the US, studies reported 182 million subscribers. The top OTT providers include Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. These platforms are trendy because they provide people with neverending content and instant access to original high-quality content.

In 2020, eMarketer believed that more than 185 million American and Canadian households would have joined Netflix. Netflix remains the top global OTT video streaming provider. In 2020, the pandemic helped Netflix revenues to grow from $20.1 billion the previous year to nearly $25 billion.

A big reason for that is their original content.

OTT streaming providers work tirelessly to find ways to offer original and binge-able content. They want to make movies and TV shows people love. Several OTT providers have allied themselves with mobile operators so that they can cash in even more. Businesses are now looking into monetizing their content through different models, such as ad-based and subscription video on demand.

OTT’s growth, of course, caused several content producers to invest in creating their streaming services. It’s one of the most notable streaming service trends, and you can see it easily when you consider Disney. The company pulled its contract with Hulu and Netflix to launch its own OTT streaming platform, Disney+. This content fragmentation will likely continue to grow, increasing competition and the need for high-quality, new content.

IoT and OTT Streaming

One of the newest OTT video streaming industry trends is the Internet of Things (IoT). In this case, OTT and video platform players compete to grow their subscriber count through monetization of the IoT. Because OTT allows data sharing between IoT devices and OTT services, this idea has a lot of potential. In the highly competitive OTT/video platform arena, using data skillfully and innovatively is crucial to success. It requires fully deploying machine learning, AI, automation, and IoT technologies.

The OTT’s incredible growth is primarily due to better content accessibility through high-speed Internet, devices’ high-quality streaming capacity, data analysis, technological advances, and artificial intelligence. The pandemic saw streaming on various devices, with consumers switching from the Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast to a new era of smart TVs. These moves make new monetization opportunities available for networks and OTT service providers. They can benefit from performance improvements and cost reductions.

Recently, streamers are targeting IoT video at consumers because of the increased number of Internet-enabled devices. By 2025, the predicted total of IoT-connected devices will be about 30.9 billion units. That includes active gateways or nodes/devices that concentrate the end-sensors that enable live streaming.

Consumer IoT video streaming applications range from doorbell cameras and pet monitors to IP and security cameras. The potential for consumer IoT video streaming is huge. With the creation of 5G Internet, the technology used in homes and industrial monitoring will only grow exponentially in the future.

Another compelling example is IoT video stream technology in cars. For example, using tailored sensors and high illuminating infrared cameras, these specially-equipped vehicles can communicate with others thanks to 5G-enabled devices and dedicated short-range communication. Studies predict connected cars will be the most significant global segment of the IoT-5G endpoint market. By 2023, experts project this segment to grow into approximately 19 million endpoints, with a 39% install base market share.

Consuming Media

The preferred video delivery medium has changed over the years, as mobile has surpassed TV. Mobile networks’ sprint to offer broadband and LTE services partly fueled this change. As partnerships between streaming providers and mobile networks expand, they offer customer incentives in exchange for more content consumption.

The biggest live-streaming platform, Amazon’s Twitch, saw a massive surge in its “hours watched.” It peaked at 101% during the pandemic’s start in 2020. Of those watching, nearly 33% of Twitch users enjoy live streams on their smart devices. Meanwhile, cable TV subscriptions dropped 3.4% in 2017, meaning about 79% of US households still subscribed to cable or satellite TV. As mobile channels grow and we see content bundling and subsidies, this migration is expected to continue.

Music

While the invention of video certainly hit radio hard, nowadays, streaming packs the real punch. Music streaming affects young audiences most, and it’s unlikely that you’ll see younger audiences tuning into the radio. They prefer streaming, and for a good reason. In music streaming, there are no DJs, no interruptions, and most of all, no commercials. It’s the same reason most people prefer streaming TV. No one likes sitting through an ad. Similarly, music streaming allows listeners to curate their own playlists and stations based on their unique likes.

Over 50% of all music is consumed via streaming.

In another interesting use of cars, TuneIn partnered with electric adventure vehicle manufacturer Rivian. They’ll integrate TuneIn into models like the R1T, the first fully electric truck to hit the market. This feature will give drivers access to TuneIn’s full suite of global live and on-demand radio, sports, news, music, and podcasts.

CEO Richard Stern said, “We are […] excited to be adding Rivian to our existing lineup of automotive and connected car technology partners. Our […] partnerships in the automotive industry enable drivers to discover and access the best audio content from around the world, […] through their dashboard, via a simple touch or voice command via Alexa.”

TuneIn is already working with Tesla, Mercedes, JLR, Volvo, Polestar, and all Alexa-enabled car audio systems.

