iHeartMedia to Launch Slate of iHeartPodcasts in Asia

Rhea-AI Summary

iHeartMedia, the global leader in podcasting, has announced plans to launch multi-language podcasts in the Asian market through a partnership with Mammoth Media Asia. The initiative will debut in June 2025, focusing on content from high-profile Asian hosts across music, entertainment, sports, and wellness categories.

The Asia Pacific podcast market, valued at $373.57 million in 2024, is projected to grow at a 30.2% CAGR, reaching $3.1 billion by 2031. The expansion will feature content from various Asian entertainment sectors, including K-pop, Bollywood, and China's hip-hop scene. The partnership also aims to extend iHeartPodcasts' current catalogue of 800+ shows throughout Asia.

The collaboration will be led by Jonathan Serbin, former Warner Music executive, and Jay Faires, head of The Wellness Agency, who recently founded Mammoth Media Asia. The podcasts will be available in Asia and globally through the iHeartRadio app and other podcast platforms.

Positive

• Partnership targets fast-growing Asian market valued at $373.57M in 2024
• Strong market growth projection of 30.2% CAGR through 2031
• Expansion of distribution network for existing 800+ shows in Asian market
• Strategic partnership with experienced regional executives

Negative

• Long wait until launch date (June 2025)
• Entering highly competitive market with established local players

Insights

Media Industry Analyst

iHeartMedia's expansion into the Asian podcast market represents a strategic growth initiative targeting the $373.57 million APAC podcast sector, which is projected to grow at a 30.2% CAGR to reach $3.1 billion by 2031. This move leverages iHeart's existing strength as the top podcast network globally to tap into rapidly growing digital audio consumption across China, Japan, India, and South Korea.

The partnership with Mammoth Media Asia provides iHeart with crucial regional expertise through industry veterans Jonathan Serbin (former Warner Music Asia Co-President) and Jay Faires (The Wellness Agency). This gives iHeart immediate credibility and connection to high-profile Asian talent - essential for market penetration.

This expansion offers two revenue streams: 1) New localized content creation featuring Asian entertainment personalities, and 2) Distribution of iHeart's existing 800+ podcasts throughout Asia, opening new advertising opportunities. The June 2025 launch timeline allows adequate preparation for quality content development.

For iHeartMedia, which has been working to strengthen its digital portfolio amid traditional radio challenges, this represents a measured diversification strategy. By focusing on entertainment, music, sports and wellness categories, they're leveraging content domains where they already possess expertise while capitalizing on the global surge in Asian cultural influence.

New podcast slate, in partnership with Mammoth Media Asia, will focus on the development of content from across the region, with an initial emphasis on music, entertainment, sports and wellness, featuring high profile hosts from across Asia

NEW YORK & SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast network globally according to Podtrac announced today its plan to launch a slate of multi-language podcasts from high-profile hosts across the fast-growing Asian market. The push into the Asian Pacific (APAC) region will be in partnership with Mammoth Media Asia, who will spearhead the partnerships and production on the ground.

The Asia Pacific podcast market was valued at US $373.57 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 30.2% to $3.1 billion value from 2024 to 2031, driven by rising internet penetration and increasing digital content consumption in China, Japan, India and South Korea according to Cognitive Market Research.

The influence of Asian culture has been growing rapidly around the world and the initial podcast slate will focus on presenting high-profile talent from across the Asian entertainment industries ranging from K-pop, to Bollywood, to China’s hip-hop scene and beyond. The podcasts will highlight the most exciting personalities, cultural trends and issues from the region featuring categories in music, entertainment, sports, wellness and business, and will be available in Asia and on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. The slate is expected to launch in June 2025.

In addition to producing original podcast content in Asia, this new partnership will also focus on extending the reach of iHeartPodcasts current catalogue of 800+ shows across Asia. iHeartMedia will work with premiere distribution platforms and partners to bring iHeartPodcasts extensive range of engaging and influential podcasts to the widest Asian audience, unlocking opportunities for advertisers and brands throughout the region.

“We’ve seen the strong growth of the Asian markets - both on a domestic level and with influence across global markets and we are excited to partner with Mammoth Media Asia to launch the first-ever slate of iHeartPodcasts developed in Asia,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeart Digital Audio Group. “We believe that together with Jonathan and Jay, we can develop groundbreaking audio content in Asia that can reach audiences around the world.”

Jonathan Serbin, co-founder of Mammoth Media Asia said: “We are thrilled to partner with iHeartMedia to develop and distribute world-class podcasts. Asian culture - including music, movies, TV drama, food and fashion — have become a major influence across the globe. We are excited to work with top talent and compelling storytellers to share their tales and experiences with a worldwide wide audience.”

Jay Faires, co-founder of Mammoth Media Asia added: “Podcasting across Asia has been growing rapidly over the last five years. It’s already a major force in the domestic audio markets and will continue to expand. We believe that by partnering with iHeart and accessing their unparalleled assets, distribution capabilities, reach, analytics and advertising network, we can become a significant part of this growing industry, enabling podcasters from Asia to access a worldwide audience.”

iHeartPodcasts produces thousands of shows across a wide variety of genres, that span every category from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between.

Mammoth Media Asia was recently founded and launched by Jonathan Serbin and Jay Faires. Jonathan Serbin was most recently Co-President of Asia and CEO of Greater China of Warner Music, overseeing eleven counties / territories across the region and was formerly Head of Asia for Billboard. Jay Faires oversees The Wellness Agency (TWA) which works with the most important founders in wellness helping them scale their companies globally. He is a seasoned media executive and entrepreneur in the content business having successfully sold companies he founded and built to both The Walt Disney Company and Lionsgate.

About iHeartMedia, Inc.

iHeartMedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: IHRT) is the leading audio media company in America, with 90% of Americans listening to iHeart broadcast radio in every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have a larger audience in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the size of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled audience of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined, has the most recognizable live events across all genres of music, has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and is the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250402182114/en/

iHeartMedia

Angel Aristone

AngelAristone@iHeartMedia.com

Source: iHeartMedia, Inc.

FAQ

When will iHeartMedia launch its Asian podcast slate in 2025?

iHeartMedia's Asian podcast slate is scheduled to launch in June 2025.

What is the projected market value of the Asia Pacific podcast market by 2031?

The Asia Pacific podcast market is projected to reach $3.1 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 30.2% from 2024.

What content categories will iHeartMedia's Asian podcast slate focus on?

The podcast slate will focus on music, entertainment, sports, wellness, and business categories, featuring high-profile Asian talent.

How many existing podcast shows will iHeartMedia distribute across Asia?

iHeartMedia plans to extend its current catalogue of over 800 shows across Asia.