Sponsored by Riverside. When you host your podcast on Riverside, you now get a website where listeners can watch, listen, subscribe, and get automatically notified about new episodes — with a URL you can share anywhere to keep them coming back for more. Free with every plan. Give it a try!

• Spotify has cut a number of jobs in its podcast division - “15 employees or about 3% of the team”, according to a report. Cuts are apparently in The Ringer and Spotify Studios, though Spotify wouldn't confirm. Those affected include The Ringer’s special projects lead Andrew Gruttadaro, and writer Miles Surrey. A show from The Ringer, New York New York with John Jastremski, is to be cancelled.
  • Over the past few weeks, Podnews has heard sustained chatter from different parts of the industry about significant changes to come at Spotify’s podcasting tools, including potential closures of revenue programs and brands. Spotify flatly deny any upcoming changes, describing them to us as “very much not true”.
• CNN loves podcasts so much, it appears to be making some of its programs look like them. Jake Tapper’s show appeared to “come from his office”, complete with visible microphones and a cheap sofa; Anderson Cooper also appears to be using large, in-vision microphones.
• The Wall Street Journal cover “the veteran podcasters hanging up their headphones”; reasons given are the additional stress from video.

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• Broadcast Radio Auto-Process — Well-produced ≠ broadcast processed. Audyllic uses Orban Optimod to add the radio processing layer your podcast is missing. That's what keeps people listening. Try free: audyllic.com
• 🔊 Get More Podcast Listeners Today — Player FM’s self-serve ad portal helps podcasters grow faster. Drive more plays and subscribers with campaigns tailored to your goals and budget.
• One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries — Podcast uncovering documented paranormal reports from America’s news archives. Atmospheric storytelling that explores the eerie space where folklore meets fact and the truth is stranger than fiction.

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Cohost, Podscribe, Libsyn, Magid, The Content Creator's Accountant, Audiohook, Simplecast, audioBoom, PAVE Studios, RedCircle, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Blubrry, Araeya Media, Tink Media, The Podcast Haven, Red Seat Ventures, Voxtopica, Compliance Podcast Network, Companion Arts, Podium , PodAnalyst, Truefans, Locked On Podcast Network, SoundStack, Ausha, Frequency, Jonekiri, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, The Roost, Castbox, POW PR, Huberman Lab, Health Podcast Network, Headliner, Rhapsody Voices, Diversion Podcasts, Rephonic, Sonic Influencer Marketing, CreatorX, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Jam Street Media, Double Elvis Productions, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. When you host your podcast on Riverside, you now get a website where listeners can watch, listen, subscribe, and get automatically notified about new episodes — with a URL you can share anywhere to keep them coming back for more. Free with every plan. Give it a try!

• If you think there’s too much competition in podcasting, you might want to think again. The total number of new podcasts feeds in 2025 was 207,907, says Listen Notes. But the total number of new books in 2025? Just in the US, there were more than 4 million, notes Tom Webster on LinkedIn.
• The BBC is to get a new Director General (the name the corporation gives for its CEO). Matt Brittin is tipped to get the job; he was the head of Google for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for more than ten years.
• Semafor tells us that Vox Media tried to sell its podcast slate last year. It’s no longer for sale, says the piece.

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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Companion Arts, Blubrry, Podium , Araeya Media, Castbox, Compliance Podcast Network, Ausha, POW PR, The Podcast Haven, Voxtopica, Frequency, Truefans, SoundStack, PodAnalyst, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Jonekiri, Huberman Lab, Locked On Podcast Network, Tink Media, The Roost, Red Seat Ventures, Health Podcast Network, Double Elvis Productions, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Jam Street Media, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, CreatorX, Transistor, Headliner, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Podigy, Lower Street, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Meet Co-Creator.The AI editing assistant from Riverside that turns your raw recordings into polished episodes and social-ready clips just by chatting. Give it prompts like "make a highlight reel of the funniest moments" and it handles the rest — built right into Riverside, so you never leave your workflow. Give it a try!

• Magellan AI released its top US podcast advertiser rankings for February. McDonald’s was the top mover, spending $5.1mn last month (is it just us, or did they forget to mention the brand name in the ad? Weird) Clothing company Quince is the #1 spender, spending $5.8mn.
• Podtrac published its global multi-channel podcast ranking for February. The MeidasTouch Podcast is still #1, but The Rest is History has jumped up to third place.
• PodcastOne renewed sales and distribution for five popular A+E Networks podcasts. The shows' combined downloads are more than 200 million.

