Sony Music Entertainment Highlights Powerhouse Talent & Previews Growing Slate of Blockbuster Shows at 2023 IAB Podcast Upfront

Jonathan Van Nesss Hit Podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness Joins Sony Musics Podcast Slate

Emily Ratajkowski, Heather McDonald, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Michael Harriot Headline Presentation About Networks Expanding Roster of Always-On Podcasts

NEW YORK – WEBWIRE – Thursday, May 11, 2023

Sony Music Entertainments (SME) Global Podcast Division today highlighted some of its top powerhouse talent to preview the companys robust slate of shows at the 2023 IAB Podcast Upfront.

Headlined by New York Times bestselling author, actress and model Emily Ratajkowski, comedian Heather McDonald, Tony award-winning actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and author and journalist Michael Harriot, the presentation outlined SMEs focus on building engaging narrative franchises and big entertainment shows with premium hosts and stories. The Companys presentation also featured a video from Emmy-nominated television personality, 2x New York Times best-selling author, podcaster, comedian and hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness, to announce that his hit podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness will be joining SMEs network of always-on shows this summer.

Ferguson joined the conversation to discuss his newly announced podcast Dinners On Me, while Ratajkowski delved into new details about her podcast High Low with Em Rata and Heather McDonald expanded on the loyal audience behind Juicy Scoop, a show that has averaged +10% MoM growth since joining SME in November. In addition, Michael Harriot joined the stage to announce Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History, a new podcast premiering June 19 in partnership with Pharrells production company OTHERtone.

Sony Musics Global Podcast Division is proud to be a place where podcasters are artists. Our premium shows and top creative talent provide robust opportunities for advertisers to work with us to go beyond the midroll and engage listeners in a variety of ways across our network. said Nick Southwell-Keely, Vice President of Ad Sales, Sony Music Entertainment.

SME, whose Q1 podcast downloads were up 70% vs. 2022, continues to partner with best-in-class storytellers, journalists, and creators to deliver premium experiences to passionate audiences. The company engages listeners with bingeworthy content and develop loyal audiences with popular franchises including the 2022 Ambie Podcast of the Year Chameleon: Wild Boys and the Apple Podcasts chart-topping Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch with partner Campside Media.

For more information on all our podcasts, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.