Podnews Daily - podcast industry and podcasting news

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more A technical issue means today's issue is 12 hours later than usual. Sorry! We'll be back in 12 hours with Friday's Podnews. Fans trust the creators they listen to as much - or more than - their own friends, according to new research released today. The data, from SmithGeiger commissioned by Wondery, also suggests that clips are almost twice as effective as word-of-mouth in bringing new viewers to a show. 71% trust their favorite creator over social media influencers, too. The report is a free download. First look: Podcast ads are getting more targeted - Triton Digital announced the integration of Datonics audience data into its ad platform. The company suggests ad-buyers will gain the ability to target precisely and reach new audiences. Is Apple Podcasts appearing correctly in your podcast statistics? Listen to a podcast episode using Apple Podcasts (without auto-downloading it first), and it appears to make three download requests - two marked bytes=0-1 which the IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines v2.3 say should be disregarded: the only one that counts is the one marked "AppleCoreMedia" - which hasn't been used by Apple Podcasts as a user-agent since Mar 2023. (To check the user-agent, we used our guide here. We're running iOS 27.2 beta; but this behaviour was also present in the public release of iOS 27.) The IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines v2.3 were made final on Sep 29. > > > 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 Book a Confidential Meeting with John Wordock — Does your podcast need help? Is your podcast network planning for 2027? Contact adviser John Wordock. He lives where content strategy meets audience and revenue. So book time with John today. Grow YouTube Subscribers + Watch Time — Audiencelift.com helps you attract real subscribers who watch, engage, and come back. Build the watch time and audience momentum your YT channel needs. Book a campaign today! Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Audiohook, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, Sounds Profitable, Cohost, PAVE Studios, Podscribe, The Content Creator's Accountant, audioBoom, Magid, Simplecast, RedCircle, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites, Acast Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Jonekiri, Podium , Hypecast, POW PR, iono.fm, SoundStack, Companion Arts, Podium, Blubrry, Frequency, Locked On Podcast Network, Voxtopica, Ausha, Castbox, Tink Media, The Podcast Haven, Truefans, Compliance Podcast Network, Red Seat Ventures, Podcast Movement, PodAnalyst, Health Podcast Network, Rhapsody Voices, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Headliner, CreatorX, Jam Street Media, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Diversion Podcasts, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today. Image: Hudson Hintze

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more Liquid Studios - headed up by CEO Jeanine Wright - has released a new website revealing its strategy, and launched a new content-transformation pilot with Podnews. As a pilot, the Podnews daily newsletter will be visualised and produced for video by Liquid Studios, to our own specification - no AI images, the voice is our Editor's own, and the video is reviewed by a human before publishing. Wright said: "A daily news bulletin is one of the tightest turnarounds in podcasting, which makes Podnews a real test, not a demo." You'll see it in on our YouTube channel, as well as LinkedIn and in selected podcast apps. Audioboom released a positive Q3/26 trading update. The company posted a record Q3, with 17% revenue growth, and posting a profit of US $5.6mn. The company says it will use its cash balance of $6.7mn, and available capital, to "lead the inevitable consolidation within the podcast industry". Apple launched a set of new smart-home products, including the $299 Apple Homeview, a device with speakers and a screen. That device has Apple Podcasts pre-installed on it, but doesn't contain an app store - so no full access to Spotify, Overcast or other podcast apps. It will support the CarPlay standard, however, so playback from your iPhone is possible. (It won't be available in the EU). Stephen Robles has more. Apple is also kicking off a new advertising campaign promoting the use of Safari, including video ads and a website. We're looking forward to the promotion of the Apple Podcasts app in this way. > > > 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 A simpler podcast recording tool — The big platforms keep piling on AI editing and charging you for it. SureTake records in studio quality and hands off cleanly to whatever you edit in. That's it. 🔊 Grow Your Podcast on RSS Podcasts — Ad placements are available for the first time on RSS Podcasts, a top independent iOS podcast app. Reach active podcast listeners and gain subscribers with easy self-serve campaigns. Start today! Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Simplecast, Audiohook, Sounds Profitable, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, RedCircle, audioBoom, Cohost, PAVE Studios, Podscribe, Magid, The Content Creator's Accountant, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites, Acast Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, Red Seat Ventures, The Podcast Haven, Compliance Podcast Network, Companion Arts, Podium , Ausha, SoundStack, Truefans, Voxtopica, Blubrry, Tink Media, Castbox, Jonekiri, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Podium, Frequency, POW PR, Hypecast, PodAnalyst, Locked On Podcast Network, iono.fm, Podcast Movement, Health Podcast Network, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Jam Street Media, Headliner, CreatorX, Diversion Podcasts, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Rhapsody Voices, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more Fiction podcasts are rarely served well by existing podcast apps - which is where Bard comes in: a new podcast player just for audio drama. Significantly expanded categories, a focus on human-generated shows, better episode navigation, and a clearer link to Patreon and Ko-fi links to help creators produce self-sustaining work. It's free on the Apple App Store and on the web - and Android is coming soon. Sorry - we're told fans of Joe Rogan will be disappointed. Freakonomics Radio published a new episode focusing on podcasting - particularly, "the strange economics of this thing we do". Guests include Will Page, the former Chief Economist at Spotify; Jeanine Wright, formerly of Inception Point AI; and Jenna Weiss-Berman from Paper Kite Productions (who refers to Inception Point AI as "the devil"). Meanwhile, Podcast Advertising Playbook interviews Christiana Brenton from Steven Bartlett's Steven.com about the rise of the creative entrepreneur. (When we listened to Freakonomics Radio, from a Brisbane IP address, we very much enjoyed the selection of ads intended for Ireland.) The Ankler posted its inaugural Future of Entertainment 25 - a list of the people "reshaping the rules of the entertainment business". YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, TikTok and Roblox make it to the top platforms (no Apple, then?); UK podcast company Goalhanger also makes an appearance. > > > 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. Audiencelift.com Makes Podcast Growth Clear — Grow your podcast with real listeners. Track which apps listeners choose, and how they engage, all with Verified Growth™. Get a Demo Today. Another task manager won't fix your agency — Tracking tasks was never the problem. Repeating the same process for every show is. Build it once in Northflow with stages and templates, then run it across all your clients. Free for 7 days, no card Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Audiohook, audioBoom, Cohost, RedCircle, The Content Creator's Accountant, Podscribe, Sounds Profitable, Simplecast, PAVE Studios, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, Magid, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Magellan AI, Nomono, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Voxtopica, The Podcast Haven, Castbox, Ausha, iono.fm, Locked On Podcast Network, Frequency, Blubrry, Compliance Podcast Network, Hypecast, Jonekiri, Podium , Truefans, Companion Arts, SoundStack, Tink Media, Podcast Movement, Podium, POW PR, PodAnalyst, Red Seat Ventures, Health Podcast Network, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Transistor, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Diversion Podcasts, Sonic Influencer Marketing, CreatorX, Lemonada Media, Double Elvis Productions, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more Exclusive: The Castro podcast app has been bought by Maple Media, according to its Apple App Store listing. Maple Media is a company that buys apps, and acquired Player FM in April 2020; acquired Podkicker in July 2020; and acquired Breaker in Feb 2022. Castro was acquired by Dustin Bluck in Jan 2024 from its previous owners, a VC company called Tiny. We've reached out to him for comment, but on a company blog, Bluck recently posted a reflective piece about independent podcast apps, which are - in his words - "dying". Indie podcast apps are part of what makes podcasting great; but they do appear to be in decline. For a keynote at The Podcast Show London, Podnews analysed downloads in the UK for the last three years. In 2024, 38% of downloads were to independent podcast apps; by 2025 that had fallen to 36%; and in 2026, just 31% were to indie podcast apps. A cut of podcast ad revenue in return for better analytics might help - otherwise, the only differentiator for an indie app might just be ad-skipping. It's emerged that Apple acqui-hired some of the team behind Huxe, an AI "podcast" app, in June. Huxe has closed, but its website is still visible - the service made "podcasts" from your email, calendar and anything else you wanted, and you could ask it to generate you a personal "podcast" about anything. If you think it sounds similar to Google's NotebookLM, you'd be right: Huxe was founded by former Google developers who worked