This is sponsored by Understood, from CBC. From CBC, Understood goes deep on the current events, people, and cultural moments shaping society. Seasons span four episodes, hosted by journalists with an existing expertise on the story. Now accepting pitches.

Visit https://podnews.net/update/goalhanger-ads for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

• The UK’s Goalhanger has launched its first multichannel ad campaign, in partnership with Spotify. The video ads, which will be shown across social media, show Spotify users switching between individual podcasts (though the “p” word isn’t used) - is it the best ad for a podcast company yet? You can watch it here.
• Lower Street has announced speakers for its Brand Podcast Virtual Summit 2025 - including brand new research from Signal Hill Insights, the Branded Podcast Benchmark Report. Other speakers include experts from the New York Times, Morgan Stanley, and Jay Acunzo. The event is free.
• Yesterday, we reported on Licensync, an Italian company charging for linking to podcasts. While ASSIPOD, the Italian Podcasting Association is listed as a partner on Licensync’s website, ASSIPOD have told us that they are not a partner; that their logo is used on the website without authorisation; and they have already requested its removal. We’ve asked Licensync for comment; and added ASSIPOD’s statement to the article.

Let's be Podcast Besties! 👯 — Podcast Bestie is a newsletter, podcast, and best friend to podcasters trying to grow and monetize their shows. Join the squad now.

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Kick off your show in 2025 — Launch a podcast your audience loves. The Brand Podcast Summit (Jan 14-15) is what you need to nail your podcast strategy. Featuring Jay Acunzo and experts from Lower Street, Red Hat, Atlassian & more

• Data: Podimo has released the 2024 Global Trend Report, which looks into differences in podcast consumption across the world. True crime shows have quadrupled in popularity in Spain in the last year, especially with women; but in Norway, men are increasingly keen on history podcasts. In Denmark, 27% of listeners have spent more than three hours straight during a single day consuming podcasts or audiobooks.
• Users of the Castbox podcast app, one of the most popular apps in the world, will now see new monthly podcast recommendations within the app from Tink Media.
• YouTube released a look at how the video website is consumed on TV sets. The company says: “Podcast watching is growing rapidly on TVs. Viewers watched over 400mn hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices. They’ve been tuning into podcasts similarly to how one would tune into a late-night talk show.”
• DeepCast, which makes the DeepCast podcast discovery platform and DeepCast Pro, a podcast creator suite, has secured additional investment from a set of companies and venture firms, including Automattic, the owner of WordPress and Pocket Casts.
• Magellan AI released the top podcast advertisers for November 2024. BetterHelp once again hit #1 spot, with $8.6mn spent; Amazon was at #2, and T-Mobile at #3. The biggest mover was Bartesian, a cocktail maker that, just like a Nespresso, takes all the joy and fun out of crafting a drink makes a drink at the touch of a button.
• Podtrac released its Top Podcasts By Country lists for November 2024. The data is part-estimated.
• Help wanted: The BEA (Broadcast Education Association) has had more entries than ever for the annual BEA Festival of Media Arts. That means they need more reviewers and judges than first thought. If you have spare time over the next month and would like to be a reviewer (it’s a voluntary thing, but you’ll hear lots of great audio), please email help@BEAweb.org
• Further reading: Amanda McLoughlin from Multitude writes everything you need to know about Spotify’s pivot to video: “Avoid platform dependence at all costs.”

Thank you to Cameron Stack at PodLabs, the epicenter for podcast experimentation and projects, for becoming our latest supporter. Supporters pay for everyone’s access to Podnews - you can support us here.

Tips and tricks

• You can install Apple Podcasts on Android now. No, really - and it looks and works just like an app.

Podcast News

• Netflix is to tap into The Nat Coombs Show, one of the most popular National Football League (NFL) podcasts, to promote its exclusive NFL Christmas Day games. The campaign, running throughout December, includes host-read and announcer-read ads, as well as activity across Sport Social Podcast Network’s NFL and football verticals.
• In two Texas prisons, inmate DJs will air Scrooge: A Christmas Carol on prison radio stations on Christmas Eve, we learn. Additionally, the podcast will be uploaded to all TDCJ inmate tablets across the state, which will, we're told, allow inmates to listen to the podcast while their family simultaneously listens to it on radio stations in their communities. The podcast is written by Paul Cuschieri and produced by Mark Ramsey.
• Audio newspaper for a visual world, the satirical comedy show The Bugle started way back in 2007. With current host Andy Zaltzman, it was originally co-hosted by John Oliver, who spoilt everything by turning into a late night TV celebrity in the US instead. Excitingly, this week, John Oliver returns to the podcast after eight years. They cover Assad, FIFA and Trump - it's like he never left.
• TED Health has just announced its plans for season four, for anyone seeking captivating insights in health and wellness. Dr Shoshana Ungerleider will bring her expertise and warmth to a new slate of 20 extended episodes, diving even deeper into pressing health topics and answering questions listeners didn’t even know they had.

