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Podnews Daily - podcast industry and podcasting news episodes
- Apple Podcasts algorithm drops country-specific curation
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
- Apple Podcasts has always had an impressive set of region-specific editorial content, ensuring that locally-made shows, among other relevant podcasts, have been promoted to audiences. Until now. Podnews has learnt from multiple sources - amid increasing industry frustration - that Apple Podcasts is no longer showing a country-based editorially-curated view to users in the "Home" and "New" sections in the Apple Podcasts app. Instead, Apple is showing an algorithmic view for each user, designed to follow what the company calls user types: and no longer containing content that has been targeted by country.
- One Podnews reader in Canada sent us a view of their signed-in Apple Podcasts "New" section, which no longer contains any Canadian-produced shows above the fold - and noting that colleagues and friends all had different shows in this view. This is in spite of threatened Canadian content laws which would require a certain percentage of Canadian-made shows to appear in podcast apps. It's not just a Canadian thing - Podnews's Editor notes that in his "new" section, there isn't a single piece of Australian content promoted to him, but instead highlighting promoted shows adjacent to what he already listens to. We understand that all Apple Podcasts users now get an algorithmic view.
- The new algorithmic approach removes what Apple Podcasts was uniquely good at: locally knowledgeable teams highlighting serendipitous shows that were locally and culturally relevant. It was a unique editorial part of Apple Podcasts that benefited both listeners and content creators. One producer tells us that "with this shift, Apple becomes just another platform that serves each user's echo chamber of taste." Another producer suggested that the algorithmic suggestions are fine, but the older country-specific content was valuable. “Why not show both?”
- For creators that pitch new shows for highlighting in Apple Podcasts, the changes are especially troublesome. Apple's podcast feature request form was changed in June or July - though Apple Podcasts hasn't updated the page that links to it - and it no longer contains a way to target a geographical audience. "It's all global now," says one producer to us, having confirmed this new behaviour with Apple directly. Another podcast producer in the UK tells Podnews that, due to this algorithmic view, it’s no longer possible to even know whether a show has been selected for promotion.
- Apple Podcasts gave us a statement, made on background, suggesting in effect that nothing's changed, and that the company's editorial approach remains consistent. The statement is at odds with what the company has directly told producers, and what's visible in the app. It seems a curious own goal: as a podcast producer in Canada tells us, "I now get more Canadian recommendations in Spotify".
- The winners of the British Podcast Awards were announced. The industry’s top prize, Podcast of the Year, was awarded to Prison Radio Association’s Hold or Fold, which also took home Best Factual Podcast. Bill Nighy was crowned Best Host.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- Want to be a Guest on Podcasts? — Check out the Podcast Guest Opportunities newsletter for a weekly round up of podcasters looking for guests. Come by and see what's available this week!
podcastguestopportunities.- List of 75+ Brands Buying Podcast Ads Now — Handpicked list with decision-maker contacts included.
Perfect for podcast ad agencies and podcast networks.Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Libsyn, Podscribe, Magid, Cohost, audioBoom, Audiohook, The Content Creator's Accountant, PAVE Studios, RedCircle, Simplecast, Scicomm Media, Sounds Profitable, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts
Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, Hypecast, iono.fm, Podcast Movement, The Podcast Haven, Red Seat Ventures, Ausha, Podium , Blubrry, POW PR, PodAnalyst, Locked On Podcast Network, Castbox, Tink Media, Podium, SoundStack, Jonekiri, Truefans, Companion Arts, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Voxtopica, Frequency, Compliance Podcast Network, Health Podcast Network, Jam Street Media, CreatorX, Diversion Podcasts, Rhapsody Voices, Transistor, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Lemonada Media, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Headliner, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights
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5 min - Reach of podcasts stays steady: The Podcast Landscape 2026
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- Sounds Profitable's Podcast Landscape 2026 was released. Overall reach of podcasts remains steady at 74% of all Americans; but 34% of podcast consumers say they started consuming podcasts within the past year, up from 28% in 2025. As we heard at Podcast Movement a few weeks ago, in its first year carrying podcasts, Netflix was named by 21% of podcast consumers as a platform they had used in the past 12 months, placing it third behind YouTube (63%) and Spotify (33%), and ahead of Apple Podcasts (15%).
