Sounds Profitable

This week in the business of podcasting:

• Apple Podcasts announced new HLS video hosting partners at Podcast Movement Evolutions, including Transistor, PodBean, Captivate, RSS.com and others. John Spurlock estimates the full iOS 26.4, including HLS video support, rollout should land between March 25 and March 30.
• Sounds Profitable Partner and Podcast Movement President Bryan Barletta recaps Evolutions' debut as a fully integrated SXSW event, highlighted by keynotes from Apple and YouTube, live recordings from Table Read, Scalable, and Broken Record, the inaugural Indie PaC Awards hosted by Killer Mike, and the iHeartPodcast Awards at ACL Live — with Podcast Movement already confirming a 2027 return to SXSW.
• YMH Studios is partnering with Magellan AI to make full multi-platform attribution free for all advertisers and agencies across its network. This includes audio, Spotify streaming, and YouTube video without minimum spend or category restrictions.
• Amazon Ads and Spotify have partnered to give Australian advertisers programmatic access to Spotify's audio and video inventory through Amazon DSP.
• IAB Australia has named the Future of Measurement a 2026 strategic priority, with intentions to announce findings at the MeasureUp conference in Sydney on September 2.
• A new Australian Communications and Media Authority report finds 52% of Australian adults consumed podcasts or non-music audio weekly via online services in 2025, up from 49% in 2022.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode of the Recap, click here. You can also subscribe to Sounds Profitable's newsletters, including the daily edition of The Download to get news straight to your inbox Monday through Thursday.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Podnews reports Apple Podcasts' HLS video update is expected to arrive with iOS 26.4, with a release candidate already posted. John Spurlock estimates a launch window of March 25 to March 30, greeting users with a splash screen highlighting the new video podcasting features.

• A new Nielsen Audio Today report finds podcasts add 5.6% incremental reach on top of radio's 88.8% among 18- to 34-year-olds, yet Nielsen says marketers are still undervaluing podcast ROI despite performance comparable to TV and digital display.

• Sounds Profitable Partner and Podcast Movement President Bryan Barletta reflects on Evolutions' debut as a fully integrated SXSW event, framing Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable as connective tissue providing the podcast industry with opportunity, research, and visibility within the wider media ecosystem.

• IAB Australia has named the Future of Measurement a 2026 strategic focus area, launching an industry research initiative accepting participants across media owners, agencies, and brands ahead of the MeasureUp conference in Sydney on September 2.

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta appeared on Scalable this week to discuss the ongoing social media addiction trial against Meta and YouTube, AI regulation, and the planned Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. A special episode filmed on location at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW.

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.

Bryan Barletta reflects on Podcast Movement Evolutions’ first year at SXSW and what it means for the industry going forward.

Podcast Movement Evolutions made its debut at SXSW in Austin, bringing the podcast industry to the center of the global creator economy conversation with keynotes from YouTube and Apple, live recordings, and top creators like Steven Bartlett, Tim Ferriss, and Hala Taha. From indie podcast awards to industry research reveals, the event proved that podcasting is driving the future of the creator industry — and Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement are the connective tissue making it all happen."

• Written by Bryan Barletta
• Edited by Molly DeMillier and Gavin Gaddis
• Text and audio edited by Gavin Gaddis

Learn more about partnership with Sounds Profitable.

Read the full Business of Podcasting stage session schedule for Advertising Week Europe here.

Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Amazon Ads and Spotify have partnered to give Australian advertisers programmatic access to Spotify's audio and video inventory through Amazon DSP, combining Amazon's shopping and streaming data with Spotify's 751 million monthly listeners for full-funnel campaign planning in a single solution.
• Tom Fox argues rural podcasters are positioned to fill the civic void left by shrinking public media, with local institutions like community banks, colleges, and small businesses having a genuine stake in supporting trusted local audio platforms beyond just buying ad space.
• Podcasting had a strong showing at SXSW 2026 with over 20 official sessions featuring voices like Kara Swisher, Scott Galloway, and Brené Brown, while highlights included Tiger Sisters explaining how they built Spotify's No. 1 business podcast from a kitchen-table show, TikTok and iHeartMedia announcing a new podcast network, and Rhett and Link discussing why they quietly ended Ear Biscuits.
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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:

• Table Read, a fiction podcast featuring award-winning actors performing unproduced film and TV scripts, completed its first-ever live recording at Podcast Movement Evolutions last week. Jack Levy has a new essay reflecting on how consistency and execution can elevate something from a tool to a medium all of its own.
• AdsWizz's Dave Sosson makes the case that audio is the missing piece in CTV strategy, citing studies showing retail campaigns combining audio and CTV produced a 12-point lift in aided recall over CTV alone, and automotive dealership campaigns adding streaming audio to CTV saw a 21.8% average gain in local market share.
• Media consulting firm Madison and Wall has revised its 2026 U.S. ad spend forecast up to 8.1% growth year-over-year, with digital audio projected to grow 4%.

