Sponsored by Magellan AI. Aircheck review across 30+ shows used to take days. Direct Results cut it to hours with Magellan AI. See their approach

• An appearance on a comedy podcast by the Australian Prime Minister has resulted in an international diplomatic incident. In July, Anthony Albanese was criticised for responding to a game of "shag, marry, date" with the answer "Kylie Minogue, all of the above", and was forced to apologise. Now, political opponents, aided by the Murdoch press, have complained about a gesture Albanese made when he was describing two melons he was gifted by Japan's (female) prime minister; a former Japanese ambassador has described it as "casually mocking" the gift. It's headline news in Australia. The show, launched by NOVA Podcasts in May, is called Bush Deep, which apparently wasn't enough of a red flag to Albanese's media team.
• The Basis DSP, an ad buying platform, has announced a partnership with Barometer to offer brand-suitability scores on an episode-by-episode basis. The company claims that this is "podcast advertising catching up with the controls advertisers expect from more mature programmatic channels". Barometer announced episode-level context in March with AdsWizz, and with Acast in January.
• Sony has highlighted how Jampot Productions have been using Sony cameras to make their video podcasts. The company is based in London, and was founded by Jamie Laing.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Direct Results found 30-second ads drove more purchases than 60s, then shifted their whole mix. See what the data showed

• Podcast Movement has revealed featured speakers for the event in NYC in September. Among the speakers are Greg Glenday, the CEO of Acast, beehiiv's Ainsley Rossitto, and our Editor, James Cridland. Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster will also be unveiling new research. Tickets are available now.
• Alex Cooper's Unwell network has received a strategic investment from WTSL, an investment firm. The investment figure isn't known; but according to The Hollywood Reporter, values Unwell at $500mn. (As context, the entirety of iHeartMedia is currently valued at $450mn).
• Another set of podcasts have signed with Disney+ - this time, it's from the UK, as The Overlap signed a landmark sponsorship and distribution deal with Disney+ for its Stick to Football show, and a new show focusing on Manchester United. The shows will remain available on YouTube, though Disney+ will also get access to additional special episodes of Stick to Football.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Find out where Q2 podcast ad dollars went, live with Magellan AI on August 20. Sign up for the webinar

• Podcast marketplace Acast has acquired Backyard Ventures, a US-based podcast network, for US $20mn. Backyard Ventures is home to podcasts like Piers Morgan's Uncensored, Ryan Holiday's The Daily Stoic, and audiences of more than 230 million. The team from Backyard Ventures will stay with the business; the brand will be retired as the company is integrated into Acast. Backyard shows are currently hosted and monetised by ART19 and Megaphone.
• The Podcast Consultant has acquired B2B podcasting service Rise25. Rise25 co-founder Dr Jeremy Weisz becomes The Podcast Consultant's Director of Client Success. No terms were given.
• Spotify has announced its first EQUAL Ambassador for podcasts, Morgan Absher, to help amplify and celebrate women podcast creators. Podnews covered the story last week; our sister publication Podcast Business Journal has a full interview.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. What shifted in podcast ad spend last quarter? Magellan AI's Q2 Benchmark Report breaks it down. Download the report

• It's going to be much harder to get money from YouTube. In "the first significant change since 2018", YouTube has made it twice as hard to get into the YouTube Partner Program, which pays creators based on consumption on the platform. New creators applying for the program will need 8,000 qualified watch hours (in the last year), or 20 million qualified Shorts views (in the last 90 days) - both double the amount that was required previously.
• Greg Glenday, CEO of Acast, has given a statement to The Hollywood Reporter about Spotify's "skip-ahead" ad-skipping button. "We do have some creators on the Acast platform who are not happy about this and we will support them completely as they evaluate any recourse. Acast is working privately with Spotify to understand if we could have collaborated more on the rollout or positioning," he said. Acast didn't give us a statement when we asked last week.
  • Many stories are now appearing about Spotify's ad-skipping button: but some stories suggest that it doesn't skip ads sold by Spotify. This isn't true - our story specifically included a video with an ad on a Bill Simmons show being skipped by the tool, and Podnews understands that the feature is not targeted at competitors' ads.
• Podcast ad revenue is up +23% year-on-year, says Magellan AI's Q2/26 Podcast Advertising Quarterly Benchmark Report. The average ad load increased again, though - the average podcast is 8.75% ads (up from 8.25% last quarter). That's an average of 5 and a half minutes an hour.
  • There's a free webinar going through the data on Aug 20.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Attribution helped American Public Media reach its strongest digital sales performance since 2021. Read their story