Gold supporters: Sounds Profitable, Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Steve Lack: Audio, Cohost, Audiohook, audioBoom, Resound, Simplecast, SALT, Podscribe, RedCircle, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts, Libsyn, Disctopia, Knucklehead Media Group, Evergreen Podcasts

Silver supporters: Storic Media, Audacia Audio, Bumper, PodLabs - Podcast Experimentatio, Magellan AI, Gilded Audio, Jonekiri, Truefans, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Cloud10, POW PR, Huberman Lab, Tink Media, Deepcast, The Podcast Haven, Ausha, Frequency, Voxtopica, Podium , Storyboard, PlayPodcast, Gumball, SoundStack, Red Seat Ventures, The Roost, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Double Elvis Productions, Diversion Podcasts, Wondery, Zvook, Transistor, Optimal Living Daily, Heartcast Media50, Rhapsody Voices, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Headliner, Oxford Road, Lemonada Media, Ossa Collective, matchmaker.fm, Podcast Taxi, Jam Street Media, Blubrry, Castos, Rephonic, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Ad Results Media, StreamGuys, Hear.Here.Singapore, Cleanfeed, She Podcasts, Sonix, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Podcast Movement, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights, Edison Research

Our personal supporters: Eric Montgomery, Amy Woods, John, Armel, Oludotun Oyebolu, Mikel Ellcessor, Gene Monterastelli, Ed Sullivan, Neil Mody, Lindsay Graham, David Lloyd, Steven Goldstein, Matt Wade, Mirko Lagonegro, Andy Maher, tony@virtualcouch.xyz, Kara Silverman, Eric Hunley, Liz Covart, Owen Grover, Justin Jackson, Karen Jackson, CESLIE Armstrong, Søren Hugger Møller, Josh Withers, Mike R, Michael Dell, Eric Nuzum, Benjamin Masse, Brett Johnson, Mark Ramsey, Helene Pawlitzki, Steve Stewart, Pete Morgan, Jody Avirgan, Joe Stone, ShEvo (Sheila Dee & Evo Terra), Buzz Knight, Jaz Garewal, Stephanie Arakelian, Kerry Donahue, Graeme Klass, Tony Garcia, We Are Libertarians, Stew Redwine, Dave Beasing, Jeremy McCarter, Meggan Ellingboe, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Andy Bowers, Mary Dooe, Alicia Mackey Huber, Paul Vogelzang, Vanessa Harris, Rekha Murthy, Mohammad Ali, Suzanne Schultz, Joanne Phillips, Niall Mackay, Courtney Reimer, Brandon Schexnayder, Don MacKinnon, Jeremy Enns from Podcast Marketing Academy, Sam Phelps, Doug Downs, Tom Teodorczuk, Lex Friedman, Larry Rosin, Bryan Barletta, Gavin, Charles Spivey, Ken Beyer, Bubbe Ann Schockett, Darius Derakshan, Stefano Mangone, Dave Campbell, Cindy Howes, TWRS, Anastasia Violet Lipske, Chris Peterson

Readers and supporters

Support us

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Every week, the Podnews Weekly Review is the last word in podcasting news - with a look back at the most important news in podcasting, and interviews with the people that matter.Hear from James Cridland, the Editor of Podnews; Sam Sethi, the CEO of Truefans; and interviews with the people that matter.The Podnews Weekly Review. With Buzzsprout - podcast hosting made easy.

Find us wherever you get this podcast.

This is sponsored by Understood, from CBC. From CBC, Understood goes deep on the current events, people, and cultural moments shaping society. Seasons span four episodes, hosted by journalists with an existing expertise on the story. Now accepting pitches.

Visit https://podnews.net/update/licensync-payment-demands for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

• Exclusive: A company in Italy is sending invoices for more than $7,300 to multiple podcast directories and apps for listing six Italian podcasts. In a special report today, Podnews examines what Licensync is doing - and suggests that this is another reason why podcasting could benefit from a trade association to help protect our industry.
• A BBC World Service investigation has suggested that one of the world’s biggest podcasts, Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, has been accused of spreading fringe theories and harmful health information - including that cancer can be treated by following a keto diet, rather than proven treatments; and that gluten intake causes autism. The company that makes the show, Flight Studio, suggests it’s merely “freedom of expression”.
• Podcasthon is less than a hundred days away, in March next year. Doug Downs shares a little more about what the charity event is about, and how your podcast can take part.

Getting less than 1,000 downloads per episode? — Download your FREE Podcast Growth Scorecard! This tool helps you focus your podcast marketing so that you can spend your time on the marketing activities that have the most impact on podcast growth.

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Are your clients submitting blurry video podcasts? — Instead of educating them, become the hero. Use our web-based tool that improves video quality of your blurry video files. Receive an upscaled sample within 5 minutes. No downloads required.

• CoHost has published 28 expert podcast predictions for 2025. The rise of video, always-on podcasts and narrative formats are highlighted.
• Podcasting Made Simple - Live is a virtual event taking place on Jan 9 (11.30am-4pm ET), “focused on helping podcast guests and hosts improve their craft”. Tickets are $97; but here’s a secret link for free access from Podnews.
• Hosting service PodToo has announced a partnership with Ratuken Kobo, enabling PodToo’s audiobook publishers to offer their audiobooks directly to Kobo Books. The company has also launched SecureRSS, a method of securely selling audiobooks through RSS feeds.
• On LinkedIn, Jay Clouse publishes an impressive graph showing growth of a show on YouTube. He also links to advice and a $199 course to learn to do the same.

