LiSTNR

[TV.Cynic]

LiSTNR Powers Up Video Strategy with Major Flightcast Tech Partnership to Benefit Creators

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) today announced a benchmark new technology partnership between LiSTNR and Flightcast, one of the world’s most sophisticated, video-first podcast hosting platforms. The partnership will enhance LiSTNR’s distribution infrastructure and service the rapidly accelerating market demand for multi-platform video, audio and social podcast content.

The agreement cements LiSTNR as Flightcast’s largest global network partner, bringing Australia’s biggest podcast network onto a unified, purpose-built platform for the modern era of video and audio publishing.

The move comes as LiSTNR continues to solidify its commercial dominance, maintaining its position as Australia’s leading commercial sales representation podcast network and delivering consistent double-digit digital revenue growth. Driven by over 2.8 million Australian signed-in users, LiSTNR has rapidly expanded beyond traditional streaming into a fully integrated digital ecosystem.

Central to this commercial success is SCA’s continuous investment in market-leading Adtech innovation. Through the award-winning *LiSTNR AdTech Hub *and its AI-powered evolution Precision+, LiSTNR provides brands with unprecedented dynamic targeting, real-time optimisation, and privacy-first data matching. By pairing world-class content co-creation with cutting-edge advertising technology, LiSTNR consistently delivers market-leading ROI for commercial partners while giving creators unmatched monetisation scale.

Flightcast is a video-first podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics platform built for the way modern podcasts are created, consumed and monetised. Co-founded by Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO) and Rox Codes (developer and creator-tech entrepreneur), Flightcast allows LiSTNR to put the exact technology behind world-leading shows, directly into the hands of LiSTNR creators. Built from the ground up to power modern video and social publishing, the video-first CMS eliminates fragmented workflows by uniting cross-platform distribution including LiSTNR, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - with single-dashboard, AI-driven analytics. Simplifying distribution and analytics, Flightcast allows Australia’s top podcast talent to focus purely on creating compelling content and driving commercial growth.

Sam Cavanagh, Head of Content - LiSTNR Original Podcasts said: “LiSTNR is Australia’s largest investor in our local podcast industry. As podcasting continues to evolve towards video, getting Flightcast in the hands of our creators will help them unlock creativity and growth. This is a game-changer for our creators and the future of our network."

John Kelly, Southern Cross Media Group’s Managing Director, Audio said: "Since launching our digital transformation in 2021, LiSTNR has led the market through continuous innovation across content, AdTech, and platform infrastructure. As podcasting expands beyond audio, we are positioning our network to lead the industry’s transition into video.

“Our partnership with Flightcast ensures our talent has access to market-leading technology. By providing a single platform for seamless video and audio distribution alongside unified data and analytics in one place, we are giving Australia’s best creators the exact tools they need to maximise their reach and commercial growth.”

“Australia is an incredibly important podcast market, and partnering with SCA marks a major step in Flightcast’s international growth as well as our first expansion of this scale in the region. Bringing more than 150 shows onto Flightcast, including the LISTNR network, is a huge vote of confidence in what we’ve built. SCA was looking for a partner that could move quickly, push the boundaries of what podcast technology can do, and deliver the depth of data and analytics needed to operate a major network at scale,” said Rox Codes, CEO and Co-Founder at Flightcast. “That’s exactly where we believe Flightcast stands apart. We’re building technology for where podcasting is going next, and we’re excited to work alongside a team like SCA that shares that ambition and is equally committed to innovation.”

This partnership with Flightcast reinforces LiSTNR’s position as Australia’s leading digital ecosystem, placing video and social engagement firmly at the forefront of modern podcasting. By continuously advancing its AdTech and publishing hubs, LiSTNR is empowering creators with market-leading tools to streamline multi-platform workflows, expand their audiences, and maximise commercial returns.

[JohnsonTV]

THE HOWIE GAMES CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF PIONEERING PODCASTING WITH SPECIAL CATHY FREEMAN EPISODE

LiSTNR celebrates a decade of The Howie Games today, with host Mark ‘Howie’ Howard sitting down with Australian sporting icon Cathy Freeman for the podcast’s biggest episode yet.

Since launching in August 2016, The Howie Games has become one of Australia’s longest-running and most successful sports podcasts, surpassing 126 million downloads across more than 280 guests over the podcast’s 10-year history.

Across a decade of conversations, Howie has sat down with some of the biggest names in Australian and international sport, including Lewis Hamilton, Greg Norman, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Layne Beachley, Ian Thorpe, Kelly Slater, Shane Warne, Michael Clarke, Lauren Jackson, Meg Lanning, and Leigh Matthews, and many more.

To mark the milestone, The Howie Games has also unveiled its Millionaires Club, bringing back the three guests whose episodes have cracked 1-million listens across the podcast’s 10-year history: Ange Postecoglou, Brendan Fevola and Cathy Freeman.

The anniversary series culminates with today’s conversation with Freeman, as Howie takes her back to the moment that made her one of the most recognisable athletes in Australian history: her gold medal-winning 400m final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. During the interview, Freeman discussed the upcoming 2032 Olympic Games and gave advice to Gout Gout on how to manage the expectations ahead of his home Olympics.

The conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear Freeman reflect on one of Australian sport’s most iconic moments more than 25 years later. Discussing the magical moment, Freeman said: “The crowd was on my side, Howie. I felt like I was off the ground and being carried. For the first time, I let people in and I felt like I was one with the crowd. What I experienced that night was a sense of togetherness and unity and that gives me strength.”

Over the past decade, The Howie Games has built its audience around conversations that go beyond sporting results, exploring the people, personalities, setbacks, sacrifices and defining moments behind some of the world’s most accomplished athletes.

Mark ‘Howie’ Howard said: “It was a genuine privilege to sit down with the great Cathy Freeman to celebrate ten years of The Howie Games. No Australian sporting star has made an impact on the nation quite like Cathy at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built for The Howie Games over the past ten years, and a big thank you to the LiSTNR team for all their passion, hard work, and dedication to achieve extraordinary results. Here’s to the next ten!”

​Michael James, Head of Sport (LiSTNR Original Podcasts), said: “Most podcasts are lucky to reach 10 weeks, let alone 10 years! It’s a testament to Howie’s hard work, dedication, and genuine love for his guests. Howie puts his heart and soul into every episode, and that warmth, care and authenticity is what has made The Howie Games so special and kept audiences coming back for a decade. We’re incredibly proud of what Howie and the team have built, and excited for what’s still to come.”

Listen to Cathy Freeman’s episode on The Howie Games, available on LiSTNR now.