iHeartMedia vs Stingray

iHeart Podcasters Share 5 Lessons for Enduring Franchises

At Adweek's Brandweek event, hosts of the iHeartMedia podcast 'Stuff They Don't Want You to Know' (Ben Bowlin, Noel Brown, Matt Frederick) and iHeart CEO Conal Byrne shared five lessons for building an enduring podcast franchise. They emphasized considering all ideas, leveraging audience contributions, balancing metrics with intuition, adapting across formats, and prioritizing human content over AI-generated content. The podcast, originating from How Stuff Works, was acquired by iHeartMedia in 2018 for $55 million. The discussion highlights the evolving landscape of podcasting and the importance of organic, human conversations in engaging audiences.

• iHeartMedia acquired Stuff Media LLC in 2018 for $55 million.
• The podcast 'Stuff They Don't Want You to Know' ranks in the top 100 podcasts in the U.S.
• 90% of listeners prefer content not created by AI.

Legal Woes at Holdco Could Affect Clients

This Media Buying Briefing (Digiday+) examines how legal troubles and court filings tied to WPP and its leadership could affect client relationships and perceptions of holding companies. The piece highlights WPP CEO Cindy Rose — approaching her first anniversary — and notes that transparency about internal transformation can be used in litigation. The briefing is part of Digiday’s Media Buying Briefing series for Digiday+ members and references related agency and media-buying coverage on the site.

• Article authors: Michael Bürgi and Seb Joseph; published August 24, 2026.
• Cindy Rose is identified in the article as WPP’s CEO, approaching her one-year anniversary leading the company.
• The article discusses new court filings and a whistleblower case involving WPP and how internal transparency could be used in legal proceedings.

Butler/Till pilots AI media buying for audio with iHeart

Independent agency Butler/Till and iHeartMedia ran a four-week pilot in July–August 2026 testing agentic AI media-buying agents on streaming audio and podcast inventory for an unnamed U.S. agricultural client. The pilot used two matched AI agents (one from Butler/Till, one from iHeartMedia) connected via an MCP server and executed just under $10,000 in media buys via a direct agency-to-publisher purchase. Butler/Till reported a 42% reduction in campaign CPMs versus the client’s direct-buy benchmark and a higher share of premium non-skippable mid-roll podcast placements (48% vs an estimated 33% in the traditional plan). iHeartMedia said it will expand inventory availability — including broadcast radio later in 2026 — and make its Audiograph solution available through Amazon’s DSP from mid-September.

• Butler/Till and iHeartMedia piloted agentic AI media buying on streaming audio and podcast inventory during a four-week campaign in July–August 2026 for an unnamed U.S. agricultural client.
• The pilot activated media buys totaling just under $10,000 using two AI agents (one from Butler/Till and one from iHeartMedia) connected via an MCP server.
• Butler/Till reported the test cut campaign CPMs by 42% compared with the client’s benchmark for direct buying.

Stingray and Gameloft Launch Karaoke Service Globally on Major Gaming Platforms

Stingray and Gameloft have launched a karaoke service globally on major gaming platforms, expanding Stingray's reach into the gaming sector.

Stingray — Streaming App Profile

State of Streaming hosts a company profile page for Stingray, describing it as a streaming app and linking to the company's website. The page includes an SOS coverage link highlighting a February 2026 item titled "Stingray Expands Pluto TV Partnership with TikTok Radio and More," and lists related State of Streaming editorial resources (articles, podcasts, ebook offer). The page functions as a directory/profile entry rather than a standalone news story.

• Stingray is listed as a streaming app on State of Streaming's publisher directory.
• The Stingray company website is https://www.stingray.com/ (linked on the profile).
• State of Streaming includes an SOS coverage item: "Stingray Expands Pluto TV Partnership with TikTok Radio and More" (Feb 2026).

Stingray Announces Receipt of Management Cease Trade Order

Stingray announces receipt of a Management Cease Trade Order due to delay in filing audited financial statements.