The Tech Stuff

• Is there a technically simple way to show comments for podcast episodes in a podcast app? The podcast:socialInteract tag should allow comments for podcast episodes across a wide variety of apps, but has never achieved the kind of take-up that has been desired. Is there a simpler way to achieve this? (With entirely standards-compliant RSS?)
• Worth taking a look at PodToo’s release about SecureRSS. The technology is described as “a new way to deliver content securely via RSS while protecting the content owners”.
• The Podcasting 2.0 podcast was the last for the year. Among other things, it talks about a “PWA”s and Apple Podcasts.

Tips and tricks

• Audio editor Hindenburg has published the Hindenburg Calendar, a daily set of hints and tips about audio storytelling. There are some great tips in here; it’s being updated daily.
  • We don’t get any money from it, but you can grab a three month trial of Hindenburg Pro 2 and a discount, just for being a Podnews reader.

Podcast News

• From CBC, Understood is an anthology podcast that takes you out of the daily news cycle and inside the events, people, and cultural moments you want to know more about - from crypto, to the Prime Minister of India, to Céline Dion. CBC is currently accepting pitches for the show.
• A new podcast aimed at demystifying healthcare, Wealth of Health, has been launched. Co-hosted by Ahmed Elbarkouki and Dr Paul Jenkins, the podcast aims to address common health concerns, provide accurate information on prevention and treatment options, and challenge misinformation. It's from Echelon Health.
• The Podnews Weekly Review this week talked with Shira Atkins of Wonder Media Network about their acquisition by Acast; Rob Greenlee about the Podcast Hall of Fame; and Daniel J Lewis about Podgagement.

Gold supporters: Sounds Profitable, Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, SALT, Podscribe, Audiohook, audioBoom, Steve Lack: Audio, RedCircle, Resound, Cohost, Simplecast, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Knucklehead Media Group, We Edit Podcasts, Disctopia, Libsyn, Podpage websites, Evergreen Podcasts

Silver supporters: Storic Media, Audacia Audio, Bumper, PodLabs - Podcast Experimentatio, Magellan AI, Gumball, Gilded Audio, Huberman Lab, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Red Seat Ventures, Tink Media, POW PR, Storyboard, The Roost, Truefans, Cloud10, The Podcast Haven, PlayPodcast, Voxtopica, Podium , SoundStack, Jonekiri, Frequency, Ausha, Deepcast, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Castos, Rhapsody Voices, Lemonada Media, Oxford Road, matchmaker.fm, Transistor, Wondery, Heartcast Media50, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Podcast Taxi, Jam Street Media, Diversion Podcasts, Blubrry, Optimal Living Daily, Headliner, Ossa Collective, Zvook, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Podcast Partnership, Ad Results Media, Content10x, StreamGuys, Hear.Here.Singapore, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, Sonix, Podigy, Podcast Movement, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Edison Research, Signal Hill Insights

Our personal supporters: Eric Montgomery, Amy Woods, John, Armel, Oludotun Oyebolu, Mikel Ellcessor, Gene Monterastelli, Ed Sullivan, Neil Mody, Lindsay Graham, David Lloyd, Steven Goldstein, Matt Wade, Mirko Lagonegro, Andy Maher, tony@virtualcouch.xyz, Kara Silverman, Eric Hunley, Liz Covart, Owen Grover, Justin Jackson, Karen Jackson, CESLIE Armstrong, Søren Hugger Møller, Josh Withers, Mike R, Michael Dell, Eric Nuzum, Benjamin Masse, Brett Johnson, Mark Ramsey, Helene Pawlitzki, Steve Stewart, Pete Morgan, Jody Avirgan, Joe Stone, ShEvo (Sheila Dee & Evo Terra), Buzz Knight, Jaz Garewal, Stephanie Arakelian, Kerry Donahue, Graeme Klass, Tony Garcia, We Are Libertarians, Stew Redwine, Dave Beasing, Jeremy McCarter, Meggan Ellingboe, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Andy Bowers, Mary Dooe, Alicia Mackey Huber, Paul Vogelzang, Vanessa Harris, Rekha Murthy, Mohammad Ali, Suzanne Schultz, Joanne Phillips, Niall Mackay, Courtney Reimer, Brandon Schexnayder, Don MacKinnon, Jeremy Enns from Podcast Marketing Academy, Sam Phelps, Doug Downs, Tom Teodorczuk, Lex Friedman, Larry Rosin, Bryan Barletta, Gavin, Charles Spivey, Ken Beyer, Bubbe Ann Schockett, Darius Derakshan, Stefano Mangone, Dave Campbell, Cindy Howes, TWRS, Anastasia Violet Lipske, Chris Peterson

Readers and supporters

Support us

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This is sponsored by Uncover, from CBC. From CBC, Uncover brings listeners explosive, high-caliber investigations and true crime series. CBC is currently accepting pitches from independents and publishers to be part of this successful podcast.

Visit https://podnews.net/update/podtrac-new-shows for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

• Podtrac has published its Top 25 new US podcasts for 2024, from its participating publishers. The NBC News show Mortal Sin, from Dateline, is #1; Wondery has six shows in the list.
  • Podtrac has also published a top 10 global list for the year - Diary of a CEO is #3, The Daily is #2, and #1 is... Joe Rogan.
• Triton’s US Podcast Ranker was released. The data is here - there’s no change to the top five. It measures participating publishers only.
• “Podcasting is one of the most powerful tools we have for connecting European stories.” Eurowaves, a new podcast newsletter focusing on podcasting in Europe, has launched. In its first issue, it speaks to Andrea Knezevic, Communication Manager for WePod.

