After hosting the first-ever virtual NewFronts in June, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has unveiled the lineup for its 2020 Podcast Upfront, to be held — also virtually — from Sept. 9 to 11.
After a recent study conducted by the IAB found that podcast ad revenues have remained particularly resilient in the face of coronavirus — as opposed to other digital media sectors — the organization confirmed roughly 20 presenters for this year’s event. They include: Acast and the BBC, American Public Media, ART19, Authentic, Barstool Sports, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, ESPN, Forever Dog Productions, iHeartRadio, Meredith Corporation, Midroll Media, NPR, PMM, Pushkin Industries, Sony Music Entertainment, Vox Media Podcast Network, WarnerMedia Podcast Network, Westwood One, and Wondery.
The Podcast Upfront event — which launched in 2015, and sees podcast publishers showcasing their latest programming initiatives for prospective advertisers and media buyers — will also include an insights presentation by programmatic audio advertising company AdsWizz.
“Podcasts are experiencing explosive growth and the ad dollars are following, with U.S. podcast advertising revenue nearing $1 billion,” Zoe Soon, VP of the IAB’s Consumer Experience Center Of Excellence, said in a statement. “Podcasts have come of age and are now an independent line item on many media buyers’ budgets. In the past, podcast consumption had a strong correlation with consumer travel and commuting periods. However, COVID-19 has done very little to slow down the market’s exponential growth.”
In addition to advertising-inclined attendees, IAB is also extending free passes to interested students. The organization’s IAB Access program will invite transitioning professionals impacted by the pandemic to not only attend the Podcast Upfronts but access other IAB online training programs for free. Requests for student passes are available here.
Otherwise, the Podcast Upfront is an invite-only conference for marketers and agency execs, who can request invites here.
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