Using These Statistics to Improve Your Business

What does this information mean for streamers? Changes in streaming and media consumption worldwide due to COVID-19 will likely become the norm. Streaming will continue to be one of the most widely used technologies, and it’s not just entertainment. It’s branched out to essential business sectors gradually. Currently, video and music streaming make up most of the landscape. OTT streaming platforms are evolving exponentially, growing into an industry worth billions of dollars.

Live streaming has served many businesses well, and they presently use it for marketing their goods and services. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Periscope are still the most used platforms by companies. They’ve greatly improved live streaming so sellers can easily interact with their customers. Organizations can even communicate in real-time with their audiences via messaging apps.

Both music and video services have significantly benefited from streaming. Music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Amazon Music have pushed down radio usage as younger generations choose them over the ad-filled stations when they want to listen to music. Music streaming platforms don’t have the same weaknesses that radio does.

These streaming trends continue to grow and evolve each day. You can take advantage of them by taking inspiration from the companies that saw positive changes through streaming technology. Streaming can increase your marketing payout and social media presence and enhance your customer experience. Additionally, marketers use streaming in the latest video marketing statistics. If you look to these trends and more when making decisions regarding your streaming efforts; you’ll be heading toward success—interested in more updates about the future of streaming? Subscribe to our email list!

SOURCES USED: https://www.insideradio.com/free/tunein-announces-integration-with-electric-vehicle-manufacturer-rivian/article_46360132-ebb2-11ec-afbd-2b64e81ca81a.html https://financesonline.com/streaming-trends/ https://www.wowza.com/blog/streaming-trends https://www.exhibit.tech/trending-tech-news/how-iot-and-ott-applications-amount-to-future-technologies/ https://headphonesaddict.com/listening-to-music-statistics/

Streaming content has taken the world by storm! Whether it’s uploading premade audio/video content or more dynamic content such as live streaming. Almost every corner of the internet is embracing content streaming as the new way of interacting with their communities and creating unique content for business and personal use. The best part is that content creators and advertisement creators alike can monetize streamed content.

This begs the question: what is the best way to show ads in content streams?

There are a lot of neat tricks you can use when it comes to stepping up your ad game. Before diving into that, we first have to cover how ads usually appear on streamed media.

Types of Ads

There are three main types of advertisements that can show up on streaming content.

Linear Video Ads are ads that find themselves within the flow of the video, occurring before, in the middle of, or after a stream. Like television commercials, these types of ads momentarily insert themselves in between shows or programs and then resume them once they’re done. For those who watch Youtube videos regularly, you know that content creators often utilize these types of ads.

Another ad type is the Non-linear Video Ad. Unlike Linear Video Ads, Non-linear Video Ads don’t interfere with the flow of the playing content. These ads tend to appear while the main streamed content is playing. They run concurrently with the main content so that users see both the ad and content simultaneously. This concurrency sometimes causes some parts of the main content to be obstructed, but these ads are pretty easy to exit. These ads can be as simple as just showing text with a URL, but they can also be graphically complex and even animated. Youtube creators also utilize these types of ads.

Finally, another popular ad type is the Companion Video Ad. These are ads you can see outside the main streaming content’s viewing panel, visually wrapping the stream’s user interface. These ads come in various shapes and sizes and tend to change with the streamed content. They can be paired with Linear Video Ads and Non-linear Video Ads, or they can simply show the video's main sponsor.

Tips and Tricks to use When Showing Ads

No matter which types of ads you choose to display alongside streamed content, the techniques you employ to tackle ads matter. The following are some tips you can utilize to make more effective ads for streamed content and media. Use a lot of Voice Over and Music Voiceovers and narrations coupled with music that matches the mood and tone of the advertisement or script tend to garner more attention, and most of the time even clicks, than text-only ads when it comes to ads for streamed content. If you’re opting for voiceovers, make sure the audio quality of the recording is clear and understandable. Logos are Eye-catching Always incorporate your logo in your video ads. Make them noticeable, and show them at once– even just subtly at first. Your logos are your visual identifier, which means that whatever you place your logo on will be visually associated with you– sometimes subconsciously. Logos are a vital part of your branding.

Audience-First!

Make sure your ads target your intended audience! Most video platforms have tools you can use to ensure that you’re advertising to the right people. For example, Google has recently integrated utilizing a user’s search history as a factor in Youtube’s ad-targeting. It’s always best to look at a platform’s ad capabilities.

Always include a CTA

Your CTA or Call to Action should be the clearest message you have on your ad. Most ads successfully capture their viewer’s attention but lose them because they don’t tell their viewers to do a specific action. They saw your ad, now what? The CTA tells your viewers that they can still subscribe by saying “Subscribe Now” or that there’s a free trial waiting for them when they see “Get Your Free Trial Today”.

