
Podnews Daily - podcast industry news
Daily news for the podcast and on-demand audio industry - from Apple Podcasts to Spotify, YouTube Music to Joe Rogan. Podnews also covers the latest jobs and events and trending shows in a short update every weekday. editor@podnews.net - visit https://podnews.net to get our free newsletter.
Latest episodes

Jun 20, 2025 • 5min
“Another 374,000 flights” - the cost of adding video
The podcast dives into the shocking environmental impact of Spotify's video integration, equating potential carbon emissions to 374,000 flights between Paris and New York. It highlights how video consumption results in over 50 times more emissions per hour than audio. Recent industry developments include Pocket Casts introducing transcripts and the UK podcast Politics Joe moving its video content behind a Patreon paywall. This shift reflects changing monetization strategies and a response to the risks of relying solely on platforms like YouTube.

Jun 19, 2025 • 6min
Podcasts now mainstream in US, UK… and Australia
Podcasting is officially mainstream in Australia, with 52% of the population tuning in monthly, just behind the US and UK. A significant portion of Australians prefer listening while driving, outpacing music streaming. Meanwhile, a study reveals that 82% of news podcast listeners believe they grasp issues better through this medium, with a remarkable 59% willing to pay for news podcasts. Additionally, concerns arise as Apple Podcasts struggles to ingest transcripts for new shows.

Jun 18, 2025 • 5min
People “don’t want to just listen”: YouTube’s Mohan
YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan reveals the growing trend of video in podcasting at Cannes Lions, emphasizing that audiences prefer to watch rather than just listen. He believes this shift leverages YouTube’s algorithm to help discover new podcast audiences. Meanwhile, a blog post from Bumper criticizes relying on download metrics, suggesting they’re disconnected from actual consumption. Technical changes in download algorithms pose risks for podcasters, highlighting the need for smarter measurement tools in the industry.

