Podnews Weekly Review

We remember podcasting pioneer Todd Cochran who passed away suddenly this week, reflecting on his 19-year journey in the industry and the indelible mark he left on the medium. 

• Todd's journey began in 2004 with a $14.95 Walmart microphone, creating his first podcast in a hotel room in Waco, Texas
• An excerpt from our 2023 interview with Todd shares his podcasting origin story and philosophy
• Apple Podcasts appears to be preparing support for Podcasting 2.0 JSON chapters, potentially offering AI-generated chapters for podcasts
• Daniel J Lewis has launched Pod Chapters in beta, offering AI-generated chapter creation for podcasters
• Pat...

Jakarta sets the stage for an exploration of Asia's unique podcast landscape, where innovative approaches to monetization and content distribution reflect the region's diverse markets and consumer behaviors.

• Ron Baetiong from Podcast Network Asia leverages Spotify's Open Access with local payment systems like GCash for their audio drama platform
• Japanese podcast consumption differs significantly from Western markets, with YouTube as the top platform for podcast listening
• BBC announces "Asia Specific," a new podcast examining global stories through an Asian lens

Plus...
• Blubrry announces first price increase in 20 years, raising questions about sustainable podcast...

Alex Sanfilippo shares how PodMatch is revolutionizing podcast guest booking through an innovative platform that functions like a dating app for interviews. He explains the platform's unique business model and why he believes community building is the future of podcasting.

• PodMatch connects podcast hosts and guests while automating administrative functions
• The platform charges a small fee to ensure users are serious, creating a "law of buy-in"
• Through the Pod Value Initiative, PodMatch has given back nearly $900,000 to podcasters
• Each profile doubles as a professional media one-sheet with SEO benefits
• Audio content remains powerful because it...

James and Sam examine Spotify's new direct messaging feature for sharing podcast recommendations and how it might impact content discovery.

• Spotify releases data showing Gen Z students increase podcast listening at breakfast time when returning to school
• Science, business, and technology podcasts see significant growth among younger listeners 
• Captivate announces Studio feature integrating remote recording capabilities directly into their hosting platform
• Apple partners with TuneIn to make Apple Music radio stations available across more platforms
• The Pod News Weekly Review wins an Earworthy Podcast Award in the podcast about podcasting category
• Alex Sanfilippo di...

This audio has been rescued from almost inaudible audio thanks to recording using the wrong microphone - this was just on a laptop microphone carried around a loud conference. Good job that Buzzsprout has a tool called Power Clean that fixed much of that for us.

We also speak with Oskar Serrander about Wondercraft's new tool, Wonda.

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James and Sam are away this week, so time for an interview in more detail than we normally would. Norma-Jean Belenky discusses her new podcast PodBiz, which explores the various ways podcasters monetize their content through transparent conversations with industry professionals.

• PodBiz aims to answer the question "where's the money in podcasting?" through interviews with experts in advertising, subscriptions, and alternative revenue models
• Some independent creators with just 1,200 downloads per episode are making six-figure incomes from their podcasts
• Advertising remains strong, but subscription models are gaining significant traction across the industry
• Organizations like AIR (Associat...

Amazon's restructuring of Wondery signals deeper issues with their podcast strategy as they distribute operations across Audible, creator services, and advertising divisions while losing approximately 110 jobs in the process.

• Amazon's track record with podcast acquisitions has been underwhelming, including Art19's low market share and unfulfilled promises for high-profile shows
• Dan Granger from Oxford Road suggests the reorganization represents a recalibration toward more integrated audio ecosystems
• Sean King from Veritone emphasizes the importance of balancing host-read ads with other advertising forms
• Patreon creators have earned over $10 billion since 2013, now receiving $2 billion annually—equal to the entire...

James Cridland and Sam Sethi explore Spotify's mixed financial results showing strong overall growth but declining ad revenue, alongside their increasing focus on video podcasts at the expense of audio-only content.

