Podstock Expands with Ballen Studios Partnership and Dear Media Renewal | Redefining Podcast Analytics in 2025
Podstock, the data-driven podcast management platform, has announced two major developments:
A new partnership with Ballen Studios, and
A three-year renewal with Dear Media, one of the fastest-growing lifestyle podcast networks in North America.
These strategic alliances mark a pivotal chapter in Podstock’s evolution as it works to redefine how creators, publishers, and advertisers measure and monetise multi-platform audio content.
Podstock’s Expanding Ecosystem: From Audio to Everywhere
Founded with the vision of creating smarter, data-led podcasting solutions, Podstock has emerged as a central player in podcast analytics, serving a portfolio of influential networks like Blue Wire, Locked On, and Wave Sports + Entertainment.
Its platform unifies data across audio, video, and social media, giving publishers a single source of truth about their audience behaviour and content performance. This has become crucial in an age where podcasts are no longer limited to audio streaming but thrive on YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Connected TV platforms.
“Our mission is to help creators connect every dot — from listener engagement to ad revenue,” said Michael Paretzky, Co-Founder and CEO of Podstock. “Podcasting is a multi-platform ecosystem now, and our goal is to provide the technology and insights that fuel sustainable growth.”
Inside the Deal: Podstock x Ballen Studios
The new partnership with Ballen Studios represents a major expansion of Podstock’s data network. Ballen Studios, the award-winning podcast and video storytelling company founded by John Allen (MrBallen), has built a reputation for narrative-driven series such as MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories and Ballen’s Breakdown.
Under the new deal, Ballen Studios will integrate Podstock’s analytics suite across all distribution channels, gaining unified insights into audience engagement, retention, and monetisation performance.
What the Partnership Means for Both Brands
Deeper Data Visibility: Ballen Studios will access real-time analytics across Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and TikTok.
Revenue Growth Tools: Podstock’s monetisation intelligence will enable smarter ad placements and brand partnerships.
Cross-Platform Insights: Understanding listener overlap between video and audio streams will allow Ballen to optimise distribution strategies.
“We’ve built a global audience through storytelling,” said a Ballen Studios representative. “Podstock’s technology will help us translate that audience engagement into scalable, measurable business outcomes.”
Dear Media Extends Partnership for Three More Years
Alongside its new partnership, Podstock announced the renewal of its multi-year deal with Dear Media, a network known for championing female-led and lifestyle podcasts such as The Skinny Confidential Him & Her and The Bitch Bible.
Michael Bosstick, Founder and CEO of Dear Media, highlighted the platform’s impact:
“Podstock’s platform helps us unlock new revenue opportunities and streamline operations. Their technology empowers our teams to make data-driven decisions across audio, video, and social platforms. We’re excited to deepen our partnership and continue innovating together.”
This renewed collaboration aims to enhance Dear Media’s commercial intelligence, performance analytics, and ad-tech integrations, solidifying its reputation as a pioneer in data-informed podcast publishing.
Why Data Is the New Fuel of Podcasting
The global podcast market has transformed into a $30 billion media powerhouse, with content now living far beyond RSS feeds. The modern podcast listener is omnichannel, consuming episodes on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or even smart TVs.
According to a 2025 report by Metricool:
87% of top US podcasts now maintain an active YouTube presence.
82% leverage Instagram or short-form video to drive discovery.
79% of weekly listeners have consumed a video version of a podcast episode.
This shift from “listening-only” to watching and interacting demands more sophisticated analytics tools — the very gap Podstock aims to fill.
How Podstock Is Changing Podcast Intelligence
Podstock’s all-in-one platform is designed to help publishers and creators translate performance data into actionable growth strategies.
Key Features Driving Industry Innovation:
Unified Analytics Dashboard: Consolidates audio, video, and social media metrics into one intuitive interface.
Revenue Attribution Engine: Tracks how content engagement translates into ad revenue and sponsorship value.
Audience Insights Mapping: Identifies demographic and psychographic segments across platforms.
Cross-Channel Conversion Tracking: Measures how podcast listeners interact with companion video or social posts.
Monetisation Optimisation: Provides AI-powered suggestions to improve CPM rates and advertising performance.
With these tools, Podstock is helping networks transition from traditional podcasting models to data-first multimedia operations.
Multi-Platform Podcasting: The Future of Audience Growth
The boundaries between podcasting, streaming, and video content have officially blurred. A single show might now exist as:
A Spotify or Apple Podcasts audio stream
A YouTube video podcast with live comments
A series of Instagram clips or TikTok teasers
A newsletter or Patreon community
Podstock’s value lies in helping creators understand which formats perform best and how audiences move between them.
“We’re not just tracking downloads anymore,” said Paretzky. “We’re analysing engagement, retention, and monetisation across every medium — because today’s listener is everywhere.”
The Rise of Hybrid Podcast Networks
Podstock’s growing client list demonstrates the rise of hybrid podcast networks — companies that operate at the intersection of audio, video, and digital media.
Networks like:
Blue Wire (sports and culture storytelling)
Locked On (daily sports commentary)
Wave Sports + Entertainment (short-form sports content)
…are using Podstock to measure impact across platforms that previously operated in silos.
The company’s ability to bridge analytics across ecosystems gives these networks a competitive advantage in negotiating sponsorships, identifying audience growth opportunities, and diversifying revenue streams.
Industry Insight: Why Measurement Matters More Than Ever
For advertisers and agencies, data transparency is non-negotiable. Brands now demand cross-platform accountability, seeking proof that podcast campaigns drive measurable engagement — whether in the form of listens, video views, or social interactions.
The New Metrics of Success
Attribution Over Downloads: Who listened, where, and how often?
Content Impact: Which segments spark comments, shares, or conversions?
Revenue-Per-Listener: How effectively are publishers monetising audience loyalty?
Ad Effectiveness: Do host-read ads perform better on video than audio?
Podstock’s technology answers these questions with real-time clarity, making it indispensable for both publishers and advertisers.
Ballen Studios and Dear Media: A Blueprint for the Industry
The Ballen and Dear Media partnerships exemplify the collaborative future of podcasting — where creative production and data science converge.
For Ballen Studios, Podstock offers deeper audience understanding and narrative performance tracking.
For Dear Media, it ensures sustainable monetisation and continued dominance in the lifestyle podcasting space.
For the industry at large, it sets a precedent: storytelling backed by analytics can be both creative and commercially powerful.
What’s Next for Podstock
As Podstock expands globally, its focus will increasingly include:
AI-driven audience prediction models
Contextual ad targeting across streaming and social platforms
Partnerships with video-first networks exploring hybrid content monetisation
Integrations with connected TV analytics, anticipating the convergence of podcasts and streaming video
Paretzky hints that future announcements could include international expansion and new strategic alliances with leading ad-tech firms and streaming platforms.
Podstock’s Growing Portfolio
The company’s roster already includes some of the most influential podcast networks in the world, including:
Blue Wire
Locked On
Wave Sports + Entertainment
Dear Media
Ballen Studios
With these partnerships, Podstock continues to solidify its position as the analytics backbone of the global podcasting industry.
Conclusion: The Data-Driven Future of Podcasting
Podcasting in 2025 is no longer just about voice — it’s about visibility, video, and value. Podstock’s latest partnerships with Ballen Studios and Dear Media underscore a growing industry truth: the future belongs to those who understand their audiences deeply and act on that insight intelligently.
By bridging the gap between content and commerce, Podstock isn’t just tracking the evolution of podcasting — it’s leading it.
