Welcome to The epDate, where we bring you the latest in podcasting for podcast people! World Podcast News   Top Growing Podcasting Countries   A new data report by VoxNest has revealed the top growing podcasting countries, based on their month-to-month listenership growth, with four of the top five countries being Spanish-speaking. Chile topped the chart, with a month-to-month growth of 83.95%, while Argentina, Peru, Mexico, and China rounded out the top 5.       Luminary, A Subscription-Based Podcast Service Has Been Released   New podcast platform Luminary, which provides a subscription-based service for premium podcasts, has been released. While Luminary can be used as a regular podcast app, the company also uses a similar subscription model to popular streaming service Netflix, whereby listeners can pay a monthly fee to access exclusive and add-free programming. Luminary has faced some backlash within the podcast industry following its strong marketing pitch based around subscription - while facing the early issue of being without some popular podcasts including The New York Times’ ‘The Daily’ and Gimlet Media shows such as ‘Reply All’ and ‘Homecoming’ with competitor Spotify withholding their shows from the platform.   Another Social Media Podcasting Crossover Joins The Growing Industry   Following the popularity of social media podcasting hybrid, Breaker, another new addition to the budding platform has emerged. Swoot, co-founded by HipChat founders, Pete Curley and Garret Heaton, aims to solve the problem of podcast discovery. For non-listeners of the epDate, finding new shows can be a troubling task. With Swoot, listeners can not only use the podcast app much the same any other podcast player - but they can also see what shows their friends are listening to, what they recommending, and can follow their favourite podcast artists. It’s all about discovering new artists and finding your next new favourite podcast. Swoot is available now on all the app stores.   YouTube star PewdiPie To Live Stream On DLive   With the impending pod wars - the inevitable battle of top corporations to secure exclusive podcasting rights - a spanner has been thrown into the works of podcasts distant relative YouTube. PewdiePie, the 2nd most subscribed YouTuber in the world, with over 94 million subscribers, has joined forces with an alternative streaming platform, DLive - to stream live content. The move by such a high profile and controversial figure in the industry could foreshadow some of the future challenges facing the podcast industry and the impending battle to secure talent within platforms. That’s the podcast news from around the world this week. Now we’ll take a look at 5 podcasts you should be checking out this week. New Releases:   Drilled (Critical Frequency)   With Earth Day being recently being held on the 22nd of April, the first podcast to check out this week is ‘Drilled’. Hosted by Amy Westervelt, Drilled provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the secret history of climate-change denial. The latest episode looks at the crabbing industry in 2015 and Amy assesses the effect of climate change on crab fishermen. Check it out on your favourite podcast app.   Running From Cops (Topic / Pineapple Street Media)   A brand new podcast from Pineapple Street Media, Running From Cops, examines the hit reality TV show Cops, delving deep into its role in culture and specifically, how it has served up a distorted reality of law enforcement. In the first episode, host Dan Taberski asks the question: just how real is the longest running reality show in TV history? Two episodes are out now of the six-part series.   The Badcast (Auscast Network)   The Badcast on the Auscast Network, a podcast about crazy questions, tall stories and bad jokes, return after over a month absent from the podcast scene and are joined by special guest, Rohan Harry. In episode 99, Liam and Big Al share stories with creative communicator, actor and podcaster Rohan about a variety of topics, including getting old and the experience of staying in the ICU.   The Dunc’d On Basketball NBA Podcast (Nate Duncan)   If you’ve been enjoying the sporting excitement of the NBA playoffs, be sure to check out The Dunc’d On Basketball NBA Podcast with Nate Duncan. Duncan and co-host Danny Leroux delve deep into basketball minutia and provide you with in-depth playoff analysis including detailed game breakdowns, interviews and news. All the stats and info you’ll need to be an NBA expert these playoffs.   The Anxiety Hour (VICE)   A new podcast focusing on the subject of anxiety and featuring celebrity guests is out now on all podcast apps. The Anxiety Hour, hosted by VICE’s Wendy Syfret has 3 full-length episodes available now. On the latest episode, Wendy is joined by artist Celeste Mountjoy - better known as filthyratbag - to explore the topics of partying, drugs, depression and relationships. iTunes Top 3 podcasts from a specific genre: Now it’s time for our genre spotlight. Each week we’ll focus on a specific genre available on iTunes in a different country and look at some of the top podcasts from that genre. If it’s not your usual genre that’s OK!  But if you’re looking to try something a bit different - this will help highlight what the masses are listening to. This week, we’re taking a look at the hottest podcasts in the Games & Hobbies genre in the United States iTunes charts. Critical Role Car Talk The Joe Gardener Show If your hobby is tech...check out Apple Slice on the Auscast Network - a fresh Apple Tech news podcast from an Australian perspective. Get the latest news, rumours, and reviews on Apple iPhone, iPad, watch, Mac and more! Catch it on the Auscast Network.   And that’s it for the epDate, make sure you subscribe for free to Auscast Network Extra for plenty more great podcasts. The sponsors for this weeks epDate are: Pushpull Media, Got the Merchandise, and Cartel Media. Send us your stories and cool podcast facts at AuscastNetwork.com.     Podcast Resources: https://podnews.net/   https://blog.voxnest.com/top-growing-podcasting-countries-march-2019/?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2019-04-19   https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/22/18510897/luminary-podcast-app-launch-the-daily-gimlet-media-spotify   https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/21/18508015/swoot-podcast-player-share-friends-listeners   https://www.newyorker.com/culture/podcast-dept/three-podcasts-to-listen-to-in-april   https://www.fastcompany.com/90338425/new-podcast-digs-into-all-846-episodes-of-cops-and-its-distorted-reality-of-crime   https://mumbrella.com.au/vice-releases-new-podcast-series-the-anxiety-hour-572835   Music from Free Music Archive in order of appearance Computer Music All Stars - May The Chords Be With You Nctrnm - Absum Nctrnm - Qeue