- The winners of the Black Podcasting Awards were announced. The special occasion celebrated 66 award wins across 57 categories, earned by 44 podcasts, spanning comedy, true crime, business, faith, and everything in between. The Legend Award was won by Kevin Y Brown; we've a full list of the winners.
- Oxford Road published the top performing shows for B2B advertising campaigns. It reminds us that listeners don't just listen to business podcasts - and that you need to find them based on what they listen to, rather than merely the subject of the podcast.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- A Year of Production Data From 100+ Shows — What changed from last year and what it means going forward, covering format mix, publishing cadence, and what separates shows with measurable business impact from ones that fade away.
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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, PAVE Studios, Magid, Audiohook, Simplecast, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, Sounds Profitable, audioBoom, The Content Creator's Accountant, RedCircle, Cohost, Podscribe, 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, Castbox, Jonekiri, Podium, Truefans, Locked On Podcast Network, Compliance Podcast Network, The Podcast Haven, Blubrry, iono.fm, Podium , Frequency, POW PR, Companion Arts, Hypecast, SoundStack, Voxtopica, Podcast Movement, Tink Media, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, PodAnalyst, Ausha, Health Podcast Network, Headliner, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Double Elvis Productions, Rhapsody Voices, Transistor, CreatorX, Rephonic, Jam Street Media, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Podigy, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, Signal Hill Insights
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4 min - Podcast Movement NYC puts all sessions online
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. Better thumbnails. Smarter clips. More viewers. Bring your video podcast questions to The Podglomerate’s webinar later today, featuring YouTube Podcasts’ Strategic Partner Manager. Register here.
Happy International Podcast Day! Podigee has shared a short film, The Voice Carries to celebrate podcasts, the people who make them, and to everyone who listens.
- Just in time for International Podcast Day, Podcast Movement has posted the sessions from Podcast Movement NYC, now available for free. There are 82 different sessions to watch, from every stage at the event. Next year, Podcast Week NYC will be held Sep 13-17; Podcast Movement Evolutions is Mar 15-16 at SXSW.
- Podcast hosting company Podigee released what it calls a "fundamentally redesigned platform" to celebrate International Podcast Day, with audio and video recording, full video distribution, and advanced analytics. The company is wholly based in the EU, and follows European privacy rules.
- In the UK, Radiocentre released Sounds Profits, a piece of research showing that by diverting a small amount of existing adspend away from PPC or paid social towards audio, you can increase your total campaign ROI significantly. The research also shows that audio can increase brand trust, so other parts of campaigns work better.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- 📈 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!
- Happy International Podcast Day from John Wordock Media — How do you plan to celebrate International Podcast Day? Will you look at your data and wonder how to grow your show? Need to strategize about video and YouTube? Let 20-year veteran John Wordock help.
Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Simplecast, Libsyn, The Content Creator's Accountant, RedCircle, Podscribe, Audiohook, Magid, Scicomm Media, audioBoom, Cohost, PAVE Studios, Sounds Profitable, 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, Jonekiri, Compliance Podcast Network, POW PR, SoundStack, iono.fm, Truefans, Voxtopica, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Blubrry, The Podcast Haven, Hypecast, Companion Arts, Locked On Podcast Network, Red Seat Ventures, Podcast Movement, Castbox, Frequency, Podium , PodAnalyst, Ausha, Tink Media, Podium, Health Podcast Network, CreatorX, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Jam Street Media, Rhapsody Voices, Double Elvis Productions, Transistor, Headliner, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rephonic, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Podigy, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights
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Image: Podcast Movement 2026
6 min - Was Inception Point AI just a PR stunt?