Jun 17, 2025 • 5min
News podcast consumption examined
Sponsored by Podscribe. Just Launched: Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance BenchmarksFor the first time ever, see international benchmarks, and the top performing audience segments.Download the report to learn how to maximize your campaign performance!
The Digital News Report 2025 from the Reuters Institute is being launched as we send today’s update. One part of the data focuses on the changing landscape for news podcasts across countries, looking specifically at the US, UK and Norway to add further context.
The data suggests that YouTube is the main access point for news podcasts in the US - in the country, 15% access a news podcast weekly. One fifth (22%) of their US sample say they saw news or commentary from Joe Rogan in the week after the inauguration (and 14% from Tucker Carlson).
The percentage of weekly news podcast listeners in the UK is half that of the US. Interestingly, in the UK, Goalhanger’s The Rest is Politics is quoted as the #1 news podcast, with Global’s The News Agents at #2 and PoliticsJOE at #3. The BBC only appears at #4 and #5, with Americast beating Newscast.
The winners of the Publisher Podcast Awards 2025 were announced. The podcast of the year went to Political Fix from the Financial Times.
The fiction podcast app Apollo shut down last month, it’s emerged. “We’ve poured our hearts into building a space for fiction podcast lovers”, said the founders in an email, ”and while we’re incredibly proud of what we created, we haven’t been able to grow the listener base enough to sustain the service long-term.”
> > > 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🎧 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!Subscribe to the Leading Business Podcast — The program features world-class content, in-depth analyses as well as exclusive interviews. Hear the stories of business leaders beyond the balance sheets. Tune in for thought-provoking conversationsAudiencelift: Grow on Major Podcast Platforms Now — 📈Ready to grow? Audiencelift helps podcasters reach real audiences and increase downloads across Major Podcast Platforms. Launch your first campaign with Audiencelift Today! Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Sounds Profitable, Podscribe, Resound, SALT, Steve Lack: Audio, audioBoom, Simplecast, Audiohook, RedCircle, Cohost, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Evergreen Podcasts, Disctopia, Libsyn, Acast, Podpage websites, Knucklehead Media GroupSilver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Jonekiri, Ask Ralph Christian Finance, Podium , Frequency, Truefans, Gilded Audio, Compliance Podcast Network, Red Seat Ventures, The Roost, Castbox, Voxtopica, Gumball, POW PR, Geopolitics and Empire podcast a, The Podcast Haven, SoundStack, Huberman Lab, Ausha, Storyboard, Tink Media, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Rephonic, Ossa Collective, Heartcast Media50, Headliner, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, Podcast Taxi, Double Elvis Productions, Zvook, Rhapsody Voices, Wondery, Optimal Living Daily, matchmaker.fm, Castos, Oxford Road, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Transistor, Jam Street Media, Blubrry, Hear.Here.Singapore, StreamGuys, Ad Results Media, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, She Podcasts, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Sonix, School of Podcasting, Adopter Media, Podigy, Podcast Movement, Edison Research, Signal Hill InsightsOur supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Jun 16, 2025 • 5min
Classy new San Diego sports doc
Sponsored by Podscribe. Just Launched: Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance BenchmarksFor the first time ever, see international benchmarks, and the top performing audience segments.Download the report to learn how to maximize your campaign performance!
An innovative new show from Message Heard, COPA90 and iHeartPodcasts launches later this week - San Diego FC: Behind the Flow. It starts as a documentary-style sports podcast, looking behind the scenes at the newest team in Major League Soccer; but the show will then transition into a sports talk show covering the rest of SDFC’s first ever season.
A new, virtual, summit has been announced for Health Podcasting. The Health Podcast Summit will take place on Oct 1-2, with a number of industry leaders as speakers. The summit coincides with Health Literacy Month, and it’s free to register.
Audio monetisation company Audion has released a study showing that adding audio ads in video increases brand recall. Video is often consumed without actively viewing the image, and therefore the audio message in ads reaches both video and audio users.
> > > 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✅ Goal For Your Week: Automate Your SEO Strategy — Grow your podcast audience with SEObot! Automatically create SEO optimized blogs from episodes, boost Google rankings, save time and get more listens. Supports 50 languages.Turkish Airlines Series Podcast — A new travel & inspiration podcast launched by Turkish Airlines. Listen with your favorite podcast app or when you fly with us - with our in-flight entertainment system! Start listening now.YouTube Channel Growth for Podcasters! — Ready to grow your podcast on YouTube? With targeted strategies, you can increase visibility, attract listeners, and turn views into subscribers. Start growing your YouTube Channel Today!Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Sounds Profitable, Cloud10, audioBoom, Podscribe, SALT, Resound, Audiohook, Cohost, Simplecast, RedCircle, Steve Lack: Audio, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Acast, We Edit Podcasts, Knucklehead Media Group, Disctopia, Podpage websites, Evergreen Podcasts, LibsynSilver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, The Podcast Haven, Truefans, Podium , ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, POW PR, Gumball, SoundStack, The Roost, Ask Ralph Christian Finance, Voxtopica, Red Seat Ventures, Jonekiri, Compliance Podcast Network, Ausha, Frequency, Tink Media, Castbox, Geopolitics and Empire podcast a, Storyboard, Huberman Lab, Gilded Audio, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Optimal Living Daily, Rhapsody Voices, Ossa Collective, Transistor, Castos, Double Elvis Productions, Heartcast Media50, Podcast Taxi, Jam Street Media, Wondery, matchmaker.fm, Blubrry, Lemonada Media, Rephonic, Diversion Podcasts, Zvook, Headliner, Oxford Road, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Podcast Partnership, Hear.Here.Singapore, StreamGuys, Ad Results Media, Content10x, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Sonix, Podcast Movement, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Lower Street, Edison Research, Signal Hill InsightsOur supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.Image: Tareq Ismail

