Rephonic
Artwork for The Business of Content

The Business of Content with Simon Owens

Simon Owens
Youtube
Substack
Local News
Tiktok
Creator Economy
Local Journalism
Artificial Intelligence
Buzzfeed
Berkeleyside
Covid-19
Book Publishing
Facebook
Finance
Zyn
Journalism
B2B Media
The Tilt
Trail Running
Digital Media
Alts.co

The show about how publishers create, distribute, and monetize their digital content.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes317Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Business of Content

Latest Episodes

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

When the NBA teamed up with video game publisher Take-Two Interactive to launch an esports league in 2017, the idea was to replicate the traditional sports model within the world of competitive gaming... more

Amy Suto spent years climbing the Hollywood ladder, eventually landing a writing credit on the TV series Condor. But by the time she achieved that milestone, she was already questioning whether she wanted to spend the rest of her career writing other... more

Despite producing critically acclaimed shows like Severance, Slow Horses, and The Morning Show, Apple TV remains one of the smallest players in the streaming industry. It also reportedly loses billions of dollars a year, which raises an interesting q... more

YouTube

My newsletter: simonowens.substack.com/

After spending more than two decades touring with some of the biggest names in music — including the Jonas Brothers, John Legend, Eminem, and Selena Gomez — Benji Woerly decided it was time to build s... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The a16z Show
The a16z ShowAndreessen Horowitz
Moneywise
MoneywiseHampton
My First Million
My First MillionHubspot Media
Channels with Peter Kafka
Channels with Peter KafkaVox Media Podcast Network

Recent Guests

Amy Suto
Freelance writer, memoir ghostwriter, novelist, and creator of writing-focused businesses
Make Writing Your Job
Episode: How a freelance writer turned a job board into a thriving subscription business
Jason Krebs
Media industry veteran who has held senior roles at The New York Times, Google and Disney
Episode: Will Apple TV ever turn a profit?
Benji Woerly
Founder of The Soovins, former touring drummer
Woerly Bird LLC
Episode: A former touring musician is building the next children's entertainment empire.
Daniel Scharff
Founder of Startup CPG
Startup CPG
Episode: How a few local meetups spawned an entire B2B media company
Adam Ryan
Co-founder of Workweek
Workweek
Episode: This company is building a Substack competitor geared toward B2B creators
Jeremy Smart
Art director turned editor-in-chief of Design Anthology
Design Anthology
Episode: How a high-end print magazine built a modern media business
Reid Hailey
CEO of Doing Things, co-founder of the company behind Shithead Steve, Bob Does Sports, Recess Therapy, Breezy Golf
Doing Things (formerly Doing Things Media)
Episode: How an Instagram meme page became a social-first entertainment empire
Courtney Hirsch
CEO of Jomboy Media
Jomboy Media
Episode: How a Yankees podcast grew into a 60-person media company
Anjali Iyer
Global head of subscription marketing at The Washington Post
The Washington Post
Episode: Why the Washington Post thinks micropayments can finally work

Host

Simon Owens
Host of The Business of Content; primary host and creator/curator of the show.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 59 ratings
  • Awesome Guests

    Awesome guests — a few episodes in and I’ve already had some super valuable takeaways. Really happy I found this. Subscribed and will be adding this to my future rotation.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    T&M1985
    South Africa4 years ago
  • Excellent Podcast

    Simon is brilliant and thorough. This podcast is full of value. Very important resource for people who want to get better at what they do.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nancy0707
    United States5 years ago
  • Insightful

    A must for anyone trying to figure out the creators economy.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    caminodelsol
    France5 years ago
  • The host is excellent

    So are his guests. I really appreciate where Simon steers the conversations, the topics he chooses and how raw and genuine these talks are. I’d suggest every J school in the country to listen to this one (actually recommended some of my former professors..) while they all are pondering on where the journalism is headed, this podcast actually shows where it currently is with all the changing landscape of content production.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Regina Revazova
    United States6 years ago
  • Questions are awesome.... the whole vibe is awesome

    Great questions.... I like every episode so far....never heard of some these businesses until now....

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    123marketing
    United States7 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Smart, practical takes on media economics and growth.
High-quality discussions that are valuable for pitching guests or sponsors.
Great guests who share real-world playbooks for publishers.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Will Apple TV ever turn a profit?
Q: Do you think Substack has crossed that divide to being like another LinkedIn, like being another Twitter or Instagram, where it's going to be part of any media company's marketing channel?
Krebs says Substack can give prominent writers a way to earn directly from their audiences, while Owens argues publishers are testing the platform to reach new readers and make paid subscriptions easier.
Will Apple TV ever turn a profit?
Q: Do you think it wants to make Apple TV a standalone profit center? Do you think it's like a gateway into Apple's larger services division to get them to do a bundle with Apple News Plus, Apple Music, that kind of thing?
Krebs says Apple likely values Apple TV+ for several strategic benefits, including its services ecosystem, hardware sales and Hollywood prestige, rather than prioritizing it as a standalone business.
How a freelance writer turned a job board into a thriving subscription business
Q: What was the light bulb moment where you figured out what would drive people to convert into paid subscribers?
While overwhelmed with ghostwriting inquiries, Suto shared leads with her audience and saw strong demand. She developed the offering into a curated job board that filters out low-value opportunities and saves writers time.
How a freelance writer turned a job board into a thriving subscription business
Q: How did you break into ghostwriting?
Suto got her first memoir assignment after publishing a short story on Medium, and later attracted clients through essays, blogging, freelance platforms, and the writing samples that demonstrated her voice.
A former touring musician is building the next children's entertainment empire.
Q: What is the long-term growth strategy for The Soovins beyond YouTube?
The plan is to expand through licensing, consumer products, live shows, and partnerships with animation studios and streaming platforms to reach broader distribution and revenue streams.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Business of Content

What is The Business of Content about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on how publishers build, distribute, and monetize digital content, with a strong focus on media business models, audience growth, and the evolving mix of free and paid offerings. Episodes frequently explore strategies around data-driven journalism, cross-format distribution ( newsletters, podcasts, video, and events), and the tension between editorial independence and monetization. Notable through-lines include how independent and niche publishers scale, the role of partnerships and syndication, and creative revenue models—from subscriptions and paid communities to branded content and product-led growth. Guests tend to be founders, editors, and executives who are actively shaping modern media businesses, often with hands-on... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Business of Content?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Business of Content. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Business of Content and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Business of Content get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Business of Content, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Business of Content?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Business of Content, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Business of Content have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Business of Content has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Business of Content?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Business of Content:

1. The a16z Show
2. Moneywise
3. My First Million
4. Decoder with Nilay Patel
5. Channels with Peter Kafka

How many episodes of The Business of Content are there?

The Business of Content launched 9 years ago and published 317 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Business of Content?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Business of Content?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Business of Content from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Business of Content?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Business of Content. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Business of Content?

Recent guests on The Business of Content include:

1. Amy Suto
2. Jason Krebs
3. Benji Woerly
4. Daniel Scharff
5. Adam Ryan
6. Jeremy Smart
7. Reid Hailey
8. Courtney Hirsch

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days