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. Better thumbnails. Smarter clips. More viewers. Bring your video podcast questions to The Podglomerate’s September 30 webinar featuring YouTube Podcasts’ Strategic Partner Manager. Register here.
- Exclusive: Inception Point AI's thousands of AI-made podcasts could just have been a publicity stunt, according to a new episode of The Lead Balloon podcast, to be released today. CEO Jeanine Wright is interviewed on the show, saying that some publicity was "a PR strategy to get attention". We learn that the Quiet Please network now only has 300 active shows, which they're no longer trying to monetise. Wright tells Podnews that "the catalog itself was never a stunt, and we never chased volume for publicity." Also in Lead Balloon she gives a definition of AI slop: folks "using AI tools to make as much content as they can with as little expense as possible, in order to be able to monetize the delta." Sounds familiar. The company is now branded as Liquid Studios, which now suggests that it "transforms existing content, not generates from a blank page".
- The biggest podcast advertiser is going international - BetterHelp has appointed Media Bodies to focus on international podcast advertising. Media Bodies will work alongside BetterHelp to develop, launch and scale campaigns across 10 international markets, combining global strategy and performance data with local market expertise.
- The Apple iPhone might not be giving your headphones the best audio quality - because it doesn't support the latest Bluetooth audio codecs. A new Bluetooth dongle from Questyle could unlock better audio quality - and also much lower latency, which might be useful for recording podcasts without the delay you get with a normal Bluetooth connection.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- Already Have a Show? Here's How to Vet an Upgrade — Teams moving on from freelancers or a general agency need a different checklist than first-time podcasters. This guide covers what separates finance-fluent production partners from the rest. Free.
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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Libsyn, Audiohook, Magid, Sounds Profitable, PAVE Studios, Cohost, RedCircle, Scicomm Media, The Content Creator's Accountant, Podscribe, audioBoom, Simplecast, 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, iono.fm, Podium, POW PR, Frequency, Truefans, Red Seat Ventures, Jonekiri, Locked On Podcast Network, Castbox, Compliance Podcast Network, Companion Arts, Voxtopica, Hypecast, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Podcast Movement, SoundStack, PodAnalyst, Podium , Tink Media, Blubrry, Ausha, The Podcast Haven, Health Podcast Network, Double Elvis Productions, Headliner, CreatorX, Jam Street Media, Rephonic, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rhapsody Voices, Transistor, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Lower Street, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights
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Image: Podcast Show London 2026
5 min - Patreon removes “per-creation” memberships: goes monthly only
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. More downloads start with a plan. The Podglomerate's free Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing covers the tactics, tools, and channels to help more people discover your show.
- Patreon is removing a legacy "per-creation" membership, forcing creators to move to charging a per-month fee instead. A "per-creation" membership was particularly useful for some podcasters, especially audio drama producers, who don't make "always-on" material. Paolo from GrowthMasteryHub takes a closer look - and notes that the hard part isn't just choosing your new price.
- Congratulations to Jack Laurence, who has just passed 1.5 million downloads for his (audio-only) podcast What I Survived. He shares his download breakdown in a LinkedIn post.
- Apple spent thousands on a front-cover wraparound of London newspaper Metro to promote its new Apple Music Hall in London. Not to sound cranky, but we're unaware of any money spent promoting Apple Podcasts over the last five years.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- 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.
- 🚨 Make the Most of October — Only 3 days left to lock in self-serve campaigns running 10/1-10/15 on Player FM! Boost downloads, grow your audience, and get your show discovered. Don’t wait!
Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, The $100 MBA, Podbean, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Podscribe, Scicomm Media, Magid, PAVE Studios, audioBoom, Libsyn, Sounds Profitable, Audiohook, The Content Creator's Accountant, Cohost, RedCircle, Simplecast, 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, The Podcast Haven, Jonekiri, Red Seat Ventures, Podium , Podcast Movement, Compliance Podcast Network, SoundStack, Podium, iono.fm, Truefans, PodAnalyst, POW PR, Ausha, Castbox, Voxtopica, Hypecast, Blubrry, Companion Arts, Locked On Podcast Network, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Frequency, Tink Media, Health Podcast Network, Rephonic, Rhapsody Voices, Jam Street Media, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, Transistor, Double Elvis Productions, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Headliner, CreatorX, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights
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5 min - YouTube reveals new features
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. More downloads start with a plan. The Podglomerate's free Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing covers the tactics, tools, and channels to help more people discover your show.
- YouTube made a number of announcements at Made on YouTube, the company's annual event.
- YouTube is to add a voice likeness detection tool, to help creators sign up for deepfake detection. The company is also launching A/B video testing, where different videos can be tried to see which work better.
- YouTube Music premium subscribers will get a "new personalized AI-audio guide available in the YouTube Music app that delivers a quick, weekly spoken preview of recommended podcasts and digs into why you’ll like them, before jumping into the suggested episodes — completely eyes-optional and hands-free".
- Live video on YouTube get an update, too, with co-hosting, live reactions, and live auto-dubbing.
- Apple Podcasts Connect seems to have quietly tweaked its listening figures for certain dates. We understand that Apple Podcasts noticed a discrepancy and reprocessed the data.
- Data we screenshotted on Sep 16 appeared to claim, on average, that listeners were consuming 176% of our Jul 9 show. Now, the same data we screenshotted today suggests average consumption of that episode was 85%. Similarly, our Jul 6 show had "average consumption" of 166%; but now that number is 83%.
- It's notable that the number of "plays" has significantly declined on both affected episodes, as well as the consumption data. However, our Jul 1 show still suggests average consumption of 127% (which, we'd suggest, probably isn't true).
- Our podcast is comparatively short, but we're aware of other, significantly larger, podcasts that have shown the same over-consumption issue.
- Goalhanger's accounts for 2025 are now available in the UK's Companies House. The accounts contain a lot of detail on how the company operates; including a breakdown of the £37mn (US $49mn) revenue: 67% from advertising, 25% from memberships, 4% from events, and 2% from "commissions" (presumably affiliate deals). The company had 54 staff, and earned 38% of its revenue from the UK, and 46% from the US (from Spotify, it appears).
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Audiohook, Simplecast, Cohost, Scicomm Media, audioBoom, Magid, PAVE Studios, Podscribe, The Content Creator's Accountant, RedCircle, Libsyn, Sounds Profitable, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Acast, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites
Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Magellan AI, Nomono, Podcast Movement, Tink Media, Castbox, Truefans, Red Seat Ventures, Ausha, Blubrry, iono.fm, SoundStack, Compliance Podcast Network, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Hypecast, Jonekiri, Podium, Locked On Podcast Network, Companion Arts, The Podcast Haven, Podium , Frequency, PodAnalyst, POW PR, Voxtopica, Health Podcast Network, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Diversion Podcasts, Rephonic, Lemonada Media, Headliner, Double Elvis Productions, Transistor, Rhapsody Voices, Jam Street Media, CreatorX, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights
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6 min - Why help the big gatekeepers?
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. More downloads start with a plan. The Podglomerate's free Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing covers the tactics, tools, and channels to help more people discover your show.
- "I’m not sure why we are feeding our content to one of the biggest gatekeepers in media." Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster has published an overview of his talk at Podcast Movement last week. "You can put your show on YouTube or on Spotify, promote it there, and as long as you don’t violate the terms of service, you stay there. You cannot put your show on Netflix. The podcasts that are on Netflix are, frankly, the shows that don’t need the help; they were already the upper echelon by audience, which is precisely why Netflix picked them." He adds: "We are potentially making a deal with the devil when we put our programming on Netflix, because ultimately we don’t matter to Netflix, and I’d like us to focus on the places where we do."
