Podnews Weekly Review

3.7 (21)
NEWS COMMENTARY
UPDATED WEEKLY

The last word in podcasting news.Every Friday, James Cridland and Sam Sethi review the week's top stories from Podnews; and interview some of the biggest names making the news from across the podcast industry. Winner, "Best Podcasting Podcast", 2025 Ear Worthy Awards Support the show at https://weekly.podnews.net - or hit the boost button! Sponsored by Buzzsprout: start podcasting - keep podcasting!

5D AGO

YouTube’s Real Numbers, Spotify’s Strategy, And Nigeria’s Podcast Boom

(This audio contains a fix for part of Tony's audio) (These show notes are using Buzzsprout's CoHost tool. Buzzsprout are our sponsor and very good at podcast hosting and all that.) We dig into YouTube’s rare revenue reveal, Spotify’s mixed ad picture, and why premium is rising fast. Tony Doe joins live from Lagos to unpack Nigeria’s podcast boom and what creators can learn. • Captivate hires Rob Walsh and Elsie Escobar for monetisation and creator community • YouTube discloses $60bn revenue and 1.7tn hours watched with strong subscription mix • Spotify hits 750m MAUs and 290m subs while podcast ad sales dip • Supercast acquired by Red Seat Ventures and premium models accelerate • Acast ad revenue grows and ARPL rises despite prior losses • Nigeria’s podcast index, formats, languages, and monetisation paths • Apple’s ranking “fairness” pledge and BBC’s new tech show • Transcripts as a standard, AI assistants, and discovery tools Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 14m
FEB 6

Mercury Podcast Network: plus, too many ads, and what YouTube is doing about AI slop

Sam and James talk with Liam Heffernan of Mercury; and cover all the latest news of the week. • Sony’s AI character podcasts and voice licensing risks • Video discovery leading to audio loyalty and why it matters • IAB’s AI scraping proposal and good bot vs bad bot • Apple’s downloads for transcripts and chapters and host costs • Voice Regen vs Auphonic and Buzzsprout Magic Mastering • YouTube’s AI slop problem and weak enforcement • Apple buying QAI and the future of audio understanding • Livewire stats filtered for AI and broken trendlines • Spotify “down,” browser “up” and bots skewing analytics • OP3, unified dashboards, and realistic measurement • 34% ad loads training skip behavior and pricing for fewer ads • Subscriptions, ad-free tiers, and where to build fandom • Japan’s giant festival, Radio France’s indie curation, Disney and Hulu podcasts • Boost Box, LN address, and Runway for value-for-value Start podcasting, keep podcasting with BuzzSprout.com Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 32m
JAN 30

Wondercraft's AI video generation; plus, behind Truefans funding

We dig into Goalhanger’s funding, Wondercraft’s AI video workflows, music on open RSS with sats, TrueFans’ metrics-first hosting, and the growing gap between downloads and watch time. • Goalhanger’s community growth strategy with TCG investment • Shift from ad revenue to events, merch and TV formats • Community portals vs YouTube and Spotify constraints • Wondercraft’s audio-to-video workflows and enterprise use • Visualizing podcasts, editable AI timelines and avatars • Trials, discounts and API access for automation • Music on RSS with streaming sats and $1 hosting • TrueFans’ per‑MB pricing, listen time and bot costs • Spotify video’s measurement trade-offs and chapters • TV apps, watch time metrics and platform competition • Industry moves, awards, and market consolidation • On-device AI for transcripts and ad detection • Pricing shock, technical debt and clean redirects • Useful tools: analytics prefixes, music libraries and zaps Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 34m
JAN 23

Are subscriptions outpacing ads? And an exclusive

Sam has big news. Plus... (this description uses Buzzsprout's AI tool): We unpack the money and mechanics behind paid memberships, how platforms are reshaping podcast reach, and why quality and openness still matter. From Podfest honours to car dashboard wars, we map the shifting ground and share what creators should do next. • Goalhanger’s subscription economics and ad trade offs • Live festivals, community design and member retention • YouTube’s AI stance versus tool rollout • BBC’s YouTube programming strategy • Multi channel ranker data across audio, video and clips • Podcasts as quick context for breaking news • Spotify video’s measurement gap for rankers and ads • Cross app comments proposal and moderation • Merch in RSS and a simple store tag approach • Bot traffic, human first hosting and bandwidth costs • CarPlay, Android Automotive and dashboard control • New tools from Rode and Shure for creators • Awards season updates, people moves and events “You can support this show by streaming Sats, sending a super comment or boost, or becoming a power supporter at weekly.podnews.net” Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 35m
JAN 16

