It’s been a big year for the Nova Entertainment Podcast Network. From signing podcasts like the hugely popular So Dramatic! to launching originals like Hennessy’s Hotline, Nova is continuing to cement its place in the Australian podcast landscape.
Mediaweek spoke to Kane Reiken, Nova’s digital audio commercial & network director about what it is they look for when picking up new pods, and what opportunities podcasting gives to brands. The first part of this interview can be read here.
When it comes to searching for podcasts to bring on board with Nova, Reiken says that there is a framework that helps them hand-pick who they want on board.
“We don’t want to work just with anyone. We really look at complementary partners that add value to our existing slate of publishers, we’ve got independent content creators as well.
“We want someone who’s a real subject matter expert and provides a unique perspective in terms of whatever their podcast is about.
“Along with that, I think commercial acumen is so important as well. We really want to work with podcasts that understand the opportunity that brands allow, they support them in terms of creating more content and more listing occasions with their brands. And those really interesting integration opportunities, which we know really drive influence and impact for brands.”
For Reiken, Nova’s focus on working with independent podcasts has added real diversity to the lineup.
“You find these awesome little pockets of creators that are doing such amazing work. They’re creating these businesses which are anchored in audio, and are really doing some cool things. We love that, and we’re always on the lookout for new partners.”
Finding Success
Nova Podcasts have been cutting through, with the results on the most recent Podcast Ranker showing a lot of Nova Podcasts climbing the chart. As a publisher, Nova climbed an overall spot from 7th to 6th, whilst their partnership with News Corp Australia also saw them stay steady at 5th.
“We have long-term partnerships with a lot of our publishers. We love that it’s all about growing together, providing value both back to the creator, our agency and brand partners, and also ourselves. It’s creating an ecosystem of a real desire to do better to create greater content, and also more opportunities to commercialise. It’s exciting, and it’s awesome to see that being rewarded in terms of audience growth.
One of the biggest success stories of the most recent Podcast Ranker came from the Kate, Tim, and Joel catch-up podcast, which jumped a whopping 41 spots on the Top Podcasts list.
“It feels like a lot of people wrote off catch-up radio or catch-up in podcasting,” says Reiken. “There’s just such an opportunity there with audiences wanting to engage with these really successful shows in a new listening occasion, either through smart speakers or whatever device that they’re using. It’s awesome to see the audience understanding that there’s an opportunity to hear that content through podcasting.”
Brand Opportunities
Podcasting is a unique medium, and Reiken says that as a result, it can offer unique opportunities for brands.
“There’s such an opportunity in podcasting, and we’ve definitely seen a lot of people who haven’t really experimented much before starting to realise what that entails. For me, it’s all about tapping into the community using really strong talent that has influence, and being able to be a part of that conversation in a way that really resonates with the audience. So that’s a really strong part of what we offer to the market – high profile talent, high quality environments, and integrations you just can’t get anywhere else.”
Looking Ahead
For all the work that the Nova Podcast Network has done so far this year, Reiken says they won’t be slowing down any time soon.
“2022 is going to be a big one for us, we’ve got some really exciting things planned. We’ve got some of our favourite shows returning that we had loads of success with last year, we’ve got some new high profile talent who will be joining in the next couple of weeks, and potentially some new partners. It’s all about growth. It’s all about capitalising on what podcasting is, the arrival of all of audio, and the opportunities that audio allows for advertisers to reach audiences across the entire day.”