Follow the Pointless Global News Podcast — Tad Flakey brings you the most pointlessly weird and funny news from around the world, carelessly exaggerated just for your entertainment. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

AudienceLift: AI Podcast Growth – 12% Off Now! — AudienceLift.com: Your AI-Powered Podcast Growth Partner Trusted by industry leaders to grow audiences and build subscriber databases. Start your first campaign today with code Podnews12 for 12% off!

How to Get and Keep Brand Partners — Join us for our 4-week brand partnership accelerator program in January! In this program, we'll help you get more organized, pitch better, and build long-term relationships.

• BuzzFeed has sold “First We Feast”, the makers of Hot Ones, to a consortium including Crooked Media. The sale was “an eight figure deal”.
• Vox Media’s Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway Dec 11 episode contained some numbers from Scott Galloway about his podcasts, Oscar Trimboli has spotted for us. Pivot will bring in $10mn revenue this year. Prof G does $6mn, but is growing 40% a year. Raging Moderates might do $2mn next year. “Those are not big businesses,” he says, “but they are ridiculously profitable once you get to a certain point”, since they have fixed costs - so if you cover those costs, he says everything else is profit.
• Next Broadcast Media’s AdManager.fm has added an AI-powered creative studio, and integration with Google’s DV360.
• PodcastOne has added a number of new shows, and now has a slate of 194 shows. It has added 54 shows this year.

Focus

The book that influenced a generation of audio communicators, Valerie Geller’s Beyond Powerful Radio has launched a newly-updated third edition.

Beyond Powerful Radio teaches time-tested techniques that work in any format – radio, TV, podcast, and all digital media. Learn how to get, keep, and grow audiences with powerful storytelling, and become a dynamic presenter.

This book holds the tools needed to create winning content; tell compelling stories; build your brand; develop talent; produce a show; report the news; sell; and even write commercials. There are practical tips and methods from over fifty top experts from across the world of media.

Buy Beyond Powerful Radio today in paperback It could be the best investment you’ll make in your career.

Tips and tricks

• As things slow down for the holidays, perhaps it’s time to do a backup of your stuff. Here’s how to store all your podcast files, and what we do.

Podcast News

• The Empty Coffin, a weekly deep-dive into the paranormal, true crime, supernatural folklore and dark history, releases a new episode today all about Ghost Stories for Christmas. From Dickensian classics to the dark unknown, Tony Walker joins the podcast's host Greg Hansberry to rekindle the eerie charm of a forgotten holiday custom.
• NPR's comedy podcast How To Do Everything helps write the ending to a children's book today - using best-selling thriller authors Gillian Flynn and James Patterson. The book is all about an umbrella named Bella who hates the rain.
• "On the first day of business, The Business Owner’s Journey gave to me - a quick episode with some actionable insights." The podcast is ending its first season with twelve days of business, some quick-fire episodes with fresh insights and highlights.
• Have you ever wondered what your life could be like, after you’ve hit your rock bottom? Would you try to dig your way out, and get back to the surface? In the new audio drama comedy, Unf--- Your Life, Tog Chesterfield shares what happened on the way down to their own rock bottom, and how they try to dig their way out.

Gold supporters: Sounds Profitable, Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Podscribe, Simplecast, Resound, Cohost, audioBoom, RedCircle, Steve Lack: Audio, Audiohook, SALT, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Evergreen Podcasts, Libsyn, We Edit Podcasts, Knucklehead Media Group, Disctopia, Podpage websites

Silver supporters: Storic Media, Audacia Audio, Bumper, PodLabs - Podcast Experimentatio, Magellan AI, Huberman Lab, Jonekiri, Tink Media, Deepcast, POW PR, Cloud10, Podium , Frequency, PlayPodcast, The Roost, Red Seat Ventures, The Podcast Haven, Ausha, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, SoundStack, Storyboard, Voxtopica, Truefans, Gumball, Gilded Audio, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Wondery, Heartcast Media50, Headliner, Blubrry, Oxford Road, Podcast Taxi, Ossa Collective, Optimal Living Daily, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Diversion Podcasts, Double Elvis Productions, Jam Street Media, Lemonada Media, Rephonic, Zvook, matchmaker.fm, Rhapsody Voices, Castos, Transistor, Content10x, Ad Results Media, Podcast Partnership, Hear.Here.Singapore, StreamGuys, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Sonix, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Podcast Movement, Signal Hill Insights, Edison Research

