Mevio

Mevio Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Digital entertainment, Podcasting
Founded	1 October 2004 (2004-10-01) in San Francisco, California, United States
Founder	Adam Curry, Ron Bloom
Defunct	April 2014 (2014-04)
Fate	Rebranded as Bitesize Entertainment; operations discontinued after acquisition by Media General and Nexstar merger
Headquarters	San Francisco (initially), later Hollywood, California , United States
Area served	United States, United Kingdom, Ireland
Key people	Ron Bloom (co-founder), Adam Curry (co-founder), Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff (head of Podshow L.A.)
Products	Podcast hosting and distribution platform, Podsafe Music Network, Podcast Alley directory
Parent	Bitesize Networks Inc. (successor), later acquired by Media General

Mevio Inc.—initially known as PodShow—was a U.S.-based digital entertainment network established in San Francisco, California, in October 2004 by entrepreneurs Adam Curry and Ron Bloom.

History

PodShow was created to assist users in publishing, promoting, and discovering podcasts. In August 2005, the company raised close to $8.85 million in venture capital funding from prominent Sand Hill Road investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, and Sherpalo Ventures.

On August 23, 2005, PodShow launched the Podsafe Music Network, a platform allowing artists and record labels to upload royalty-free tracks for podcasters to license and incorporate into their content. The following month, PodShow acquired Podcast Alley, a podcast directory that improved content discoverability for users.

In 2006, PodShow broadened its operations by establishing Podshow L.A., a production unit headed by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff. Additionally, the company introduced BT PodShow in collaboration with British Telecom to serve audiences in the UK and Ireland. That September, PodShow secured a $15 million second-round investment led by DAG Ventures.

By July 2008, Mevio completed a Series C financing round totaling $15 million, with Crosslink Capital as lead investor alongside Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, Sherpalo Ventures, and DAG Ventures. This funding facilitated the company’s growth into broadband entertainment and vertical network development.

In December 2012, co-founder Ron Bloom moved Mevio’s headquarters to Hollywood and rebranded the firm as Bitesize Entertainment, acquiring studio facilities at Hollywood and Vine aimed at creating channels targeting mainstream audiences.

Mevio discontinued its services abruptly in April 2014, requiring content producers to relocate their material within ten days. The website was taken offline without any official explanation.

In March 2016, Bitesize Networks Inc., Mevio’s successor entity, was penalized for contract violations related to unpaid services from Vertamedia LLC dating back to 2013. Subsequently acquired by Media General, Bitesize produced the syndicated program Hollywood Today Live until April 2017 when Nexstar Media Group’s merger with Media General led to the termination of Bitesize’s operations due to strategic misalignment with Nexstar’s broadcasting objectives.

Podcasts

Mevio’s portfolio included leading podcasts such as Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code and later No Agenda, co-hosted with John C. Dvorak. Other prominent series featured on the network were The Dawn and Drew Show, Madge Weinstein’s Yeast Radio, CC Chapman’s Accident Hash, Chris Rockwell’s "The Daily Download", and GeekBrief.TV. The platform also hosted a wide array of programs including Podshow Radio, Reaching for Lucidity, Pop17, and Cranky Geeks, contributing to its extensive range of podcasting content and services.

Criticisms and Controversy

Following the July 6, 2006 debut of PodShow+, the company encountered backlash for replicating and altering RSS feeds from other podcasts by substituting original copyright notices with PodShow’s own and redirecting links to internal caches instead of original sources. Adam Curry addressed these issues on the Daily Source Code, characterizing the incident as an inadvertent error rather than deliberate wrongdoing.

PodShow Network did not publicly release audience measurement data. On March 3, 2007, Curry asserted that the network recorded 52 million "download requests" during December 2006; however, ambiguity around this metric's definition led to speculation about true listener numbers and influenced perceptions regarding the company’s market penetration and financial health.

The partnership between PodShow and Sirius Satellite Radio concluded quietly on May 1, 2007 without public announcement. Industry insiders speculated that PodShow’s limited control over audio quality across its programming contributed to this outcome. Producer P.W. Fenton noted that although the contract ended silently, broadcasts continued unknowingly after termination, underscoring operational challenges within PodShow’s corporate structure and strategic alliances.