Making podcast listening personalized for users and profitable for producers

Using SAS’ analytics platform, Podimo brings curated listening to paying customers

Podcasts have become a global phenomenon and a preferred method for listening to audio content on everything from sports to business insights. 76.8 percent of podcast fans listen for more than seven hours each week, according to the website Discoverpods. But with millions of podcasts already produced and more being added every day, finding the most relevant ones can be overwhelming.

Podimo is a podcast subscription service that provides tailored content to every user. Sifting through the vast ocean of podcasts should be easier, according to the team behind the startup, who have proven their concept of data-driven user experiences in the digital book subscription service Mofibo. Now they are taking on a new digital entertainment segment.

“Podcasts are very popular, but the overall consumer experience leaves a lot to be desired. Podimo curates the experience for listeners and make it easy to access the very best content. This means you need a strong analytical core to your business model,” says Martin Jonassen, Chief Data Officer at Podimo.

Curated content based on data insights

The podcast subscription service, Podimo, uses SAS® Office analytics software to create order in the podcast ecosystem, creating a tailored listening experience where curated content is key.

User preferences based on listening patterns and other data are added to the SAS® platform via an access module. Using SAS Analytics, the raw user data is turned into comparable data sets, highlighting common trends and traits.

Podimo then makes an educated recommendation for the listener’s next podcast experience - even if that podcast has only recently been published. A lot of the content is time sensitive and could be irrelevant after a short time. Therefore, data analysis needs to happen in real time for podcasts covering news, sports commentary, etc. 

Supporting podcasters

Podimo is also a podcast app made for podcasters, as it is subscription based. Podimo has created an ecosystem, once again supported by the business’ analytic backbone, that ensures the podcaster will get paid as listeners tune in. There are 100 exclusive podcasts that can only be found on Podimo. This creates a VIP feeling for both listeners and podcasters.

In addition to paid listening, Podimo’s podcasters gain access to data about the performance of their content. It shows how long listeners listen, what time of day, age and gender. Podcasters will be able to make their content even more relevant to their listeners, post new content at peak hours, and appeal more to potential sponsors.

“When users are willing to pay to listen to content that has been carefully selected for them, it ensures that podcasters can spend their time doing what they do best: Creating great content and use data insights to make it even better. In this way, listeners and podcasters truly work together to secure a sustainable future for podcasts,” explains Martin Jonassen.