Today, NZ Herald’s daily news podcast, The Front Page, is celebrating one year of keeping Kiwis informed, during which it has amassed over one million downloads.
Taking out fourth place in the latest NZ Triton Podcast Ranker* the podcast has reached more than 88,000 listeners in February alone, and delivers analysis on the biggest news stories each weekday at 5am.
New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) Acting Managing Editor Murray Kirkness says The Front Page has positioned itself as the country’s top podcast destination for daily, digestible, and trustworthy news content.
“Podcasting is one of the fastest growing digital media platforms in the world and the N Herald and The Front Page have been proud to play a huge part in New Zealand’s podcast industry expansion. The Front Page has been a great addition to the N Herald and NZME Podcast Network, strengthening NZME’s news offering with its topical local and international content that resonates, informs and sparks debate with our audiences,” he says.
Damien Venuto, host of The Front Page and former Editor of StopPress, says he is thrilled with what the podcast has achieved in its first year.
“It’s been a privilege to go behind the scenes of the biggest news headlines every weekday, sharing the thoughts and opinions of various journalists and experts. We’ve reached listeners in more than 190 countries and territories and last month we celebrated our highest audience vet, with more than 88,000 Kiwis downloading more than 140,000 episodes! We’re determined to keep this momentum going well into the future,” says Venuto.
James Butcher, NZME Head of Digital Audio, says the success The Front Page has seen within its first year speaks to the exponential growth the digital audio industry is experiencing both globally and in New Zealand.
“NZME is actively investing in the expansion of our podcast network, ensuring we have a diverse range of podcasts that appeal to everyone – no matter their background, age or interests. Podcasts present a fantastic opportunity for advertisers to get in front of an ever-growing audience.
“As the largest podcast network in the country, NZME can offer unique and specialised advertising opportunities for New Zealand businesses to connect directly with their desired audience,” he says.
Listen to The Front Page from 5am each weekday via nzherald.co.nz or through iHeartRadio, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