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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, POW PR, Araeya Media, Voxtopica, Locked On Podcast Network, Podium , Ausha, Blubrry, Companion Arts, The Roost, Huberman Lab, Jonekiri, PodAnalyst, Red Seat Ventures, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, The Podcast Haven, SoundStack, Castbox, Truefans, Frequency, Tink Media, Compliance Podcast Network, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Double Elvis Productions, Rephonic, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rhapsody Voices, CreatorX, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Meet Co-Creator. The AI editing assistant from Riverside that turns your raw recordings into polished episodes and social-ready clips just by chatting. Give it prompts like "remove all the filler words" and it handles the rest, built right into Riverside, so you never leave your workflow. Give it a try!

• Transcripts are coming to Overcast, and will be free for everyone, says developer Marco Arment. We first reported on this feature in July. The service doesn’t yet use creator-produced transcripts, relying on AI; and the current beta says (see it here) that each transcript “probably contains errors”. However, Marco tells Podnews that today’s build already downloads any VTT specified in the feed using the Podcasting 2.0 tag - "I just haven’t finished the parsing and display of them yet”, he says. (It’ll transcribe everything - even private feeds).
• When is the new video experience in Apple Podcasts going to launch? It’s with iOS 26.4, which has just posted its release candidate. That might mean it’s released to the public “as soon as next Wednesday (Mar 25) or as late as the following Monday (Mar 30)”, says seasoned Apple watcher John Spurlock. The upgrade message does not appear to promote video in Apple Podcasts to iPhone users; but opening Apple Podcasts gives a new splash screen highlighting the new feature.
• Podcast app and hosting company Truefans has launched a video hosting service. The service charges by total bandwidth used, and works with a number of third-party podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts. Podcasters will gain access to a new ‘watch time’ metric.

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Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Podscribe, RedCircle, Simplecast, Magid, audioBoom, PAVE Studios, The Content Creator's Accountant, Audiohook, Libsyn, Cohost, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Acast, Podpage websites

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Companion Arts, Huberman Lab, POW PR, The Roost, Voxtopica, SoundStack, Blubrry, Araeya Media, The Podcast Haven, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Truefans, PodAnalyst, Podium , Compliance Podcast Network, Ausha, Jonekiri, Tink Media, Red Seat Ventures, Frequency, Locked On Podcast Network, Castbox, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, CreatorX, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rephonic, Rhapsody Voices, Double Elvis Productions, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Lower Street, Adopter Media, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Meet Co-Creator. The AI editing assistant from Riverside that turns your raw recordings into polished episodes and social-ready clips just by chatting. Give it prompts like "generate a thumbnail for this episode" and it handles the rest, built right into Riverside, so you never leave your workflow. Give it a try!

• The winners of the iHeart Podcast Awards 2026 were announced. Podcast of the year went to Acast’s Giggly Squad. The show was hosted by Ego Nwodim, and three Icon Awards were also given out, to Jay Shetty, Terry Gross and Hrishikesh Hirway.
• A new US tax change could be good news for podcasters, says Ralph V Estep Jr, but it could also be confusing. Today, with the Podcast Professionals Association, he writes for Podnews: No Tax on Tips: What Podcasters Must Know Now - detailing the new tax rule that might mean meaningful money, as long as you do it right.
• In Australia, the Australian Podcast Ranker was released for February. There have been two enhancements to Demos+, allowing media buyers to see top indexing podcasts by audience composition, and an enhanced category ranker. The full ranker shows Mamamia Out Loud as retaining the #1 slot. Three smart-speaker bulletins are also in the top 10 - ABC News Top Stories, Sky News Australia Update, and The Update from NOVA.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

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• 🎧 ➡️ 💰Podcast Content To Clients Workshop — If you want to use your podcast to attract new clients and grow your online business this Podcasting Business School workshop is for you! Join us for this 4-day virtual workshop April 21st-24th.
• Audiencelift - Boost Your Podcast Reach on YouTube — 🎙️ Boost your podcast reach on YouTube! Get discovered by millions, expand your audience, and grow faster with video. Start reaching new listeners today!

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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Araeya Media, Frequency, SoundStack, POW PR, Jonekiri, Locked On Podcast Network, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Tink Media, Red Seat Ventures, Huberman Lab, Truefans, The Roost, Podium , Companion Arts, The Podcast Haven, PodAnalyst, Blubrry, Castbox, Ausha, Compliance Podcast Network, Voxtopica, Health Podcast Network, Rephonic, Headliner, Double Elvis Productions, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Transistor, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, CreatorX, Jam Street Media, Rhapsody Voices, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Meet Co-Creator. The AI editing assistant from Riverside that turns your raw recordings into polished episodes and social-ready clips just by chatting. Give it prompts like "create a LinkedIn post from this episode" and it handles the rest, built right into Riverside, so you never leave your workflow. Give it a try!