- A lot is said about the benefits of open RSS. One is that you can publish, almost anonymously, on all the big podcast players: especially if you have a story to tell. In Slip Three, the audio has been treated to disguise the voice of the host - who is somewhere at sea, hiding from the authorities, after what he calls an incident where four men died. It's an intriguing listen, with more of the mystery to discover.
- The shortlist has been announced for the International Women's Podcast Awards. There were almost 500 entries received this year; it was judged by over 80 people across the world. Winners will be announced on Oct 8.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, Locked On Podcast Network, Hypecast, Companion Arts, PodAnalyst, Red Seat Ventures, Jonekiri, Voxtopica, Tink Media, POW PR, iono.fm, Castbox, Podium, Frequency, Truefans, Compliance Podcast Network, Podcast Movement, The Podcast Haven, Podium , Blubrry, SoundStack, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Ausha, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Rhapsody Voices, Double Elvis Productions, CreatorX, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Rephonic, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights
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5 min - Acast: “the format argument is over”
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. More downloads start with a plan. The Podglomerate's free Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing covers the tactics, tools, and channels to help more people discover your show.
- 88% of podcast consumers are consuming both audio and video - up ten points from last year. And, 63% of listeners start an episode in one format and finish it in another, according to Acast's new Podcast Pulse 2026, researched across thirteen markets by research firm Differentology. “The industry spent years arguing over formats, but audiences moved on long ago,” said Greg Glenday, CEO at Acast. “A podcast fan’s decision isn’t driven by format loyalty; it’s driven by whether they’re driving at 7 AM or on the couch at 9 PM. Once you see that, the audio-versus-video debate stops being interesting, and a much better commercial opportunity takes its place.”
- Exclusive: Comedy continues to grow in podcasting: Drew Spears Productions has announced the launch of DSP Podcasts, the podcast production and distribution arm of DSP. Started by Drew Spears in 2021, the comedy company, which runs a studio and event space in Frog Town and runs livestreaming events, is launching a number of shows.
- Crossed Wires, the UK podcast festival, generated over £6.6mn (US $8.8mn) in total economic impact to its home city of Sheffield, according to results released today. Just over half of festivalgoers travelled from outside of South Yorkshire. The event was an almost even spread of ages.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- The podcast recorder for studios — Manage clients and access their recordings. No platform nudging them towards AI editing. No paying for confusing features nobody asked for. Try SureTake now.
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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, The Content Creator's Accountant, Cohost, Audiohook, Sounds Profitable, PAVE Studios, Simplecast, RedCircle, audioBoom, Podscribe, Magid, Libsyn, Scicomm Media, 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, Hypecast, SoundStack, Podium , iono.fm, The Podcast Haven, Red Seat Ventures, Jonekiri, Ausha, Compliance Podcast Network, Voxtopica, Podium, PodAnalyst, Tink Media, Podcast Movement, Locked On Podcast Network, Companion Arts, Castbox, POW PR, Truefans, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Frequency, Blubrry, Health Podcast Network, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Lemonada Media, CreatorX, Double Elvis Productions, Rephonic, Transistor, Diversion Podcasts, Headliner, Jam Street Media, Rhapsody Voices, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, School of Podcasting, Adopter Media, Podigy, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights
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6 min - Apple & Google making money from ad-blocking podcast apps
Sponsored by The Podglomerate. More downloads start with a plan. The Podglomerate's free Ultimate Guide to Podcast Marketing covers the tactics, tools, and channels to help more people discover your show.
- Far from being a friend of podcast creators, Apple and Google are making money from an ad-skipping podcast app, Podnews can reveal today. The app, called Podtastic, takes podcasts and automatically skips the ads on-device, charging $9.99 a month - none of which goes to creators, but up to 30% goes direct to Google and Apple's own app stores. Automatically skipping the ads in this way means that advertising won't work, and creators will see lower renewals and unhappier advertisers; but because the skipping takes place on-device, US case law suggests that the behaviour of the app could be considered legal, if clearly unethical.
