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• 2025's best true crime podcasts have been announced by the true crime review podcast Crime Writers On. The podcast has reviewed more than a thousand true-crime and crime-adjacent podcasts. We publish the full list today.
• iOS podcast app Castro has blocked Inception Point AI podcasts from its app search results. In a blog post, Castro's Dustin Bluck says that Inception Point AI "seems to be keying on popular searches in order to flood search results and deceive users."
  • Is the accusation fair? A search in Apple Podcasts for Charlie Kirk brings up four shows from Inception Point AI in the results - Charlie Kirk Biography Flash, Charlie Kirk, Charlie Kirk Death and Charlie Kirk Manhunt. The company's CEO, Jeanine Wright - who is a former legal attorney - has been clear about the company's SEO policy, saying in an interview for the Podnews Weekly Review podcast: "When people typed Charlie Kirk into Apple and Spotify, we were three of the top five shows - even beating out the Daily Mail." Only one of those shows makes any mention of AI in the audio; another claims it has "personal interviews" and "a team of expert researchers and journalists".
  • As of checking today, Inception Point AI's biography channel contains 733 shows; the vast majority of which are, according to the company, not checked by humans before publishing.
• Apple released iOS v26.2 at the end of last week. In Apple Podcasts, it rolls out automated chapters for every podcast, as well as "timed links", which is particularly helpful for guests, allowing links to their podcasts to appear when they're mentioned in the audio. We've updated our FAQ. The v26.2 update also includes more than 25 different security fixes, so we'd suggest you update as soon as you're able to.
  • To update your iPhone or iPad to v26.2, open the Settings app, choose "General" then "Software Update", and pull down the screen to check for the latest. (Do it from a fast wifi connection!)

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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, PodMatch, Sounds Profitable, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, PAVE Studios, Audiohook, SALT, Companion Arts, audioBoom, Resound, Podscribe, Magid, Steve Lack: Audio, RedCircle, Cohost, Simplecast, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Disctopia, Podpage websites, Acast, Knucklehead Media Group, Evergreen Podcasts

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

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• In the US, there are almost twice as many men creating podcasts as women, according to The Creators 2025, a new study from Sounds Profitable into the creator ecosystem for podcasting, which became available to all yesterday. The full report is a free download.
  • While there is woefully poor gender balance in podcast creation, there is growing creator participation from multicultural communities, the study suggests, with the number of Hispanic, Black and Asian creators outpacing White creators. White creators also are less likely to create video.
  • The data also shows that one in three podcast creators quit. That figure is higher for those aged 55+, or for those who identify LGBTQ+.
  • “Women aren’t quitting podcasting more than men — they’re just not starting. That’s an entry problem, not a commitment problem,” said Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster, suggesting that there are structural barriers to entry. “We lose something when voices opt out before they ever opt in.”
• Good news for fans of Nerdette - the show is to relaunch as an independent production, called Happy to Be Here. Nerdette was the casualty of cuts at WBEZ announced in April 2024; the host, Greta Johnsen, was able to use the old Nerdette feed for this new show.
• The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter is now independent. Expect resources and news for fiction podcast makers.

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• Happy Holidays from John Wordock Media — Did your podcast or network underperform this year? Make 2026 better. Consultant John Wordock lives where content strategy meets audience and revenue. So contact him today. All meetings confidential.
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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, Sounds Profitable, PodMatch, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, SALT, Podscribe, Cohost, Companion Arts, RedCircle, Steve Lack: Audio, Magid, Audiohook, audioBoom, Simplecast, PAVE Studios, Resound, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, Disctopia, Acast, Knucklehead Media Group, Evergreen Podcasts, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites

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

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• The inductees of the 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame have been announced, recognising what the organisers call “visionary creators, innovators, and advocates whose work has shaped the modern podcasting landscape”. The Hall of Fame Ceremony is at PodFest, Jan 16 2026; the evening will be hosted by John Lee Dumas, founder and host of Entrepreneurs on Fire.
  • This year’s inductees are: \ Mark Asquith, Founder of Captivate \ Arielle Nisenblatt, founder, EarBuds Podcast Collective \ Dan Carlin, Creator, Hardcore History \ James Cridland, Editor, Podnews \ Pat Flynn, Founder, Smart Passive Income\ Julie Samuels, President/CEO Tech:NYC, Senior Staff Podcast Troll Attorney, EFF \ Veronica Belmont, CNET’s Buzz Out Loud, Sword & Laser, Mahalo Daily, co-host of Tekzilla \ Sarah van Mosel, former VP, Sponsorship at New York Public Radio, Acast, Stitcher, iHeart, SiriusXM \ Paul Colligan, President, Podcast Partnership \ Kerri Hoffman, CEO, PRX \ Dan Miller, host, 48 Days to the Work You Love, in memoriam - to be presented by Dave Ramsey
  • Speaking of which: Podfest’s pricing goes up on Friday. As a Podnews newsletter subscriber, you can save a further 10% over here.
• Libsyn has published its new pricing on its website. Its “bare essentials” plan has been removed.
• YouTube’s Neal Mohan has been named TIME’s 2025 CEO of the Year.

