When Shari Redstone gets home, she doesn’t sit down in front of the television. The media mogul, whose family made billions of dollars in TV, prefers to catch up on “CBS Evening News” or “Face the Nation” via podcast.
Redstone, who oversees controlling stakes in CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. for her ailing father, Sumner, has a new fondness for audio as more waking hours are filled with computers and mobile phones. She’s one of the growing number of consumers who choose to listen to a podcast rather than stare at a screen.
When Shari Redstone gets home, she doesn’t sit down in front of the television. The media mogul, whose family made billions of dollars in TV, prefers to catch up on “CBS Evening News” or “Face the Nation” via podcast.
Redstone, who oversees controlling stakes in CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. for her ailing father, Sumner, has a new fondness for audio as more waking hours are filled with computers and mobile phones. She’s one of the growing number of consumers who choose to listen to a podcast rather than stare at a screen.
“Audio is going to be a big driver of media consumption going forward,” Redstone, 64, said in a phone interview, her Boston accent becoming more obvious as her enthusiasm grows. “The more complicated society gets, the more of a place there is for audio platforms.”
Redstone, who runs her own investment fund, was among the first-round investors last year in Wondery Inc., the podcast network that has scored hits with the true-crime drama “Dirty John” and the medical-malpractice series “Dr. Death.” It’s one of several audio-based investments for her firm, Advancit Capital, which focuses on the intersection of technology and media.
Podcasting has exploded in recent years, making household names of reporters like Michael Barbaro, who hosts the popular New York Times series “The Daily.” The music-streaming giant Spotify Technology SA plowed into the business in a big way this month, agreeing to buy Gimlet Media Inc. and Anchor FM Inc. for reportedly more than $350 million.