Utilize Discovery Ads

On platforms like Youtube, front-page videos and search results are handled by algorithms, and it is your job to get on their good side. Paying to have ads of your content displayed as a search result for specific keywords is a good way to nudge people to your content, especially if these search keywords have high traffic. Attention-grabbing Skippable Ads If you’re opting for skippable linear ads, you’d better be able to wow the audience in the first five seconds. An interesting and entertaining script, relatable content, amazing visuals, and audio are bound to keep your audience from skipping your ad!

Ad Placement Matters!

If you’re the one placing ads on content, this one’s for you. Whether on a podcast or a video, the timestamp where you place your ad matters. If you’re using Linear Ads, you don’t want to cut off a stream unnaturally. With Non-linear ads, it’s best to think of when not to distract the viewer from the main content.

There Are Streaming Experts Out There

Ads and video streaming are a huge part of the present. Still, those that specialize in creating content shouldn’t spend all their valuable time having to dissect platform after platform, trend after trend, so that they can effectively push their content out for all the world to see!

This is why exceptional teams like StreamGuys exist. StreamGuys offers media streaming and podcast solutions for businesses– and we do it with the utmost ease. See what we can offer you today! Contact us to see how we can help you seamlessly transform the quality of your streamed media content and the processes it takes to develop and publish them.

When considering CPM rates and expanding them to make more from your advertisers, there are a few things to keep in mind. Value equals value. But what does that mean? Let’s take a closer look at average podcast CPMs and how you can increase yours.

CPMs Standards

Did you know CPMs are on track to continue increasing over 2021’s gains? It’s true. Taking advantage of these high CPMs in podcast advertising can help you make money from your podcast. But how do you know what to charge? A lot of it comes down to how much value you’re providing.

If you don’t know, the model of advertising for podcast ads is the cost-per-mile or CPM. A CPM is the cost of 1,000 ad impressions or listens. You can sell podcast advertising on a CPM basis. That means you’re not selling it per single listen or download; instead, you’re selling by the thousands.

One interesting trend in this advertising style is that CPMs are always at their highest from September to December. And typically, these high-performing times get better with each year.

This can mean that if you aren’t making as much content during the end of the year because of holidays and events like Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, you’re significantly missing out.

While we all want to take time off during this period, lowering the amount of published content could mean that you’re missing out on hundreds and even thousands of dollars in advertising. During this time of the year, ensuring you have a backlog of content ready to capitalize on advertisers who want to market aggressively during the holidays can be wise.

The Average Rates Right Now

There is a current standardized scale that works for most podcasters and advertisers. Per AdvertiseCast, the average podcast advertising rates are as follows:

· $15 for a 10-second ad CPM

· $18 for a 30-second ad CPM

· $25 for a 60-second ad CPM

Tyler Huggins, the Advertising Specialist here at StreamGuys, said, “Direct sales can be $30 down to $10 ($25 is what we usually hear), second seat-style sales are around $15 - $25, and programmatic sales are like $10 or less.”

However, premium additions can allow you to charge a bit more for top ad services. Ad sales are just like any other form of sales. You can get more value if you provide more value. Here are some ideas.

Offer performance tracking

· Weekly analytics and ad performance reviews

· Tracking URLs

Advanced Targeting

· Sell advertisers specific geo-locations that they want to target

· Sell impressions for specific demographics at a premium

· Sell premium spot locations

Do your homework

· Use your website and unsold impressions to learn more about your audience

· Run surveys to learn more about your audience’s buyer habits

Final Tips & Trick to Maximize Your Ad Earnings

1. Schedule your podcast episodes on a set publishing schedule. Using software or an online tool can help you post consistently.

2. Increase the number of ad spots, particularly midrolls, you use compared to what you typically do. It is particularly true during the holidays.

3. Release more content. Returning to evergreen content or doing something like a round-up of the best moments of the year or month can be republished in a new format. New listeners may have missed previous episodes, which gets that message out to more people.

4. Include relevant keywords in your episode titles and descriptions. It helps advertising sales teams search for and include your podcast in direct campaign proposals that demand higher CPMs.

If you’re looking to grow your podcast, be sure to check out all the things StreamGuys can do for you. We’d love to help you make the most of your content, audience, and advertising. Reach out today over the phone or through email at support@streamguys.com.

If you look at the most prominent US media publishers today, audio strategy is now an essential part of their marketing and promotion plans. Now that podcasting has captured American media attention and funding, we can better understand how global performance impacts revenue streams.