Our personal supporters: Eric Montgomery, Amy Woods, John, Armel, Oludotun Oyebolu, Mikel Ellcessor, Gene Monterastelli, Ed Sullivan, Neil Mody, Lindsay Graham, David Lloyd, Steven Goldstein, Matt Wade, Mirko Lagonegro, Andy Maher, tony@virtualcouch.xyz, Kara Silverman, Eric Hunley, Liz Covart, Owen Grover, Justin Jackson, Karen Jackson, CESLIE Armstrong, Søren Hugger Møller, Josh Withers, Mike R, Michael Dell, Eric Nuzum, Benjamin Masse, Brett Johnson, Mark Ramsey, Helene Pawlitzki, Steve Stewart, Pete Morgan, Jody Avirgan, Joe Stone, ShEvo (Sheila Dee & Evo Terra), Buzz Knight, Jaz Garewal, Stephanie Arakelian, Kerry Donahue, Graeme Klass, Tony Garcia, We Are Libertarians, Stew Redwine, Dave Beasing, Jeremy McCarter, Meggan Ellingboe, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Andy Bowers, Mary Dooe, Alicia Mackey Huber, Paul Vogelzang, Vanessa Harris, Rekha Murthy, Mohammad Ali, Suzanne Schultz, Joanne Phillips, Niall Mackay, Courtney Reimer, Brandon Schexnayder, Don MacKinnon, Jeremy Enns from Podcast Marketing Academy, Sam Phelps, Doug Downs, Tom Teodorczuk, Lex Friedman, Larry Rosin, Bryan Barletta, Gavin, Charles Spivey, Ken Beyer, Bubbe Ann Schockett, Darius Derakshan, Stefano Mangone, Dave Campbell, Cindy Howes, TWRS, Anastasia Violet Lipske, Chris Peterson

Readers and supporters

Support us

This is sponsored by Uncover, from CBC. From CBC, Uncover brings listeners explosive, high-caliber investigations and true crime series. CBC is currently accepting pitches from independents and publishers to be part of this successful podcast.

Visit https://podnews.net/update/chartable-final-switchoff for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

• Chartable is final-checklist.png">switched off today. Among the many things the company offered was analytics - which it achieved with a “prefix”, looking like chtbl.com or chrt.fm in your RSS feed’s “enclosure” section, which counted your total downloads. You must remove this Chartable prefix today if you have one, otherwise your podcast may not play at all in the future. SmartLinks and SmartFeeds will also no longer work.
  • As of Saturday evening, the Chartable prefix was still in 21,585 shows (not including those in Megaphone). We know many have now been removed automatically by podcast companies. If you’re unsure, contact your host’s support team and ask.
  • final-advice.png">Users of Spotify’s Megaphone need do nothing. Make sure the Megaphone integration in Chartable is set up in order to access the Chartable platform starting tomorrow. Here’s more information.
  • Don’t panic. Prefixes won’t stop working immediately, we understand. But they will stop working at some point in the future. It’s important to remove them today.
• The closure of Chartable will have a big impact on download numbers. Changing an audio URL in your RSS feed, as you’ll do when removing Chartable prefixes, causes every Spotify listener’s app to automatically redownload every episode that may have been recently played, or that has been downloaded for future playback. Spotify is built to immediately replace audio if it changes (even in a listener’s cache), since record companies required that functionality for legal reasons. So, if you see bazillions of downloads for some reason, this will be why.
• Ausha has launched Ausha Charts, a chart tracking service that also covers sub-categories and all countries for Apple and Spotify. The tool is currently a chart (and category) browser, and doesn’t let you search your show. (That’s coming).

R.I.P., CHARTABLE. Use this instead! — Track your podcast ratings, reviews, and rankings; get smart landing pages; collect voicemail feedback; discover networking and crosspromotion opportunities and more! Start your FREE 14-day trial!

LUIS GUERRA - Music Composer and Nice Human — Need a theme song or original music for your show? Need help with the musical direction? Have questions about licensing? Need help editing, mixing/mastering? Get in touch! luisguerramusic@gmail.com

Deadline Approaching: AMPLIFY Podcast Program — AIR's New Voices AMPLIFY marketing program is for independent creators who have an existing podcast and are ready to take it to the next level. Deadline to APPLY: 11:59pm ET Friday, December 13

Attention Podcast Hosts! — PodSnacks offers a tool that helps engage your audience. Utilizing AI it summarizes your episodes, links to Spotify and Apple, & alerts your subscribers via emails. The best part: It's entirely free!

• Podfollow has launched Podfollow Charts, a chart tracking service. The service is free, and allows podcasters to search for their show to see its Apple and Spotify chart positions, and of their competitors. It launches with five English-speaking countries.
• Apple Podcasts has unveiled new features in iOS 18.2 which is out today. The app now gives categories within your library, as well as more personalised recommendations. The company says that “Podcast creators should make sure their primary category is accurate to ensure their show is correctly surfaced across show and category recommendations.”
• Libsyn and Sounds Profitable unveiled the 2024 True Crime Podcast Listener Landscape report. True Crime is #1 with women in the US, with 37% of female podcast consumers listening in the past month, the data says.
• Daily Wire has just received IAB v2.2 certification for “download” and “listener”. They’re currently hosted with Simplecast, which is only at v2.1.
• Video creators can now launch promotional campaigns on Spotify for video content, using Spotify’s self-serve advertising platform, Spotify Ads Manager. Spotify has upgraded its podcast streams objective tool to cover video (it’s lost the “podcast” name). Podcasters using it have seen increases in listeners of 13%, the company says.
• Audioboom issued a trading update. It now expects an increased adjusted EBITDA profit of at least US$3.1mn. (It also says the iOS 17 update last year cost the company $15mn).
• The sixth annual Podcast Editing Industry Survey will be revealed in a livestream today at 3pm ET. Mark Deal and Steve Stewart, who run the Podcast Editor Academy, will share what Podcast Editors charge for editing audio, what editing software is used most, and what impacts their effective rate.
• Podtube is an interesting new service that lets you subscribe to your favourite YouTube channel in a podcast app. We wish them good luck with their presumed forthcoming legal battle.
• The podcast middle class will continue to shrink, suggests Alex Sujong Laughlin, slightly depressingly, in Nieman Lab. “The Rogans and Coopers of the world will float in their opulent pools while the rest of us fight for greedy sips of what’s left.”

