Sounds Profitable

Today in the business of podcasting:

• The podcast industry is in another M&A cycle, but today's buyers look different from those who drove acquisitions in the pre-pandemic era. Rather than investing in podcasting infrastructure, companies like OpenAI, The Chernin Group, and Fox Entertainment are acquiring shows that have proven they can leverage their audiences — reflecting the medium's shift from speculative asset to established media property.
• Oxford Road's ORBIT data shows 80% of the top 15 performing podcasts for advertisers in March 2026 were independent shows, not network titles. Ben Robins argues that publishers and platforms best positioned for podcasting's next phase will be those who invest in polished content without sacrificing the niche specificity that makes podcasting work for advertisers.
• A podcast company called Light Knot Studios was found publishing AI-generated audio that cloned the names, artwork, and formats of more than 75 history podcasts, monetizing each with programmatic ads through RSS.com's PAID platform. Podcast lawyer Lindsay Bowen identified potential grounds for copyright and trademark infringement suits, and flagged that hosting platforms and directories without a registered DMCA agent cannot claim safe harbor protections.
• AdsWizz, Barometer, and NPR are hosting a webinar on April 23 to address the misconception that podcasting lacks scale for brand advertisers. Presenters will cover how content filtering and evaluation practices are driving that perception, and what a more audio-native approach to targeting looks like in practice.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Register for Audio Primes: The People Who Listen to Podcasts.
• The Podcast Show London 2026 will take place May 20 and 21 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, with Global and iHeartPodcasts returning as headline partners. Global's presence will spotlight its newly launched Global Studios division, focused on premium podcast and digital content creation.
• Samba TV has published its first Netflix Podcast Ranker, revealing that 13% of U.S. Netflix households watched at least one minute of a podcast in Q1 2026. The Breakfast Club led all shows with over 40% of total views, followed by Bridgerton: The Official Podcast at 16%.
• Amplifi Media founder and CEO Steven Goldstein argues that the podcast industry has been optimizing for downloads, a distribution metric that does not reliably measure actual listening or audience engagement.
• Digiday's Michael Bürgi reports on how media buyers responded to this year's NewFronts, where improved measurement capabilities were the standout positive trend. Heading into upfront negotiations, buyers are demanding flexibility in long-term commitments, while automotive and spirits budgets face slight downward pressure.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting...

• Sounds Profitable's Bryan Barletta reflects on the company's two-day Business of Podcasting space at Advertising Week Europe, where nearly 450 attendees gathered across 16 panels, arguing that podcasting has earned its place in mainstream media conversations and must now show up in the rooms where broader advertising decisions are made.
• Sport Social Podcast Network's Jim Salveson makes the case for sports podcasting as a commercial and editorial extension of live broadcasting, citing Edison Research data showing that sports podcast listeners are significantly more likely than general sports fans to follow an athlete after a trade.
• YouTube has announced several new TV-focused features, including Stations, a 24/7 programming channel format debuting with Coachella coverage, a voice-controlled AI chatbot called Ask coming to smart TVs, and TV Companion, a phone-based tool that lets viewers interact with content without taking their eyes off the screen.
• Independent Australian podcast What I Survived, from Queensland-based Mashed Pumpkin Productions, reached #31 on the U.S. Apple Podcasts overall chart and #1 in Documentary within its first 47 days, with host Jack Laurence crediting an Apple Podcasts editorial homepage feature for driving over 440,000 downloads.
• OpenAI has acquired Silicon Valley tech podcast TBPN in a deal the Financial Times values in the low hundreds of millions of dollars, making the show ad-free while including an editorial independence covenant, with commentators debating whether the real asset was the podcast itself or the talent behind it.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting...

• Sounds Profitable's Bryan Barletta reports that the Business of Podcasting programming track at Advertising Week Europe drew nearly 450 unique attendees across 16 panels, a signal that mainstream advertisers are actively seeking out podcasting expertise on their own. Barletta argues that podcasting's reach, with 55% of Americans listening monthly per Sounds Profitable's Podcast Landscape 2025 report, now warrants a commensurate presence in the rooms where major advertising decisions are made.
• American Public Media and Streamguys have partnered to launch the Inform Media Network, a new digital audio advertising marketplace connecting 30 or more public media and prestige audio publishers with national advertisers. The network aggregates more than 55 million monthly impressions and more than six million unique listeners across podcast and livestream inventory.
• Spotify has rolled out new video control settings as of April 9, 2026, giving Family Plan managers the ability to toggle video content on or off for any plan member and allowing all subscribers to disable music videos, Canvas looping visuals, and other video formats directly within the app.
• Patreon's podcast category generated $629 million in revenue in 2025, a 33% year-over-year increase, driven by more than 47,000 podcaster accounts and 7.6 million paid memberships. Top creators like Joe Budden reportedly average $1 million in monthly income through the platform from the Joe Budden Network's 70,000 or more subscribers.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Updated todo

With podcasting having arrived at the mainstream, it’s time for the industry to be in the rooms where decisions are made.