iHeartRadio's open RSS bet on video, and Spotify's changes

Normally it's a nice quiet start to the year, but not this year! Sam and James look at the news we've already had so far this year. So much news, no tech stuff this week - that returns next week, along with your hosts being properly dressed. • iHeartRadio adds OpenRSS video and alternate enclosures • Netflix exclusivity versus open distribution trade-offs • Deloitte’s $5bn forecast and attention data contradictions • Spotify’s dynamic video sponsorships and platform fees • Spotify’s $10bn claim weighed against Apple’s quiet gains • YouTube ad effectiveness versus audio-only performance • Podtrac trends, RSS softness, and YouTube up 82% • The 2026 battle for RSS and open standards • Apple Podcasts features, defaults, and market power • Audio UK joins the Creative Industries Council • UK and US listening hours, completion, and plays • Bot traffic, download inflation, and verified metrics • Amazon’s merch play, funding tags, and timed links • People moves, jobs, awards, and global events You can support us at weekly.podnews.net Start podcasting, keep podcasting with Buzzsprout.com Get updated every day. Subscribe to our newsletter at podnews.net Tell your friends and grow the show. Support us and support us. Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 8m
JAN 9

Podcast Predictions For 2026 - AI slop, video and more

We share five predictions each for 2026, from defining what a podcast is to why time spent listening will replace reach as the industry’s favorite metric. We weigh video’s upside against its risks for audio, call out AI slop, and back open RSS as the backbone of growth. We're back next week with our usual show. Please support us at weekly.podnews.net and click the support button Start podcasting, keep podcasting with Buzzsprout.com Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

48 min
JAN 2

Our review of 2025 - our predictions, highlights and lowlights

James and Sam look back on our predictions for what 2025 would be like - and whether we got them right. Plus, our lowlights and highlights of the year. Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 7m
12/19/2025

2025's highlights, 2026 predictions from Spotify, Apple, Amazon and more

What happens when Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Acast, Adobe, Pocket Casts, Triton, Bumper, Transistor, creators, and analysts all compare notes on where podcasting just landed—and where it’s headed next? You get a clear picture of a medium that’s fully mainstream, proudly hybrid, and fiercely contested. We gathered 25+ voices to unpack 2025’s biggest shifts and lay down their boldest calls for 2026. Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

1h 53m

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TRAILER

The Podnews Weekly Review - the last word in podcast news

Every week, the Podnews Weekly Review is the last word in podcasting news - with a look back at the most important news in podcasting, and interviews with the people that matter. Hear from James Cridland, the Editor of Podnews; Sam Sethi, the CEO of Podfans; and interviews with the people that matter. The Podnews Weekly Review. With Buzzsprout - podcast hosting made easy. Send James & Sam a message Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

S1

•

1 min

James Cridland

Host
Sam Sethi

Host

3.7

out of 5

21 Ratings

One of my favorites

11/28/2025

bdentzy

I love listening to James and Sam talk about what’s going on in podcasting and what they think it means for the rest of us.
Top resource for anyone involved in pod casting

11/22/2023

App Rover

James and Sam do an amazing job of pulling back the veil on the entire podcasting industry. 100% recommend.
This show ruined itself

06/13/2025

~ Violet ~

This show started out great, and unfortunately raced right to the bottom. Based on a transcript, this podcast sells cohost slots to turn episodes into advertisements. Without disclosing that upfront. Not ethical for a newscast. Wow. What did fiction podcasts do to Cridland? Whatever it is, it has ruined his objectivity. His grudges have slipped out of his control. Unfortunately, if I want to know what’s actually going on in podcasting I need to look it up elsewhere … Cridland and Sethi aren’t explaining things well enough. Maybe they’ll get it together. This could be really good. Early review: This show is one of the best about podcasting news and tech. Sometimes they take an odd stance on something. Don’t always reveal their own conflicts. Seem to have some weird grudges. And seem to be highly self-promoting. But some of the things that make the daily show less trustworthy and useful are smoothed out a bit in this longer format. They do know the industry, and that does show. I wish there was more diversity in perspectives at this level of coverage and monetization. I wish that was safe.
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08/13/2023

MBoudet

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The last word in podcasting news.Every Friday, James Cridland and Sam Sethi review the week's top stories from Podnews; and interview some of the biggest names making the news from across the podcast industry. Winner, "Best Podcasting Podcast", 2025 Ear Worthy Awards Support the show at https://weekly.podnews.net - or hit the boost button! Sponsored by Buzzsprout: start podcasting - keep podcasting!