Focus

With today marking the official closure of Chartable, CoHost is offering their Lite and Plus plans at 50-60% off for 12 months to support podcasters looking to maintain data and insights about their listeners.

With features like:

• Tracking Links: Measure click-to-downloads to know which marketing channels are driving listeners and which aren’t.
• Advanced Audience Demographics: Gather in-depth insights about your audience including age, income, hobbies, social media habits, interests, and more.

Podcasters can continue getting the data they need for as low as $5 per month without switching hosting providers. Learn more here and explore CoHost plans.

People News

• Martijn Gerrits has been hired as Sales Director for Acast in the Netherlands. Gerrits is Acast’s first hire in the region. He joins from Spotify, Azerion, Mediahuis NL and Dentsu.
• AMA has a new CEO, Paul Kelly. He was AMA’s CRO, and joined in 2021. He succeeds Steve Dunlop, who founded the company nine years ago. “After thoughtful consideration, Steve has decided to step down as CEO”, said the chairman, Kip Meek. Dunlop describes the nine years as “being a blast” on his own LinkedIn, though isn’t quoted in the release.

Tips and tricks

• Want to use commercial music in your podcast, like AC/DC, Wham or Taylor Swift? Here’s how many seconds you’re allowed.

Podcast News

• Goalhanger's The Rest Is History gets a profile in the Wall Street Journal. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are described as "irreverent historians"; the show is in the top ten charts in many countries.
• Persephonica's Miss Me? is to have a live show in March. It's the first for the Sheffield-based podcast producer. The show is hosted by Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver, and is made for the BBC.
• Sherlock Holmes Short Stories launches today from Noiser - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most celebrated Holmes mysteries – read in their original, masterful form by Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey and W1A). Expect iconic stories like The Adventure of the Speckled Band’, ‘The Red-Headed League’, and ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’.
• New from Wondery today to open RSS is Hollywood & Crime - looking at the greed, lies and betrayals that led to the murder of variety show producer Roy Radin. The show has been available in Wondery+ for the past month, but gets its debut on other podcast apps today.

Gold supporters: Sounds Profitable, Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Resound, Audiohook, Cohost, audioBoom, RedCircle, SALT, Simplecast, Steve Lack: Audio, Podscribe, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Podpage websites, Disctopia, We Edit Podcasts, Evergreen Podcasts, Knucklehead Media Group, Libsyn

Silver supporters: Storic Media, Audacia Audio, Bumper, PodLabs - Podcast Experimentatio, Magellan AI, POW PR, Truefans, Jonekiri, Podium , The Roost, The Podcast Haven, Cloud10, Tink Media, Storyboard, Huberman Lab, Deepcast, SoundStack, Voxtopica, Gilded Audio, Frequency, Red Seat Ventures, Gumball, PlayPodcast, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Ausha, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Lemonada Media, Oxford Road, Blubrry, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rephonic, Transistor, Diversion Podcasts, Double Elvis Productions, Castos, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Wondery, Rhapsody Voices, Heartcast Media50, Zvook, Ossa Collective, Podcast Taxi, matchmaker.fm, Optimal Living Daily, Hear.Here.Singapore, Ad Results Media, Content10x, StreamGuys, Podcast Partnership, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Sonix, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Podcast Movement, Adopter Media, Signal Hill Insights, Edison Research

Our personal supporters: Eric Montgomery, Amy Woods, John, Armel, Oludotun Oyebolu, Mikel Ellcessor, Gene Monterastelli, Ed Sullivan, Neil Mody, Lindsay Graham, David Lloyd, Steven Goldstein, Matt Wade, Mirko Lagonegro, Andy Maher, tony@virtualcouch.xyz, Kara Silverman, Eric Hunley, Liz Covart, Owen Grover, Justin Jackson, Karen Jackson, CESLIE Armstrong, Søren Hugger Møller, Josh Withers, Mike R, Michael Dell, Eric Nuzum, Benjamin Masse, Brett Johnson, Mark Ramsey, Helene Pawlitzki, Steve Stewart, Pete Morgan, Jody Avirgan, Joe Stone, ShEvo (Sheila Dee & Evo Terra), Buzz Knight, Jaz Garewal, Stephanie Arakelian, Kerry Donahue, Graeme Klass, Tony Garcia, We Are Libertarians, Stew Redwine, Dave Beasing, Jeremy McCarter, Meggan Ellingboe, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Andy Bowers, Mary Dooe, Alicia Mackey Huber, Paul Vogelzang, Vanessa Harris, Rekha Murthy, Mohammad Ali, Suzanne Schultz, Joanne Phillips, Niall Mackay, Courtney Reimer, Brandon Schexnayder, Don MacKinnon, Jeremy Enns from Podcast Marketing Academy, Sam Phelps, Doug Downs, Tom Teodorczuk, Lex Friedman, Larry Rosin, Bryan Barletta, Gavin, Charles Spivey, Ken Beyer, Bubbe Ann Schockett, Darius Derakshan, Stefano Mangone, Dave Campbell, Cindy Howes, TWRS, Anastasia Violet Lipske, Chris Peterson

Readers and supporters

Support us

Image: Isabella Fischer

This is sponsored by Uncover, from CBC. From CBC, Uncover brings listeners explosive, high-caliber investigations and true crime series. CBC is currently accepting pitches from independents and publishers to be part of this successful podcast.