Podcasting has reached mainstream status, with 55% of Americans consuming a podcast monthly, and industry leaders are now expanding their presence beyond podcast-specific events into major global advertising and marketing conferences. Sounds Profitable is driving this growth by placing podcasting content at high-profile venues like SXSW, Advertising Week Europe, and Cannes Lions to attract brand strategists, media buyers, and agency decision-makers. A key opportunity remains the roughly 25% of American adults who have never tried podcasting, representing a significant untapped audience for podcast content creators and advertisers.

• Written by Tom Webster
• Edited and narrated by Gavin Gaddis
• Text and audio edited by Gavin Gaddis

Click here to register for the Audio Primes webinar.

Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Soros Fund Management is leading an investment round in MeidasTouch Network, the progressive media company behind The MeidasTouch Podcast. The move follows prior Soros investments in podcast-related companies including Audacy and Crooked Media.
• Marketing agency Right Side Up has published a newsletter revisiting its generative engine optimization (GEO) framework, outlining how brands can improve their visibility in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT and Google. The framework emphasizes content structure, technical foundations, and third-party brand mentions across the web.
• Independent Australian podcast network Mashed Pumpkin Productions saw its show What I Survived reach number 31 on the overall U.S. Apple Podcasts chart, number one in Documentary Podcasts, and number four in Society and Culture within 47 days of launch. Host Jack Laurence credits an Apple Podcasts editorial feature on the platform's U.S. homepage for driving over 440,000 cumulative downloads.
• An anonymous podcast producer who worked on multiple hit narrative shows during the podcast boom recounts being laid off from two major companies as narrative podcast opportunities contracted around 2023. Published in The Hollywood Reporter, the piece examines the high cost of narrative podcast production and the industry's shift toward celebrity and influencer-hosted formats.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• YouTube is rolling out new TV features including Stations (a FAST-style 24/7 channel hub), TV Companion (phone-to-TV interactivity), and voice-enabled Ask chatbot support on smart TVs.
• Despite sports podcasting's success in the U.S., sports podcasts barely register in Latin America's Spotify charts, but Genuina Media's David R. González sees the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a major growth opportunity for LatAm sports podcasters and advertisers.
• Spotify has launched a beta Prompted Playlist feature for podcasts, letting Premium users in seven markets use generative AI to build and auto-update personalized podcast playlists.
• Podcast strategist Steve Raizes shares how two structural changes, cold opens and episode callbacks, helped a struggling show achieve a 264% increase in cumulative downloads and views.
• Audacy is cutting jobs across its broadcast radio division and consolidating around a regional leadership structure, with the podcasting side of the business appearing unaffected.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Red Seat Ventures has launched Speakeasy, an all-in-one podcast hosting, distribution, and monetization platform supporting RSS, HLS, and video formats. CEO Chris Balfe says the platform addresses the growing complexity of podcast distribution beyond the traditional RSS feed.
• Sports podcast audiences show stronger athlete loyalty than general sports fans, with 76% of sports podcast listeners continuing to follow traded athletes versus 51% of general fans, per Edison Research. Sport Social Podcast Network Director of Sport Jim Salveson argues broadcasters can use podcasting to reach younger, mobile-first, and international audiences.
• OpenAI has acquired Silicon Valley tech podcast TBPN in a deal valued in the low hundreds of millions of dollars, with an editorial independence covenant and an ad-free model in place. Industry observers are divided on whether the acquisition makes financial sense or represents a long-term investment in AI-friendly media reach.
• The TuneIn broadcaster portal has reopened after closing in February 2024, following Stingray Group's acquisition of the platform in November 2025. TuneIn remains a key podcast directory for listeners on Tesla and Sonos, making it a worthwhile submission target for podcast publishers.
• Spotify's new "Sound-On Era" report, developed with Bold Insight and based on surveys of 5,000 consumers and 105 media buyers across multiple markets, finds 86% of Spotify users mute other platforms to listen to audio. The report positions audio advertising as a high-recall, high-attention alternative to digital and social video ads, with 75% of consumers reporting stronger memory of audio content over social media content.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

This week in the business of podcasting:

• beehiiv has launched podcast hosting and monetization, letting newsletter creators consolidate their audio content into one platform with IAB compliant infrastructure and built-in growth tools.
• New Sounds Profitable research reveals that podcast discovery relies heavily on algorithmic amplification, leaving moderate and centrist audiences without the institutional infrastructure needed to bring them into the medium.
• A 2025 survey shows podcast listenership in Japan has grown to 18.2%, with the highest adoption among Gen Z listeners aged 15 to 19 and strong representation among corporate decision-makers.
• Industry analyst Ben Robins argues that podcast advertising effectiveness data is being hoarded by major players, limiting market growth at a time when audio connection metrics could attract more ad spend.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

This week in the business of podcasting:

• Newsletter and blogging platform beehiiv has launched integrated podcast hosting and monetization services, with CEO Tyler Denk positioning podcasts as a core product pillar alongside its newsletter tools and IAB certification now underway.
• Sounds Profitable's new research report The Last Quarter finds that the 25% of Americans who have never listened to a podcast skew politically centrist, a group that algorithmically driven platforms are poorly designed to reach.
• Spotify's programmatic advertising platform SAX grew its monthly active advertiser count 222% year-over-year since its April 2025 launch, though media buyers say host-read podcast advertising still favors direct deals over programmatic buying.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.