• Spotify's ads business struggling despite growth in users and profit
• VP of Global Advertising Lee Brown leaving Spotify "by mutual agreement"
• Video consumption growing 20 times faster than audio-only on Spotify
• 16:9 image formats creating problems for traditional podcast artwork
• JAR Audio rebranding to JAR Podcast Solutions with focus on measurable results: Roger Nairn explains how brands now see real value in podcasts beyond CEO vanity...

The old guard of media gatekeepers are trying to stay relevant as independent creators flourish across podcasting, video, and beyond.

• Spanish broadcaster RTVE blocking Antennapod and other podcast apps while maintaining deals with commercial giants like Apple and Spotify
• BBC Sounds closing for non-UK audiences due to music licensing issues
• Diary of a CEO reaching 3 million people daily, surpassing major US late-night TV shows
• Video podcasts becoming the new basic cable television, with 37% of Americans watching one in the last month
• YouTube setting a new record with 12.8% of all TV usage in the US
• J...

We have interviews with James Burtt from the newly-launched Pivot Productions; Liam Heffernan from Mercury Podcast Network who has just announced a new partnership with the Student Radio Association; and founder & CEO Will Malnati of At Will Media on taking IP from podcasts into other platforms.

Plus - weekly podcast listening in the US has reached a staggering 773 million hours according to new data from Edison Research. This robust metric provides a more meaningful measurement than percentage reach, showing the growing intensity of podcast consumption while enabling better cross-media comparison.

• Audioboom acquires UK podcast company Ad...

Interviews with the Golden Lobes, Adelicious, and the Podcast Standards Project - all in the chapters! Plus:

• NPR adding support for the funding tag across all its shows, enabling direct audience support
• Updates to podcast linking services with Nathan Gathright regaining control of Podlink from Spotify
• The inaugural Golden Lobes awards celebrating the funniest people, podcasts, and moments in the industry
• Cheerful Earful festival expanding globally to New York, London, and Melbourne
• Detailed discussion on HLS video implementation challenges for podcasting
• Growing international markets with India emerging as the third largest podcast market globa...

Apple celebrates twenty years of podcasting in the Apple ecosystem - and Jon Savage asks for help with his podcast studio in Cape Town. 

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- Podcasting is a mainstream media in Australia, the US and UK with over 50% of people listening to a podcast every month in each country. Our time and attention is limited so what other media is declining?

- YouTube is the main access point for news podcasts in the US.
 
- Why are more users willing to pay for ad-free quality digital content (behind paywalls)? What does this mean for the future of advertising if the people who can afford to pay for ad-free content are the same people advertisers want to reach?

...

Spotify is supporting the new podcast namespace. Who'd have thought it?!

Plus, we speak with Elena Tsakakis and Molly Bloom about kids podcasting, and what they learnt from their latest research.

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John McDermott from Caloroga Shark Media sits in for Sam Sethi, who is riding a bicycle and tasing wine across the south of France. Try his podcast Eastwood Reloaded - https://podnews.net/podcast/iz4sj - which we talk about in this episode.

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We speak with John Burgess from Acast, and Gautham Raj Anand from Hubhopper, and look at the week's podcast news.

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This was to be a fun live episode, but sadly, the audio recording of that failed to be usable. Bah! 

Lucky we got other audio as well. So, in this episode, we go round the show talking with people, and chat with Max Cutler, the founder of PAVE Studios.

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We speak with Michael Bayston about Acast's new initiative; plus, Alban Brooke on new tools for Buzzsprout podcasters everywhere - even us!

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Ahead of The Podcast Show in London, Jason Carter spills the tea about what'll be there. Not literally.

Also, Bauer Ireland's Ruth Fitzsimons. And, we look into Spotify's new play counts, and whatever they are.

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Sam and James - no guests this week - chat about Spotify, Apple and all things podcasting news this week.

