On Air Fest 2025 Podcast Business Summit is convening executives in podcasting, media, entertainment and advertising who are shaping the future of the industry. Presented with Bloomberg, the summit brings together an invite-only, curated cohort of business leaders alongside those who think critically and purposefully about our industry. This highly participatory event includes interactive dialogues, a leadership lunch, and feature stage programming hosted and curated by Ashley Carman of Soundbite.

Soundbite is a weekly newsletter from Bloomberg News that analyzes the world of audio, including the music industry, podcast business and audiobook market. In each edition, Ashley aims to bring readers news, perspectives and analysis only Soundbite can provide.

By invitation only.

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‍Schedule
 

• 10:00 AM | Ballen Studios Goes Big
  As the idea of a “podcaster” becomes synonymous with “content creator,” some of the most popular creators are expanding their influence to include a network of shows, Hollywood productions, book deals and more. John Allen, aka MrBallen, and Ballen Studios CEO Nick Witters discuss how they see the industry and their company evolving past their flagship program.
  
  
• 10:45 AM | Much More Than Podcasts
  Established media companies and podcast networks have relied on ad revenue for years, but now, some are looking farther afield in an effort to diversify revenue to include toys, cruises, subscriptions and live events. This is no small undertaking, and we’ll be joined by some of the pioneers in this space. Featuring Nicole Blake (Wondery), Ben Cotton (New York Times), and Georgie Holt (Flight Studios).
  
  
• 11:30 AM | All About Video
  Seemingly all anyone can talk about in podcasting is video, but not all video podcasts are distributed or conceptualized similarly. Is a short-form series a podcast? What about subscription-only episodes? David Tishelman, head of production at Betr, and Recho Omondi of The Cutting Room Floor sit down with Lucas Shaw, managing editor at Bloomberg, to discuss how to build a successful video business.
  
  
• 12:00 PM | Networking Lunch provided by Simplecast by AdsWizz
  
  
• 1:45 PM | Breakout Sessions
  
  
  • Metrics that Matter (featuring Dan Misener from Bumper and Jeff Weiner from On Air Fest)
    
  • The Business of Immersive Audio (featuring Ayisha Emerson and Tina Eckman from Dolby)
    
  • Subscriptions, Audiobooks and New Formats (featuring Ashley Carman from Bloomberg, Leon Neyfakh from Prologue Projects and Jaimie Meyers from Sony Podcasts)
  • Independent Podcasting Today (featuring Brendan Francis Newnam from Bloomberg, PJ Vogt, host of Search Engine, and Justine Kay and Natasha Scott-Reichel, hosts of 2 Black Girls 1 Rose)

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• 3:00 PM | The Rise of Shawn Ryan
  Shawn Ryan started his podcast in 2019 and, last year, was among the top 10 podcasts in the US on Spotify. He interviewed Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election and has been shown to hold serious sway over his listeners. We’ll discuss how he gained such a large audience so quickly, how he thinks about his role and responsibilities to listeners, and the specific strategies he employs to keep growing.
  
  
• 3:45 PM | The Future of Podcast Networks
  With Spotify and YouTube becoming the dominant platforms in podcasting, money might shift away from dynamic advertising — the lifeblood of large networks. Independent creators will be able to monetize their own shows, relying on host-read ads or platform-inserted ones, leaving a big question: why should a creator join a podcast network, and what function do they serve in the future? Featuring A.J. Feliciano (The Roost), Max Cutler (PAVE Studios) and Tiffany Ashitey (Acast).
  
  
• 4:30 PM | Networking Happy Hour provided by RedCircle