Jun 13, 2025 • 4min
Spotify loses Trevor Noah to SiriusXM
Sponsored by Podscribe. Just Launched: Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance BenchmarksFor the first time ever, see international benchmarks, and the top performing audience segments.Download the report to learn how to maximize your campaign performance!
Spotify has lost one of its big shows. What Now? with Trevor Noah will become a SiriusXM podcast from July 1. The show, announced two years ago, was the first from Spotify not to be an exclusive, and heralded a new strategy for all the company’s podcasts. Noah’s $4mn deal was highlighted as “more equitable” for Spotify than previous content deals for the company. What Now? this week is an interview with Jon Stewart.
The winners of the 2025 Women Podcasters Awards were announced. You can watch a slickly-edited video of the whole event (our Editor appears about seven minutes in). The event returns in November.
JAR Audio has named Libby Liburd’s MUVVAHOOD as the winner of its 2025 Emerging Women in Podcasting Pilot Competition. The UK-based writer and performer takes a hard look at the stigma surrounding single mothers. “Proud single mum with a story to tell — what’s not to like?” said JAR Audio’s Chief Creative Officer, Jen Moss.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.Classifieds - your job or ad hereBusiness owner with a struggling podcast? — Most podcasts don’t fail from lack of effort. They fail from bad strategy.
Let's fix that with a free 30-min session. No hidden fees. No commitments. Just free advice.Social Media Re-Purpose With Podsqueeze — Instantly turn your episodes into personalised Video Clips, Social Media Posts, Show Notes, Blog Posts and Chapters — all in one click. Trusted by more than 100K PodcastersAudiencelift: Grow on Major Podcast Platforms Now — 📈Ready to grow? Audiencelift helps podcasters reach real audiences and increase downloads across Major Podcast Platforms. Launch your first campaign with Audiencelift Today! Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Sounds Profitable, RedCircle, Cohost, Podscribe, Audiohook, Simplecast, Resound, Steve Lack: Audio, SALT, audioBoom, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, Knucklehead Media Group, Disctopia, Evergreen Podcasts, We Edit Podcasts, LibsynSilver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Jonekiri, Tink Media, Castbox, Ask Ralph Christian Finance, Geopolitics and Empire podcast a, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Red Seat Ventures, Compliance Podcast Network, Gilded Audio, Gumball, Storyboard, The Podcast Haven, Podium , Voxtopica, The Roost, Huberman Lab, SoundStack, Truefans, Frequency, Ausha, POW PR, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Castos, Lemonada Media, Ossa Collective, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Wondery, Optimal Living Daily, Podcast Taxi, Oxford Road, Rhapsody Voices, Zvook, Double Elvis Productions, Jam Street Media, Blubrry, Heartcast Media50, Transistor, matchmaker.fm, Rephonic, Diversion Podcasts, Headliner, Hear.Here.Singapore, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Ad Results Media, StreamGuys, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Sonix, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Podcast Movement, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Edison Research, Signal Hill InsightsOur supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Jun 12, 2025 • 5min
Spotify supporting Podcasting 2.0 for transcripts
Sponsored by Podscribe. Just Launched: Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance BenchmarksFor the first time ever, see international benchmarks, and the top performing audience segments.Download the report to learn how to maximize your campaign performance!
Spotify is adding podcast transcripts for many shows to its app, and the feature seems to have had a significant roll-out - even the Podnews Weekly Review (here’s what the auto-transcripts look like). Spotify will automatically produce transcripts of shows, but will now let creators upload their own transcripts using the industry-standard VTT or SRT files (which adds time-synching and named speakers). (We’ve yet to get that feature working for our show, though).
If you host your podcast with Spotify for Creators, Spotify now supports publishing those transcripts using open RSS standards - using the Podcasting 2.0 podcast:transcript tag, which is compatible with Apple Podcasts, Pocketcasts, and other apps. Creators will have to opt-in to make them available. It’s the first time that Spotify has supported a new, open, RSS feature like this. So - we thought we’d publish a special show on Spotify for Creators as a test, and while the RSS feed includes the new podcast namespace, sadly transcripts haven’t yet been enabled for our show. But let’s wait and see.
But - will Spotify support ingestion of creator transcripts the other way - using the podcast:transcript standard in the RSS feed from any podcast hosting company? “No timeframe to share at this time!” is the answer from a helpful Spotify spokesperson. That is not a “no”.
Local podcasting could be the next big leap for the industry, says Mathew Passy, writing for Podnews today. “Your neighborhood pizza shop isn’t sponsoring The Daily. But they would support a show with listeners in their delivery zone.”
iHeart Australia’s Corey Layton is given a full interview by Radioinfo. He’s the company’s Head of Audio.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.Classifieds - your job or ad hereBusiness owner with a struggling podcast? — Most podcasts don’t fail from lack of effort. They fail from bad strategy.
Let's fix that with a free 30-min session. No hidden fees. No commitments. Just free advice.🚨 Last Chance to Book Late June Podcast Ads — Only 3 days left to lock in self-serve campaigns running 6/16-6/30 on Player FM! Boost downloads, grow your audience, and get your show discovered. Don’t wait!Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, Sounds Profitable, The Podglomerate, Steve Lack: Audio, Cohost, Audiohook, Simplecast, SALT, RedCircle, audioBoom, Podscribe, Resound, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Evergreen Podcasts, Disctopia, Podpage websites, Libsyn, Knucklehead Media Group, AcastSilver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Gumball, The Podcast Haven, POW PR, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Voxtopica, Compliance Podcast Network, Tink Media, Gilded Audio, Frequency, SoundStack, Jonekiri, Castbox, Red Seat Ventures, The Roost, Truefans, Geopolitics and Empire podcast a, Ask Ralph Christian Finance, Storyboard, Huberman Lab, Podium , Ausha, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, Diversion Podcasts, Oxford Road, Ossa Collective, Zvook, Wondery, Podcast Taxi, Blubrry, matchmaker.fm, Rhapsody Voices, Headliner, Transistor, Optimal Living Daily, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Double Elvis Productions, Lemonada Media, Castos, Rephonic, Heartcast Media50, Jam Street Media, Podcast Partnership, Ad Results Media, Content10x, Hear.Here.Singapore, StreamGuys, Cleanfeed, She Podcasts, Revolver Podcasts, Sonix, Podigy, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Podcast Movement, School of Podcasting, Edison Research, Signal Hill InsightsOur supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.Image: Reet Talreja