• Podcast hosting company RSS.com has added HLS video podcasting for Apple Podcasts that you can earn from. Video ads will run automatically, and creators can receive 70% of the revenue - with no audience threshold. The "Max" plan offers unlimited video and audio podcasts, and is available now.
• Audible has unveiled a new global brand campaign, "Stories that Speak to You". It'll start running next week in eight different countries.
• "As more privacy models are rightfully coming into play and tamping down on some of the data, we're already ready for that, whereas other media are now going to have to do the kind of technology we've already built." Jim Ballas, the President of Measurement at Magellan AI, is the special guest on PodBiz this week, the podcast that looks at the money in podcasting.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Smarter signals, smarter podcast decisions. See how in Beyond the Buy, from Magellan AI and True Native Media. Download the guide

• Cumulus Media has laid-off a large number of people in the Cumulus Podcast Network; some reports suggested the entire department has been gutted, though the company has said that those reports are inaccurate, and that the company "remains committed" to its network. A LinkedIn post by former VP of Podcast Operations and Production, Jay "PodVader" Soderberg, suggests he is one of those affected; it's also reported that SVP of Marketing and Podcasting Carolyn Chauncey has also left, as well as Executive Producer Tanya Bustos. A previous team member, John Wordock, looks back at better days.
• In signings, WABC Radio has signed with Spreaker Prime for premium podcast monetisation ... Realm is to produce, distribute and monetise Disney, National Geographic Kids and Marvel audio properties in a new partnership ... The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast has joined Mercury for distribution and monetisation.
• Podscribe has added AI optimisation delivery tools and lookalike audience targeting to its SmartServe tool.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Let's talk podcast ad spend benchmarks. Get the Q2 rundown from Cameron, live on August 20. Join the webinar

• 13% of US weekly podcast consumers say they consume podcasts most often... on the television. Edison Podcast Metrics report that it's the highest figure yet - and reflects the growing number of podcasts making it to YouTube, Netflix, Tubi and other video platforms.
  • It does beg the question: what is Apple Podcasts doing about Roku and Android TV, which dominate the connected TV world? Apple Podcasts on an Apple TV will get access to video podcasting in the next few months - but isn't available at all from a Google TV streamer or a Roku device.
• Spotify has expanded its EQUAL program with its first EQUAL Podcast Ambassador, hoping that the company can help elevate women podcasters and help promote women creators behind the podcast microphone. It's Morgan Absher, the host of Spotify show Two Hot Takes, who told Podnews: "When I started podcasting, the first place you look is the charts, and there weren't really many women at the top. A program like this really helps get us on an even playing field and makes the success stories a lot easier to come by. And I hope to hear more of them."
  • We have a full interview in tomorrow's Podnews Weekly Review podcast.
• The founder of Crooked Media, Tommy Vietor, isn't happy with Spotify - he starts an X post saying "Very cool of Spotify to try and destroy the podcast industry". He's quoting our story unveiling Spotify's controversial new Skip Ahead feature; and Mediaite has taken up the story.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Earmax Media grew podcast conversion rates 12x over two years by tracking which shows and formats converted. Read their playbook

