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FYI

Bell’s iHeartRadio Brand Inks Podcast Deal With Spotify

As many as 10 million Canadians are now listening to podcasts and Bell Media's podcast network is already available to audiences on a variety of platforms. The inclusion of its branded shows on Spotify marks a significant step in securing top status for its brands in a growing market at home.

Bell’s iHeartRadio Brand Inks Podcast Deal With Spotify

By FYI Staff

Bell Media’siHeartRadio Canada Podcast Network announced today a new distribution partnership with Spotify, vastly broadening the reach of original podcasts in sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and news categories originating from TSN, Much Digital Studios, RDS, CTV News, iHeartRadio Canada, and Bell Media Studios.


The deal solidifies iHeartRadio Canada’s position in Canadian podcasting by ensuring its content is available to listeners across every major audio platform in the country.

In addition to Spotify, the iHeartRadio Canada network reaches podcast listeners through distribution partners including Apple, Audible, Stitcher, and Google Play Music.

The media company’s podcast network offers a library of more than 11,000 unique programs, with hundreds of thousands of hours of new content produced monthly in 17 categories including entertainment, news, sports, science, politics, food, business, comedy, and crime.

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“This latest agreement with Spotify is core to our strategy of delivering the best storytelling to diverse audiences across the country, in every medium, on every platform, and now to more Canadians than ever before,” said Rob Farina, Head of Radio Content, Strategy, and iHeartRadio at Bell Media.

Continuing: “Podcasting is an established and growing content ecosystem where diversity of opinion flourishes and a near limitless array of genres and sub-genres can be discovered and explored. As Canada’s leading content company, we look forward to growing our footprint through sustained investment in this dynamic content community.”

As many as 10 million Canadians listened to a podcast in the past year, according to a Canadian Podcast Listener Study conducted by Audio Insights Inc. and Ulster Media with support from The Globe & Mail. Three years ago, 30 percent of Canadians were listening to Podcasts. Today that figure has jumped to 41 per cent with 24 percent listening monthly, 15 percent weekly and four percent daily.

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Dan Hill
Courtesy Photo

Dan Hill

Awards

Canadian Music Hall of Fame to Induct Dan Hill, Glass Tiger, Ginette Reno and Loreena McKennitt in 2025

They will be joined by 2024 inductee Maestro Fresh Wes at a special ceremony at Studio Bell on May 15. Sum 41 will also be honoured at the 2025 Juno Awards, on March 30, their final televised performance.

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame has announced its full crop of 2025 inductees.

Songwriter Dan Hill, "grande dame of Québec song" Ginette Reno, rock superstars Glass Tiger and singer/songwriter/composer Loreena McKennitt will all join the previously announced Sum 41. That legendary punk and rock band, who are currently on their farewell tour after returning to the top of the Alternative Airplay chart after more than two decades, will celebrate the induction with their final televised performance at the 2025 Juno Awards on March 30 in Vancouver.

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