Compiled by Jasper Baumann and Tess Connery
500 episodes and a new platform for TOFOP
Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen have clocked up 13 years together behind the mic, this week celebrating the release of the 500th episode of their podcast, TOFOP.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery caught up with Charlie Clausen to speak about how far the podcast has come, its new home, and what comes next.
Reflecting on the 500-episode milestone, Clausen said “It’s something that we never would have imagined we’d get to when we started with TOFOP”
“We never really went into it with a plan, which is probably evident to anyone who’s listened to the show for a long time.
“When we started, it was in 2010 before really anyone was podcasting in Australia. It was just an excuse for Wil and I to catch up, and to think what it’s become makes us very proud”
As well as the major milestone, all of TOFOP’s new episodes – as well as FOFOP, Two Guys One Cup, and Anderson’s Wilosophy – can be found in the one place on a new LiSTNR platform called Everyone Relax.
“If we thought strategically, we never would have broken all the podcasts up – but we didn’t think of that,” laughs Clausen.
“We started working with Mike Williams and Sam Cavanagh at LiSTNR, they have a much more logical, strategic mindset. They said, ‘we love that you guys have done all this work, but we think you’re actually making it harder for people to find you by scattering across the seven nations – you really should think about consolidating it’.
“We had the football podcast on a separate, exclusive paid version, but when that came back into the fold at the end of this year, we realised that this was a perfect opportunity to create a one-stop shop for everything Wil and Charlie. It’s easier for people to find, it’s easier for advertisers to understand, and it’s easier for us to explain.”
Looking ahead to 2024, Clausen said that listeners will be able to expect what they know and love from TOFOP, with the pair working towards the goal of daily content through the week.
“I think it’s going to be more of the same, but I think what you’re going to see is a bit more experimentation, and I think what we’ll be is just a bit more coherent!
“What we would love to do is when people go to Everyone Relax, every day of the week there is something new in your feed. From Monday to Friday, having something new in there is the aim and the goal for 2024.”
Acast Australia & New Zealand reveals total payout to podcasters surpasses $30M milestone
Acast has delivered podcast creators returns of AUD $31 million in Australia and New Zealand since launching locally in 2017. The independent podcast company now also boasts more than 31 million monthly listens in the region, propelled by a series of local podcast signings in 2023.
Acast has recently started working with Mark Bouris’ The Mentor and Straight Talk podcasts and collaborated with Casefile Presents to launch their latest podcast series The Bakersfield Three.
The Bakersfield Three has garnered 700,000 listens across Australia and New Zealand and over 4 million globally within the first four weeks of launching, claiming the top spot on the Apple Podcasts Charts in Australia, USA, UK and Canada.
Recent additions to the Acast creator network in 2023 include Alpha Blokes, Basically Besties, Girls That Invest, Hello Sport, Only Wrong Answers, To Be Frank with Constance Hall, We Got the Chocolates and We Mean Well.
Mediaweek’s A to Z of 2023: P is for Podcasts
To wrap up 2023, Mediaweek is looking at the biggest trends, events, platforms, and brands of the year.
Welcome to Mediaweek’s A to Z of 2023 … and beyond.
By Grant Tothill, executive head, LiSTNR Podcasts
Podcasts’ ability to tap into the Zeitgeist reached new heights in 2023, as Australia eclipsed the US in monthly podcast listening for the first time.
18 million Australians, or 81% percent of the population aged 12+, listen to digital audio monthly, up from 78% in 2022. And 43% of Australians listen to a podcast, or up to five podcasts, per month, with Australia’s no.1 podcast, Hamish & Andy, attracting almost one million monthly listeners. That is more than several other media channels could claim and demonstrates that a large swathe of our population does not need to rely solely on screens for their entertainment needs.
The beauty of podcasts is they’re personal – they are a lean in personal experience that’s completely your choice anywhere, anytime. Whether you want to escape, be informed, learn something new or just be entertained there’s a whole world of podcasts to choose from.
In 2024, there will be some interesting trends for podcasting, emanating from several areas including tech and content innovation.
The Podcasting in 2023 LiSTNR study of Australian monthly podcast listeners found that podcasts are an increasingly trusted advertising medium among Gen Z in particular, with one in four saying they believe podcast advertising is the best way for brands to reach them.
Nova’s Smallzy chats to rapper 50 Cent about how he is changing his ways as he gets older
Rapper 50 Cent zoomed in on Smallzy’s Summer Breakfast show last week from his Aussie “The Final Lap” tour to talk about “hot” women in the audience, pre-show rituals and gives his advice for success.
Quotes from the show:
50 Cent says this is his last big tour
Smallzy: After these live shows? Are you done?
50 Cent: …They may see me commit to something shorter. Yeah, I won’t be able to do a full tour like this again. And I have so many other things, commitments things, I’ve been working on that I kind of gotta get back to doing everything else I was doing.
50 Cent still gets nervous before big shows and has to turn into ’50 Cent’
Smallzy: What happens backstage with 50 before he rocks an Arena? Is it mellow? Are you doing yoga?
50 Cent: It’s quiet until we get closer to the show, and then I get noisey. I start playing music, I start running around, getting myself pumped up to go do it. Then I get nervous.
Smallzy: You do still?
50 Cent: Right before I go on, I get nervous. Energy be all crazy. And then it takes the first minute of the show before I relax and kind of turn into 50 Cent.
[Listen to the full interview here]