• How much could video increase your show? "Adding video saw an estimated increase of around 25% in weekly sessions on Apple Podcasts" says Acast, announcing today that any Acast creator can now publish video to Apple Podcasts; the feature had previously been invitation-only. All creators have potential to earn from video as well, through Acast's marketplace. The video plan starts at $39.99/month on an annual plan. (If you're already on the Acast Creator Network, just ask your partner manager).
• Buzzsprout has expanded its video hosting to now support Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. One of the biggest podcast hosts in the world, the company's users can now deliver 1080p video to all three platforms. The audio + video plan starts at $25/month on an annual plan.
• Yesterday, we reported on new "skip ahead" functionality from Spotify, which can be used to skip ads, intros or promos in podcasts with just one button. Being tested by selected Premium users in the US, it now appears that this is also available for some Premium users in the UK, the world's second-biggest podcast market.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Explore Worldwide quadrupled its podcast spend with Earmax Media, and the work won a Campaign Audio Award. See how they did it

• Exclusive: Spotify releases its latest earnings report this morning - but they won't be promoting this. In a significant threat to podcasting, Podnews can reveal today that Spotify is testing an ad-skipping tool for podcasts - a "Skip ahead" button that appears in podcast ads and sponsorship messages.
• Spotify's new ad-blocker is even blocking ads that Spotify has sold, leading some to wonder whether this is fraudulent behaviour by the company. Ads are still delivered to the user's device, but a button appears to encourage listeners to skip them.
• Spotify is a major podcast app - delivering the majority of all podcast downloads in many countries. However, not only does its "skip ahead" feature push listeners to bypass ads, it even encourages listeners to skip creators talking about their Patreon-style premium subscriptions.

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Sponsored by Magellan AI. Bring digital-grade attribution to broadcast radio with Magellan AI. See what listeners do after the spot airs. Explore broadcast attribution

• The EU Artificial Intelligence Act comes into law today - which is relevant if your content is consumed in the EU, like all podcasts are. Article 50 requires clear disclosure if you use AI to "generate or manipulate" audio or video content. In an article, Production Expert clarifies that manipulation doesn't mean de-noising or repairing audio (or using AI editing tools); but it does mean that clear disclosure is required if you're generating whole phrases that a voice never actually recorded. Anything made before today does not need retroactive labelling. Fines can reach a maximum of around $40mn. (We're not your lawyer).
  • Here is how the BBC uses AI, if you're interested
• The submission deadline has been extended for the International Women's Podcast Awards. You now have until Aug 14 to enter; entries can be from anywhere in the world, and are just $50.
• Podcast hosting platform CoHost now supports Apple Podcasts video on all CoHost plans at no extra cost.

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• Forbes has published a list of the twenty Highest-Paid Podcasters of 2026. The full list is, ironically, behind a paywall; the top five is Joe Rogan The Joe Rogan Experience($82mn) at #1, John Coogan and Jordi Hayes of TBPN($70mn), Steven Bartlett of Diary of a CEO ($45mn), Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie ($42mn), and Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes from SmartLess ($37mn). Charlamagne Tha God is at #10, earning $27mn.
  • For the networks, Spotify has four shows; SiriusXM has three; Red Seat Ventures and Wondery have two each.
  • For context - the #2, TBPN seems to have about 6,800 views per episode on its YouTube podcast, and Podscribe suggests its audio podcast attracts an estimated 1,600 listeners a month.
• Financial results: Apple released its Q3/26 financial results. "Services" revenue, under which Apple Podcasts revenue falls, was up +12% year-on-year to $30.7bn ... SiriusXM released its Q2/26 financial results. The company doesn't split out its podcast financials in its report, combining it with its declining Pandora business; however, in the earnings call, CEO Jennifer Witz revealed that podcasting revenue is up +30% year-on-year.
• Audiobook publisher Podium Entertainment - different to podcast network Podium, or Podium - is to repurpose 35 Realm fiction podcasts into audiobooks. The audio will be reformatted as single audiobook releases.

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