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We speak with Stefano Fallaha from Podeo on podcasting in the Arab states, and Gotham Raj Anand from Hubhopper on Indian podcasting after YouTube. Plus, all the latest news from the podcast industry.

We use chapters here, so skip through stories if you're a lightweight.

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Our special guest this week is Maya Prohovnik, VP and Head of Podcast Products at Spotify, who joins James Cridland to share insights on Spotify's latest innovations and what’s next for podcasters on the platform.

Meanwhile, industry leaders Dan Granger (Oxford Road) and Dan Misener (Bumper) have advocated for an Open Measurement Protocol for Podcasting—a call for interoperable, privacy-conscious standards and a unified taxonomy across platforms.

In response, “friend of the show” John Spurlock joins Sam Sethi to introduce his proposed solution: Standard Podcast Consumption (SPC). This new data exchange format aims to facilita...

Emma shares exciting news about the upcoming Independent Podcast Forum on June 16th at 21 Soho in London—a full-day event designed specifically to combat what she calls "the lonely sport" of podcasting. For solo creators who can't always find understanding from non-podcasting friends and family, this gathering promises expert insights and invaluable peer connections. The forum emerged directly from attendee feedback at previous awards ceremonies, where creators consistently valued being surrounded by others who truly understand their unique challenges.

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We chat with Emma Turner from the Independent Podcast Awards; and about the new definition of a podcast from Oxford Road.

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We chat with Jay Nachlis, Steven Goldstein, Alban Brooke, Daniel J Lewis, Dave Jackson and many others. Plus, the week's news - including the Podnews Report Card.

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Edison Research Vice President Megan Lazovic joins us to unpack key findings from the Infinite Dial 2025 report and explore the growing phenomenon of podcast fandom.

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Audio UK is an industry body dedicated to advancing the UK audio sector through innovation, creator support, and driving sustainable growth for podcasts, radio, and audiobooks. We talk with Chloe Straw.

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We chat with Megan Lazovick from Edison Research, Chloe Straw from AudioUK, and Podcast Nation - and talk YouTube

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A full interview with Matt on the future of Podcasting 2.0, and his view of Tom Webster's recent article.

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We speak with Matt Medeiros on Podcasting 3.0, and how to fix Podcasting 2.0. Plus, the Infinite Dial 2025, and more podcast industry news.

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Annalise Nielsen shares her expert insights on YouTube's dominance in podcast consumption and why video strategy needs careful consideration rather than automatic implementation. She explains how different audiences require different approaches to content creation and platform distribution.

• YouTube is now the top platform for podcast consumption, but this doesn't mean video is right for every show
• Only about 30% of podcast consumption happens on YouTube, and much of this isn't active video watching
• Live podcasting is growing as a way to build audience interaction and deeper parasocial relationships
• Spotify's pivot to video seems disconnected from how user...

We chat with Annalise from Pacific Content about how video fits into podcasting, live events and shows, and women in podcasting. Plus, lots of Spotify news.

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A full version of an interview with Adam and Dave about their new product.

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We talk about Godcaster, and also catch up with the week's news. (A long interview with Adam and Dave on Monday here).

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We speak with Morten Strunge of Podimo about the company's success in hitting one million paid subscribers; and Jay Nachlis from Coleman Insights about their testing tool, the Pod Predictor.

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Rockie talks about why the new podcast namespace excites her, and how to grow podcasting by making it simpler.

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We chat with Rockie Thomas, who is very excited about the potential of live podcasts. And, we cover new developments in the industry, including a look at one podcast that claimed Podcasting 2.0 has failed.

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Sam and James talk about Spotify's recently revealed creator payments for podcasters, and Acast's profitable year

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James chats with David Bodycombe on how he produces video for Tom Scott's Lateral podcast.

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We speak with Kendall Breitman from Riverside on their new tools; and with David Bodycombe on reasons why video podcasting is a good thing after all.

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