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:

• Apple Podcasts announced new HLS video hosting partners at Podcast Movement Evolutions, including Transistor, PodBean, Captivate, RSS.com and others, and marked its first ever official appearance at a North American podcast conference with a keynote from executives Stacey Goers and Jake Shapiro.
• Podcast Movement confirmed Evolutions will return to SXSW in 2027, following a debut weekend that included keynotes from Apple Podcasts and YouTube, live performances from Andy Grammer, a Penn Badgley conversation, and the inaugural Indie PaC Awards hosted by Killer Mike.
• YouTube is launching a Top Podcasts Lineup giving advertisers bundled premium ad access across five content verticals: Sports, News, Comedy, True Crime, and Society & Culture.
• YMH Studios is partnering with Magellan AI to make full multi-platform attribution free for all advertisers and agencies running campaigns across its network, covering RSS audio, Spotify streaming, and YouTube without minimum spend or category restrictions.
• The Q1 2026 Performance Benchmark Report from Podscribe finds 79% of episodic campaigns now include a simulcast video component, with YouTube accounting for nearly two-thirds of all video podcast impressions, and national advertisers combining podcasting and streaming audio reaching 85% of U.S. adults.

Click here to find links to every story covered and subscribe to the newsletter version of The Download.

This week in the business of podcasting:

• Podcast Movement Evolutions has taken over SKYBOX on 6th at SXSW 2026 through Sunday, with no badge or ticket required, featuring live tapings tonight from Table Read, Scalable Podcast, and Broken Record with special guest Maya Hawke, and tomorrow night's Companion Presents: In Good Company event with Penn Badgley and a headliner set from Andy Grammer.
• Sounds Profitable founder Bryan Barletta argues Apple Podcasts' HLS announcement returns control to hosting platforms and opens the door for rights holders across music, film, and other industries to adopt RSS-inspired distribution.
• Bumper's Jonas Woost shares data built from over 100,000 podcast episode listener retention data. He finds listeners complete 76% of an average podcast episode, with retention trending downward the longer an episode lasts.
• A new Acast Podcast Pulse report from Singapore finds 97% of local listeners say a podcast has changed their mind on a topic versus a global median of 84%, with podcasters rating higher on credibility than journalists, Youtubers, and social-first talent.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode of the Recap, 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 argues the big picture of Apple Podcasts' HLS announcement. It's less about video podcasting and more about what happens when an open standard connects a public app to multiple distribution hubs, potentially opening the door for rights holders in other industries to consider similar RSS-inspired methods.
• A new Acast Podcast Pulse report from Singapore finds 97% of local listeners say a podcast has changed their mind on a topic versus a global median of 84%, with 52% rating podcasters more credible than journalists and 69% saying they've considered a brand for the first time because of a podcast.
• An Axios op-ed argues the impression that Americans are more divided than ever is being cast through the lens of overly-online social media users. An article that happens to be relevant to A.J. Feliciano's Companion panel at Podcast Movement Evolutions this week.
• Financial research firm MoffettNathanson estimates YouTube hit $62 billion in 2025 revenue, edging out Disney's $60.9 billion and making it the world's largest media company, with the platform also crossing $100 billion paid out to creators since 2021.

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:

• Podcast Movement Evolutions kicks off this Friday at SKYBOX on 6th in Austin, a free three-day event with 400-person capacity plus overflow, featuring curated panels, live performances (inclduing live Scalable podcast recording on Friday at 7:15 p.m).
• Libsyn reports 2025 as a record year for creator payouts, with ad impressions up 46% year over year to 4.5 billion and monetizing creators growing more than 2.5 times after the platform removed download minimums for Automatic Podcast Ads.
• PAVE Studios founder Max Cutler argues Netflix should use its $2.8 billion Paramount windfall to invest in habitual, returning-audience content like video podcasts and creator licensing rather than one-time prestige releases.
• Publish Press announces The Hollywood Creator Summit on May 28 in Los Angeles, featuring on-stage conversations with creators and industry leaders alongside a live episode of The Colin and Samir Show.

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.

Let’s look at what upgrading video on Apple Podcasts means for podcasting as an industry.

Apple Podcasts is rolling out support for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS). Bryan Barletta breaks down what HLS actually is, how it handles video, audio, and dynamic ad delivery through HLS Interstitials, and what it means to have early buy-in from hosting platforms like  Acast, Amazon’s ART19, Triton’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM Media.

• Written by Bryan Barletta
• Edited by Molly DeMillier, Tom Webster, and Gavin Gaddis
• Text and audio edited by Gavin Gaddis

Register for Evolutions by Podcast Movement @ SXSW

Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.