on that project. Apple's deal lets them make job offers to specific employees, and allows them a licence to use the technology. Former Guardian journalist Marina Hyde has partnered with Goalhanger's Goalhanger X division to launch a new platform called Always On. She will host a YouTube show, and will write on Substack. While she will continue to host The Rest is Entertainment, the release doesn't mention podcasting, other than suggesting that there may be "further audio formats" in the future. It's the first launch from Goalhanger X, which describes itself as "building creator-led media businesses around distinctive personalities - spanning publishing, video, social, audio, membership, live and IP, rather than being tied to a single platform." > > > 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 📈 FREE Skool community for podcast growth. — Podcasting Business School is now on Skool! This FREE community is for podcasters who have goals like hitting 1,000+ downloads per episode & earning meaningful income. Live training, tools, & support! 🚨 Final Chance to Book October Podcast Campaigns — Only 4 days left to lock in self-serve campaigns running 10/16-10/31 on Player FM! Boost downloads, grow your audience, and get your show discovered. Don’t wait! Podcasting for Business Conference — Ready to transform your podcast into a powerful business asset? Join top voices in podcasting, branding, and media innovation for two power-packed days, November 11–12, 2025. Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Podscribe, Simplecast, Magid, PAVE Studios, Cohost, The Content Creator's Accountant, Libsyn, audioBoom, Scicomm Media, Audiohook, Sounds Profitable, RedCircle, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Magellan AI, Nomono, PodAnalyst, Podium, Red Seat Ventures, Tink Media, Jonekiri, Podium , Ausha, Frequency, Truefans, Podcast Movement, POW PR, Voxtopica, iono.fm, The Podcast Haven, Hypecast, Castbox, Compliance Podcast Network, Locked On Podcast Network, Companion Arts, SoundStack, Blubrry, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Health Podcast Network, CreatorX, Headliner, Jam Street Media, Double Elvis Productions, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rephonic, Rhapsody Voices, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more Exclusive: Podcast ad load is "flashing a yellow light", suggests new research. The Podcast Study 2026 will reveal in a webinar next Tuesday that the majority of podcast listeners - 54.8% - suggest that there are already too many ads in podcasts: and only 8.6% say that they would tolerate more ads to keep shows free. The research also suggests that social media is three times more effective at helping listeners find new podcasts than ads in other shows. Joe Rogan has renewed his agreement with Spotify. He last renewed in Feb 2024, and the show returned to open RSS and YouTube shortly after (and also, we're told, started carrying midrolls at this time). The agreement is thought to be worth $250mn, a figure denied by Spotify last time round; but someone with knowledge of Rogan's numbers and the ad revenue he attracts suggests that it's a profitable deal for Spotify. Podscribe suggests recent shows have contained 15 ads (an 8% adload). The winners of the International Women's Podcast Awards were announced. Presented by Tink Media, Freedom Needs a Soundtrack won two awards. > > > 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 Book Time with Podcast Veteran John Wordock — Has your podcast stalled? Is your YouTube channel no longer growing? Need a video plan? Network exec John Wordock helps podcasters adapt to all the changes impacting our industry. Contact him today. Grow Your Podcast on Apple & YouTube Music — Podcast Growth On Apple, YouTube, & Top Apps Audiencelift.com Preferred Apps grows your podcast directly on Apple, YouTube and key apps. Reach real listeners with Verified Growth™ Learn More. Apply to Join Owned: The Podcast Newsletter Course — DEADLINE EXTENDED! Apply for Owned: The Newsletter Course for Podcasters. Starts Oct. 13. 8 weeks of hands-on instruction with a thoughtfully selected group of creators. Build a newsletter that works. Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, RedCircle, audioBoom, Audiohook, Simplecast, Sounds Profitable, The Content Creator's Accountant, Libsyn, PAVE Studios, Scicomm Media, Magid, Podscribe, Cohost, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Acast, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, Voxtopica, POW PR, Truefans, Hypecast, Frequency, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Companion Arts, Castbox, PodAnalyst, Podcast Movement, Tink Media, Blubrry, iono.fm, Ausha, Locked On Podcast Network, SoundStack, Podium, Red Seat Ventures, The Podcast Haven, Compliance Podcast Network, Podium , Jonekiri, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Jam Street Media, CreatorX, Headliner, Double Elvis Productions, Diversion Podcasts, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Lower Street, Podigy, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today. Image: Cameron Elder