US creators have contributed the most to the global library of English-language podcasts and led the world in monthly podcast listenership. While the American podcast market is undoubtedly the most mature regarding audience reach and revenue, experts predict audience growth will likely flatten out. Still, non-US markets will probably see fast growth, witnessing a trajectory similar to when US audiences began to adopt podcasts into their lives during the last five years.

What's the global appetite for podcast listening?

According to an eMarketer study released in October 2021 and shared by Statista, since 2019, podcast listeners have nearly doubled in size worldwide. Market researchers forecast even more of that growth by 2024.

• 2019: 274.8 million monthly podcast listeners worldwide
• 2022: 424.2 million monthly podcast listeners worldwide
• 2024: predicted 504.9 million monthly podcast listeners worldwide

Back in October 2021, eMarketer's Ethan Cramer-Flood presented statistics showcasing how America compares to its global neighbors in terms of listeners. The data stated:

• The United States has roughly 117.8 million monthly podcast listeners, or 40% of US monthly internet users

• China has about 85.6 million monthly podcast listeners, at about 6% of China's total population

• Europe has approximately 77.8 million monthly podcast listeners or roughly 17% of Europe's total population

• Sweden, home of Spotify, has the most in Europe, with about 34.6% of monthly internet users listening to podcasts

• That eMarketer report also showed that the most exciting fact about US podcast listeners is how its audience has taken to podcasts so quickly and with such voracity.

• In 2015, 14.2% of America's population was predicted to listen to a podcast at least once a month.

• In 2021, 35.2% of the US population listened to a podcast at least once a month, a 20% jump in five years.

• With this large audience, experts predict that the impressive US audience growth and podcast adoption will slow down over the next few years. While this might seem negative at first glance, it also suggests that listenership will become much more mainstream.

The flourishing international audiences hold promise. For example, suppose US podcast publishers translate more of their existing shows into new languages and market them to the fast-growing audience of global listeners. In that case, it can open the door to significant growth opportunities.

So, which countries are listening to podcasts the most?

Western Europe

In Western Europe, Spain is the apparent leader in monthly podcast consumption from regular internet users. Studies attribute this Spanish podcast adoption to impressive digital distribution strategies done by Spain's biggest audio companies and many Spanish-language podcasts available from outside the country.

How prevalent are Spanish-language podcasts?

In 2020, The Bello Collective produced an interesting study on how the podcast "Radio Ambulante" found its way to success. The article details that legacy media companies did not initially appreciate the thought of a Spanish-language podcast. Flash forward ten years later, and those executives were very wrong. Consuming content across borders has become routine. Radio Ambulante is one of the most popular Spanish-language podcasts, with almost a million downloads each month and listeners consuming it worldwide.

Edison Research's 2021 US Latino Podcast Listener Report also substantiates this increasing market desire for Spanish-language offerings. Last year's report indicated that 33% of American Latinos said they had listened to a podcast, typically in Spanish, which was a significant increase from 24% in 2020.

Looking Forward

As companies and streamers look to increase profits, it's essential to look to overseas markets as sudden price increases to existing audiences can be off-putting to users. While there are many reasons someone might cancel their subscription, 49% of people said the most likely cause is increasing prices.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's digital survey looked at the percentage of monthly podcast listeners ages 18+ from more than twenty countries. When it comes to growth, these global stats are impressive.

English publishers who want to connect with non-US audiences and join in on the global podcast action should prioritize translating those evergreen episodes into several languages, particularly Spanish. Publishers such as Adonde Media, Wondery, and Sounds Profitable prioritize Spanish-language podcasts.

The global infrastructure for podcast growth is there. It's just about capitalizing on the current podcast market worldwide and making your streams available in several languages, especially those whose listeners seem to be steadily growing.

If you're looking to grow your podcast and improve deliverability to several countries, StreamGuys can help. Contact us with any questions so we can help your podcast grow and provide the latest technology to ensure high-quality streaming, no matter where people are listening to it.

SOURCES USED:

https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-worldwide?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2022-07-20 https://blogs.idc.com/2020/07/22/content-infrastructure-the-backbone-of-online-streaming/ https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-worldwide? https://www.streamingvideoalliance.org/webinar/everyone-is-streaming-can-the-infrastructure-handle-it/ https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/05/11/2226917/0/en/Global-video-streaming-infrastructure-market-size-to-accrue-notable-returns-through-2026.html https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210521005270/en/Global-Video-Streaming-Infrastructure-Market-to-2026-Analysis-by-Streaming-Type-On-Demand-Live-Component-Hardware-Software-Services-End-User-Enterprise-Consumer---ResearchAndMarkets.com https://www.cloudwards.net/streaming-services-statistics/