• Podcast website company Podpage has acquired Dave Jackson's School of Podcasting. Podpage will offer a free tier of education courses, as well as access to 1:1 coaching with Dave and the team. The curriculum will be redesigned, and the School of Podcasting will be expanding to include expert guest instructors. The all-cash deal with ongoing revenue share will allow the Hall of Famer to focus on building the School of Podcasting further. There’s a Town Hall tomorrow for questions.
• In Australia, a new growth platform for independent podcasters, podtential, has launched. The company is built around a proprietary diagnostic tool which is used to deliver personalised coaching to help creators reach their goals.
• YouTube published a blog post recently, which we linked to - only for them to quietly remove the post. Here it was; of note, it contains an interesting stat that we don’t recall seeing before: globally, YouTube users are now viewing over 100 million hours of podcasts every day.

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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, POW PR, SoundStack, Huberman Lab, PodAnalyst, Red Seat Ventures, Locked On Podcast Network, Jonekiri, The Podcast Haven, Tink Media, Frequency, Companion Arts, The Roost, Blubrry, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Voxtopica, Ausha, Araeya Media, Compliance Podcast Network, Castbox, Truefans, Podium , Health Podcast Network, CreatorX, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Transistor, Rhapsody Voices, Diversion Podcasts, Double Elvis Productions, Lemonada Media, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Rephonic, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Lower Street, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Meet Co-Creator. The AI editing assistant from Riverside that turns your raw recordings into polished episodes and social-ready clips just by chatting. Give it prompts like "pull the best 60 seconds" and it handles the rest, built right into Riverside, so you never leave your workflow. Give it a try!

• More video is coming. At Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, Stacey Goers and Jake Shapiro from Apple Podcasts announced a number of new podcast hosting partners for the upcoming Apple Podcasts HLS video feature. Transistor, Audiomeans, PodBean, Captivate, RSS.com and Podigee are all soon to support HLS video on Apple Podcasts. The companies join Acast, Omny Studio, ART19 and Simplecast.
  • This now means that almost all major podcast hosting companies - ones with more than 2% market share of new episodes - will be able to deliver HLS video to Apple Podcasts. But, no HLS video for you if you’re with competitor Spotify for Creators and Spotify-owned Megaphone (28% market share), Spreaker (14%), for which the obvious answer is an upgrade to Omny Studio, and two heritage podcast companies are also not yet offering HLS video: Buzzsprout (7.2%) and, surprisingly, Libsyn (2.7%). (It should probably also be noted that video is likely to be an additional charge, given the cost of hosting).
  • Apple Podcasts also announced that there are now 12 million episodes in Apple Podcasts with chapters. The company announced AI-generated chapters in November. Their keynote at Podcast Movement Evolutions was the first time that the company has ever officially spoken at a podcast conference in North America.
• Podcast Movement Evolutions will return to SXSW next year. “The event far exceeded our expectations”, said Bryan Barletta: "Showing up at SXSW with real talent, meaningful programming, and new voices in the room is the new baseline.” The event was covered by GritDaily.
• Podcasthon is on right now - with 2,800 podcasters registered from 65 countries. The initiative - we covered it in January - invites podcasters to dedicate one episode of their show to a charity of their choice. Shows are being added to the Podcasthon website as they go live.

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• Unlisted: Notes from a podcast-to-YouTube move — Unfiltered notes from turning an audio-first podcast into a YouTube-first channel — what worked, what didn’t, and what made no difference at all.

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Magid, Simplecast, audioBoom, The Content Creator's Accountant, Podscribe, Cohost, PAVE Studios, RedCircle, Audiohook, Libsyn, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, We Edit Podcasts, Podpage websites, Acast

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Truefans, Podium , POW PR, Frequency, Tink Media, SoundStack, Locked On Podcast Network, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Compliance Podcast Network, PodAnalyst, Araeya Media, Companion Arts, Castbox, Voxtopica, Huberman Lab, Blubrry, Jonekiri, The Podcast Haven, The Roost, Ausha, Red Seat Ventures, Health Podcast Network, Lemonada Media, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Double Elvis Productions, Headliner, Rhapsody Voices, Transistor, Rephonic, Jam Street Media, Diversion Podcasts, CreatorX, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Riverside now offers Podcast Hosting, included free on all plans. Record, edit, and publish to Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more, all from one platform. You’ll also get built-in analytics and a podcast website to help you grow your show. Go give it a try!

