Podnews Daily - podcast industry news

Sponsored by Magellan AI. Competitive and ad load insight helped Mynt Agency dodge clutter and guide brands to stronger placements. Check out their strategy

• 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.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

• 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.
• Free Tap-to-Share Podcast Beacon for Podfest — Headed to Podfest? Get a free event-use Podcast Beacon to instantly share your show with one tap. Try it at Podfest, then share feedback or a post to upgrade to a permanent Conntap device—free!

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

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

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Image: Jake Nackos/Albert Dera

Sponsored by Magellan AI. Mynt Agency's shortcut to smarter podcast planning is simple: better data, not guesswork. Learn Mynt's approach

Ready to shape how top agencies and brands measure audio in 2026? Join the team at Magellan AI as a Measurement Success Manager.

• 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.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

• Podcast Growth & Monetization tips every Thursday! — Subscribe to the FREE Podcasting Business School newsletter and get fresh tips every Thursday for podcast growth, monetization, and online business strategies. Join over 4,000+ Pod Pals on this list.
• List of 75+ Brands Actively Buying Podcast Ads — Access 75+ handpicked brands that are currently sponsoring podcasts -- each with the email of the right contact to pitch to. Grab it for free now.
• Precision Denoising with Auphonic — Select exactly where noise is removed in your recording and which model is used. Clean speech, music, and ambience differently with precision. More control. More creative freedom. Try it now!

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

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

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Image: Podcast Hall of Fame

Sponsored by Magellan AI. Ready to shape how top agencies and brands measure audio in 2026? Join the Measurement Success team at Magellan AI. Apply now

• 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.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

• Frustrated at the time taken to edit? — Save hours and scale faster. Seven Million Bikes Podcasts is the trusted production partner for creators and agencies worldwide. Reliable turnaround, pro quality, and pricing that makes sense.
• 🎧 Grow Your Podcast On Player FM — Player.FM’s new self-serve ad portal can help you grow your show, boost engagement, and drive downloads with flexible pricing. Book your next campaign now!
• 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, Simplecast, RedCircle, Audiohook, Companion Arts, Podscribe, Resound, SALT, Cohost, PAVE Studios, audioBoom, Steve Lack: Audio, Magid, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, Knucklehead Media Group, Acast, Evergreen Podcasts, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts, Disctopia

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

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Sponsored by Magellan AI. With clear attribution, RedCircle doubled down on top performers and cut wasted spend. Explore their results

• 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.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

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

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

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Image: Golden Globes/YouTube

Sponsored by Magellan AI. Half the CPA, higher conversion rates, stronger sales momentum. RedCircle's results speak for themselves. See how they proved performance

• Laura Mayer has joined Talkhouse as Head of Podcasts. She was the Executive Producer of Podcast Programming at ABC News; and made Shameless Acquisition Target, a podcast acquired by Gilded Audio in Jan 2023.
• The first inductees for the Podcast Hall of Fame 2026 have been announced. They are: Dan Carlin, the host of Hardcore History; podcasting’s Arielle Nissenblatt, and CEO of Captivate, Mark Asquith. Tickets for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony are available now.
• Netflix is to acquire Warner Bros. The acquisition, which is likely to conclude in Q3/26, is worth $82.7bn. Hollywood has not reacted well to the news. The company is currently buying exclusive video rights to shows from podcast publishers.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

Classifieds - your job or ad here

• 🎯Are you getting new clients from your podcast?💰 — Subscribe to the FREE Podcasting Business School newsletter and get fresh tips every Thursday for podcast growth & listener to client conversion strategies. Join over 4,000+ Pod Pals on this list.
• 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, Resound, Companion Arts, SALT, Cohost, RedCircle, audioBoom, Audiohook, Simplecast, Podscribe, Steve Lack: Audio, Magid, PAVE Studios, Riverside.fm, Jar Podcast Solutions, Podchaser, Awesound, Podpage websites, Knucklehead Media Group, We Edit Podcasts, Acast, Disctopia, Evergreen Podcasts

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

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Image: Mindy Tucker