Nickelodeon has partnered with Starglow Media to handle ads on its kids podcasts, giving the broadcaster open access to a new avenue for advertising to kids & families. 

The companies just formally announced a collaboration that actually kicked off quietly at the end of 2024. In fact, Nickelodeon has already launched podcasts for Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues and PAW Patrol through Starglow’s network. The deal also encompasses advertising, with Nickelodeon producing ads for its brands and Starglow handling the back-end operations of these audio campaigns. 

Former UTA executive Jed Baker launched Starglow in 2023 to fill a gap he saw in audio content for the three to 12 demo and their families. The podcast distributor focuses exclusively on serving this demo, serving up a mix that includes bedtime stories and edutainment series, which it commissions and licenses from third parties. 

Kids podcasts are in high demand—and more than 70% of six- to 12-year-olds are interested in audio titles based on their favorite TV shows and movies, according to data from Edison Research’s Kids Podcast Listener Report (2023). 

This demand seems to be panning out for Starglow, which currently has 10 million monthly downloads across all platforms for a catalogue of more than 50 series. The company has also attracted several other major advertisers targeting the kids & family demo, including WildBrain, LEGO, Penguin Random House, Nintendo and Netflix. Campaigns in this media stream often involve ads read by podcast hosts, pre-recorded ads and custom integrations like branded episodes/segments (which Netflix recently did for a Strawberry Shortcake campaign). 

Image of Nickelodeon podcasts, courtesy of Nickelodeon.