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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, PodMatch, Sounds Profitable, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Simplecast, SALT, audioBoom, RedCircle, Cohost, Resound, Magid, Podscribe, Steve Lack: Audio, PAVE Studios, Companion Arts, Audiohook, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, Acast, Evergreen Podcasts, Podpage websites, Knucklehead Media Group, Disctopia, We Edit Podcasts

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

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• Just days after the announcement of the Golden Globes podcast nominees, the NYC Podcast Awards have been announced. The organisers say it is “launching in direct opposition to the download-first culture dominating podcasting. The Libby Awards recognize craft: sound design, writing, acting, engineering -- and the creators themselves -- as highly as audience size.” You’ve until Jan 10 to enter.
• Global investment in podcasting is not matched to consumption, according to a new study today from NumberEight. The research shows that the US leads spend, while Australia, Germany and France are expansion opportunities for buyers looking for incremental reach. The data shows differences in culture and personas, and shows additional data to help buyers scale. The work was done in collaboration with Barometer, AdsWizz, and Sounds Profitable.
• UK podcast company Goalhanger filed its accounts for the seven months of June-Dec 2024 (the company has changed its financial year). These are a UK legal requirement but don’t tell us much, since you don’t have to show profit and loss for this type of company. But - spoiler - it’s in profit; it ended Dec 2024 with just over £5mn (USD $6.7mn) in the bank. In May, it had £2.7mn.

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• The Creators 2025 — The latest study from Sounds Profitable debuts Dec 10th with new data on audio and video creators, as well as lapsed creators who are no longer making podcasts. Join Tom Webster for this free webinar!

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, Sounds Profitable, PodMatch, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Simplecast, Steve Lack: Audio, audioBoom, Magid, Audiohook, PAVE Studios, SALT, RedCircle, Podscribe, Cohost, Resound, Companion Arts, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Acast, Evergreen Podcasts, Disctopia, Knucklehead Media Group, Podpage websites

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

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• The 2026 nominees for the Golden Globes Best Podcast were announced - the first time podcasts have been recognised. The nominees are: Armchair Expert (Wondery), Call Her Daddy (SiriusXM), Good Hang (Spotify), SmartLess (SiriusXM), The Mel Robbins Podcast (SiriusXM), and Up First (NPR). The podcast nomination announcement was made in the portion that wasn’t televised. The awards show is on Jan 11.
  • SiriusXM has half the nominations. “We couldn’t be prouder,” said the company’s Scott Greenstein. Additionally, Dax Shepard and Monica Padman described the nomination for Armchair Expert as “unfathomable” and “a true honor”.
  • Dying for Sex also got a nomination as a limited TV show, based on Wondery’s original Dying for Sex podcast.
  • In spite of paying significantly for promotion, including full-page ads in Variety and Times Square billboards, The Ben Shapiro Show failed to be nominated - indeed, perhaps playing safe, there were no nominations for any political shows (right or left-leaning) or for sports shows.
• Podtrac released its US ranker for November 2025. All of the top ten publishers posted significantly lower numbers month-on-month (we can normally blame Thanksgiving for that); but numbers are also down year-on-year.
• Piers Morgan Uncensored is to launch a spin-off series, History Uncensored. The show will be hosted by Bianca Nobilo - on YouTube “and as a podcast”. It’s the first of a number of shows to use the Uncensored brand.

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• Follow the Pointless Global News Podcast — Tad Flakey and Lilibet Flakey bring you the most pointlessly weird and funny news from around the world. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts.
• The Creators 2025 — The latest study from Sounds Profitable debuts Dec 10th with new data on audio and video creators, as well as lapsed creators who are no longer making podcasts. Join Tom Webster for this free webinar!

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, PodMatch, Sounds Profitable, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, PAVE Studios, Audiohook, SALT, Podscribe, Cohost, RedCircle, Simplecast, audioBoom, Companion Arts, Resound, Magid, Steve Lack: Audio, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, Knucklehead Media Group, Acast, Evergreen Podcasts, Disctopia, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts

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

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