Visit https://podnews.net/update/rubin-lemonada for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

• Exclusive: Gretchen Rubin Media has partnered with Lemonada Media for podcast distribution. The company is headed by the bestselling author; shows which will join the network include Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Happier in Hollywood, hosted by Liz Craft and Sarah Fain.
• What are the trade-offs with putting video on Spotify? From the Podcast Professionals Association, Eric Johnson of LightningPod investigates for Podnews: and discovers the opportunities and drawbacks when you add pictures to your shows.
• First look: A new tool for podcast communities, Station, has launched today. The tool is already powering the fan club for New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce, making it three times as large as the duo’s existing Reddit group. The tool is free, and will offer monetisation options next year.

CHARTABLE never tracked this many podcast charts! — Podgagement tracks your podcast in nearly 34K charts! Every genre and country in Spotify and Apple Podcasts! See hourly rankings or watch the charts live! This is the BEST CHARTABLE REPLACEMENT!

🚀 AUDIENCELIFT = LISTENS + SUBSCRIBERS! — Audiencelift advertises your podcast to the right audience with links to listen, follow, and opt in for push notifications! It's perfect if you want to grow and engage your audience. Learn more!

Upgrade Your Podfest Networking! — Heading to Podfest ’25? Stand out with Podcast Beacon—the simplest way to share your podcast or brand with a tap! Order Now for Customization. Affiliate opportunities are available. $5 off via Podnews

Deadline Approaching: AMPLIFY Podcast Program — AIR's New Voices AMPLIFY marketing program is for independent creators who have an existing podcast and are ready to take it to the next level. Deadline to APPLY: 11:59pm ET Friday, December 13

• Breaking Congratulations to Acast, which has just achieved v2.2 of the IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines. They’re the eighth to get to v2.2 this year.
• iVoox has launched iVoox Rewind 2024, highlighting the biggest shows in Spain and Latin America. In a blog post, the company said it had more than 800mn listens in 2024, and saw the launch of 80,000 new podcasts.
• UK company Adelicious has also looked back at the company’s 2024. The invite-only network has delivered its one billionth ad impression this year, and has welcomed top-tier shows from Avalon, among others.
• Headliner has announced that it will now produce captions for automated videos and audiograms created in Headliner. You’ve control of the font face and style they use, and they can be added entirely automatically.
• Got shares in Libsyn? The company is reminding you of its tender offer, which closes on Friday.
• A comprehensive survey of podcasts in New Zealand has been published by Lewis Tennant. The data suggests that there are more podcasts from independent producers than from media organisations, and the longest-running show in the country is Freedom Scientific’s FSCast, a podcast for blind people and those with low vision.
• What to give the podcast editor in your life for Christmas? How about... the waveform for “umm”, on a hoodie? or a t-shirt, or a hat, or a mug or (cheapskate) a sticker?
• If you make an investigative podcast, it’s rather harder to turn it into video for YouTube. 1UpMedia, based in Singapore, has showed us the results of their homegrown tool that adds animations, using a mix of human and AI tools. It’s impressive; and has made this true crime podcast even more popular on YouTube than it is as an audio show. The company’s founder, Guang Jin Yeo, is considering making this service available to other publishers.
• Blubrry has announced a collaboration with Adobe Podcast, giving hosting customers two months of Adobe Podcast and Express Premium.
• There’s a new #1 podcast in Australia, according to the Triton Digital Podcast Ranker. Casefile True Crime, which last month switched to Acast, has beaten Hamish & Andy for the first time since February. ARN remains top publisher; SCA’s LiSTNR is top sales representative, but ARN is now less than 250,000 listeners behind it, and the recent addition of BBC shows should push it over.

Thank you to Mission Based Media, which has renewed its support today on behalf of the Health Podcast Network and the Health UNMUTED audio library. Supporters like them pay for Podnews for everyone, and mean we have no paywalls. Thank you! You can join them here.

Focus

The Webby Awards have been honoring the very best of the Internet since 1996, celebrating everything from independent audio experiments to tentpole podcast sensations.

By participating in The Webbys, you place your work on the same stage as boundary-pushing podcasters and companies, like past Webby Winners Michelle Obama, Audible, Crooked Media, iHeart Podcasts, PRX, Jason & Travis Kelce, The New York Times, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wondery, and Keke Palmer to name a few.

This year’s categories cover a wide range of topics, including News & Politics, Sports, Business, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, across Limited-Series & Specials, Shows, and Individual Episodes. And for the first time, The Webby Awards will also honor History in Individual Episodes.

Don't miss your chance, enter the 29th Annual Webby Awards by the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, December 20th, 2024!

