The Media Leader Podcast
At the end of January, The Media Leader held its first-ever Audio In Focus Week. The audio landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace, with growing digital audio audiences and audio businesses expanding into video production. We decided to dedicate an entire week of our coverage to exploring the innovations, strategies, and voices shaping the media channel.
The week was launched in partnership with Octave Audio, the digital audio marketplace owned by News Broadcasting.
During the week, host Jack Benjamin sat down with Octave’s managing director Russell Pedrick, as well as News Broadcasting commercial director Dave Wilcox, at News’ London Bridge studio to discuss how the company’s audio offering has developed over the past year.
Octave came under full ownership of News UK last summer after News bought out Bauer’s stake. Bauer went on to launch its own digital audio marketplace, AudioXi.
Pedrick was appointed MD in April ahead of the relaunch of Octave, and he’s since worked to expand the service to encompass visual inventory as well as News Broadcasting products, talkSport, Times Radio, Virgin Radio, and Talk Radio, which transform from radio and podcast shows to visual shows commonly watched online and on TV screens.
Pedrick and Wilcox discuss the transition from audio to video, Octave’s new AI product, and why they believe digital audio is undervalued in the current market. Hint: it involves needing better measurement standards.
Listen now by hitting the play button or use the appropriate entry point into Spotify, Apple or Google Podcasts:
Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode. Discover how Trisonic can elevate your brand and expand your business by connecting with your ideal audience.
Highlights
5:03: Octave’s strategic priorities
7:31: Octave AI: balancing generative AI creative with desire for the human element
12:04: Audio and video are merging, creating new commercial opportunities
18:53: Embracing an omnichannel approach and a platform-led audience strategy
24:04: Does podcasting need its own JIC?
27:24: World Cup opportunity and why digital audio is undervalued
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Adwanted UK are the audio experts at the centre of audio trading, distribution, and analytics. We operate J‑ET - the UK’s trading and accountability system for both linear and digital radio. We also created Audiotrack, the country’s premier commercial audio distribution platform, and AudioLab, the single-point, multi‑platform digital audio reporting solution delivering real‑time insight.
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