Jun 11, 2025 • 4min
“Overblown”: YouTube is not dominating podcasting
Sponsored by Podscribe. Just Launched: Q2 2025 Podscribe Performance BenchmarksFor the first time ever, see international benchmarks, and the top performing audience segments.Download the report to learn how to maximize your campaign performance!
No, YouTube isn’t dominating podcasting, says Paul Riismandel from research company Signal Hill Insights, showing plenty of evidence that the majority of podcast consumers are still using an audio-first platform most often; and that “it’s time to tone down the discourse”.
In April, we shared this data from Podtrac, which appears to back up the point - for consumption, rather than people, YouTube is not #1.
Libsyn has made its Automatic Podcast Ads programmatic advertising available for all podcasters, removing the previous required minimum of 2,000 downloads. The company says that creators have complete control over the categories of ads that run. There’s a revenue calculator to see how much you can earn. Other companies have also dropped minimum requirements.
Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams are “to launch a video podcast on X”, says AdWeek.
> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.Classifieds - your job or ad herePodcast 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 3,600+ Pod Pals on this list.Business owner with a struggling podcast? — Most podcasts don’t fail from lack of effort. They fail from bad strategy.
Let's fix that with a free 30-min session. No hidden fees. No commitments. Just free advice.YouTube Channel Growth for Podcasters! — Ready to grow your podcast on YouTube? With targeted strategies, you can increase visibility, attract listeners, and turn views into subscribers. Start growing your YouTube Channel Today!Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Mamamia, The $100 MBA, Sounds Profitable, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, RedCircle, Audiohook, Podscribe, Resound, Steve Lack: Audio, audioBoom, Cohost, SALT, Simplecast, Riverside.fm, Jar Audio, Podchaser, Awesound, Knucklehead Media Group, Podpage websites, Disctopia, Acast, Evergreen Podcasts, Libsyn, We Edit PodcastsSilver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Gilded Audio, Compliance Podcast Network, Truefans, Ausha, SoundStack, Gumball, POW PR, Storyboard, The Roost, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Castbox, Podium , Huberman Lab, Frequency, Tink Media, Jonekiri, The Podcast Haven, Red Seat Ventures, Voxtopica, Ask Ralph Christian Finance, Geopolitics and Empire podcast a, Podcastpage, Message Heard, Health Podcast Network, matchmaker.fm, Lemonada Media, Castos, Heartcast Media50, Zvook, Double Elvis Productions, Oxford Road, Headliner, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Podcast Taxi, Jam Street Media, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Transistor, Wondery, Diversion Podcasts, Blubrry, Optimal Living Daily, Ossa Collective, Hear.Here.Singapore, StreamGuys, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Ad Results Media, She Podcasts, Cleanfeed, Podcast Movement, Sonix, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Edison Research, Signal Hill InsightsOur supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.Image: Zulfugar Karimov

Jun 10, 2025 • 6min
Apple’s announcements include more for podcasting
Apple has introduced exciting new features for podcasting at WWDC, including enhanced dialogue clarity and customizable playback speeds. Users can finally save their preferred speed for each show, making the listening experience more personal. The revamped 'Browse' button now highlights what's new and popular. Additionally, advancements in AirPods promise studio-quality audio recording. The podcasting industry is also buzzing with new milestones and tech innovations, showcasing remarkable achievements from creators around the globe.

Jun 9, 2025 • 5min
Promo codes: do they work?
Discover why promo codes may be less effective than advertising pixels for tracking audience conversions. Learn that many listeners convert after a week or longer, debunking the myth of instant results. Dive into the latest trends shaping the podcast industry, as well as exciting ventures like the Hulu docuseries on Alex Cooper. Plus, hear about the enhancement of a popular show through a deal bringing official match clips. Stay informed on how analytics and archiving are evolving in podcasting!