Tips and tricks

• Riverside has launched the Riverside Community, a set of guides, how-tos and templates. There’s everything from microphone recommendations to tips for monetization in there.

Podcast News

• I'm Check Edgar - I'm single, and I've been searching for the special one for decades. I am charming, intelligent, and humorous, and my bass voice is so seductive that it would cause any woman to fall in love. So, the question is... Why Am I Still Single? This podcast is a quest to find the answer - a humorous and introspective take on modern relationships, love, and the adventures of singlehood.
• If you're a celebrity divorce attorney, imagine the people you could meet! Stacy Phillips and Friends features intimate and candid conversations with accomplished women from diverse backgrounds about their career, relationships, and personal growth - and launched this week with four episodes featuring guests like Taylor Armstrong and Gemma Touchstone.
• Dear Jill is a brand-new podcast hosted by British actor and author Jill Halfpenny (EastEnders, Byker Grove, Coronation Street and plenty more). Each week, listeners send in their most pressing queries, with one lucky caller joining Halfpenny for a live, unscripted conversation that promises genuine connection and insight. Questions range from the deeply personal to the delightfully quirky, no topic too big, no dilemma too small. It's new from Unlocked.

Gold supporters: Sounds Profitable, Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, audioBoom, Cohost, Audiohook, Podscribe, Resound, RedCircle, Steve Lack: Audio, SALT, Simplecast, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Libsyn, Knucklehead Media Group, Disctopia, Podpage websites, Evergreen Podcasts, We Edit Podcasts

Silver supporters: Storic Media, Audacia Audio, Bumper, PodLabs - Podcast Experimentatio, Magellan AI, Tink Media, Frequency, POW PR, Truefans, Huberman Lab, Cloud10, The Podcast Haven, Red Seat Ventures, Storyboard, Gumball, The Roost, Jonekiri, SoundStack, PlayPodcast, Voxtopica, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Ausha, Podium , Gilded Audio, Deepcast, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Oxford Road, Blubrry, Jam Street Media, Ossa Collective, Headliner, Optimal Living Daily, Rhapsody Voices, Diversion Podcasts, Heartcast Media50, Double Elvis Productions, Lemonada Media, Podcast Taxi, Wondery, Rephonic, matchmaker.fm, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Zvook, Castos, Content10x, Hear.Here.Singapore, Ad Results Media, StreamGuys, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, She Podcasts, Revolver Podcasts, School of Podcasting, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Podcast Movement, Sonix, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights, Edison Research

Our personal supporters: Eric Montgomery, Amy Woods, John, Armel, Oludotun Oyebolu, Mikel Ellcessor, Gene Monterastelli, Ed Sullivan, Neil Mody, Lindsay Graham, David Lloyd, Steven Goldstein, Matt Wade, Mirko Lagonegro, Andy Maher, tony@virtualcouch.xyz, Kara Silverman, Eric Hunley, Liz Covart, Owen Grover, Justin Jackson, Karen Jackson, CESLIE Armstrong, Søren Hugger Møller, Josh Withers, Mike R, Michael Dell, Eric Nuzum, Benjamin Masse, Brett Johnson, Mark Ramsey, Helene Pawlitzki, Steve Stewart, Pete Morgan, Jody Avirgan, Joe Stone, ShEvo (Sheila Dee & Evo Terra), Buzz Knight, Jaz Garewal, Stephanie Arakelian, Kerry Donahue, Graeme Klass, Tony Garcia, We Are Libertarians, Stew Redwine, Dave Beasing, Jeremy McCarter, Meggan Ellingboe, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Andy Bowers, Mary Dooe, Alicia Mackey Huber, Paul Vogelzang, Vanessa Harris, Rekha Murthy, Mohammad Ali, Suzanne Schultz, Joanne Phillips, Niall Mackay, Courtney Reimer, Brandon Schexnayder, Don MacKinnon, Jeremy Enns from Podcast Marketing Academy, Sam Phelps, Doug Downs, Tom Teodorczuk, Lex Friedman, Larry Rosin, Bryan Barletta, Gavin, Charles Spivey, Ken Beyer, Bubbe Ann Schockett, Darius Derakshan, Stefano Mangone, Dave Campbell, Cindy Howes, TWRS, Anastasia Violet Lipske, Chris Peterson

Readers and supporters

Support us

Image: gretchenrubin.com

This is sponsored by Uncover, from CBC. From CBC, Uncover brings listeners explosive, high-caliber investigations and true crime series. CBC is currently accepting pitches from independents and publishers to be part of this successful podcast.

And a yearly report from a fiction podcast

Visit https://podnews.net/update/podcast-hall-of-fame-25 for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

Image: Billy Huynh

This is sponsored by Split Screen, from CBC. From CBC, Split Screen features character-driven, narrative series, taking listeners inside the unsettling and captivating world of entertainment and pop culture. Now accepting pitches.

The company will form a new division called Acast Creative Solutions

Visit https://podnews.net/update/acast-wmn for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

This is sponsored by Split Screen, from CBC. From CBC, Split Screen features character-driven, narrative series, taking listeners inside the unsettling and captivating world of entertainment and pop culture. Now accepting pitches.

You've played music for your kids in the car too?

Visit https://podnews.net/update/spotify-2024-wrapped for all the links, and to get our newsletter.

Image: Spotify