- Podnews reported this app to Apple on July 22; but Apple's legal team required us to deal directly with Ben Bowler, the developer. You may remember "Adventurer and Startup Founder" Bowler, who we covered in January as the author of a similar app which we reported had closed in May. But Bowler has learnt from our reporting: his new app now spoofs the user-agent of Apple's Safari, which is apparently quite acceptable under Apple's App Store rules, to circumvent blocking by podcast hosting companies. And, because the requests come from the user's device, it's technically unblockable.
- Neither Apple, nor Google, have taken any action against this app - so these companies can continue collecting the 30% app fee. Never mind that creators will see less money, long-term, from their advertisers - the richest companies in the world still need to get richer.
- Exclusive: The ABC News Podcast Network and 20/20 have announced a new podcast series about one of the most daring jewel thefts in history - Heist at the Louvre. Hosted by James Longman, the trailer is available now, and it starts on Monday.
- Last week, LiveOne bought back more than $4m of shares in its spinoff business PodcastOne. PodcastOne went public in Sep 2023, after separating from LiveOne in Dec 2022. LiveOne has reduced its workforce to 80 employees from 350, partially after Tesla stopped giving free access to LiveOne's radio services as part of its Premium Connectivity solution. The release suggests that PodcastOne could consolidate once more into LiveOne (which could save $3mn a year).
- PodcastOne proudly states in financial reports - like the Q2/26 report published last month - that its free podcast hosting company, LaunchpadOne, is a "talent pool for us to find new podcasts". However, LaunchpadOne appears to have closed more than a year ago: its website was shuttered in mid-July 2025, and some highlighted podcasts are now hosted elsewhere. A material misstatement in an SEC filing is illegal. PodcastOne didn't return requests for comment (though we were left in cc as the company worked out what to tell us).
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.
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- 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.
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8 min - Agencies agree to only buy on “engaged views”
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- At the Sounds Profitable Business Summit last week, ADOPTER Media, Right Side Up and Oxford Road announced that they will only use YouTube's Engaged Views to count YouTube impressions for buying advertising. You can watch the announcement here. YMH Studios have also made a similar statement. Oxford Road's Dan Granger said that the industry should "get a little fed up" and make our voices heard.
- YouTube suddenly changed the definition of a public "play" in August - with just five business days notice - to one that doubles its numbers; the "engaged views" figure is almost the older definition - worked out using an opaque, proprietary algorithm that YouTube declines to clarify.
- The IAB has a different definition for video plays - "50% of the pixels on for two seconds" - and, last week, appeared to reject a new framework for measurement of video/audio podcasts. Matt Shapo, Senior Director of the Measurement Center at IAB, and Jason Adamski, Director of Audio at IAB, were interviewed by PodBiz in a new episode just made available, with Adamski admitting that the industry is fragmented.
- In the PodBiz podcast interview, Adamski is asked for the difference between a download and a play. He suggests that "a download is the bitrate of everything that has been downloaded onto the device, and a play is actually when... I don't know if we have a standard definition of a play, I mean it is when we have views, and..." before being cut off by Shapo. In fact, the guidelines define a valid download as the transferral of at least 60 seconds of content to a device: bitrate isn't relevant. And, there is no definition of a play in the Podcast Measurement Guidelines at all.
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8 min
About Podnews Daily - podcast industry and podcasting news
From the publisher's feed
Daily news for people in podcasting - from Apple Podcasts to Spotify and YouTube; Amy Poehler to Crime Junkie and Joe Rogan, indie podcasting to the biggest hits. Whether it's the newest show from Goalhanger, the latest signing from The Ringer, advertising information from Magellan AI or Podtrac, research including the most popular podcasts to listen to, or updates from The Daily from The New York Times, we cover it all, every weekday.
Podnews also covers the latest podcast jobs and events - and we help you with new podcasts to listen to. Our podcast is updated weekdays at 7a Eastern; but you can also visit https://podnews.net to get our free newsletter, for all the stories whenever you need them.
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