iHeartMedia pushes back on a podcast selloff report as The Breakfast Club’s parent puts up $174 million in quarterly sales.
iHeartMedia says its podcast empire isn’t for sale as questions swirl around the company behind some of Hip-Hop’s biggest conversations.
That business includes The Breakfast Club and its partnership with Charlamagne Tha God‘s Black Effect network.
A company spokesperson rejected the sale speculation in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday.
The response followed a Bloomberg report that iHeart had discussed potentially selling some or all of its podcast operation.
“While we don’t generally comment on rumors or speculation, I can tell you that we have no plan to sell our podcasting business,” the spokesperson said.
The company also said it intends to keep investing in podcasts, including their video reach.
The financial backdrop explains why that division is drawing attention right now.
Podcast revenue reached $174 million last quarter, rising 24.6 percent from a year earlier, while companywide adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell 17 percent to $170.5 million.
For Hip-Hop listeners, the business stretches well beyond a morning radio broadcast.
The Breakfast Club expanded onto Netflix’s daily live schedule in June with Charlamagne, Loren Loroso, DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious at the center of the show.
The show began in 2010 and originates from New York’s Power 105.1, carrying the same interviews across radio, on-demand audio and a subscription video service rather than relying on a single outlet.
That arrangement gave Netflix viewers nearly three continuous hours of programming, including bonus material during radio commercial breaks. iHeart retained the audio rights, while the radio version continued through Premiere Networks and more than 100 stations nationwide.
The company’s Black Effect partnership also connects it to N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s growing podcast operation. Their Drink Champs Podcast Network launched with Black Effect in 2025, extending the hosts’ work into a wider slate of shows.
Memphis Bleek’s ROC Solid became that network’s first series, with Ja Rule appearing in the debut episode. Distribution through iHeartPodcasts put those conversations on the iHeartRadio app and other podcast platforms, adding another route for rappers to build media businesses.
iHeart plans to report podcasting separately from its Digital Audio Group beginning in 2027.