• More Americans are listening to podcasts every month than ever before, according to The Infinite Dial 2026 from Edison Research at SSRS. The research, with support from SiriusXM Media, was released yesterday afternoon and co-presented by VP Megan Lazovick and Editor of Podnews, James Cridland. It also shows the significant growth of online audio for Americans age 55+. You can watch the full presentation and download all the slides here.
• YouTube announced new “top podcast lineups”. A blog post, which has a YouTube podcasts logo on it, says: "To further serve advertisers looking to tap into the podcast momentum on YouTube, today we’re introducing our US Top Podcasts lineup across key verticals - Sports, News, Comedy, True Crime and Society & Culture - enabling brands to tailor their approach to key podcast verticals.” (We're not quite sure what this means).
• Steve Ackerman has been appointed a Non-Executive Director of The Podcast Show. Most recently Executive Vice President and Head of Global Podcasts at Sony Music Entertainment, he has had more than thirty years experience across audio in the UK and US. He’s interviewed this week about his new role in the Podnews Weekly Review.

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• AudienceLift.com = Podcast Growth 🌟 — AudienceLift.com = Podcast Growth 🌟 More listeners. More charts. More growth. The smarter way to grow your podcast starts here.

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Podscribe, The Content Creator's Accountant, Magid, Libsyn, Simplecast, RedCircle, Audiohook, Cohost, audioBoom, PAVE Studios, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts, Acast

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, POW PR, PodAnalyst, Frequency, Voxtopica, Companion Arts, Huberman Lab, Jonekiri, Tink Media, Compliance Podcast Network, Podium , The Podcast Haven, Truefans, Araeya Media, SoundStack, Ausha, Blubrry, Red Seat Ventures, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Castbox, The Roost, Locked On Podcast Network, Health Podcast Network, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Transistor, Jam Street Media, Headliner, CreatorX, Double Elvis Productions, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Revolver Podcasts, School of Podcasting, Podigy, Signal Hill Insights

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

Sponsored by Riverside. Riverside now offers Podcast Hosting, included free on all plans. Record, edit, and publish to Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more, all from one platform. You’ll also get built-in analytics and a podcast website to help you grow your show. Go give it a try!

• “Podcasting isn’t broken - the system behind it is”. A new podcast hosting and production website, Rebel Audio, has been launched with $3.8 million in funding. Jared Gutstadt, the CEO and Founder, calls the system “the first native AI tool built for the podcast community”. It offers hosting and distribution (including video), and AI voice cloning for host-read ads.
• In Singapore, podcasts are more influential than influencers. Acast has shared new data focusing on the Singapore podcast market, saying that 69% of listeners have considered a brand for the first time because of a podcast, and podcasts are more credible than YouTubers and journalists.
• Today: the webinar of The Infinite Dial 2026 is at 2pm ET - you can register to watch for free here. The data includes a new monthly number for the number of Americans aged 12+ who consume podcasts. Hosted by Megan Lazovick of Edison Research at SSRS and our Editor, James Cridland, be the first to update your sales deck by watching at 2pm.

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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, SoundStack, POW PR, Red Seat Ventures, Ausha, Tink Media, Huberman Lab, Voxtopica, Araeya Media, PodAnalyst, The Podcast Haven, Castbox, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Truefans, Podium , Jonekiri, Blubrry, Compliance Podcast Network, Locked On Podcast Network, The Roost, Frequency, Companion Arts, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Diversion Podcasts, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Jam Street Media, Lemonada Media, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Rhapsody Voices, Headliner, CreatorX, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights

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• Libsyn’s podcast ad revenue grew 48% last year, the company has announced; downloads are up 17%, and the company served 4.5 billion ad impressions in 2025 - up 46%. The number of creators monetising on the platform has increased more than 2.5x. The company announced that the Libsyn Audience Network is now broadly available: a way for advertisers to buy across Libsyn shows.
  • Libsyn is making its SXSW debut next week at Podcast Movement Evolutions and the iHeartPodcasts Hotel; they’re also founding sponsor of Oxford Road’s Indie PaC Awards.
• In a major change in the UK, the Elis James and John Robins show will be the first podcast that is commercially available under a new BBC Audio Release policy. The new commercial opportunities include the back catalogue of the popular show, which won Best Comedy Show in the British Podcast Awards last October. It’s made by Significant Productions, and will be monetised by Audio Always.
  • The new BBC policy was announced in October last year. A significant amount of BBC radio output is made by independent programme makers. The new policy allows those “indies” to own the RSS feed for third-party platforms (like Apple or Spotify), and place ads into those podcasts. The shows will continue to be ad-free on BBC radio and within the BBC Sounds app. In return, the policy requires a minimum of 10% of revenue to the BBC, promotional trails to BBC Sounds in the podcast, and clear explanations “as may be supplied or directed by the BBC”. It’s a very limited trial: only twelve shows will get this treatment, and only two per supplier.
• Audible announced “localised experiences” in a further 11 new countries. Listeners in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt will all have local-language recommendations and billing, and will be cross-promoted from their local Amazon sites. The company claims it has grown its number of members by 800% in the last ten years; and the company projects that number will double again in just three years. (Audible funds a number of exclusive podcasts).

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

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• AudienceLift.com - YouTube Growth + Subs 🌟 — 🌟 AudienceLift.com – YouTube Growth + Subs Get real subscribers, more views, and lasting channel growth. Your shortcut to YouTube success. Book Now!

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Podscribe, Magid, Audiohook, The Content Creator's Accountant, audioBoom, Cohost, RedCircle, PAVE Studios, Libsyn, Simplecast, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Acast, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Locked On Podcast Network, Compliance Podcast Network, PodAnalyst, Truefans, Castbox, Blubrry, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Voxtopica, Huberman Lab, Araeya Media, The Roost, SoundStack, Tink Media, Jonekiri, Frequency, Red Seat Ventures, Podium , Ausha, POW PR, Companion Arts, The Podcast Haven, Health Podcast Network, Double Elvis Productions, Rephonic, Sonic Influencer Marketing, CreatorX, Headliner, Diversion Podcasts, Lemonada Media, Transistor, Rhapsody Voices, Jam Street Media, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights

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Sponsored by Riverside. Riverside now offers Podcast Hosting. Record, edit, and publish to Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more, all from the same platform. Host where you record.

• Podcast hosting company Podbean has abruptly pulled its dynamic ad insertion tool across the whole of Europe. No notice was given; the affected countries imply that there is a concern with GDPR compliance. The company launched PodAds in 2019. “We rely on dynamic insertion,” one customer told us, “and without prior warning, this has a huge impact on us”. The company told Podnews that the decision was "based on a combination of evolving global privacy regulations and a shift in our internal product focus."
  • Podbean is also removing its Livestream product as of June. The livestream service has more than 65,000 shows, according to the company’s website. The company tells us it is being sunset as it "reallocates resources toward AI features".
• How much of your podcast do people listen to? Bumper analysed more than 100,000 episodes to discover that the average (on Apple and Spotify) is 76%. (But, for shows under half an hour, it’s 85%).
• And - how many people listen to podcasts every month in the US? You’ll be the first to know if you watch the webinar of The Infinite Dial 2026 this Thursday (2pm ET). It’s free; the data will be presented by VP of Edison Research at SSRS, Megan Lazovick, and Podnews’s Editor, James Cridland. You can register here.

> > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter.

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• 🎧 Grow Your Podcast with Player FM — Reach highly engaged podcast listeners with Player FM’s self-serve ads. Boost downloads, grow subscribers, and stay in control with flexible pricing. Launch your campaign today!
• The New Zealand Podcasting Summit, May 9, 2026 — The New Zealand Podcasting Summit turns 5! Join us Sat May 9 2026. The day-long event for NZ’s podcast producers, presenters, practitioners, & providers. Come and network, learn, share, & collaborate

Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, The $100 MBA, The Podglomerate, Cloud10, Simplecast, Magid, Podscribe, Cohost, audioBoom, RedCircle, Libsyn, PAVE Studios, Audiohook, The Content Creator's Accountant, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, We Edit Podcasts, Acast

Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Goalhanger, Sounds Debatable, Magellan AI, Araeya Media, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Compliance Podcast Network, Blubrry, Podium , Frequency, Truefans, The Podcast Haven, PodAnalyst, Companion Arts, SoundStack, Locked On Podcast Network, Jonekiri, Red Seat Ventures, The Roost, Voxtopica, Huberman Lab, Tink Media, POW PR, Ausha, Castbox, Health Podcast Network, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Jam Street Media, Double Elvis Productions, Sonic Influencer Marketing, CreatorX, Diversion Podcasts, Headliner, Lemonada Media, Transistor, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, School of Podcasting, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Podigy, Revolver Podcasts, Signal Hill Insights

Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.

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