Podnews Weekly Review

3.7 (23)
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 · Video

In full: Dave Jones from Podcast Index; and Inception Point AI's final controversy

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail Sam and James talk about a new podcast interview with Inception Point AI; and Sam discusses with Dave Jones of Podcast Index about the future of podcasting. • Patreon removing per creation memberships and what that breaks for seasonal creators • Reddit RSS shutdown, public API restrictions, and the economics of selling data to AI companies • Real-world costs of AI scrapers, bot traffic, and why caching is essential • How Podping replaces constant polling with near real-time feed update pings • Why the new Podping peer-to-peer gossip mesh reduces single points of failure • How podping.cloud publishing works today and why token signup must become scalable • The origin story of the Podcast Index and the case for an open directory • A decentralised future where the index database can be rebuilt from distributed updates • Why the Podcasting 2.0 namespace exists and how new RSS tags get adopted • Live tag friction, host responsibilities, and what would make live podcasting simpler • Micropayments reality check, regulation hurdles, and why stablecoins may be next • The risk of over-marketing features versus letting builders discover and succeed organically Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Sep 27 · Video

After Podcast Week; and a chat with SupaPass

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail Sam and James look at Podcast Week, and the highs (and lows) of the week in NYC. Plus, Sam catches up with SupaPass, to learn more about the membership platform. If your podcast app supports it, we're in video this week. BuzzsproutStart podcasting - keep podcasting!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Sep 18

From Podcast Movement NYC, 2026

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail There's a really good reason why this show is just one minute thirty seconds long. Listen to find out! We'll catch you next week. And Happy Birthday, Sam Sethi Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Sep 11

Everywhere Launches A New Way To Monetise Creators

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail We talk with the founders of Everywhere about building a sales and monetisation layer for creators whose audiences now span podcasts, YouTube, social, and live. We also scan the week’s podcast industry moves, from AI production tools and shifting download trends to Apple updates, app features, awards, and upcoming events. • Why Everywhere forms and what it tries to fix for creators and brands • How cross-platform campaigns work without drowning audiences in sponsors • The difference between a media agency and a creator sales house • Revenue model basics, revenue share and incentives for creator monetisation • Measurement problems across platforms, APIs, dashboards and “real” performance • Spotify skip button concerns and why platform agnostic strategy matters • Linnet AI production studio and what an end-to-end workflow could change • Podtrac ranker drops, podcast inactivity stats and what they do and do not mean • Hosting and ad tech moves, DAI access, contextual targeting and video ads • Pocket Casts updates, Apple web player improvements and other tooling news • Awards, events, and community notes including Podcast Movement plans BuzzsproutStart podcasting - keep podcasting!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Sep 4

Why Acast Bought Backyard Ventures And What Changes Next

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail James is in Jakarta - Sam is in the UK. Below, what's in the show (courtesy of Buzzsprout's AI feature); we use chapters to let you skip to wherever you want. We talk with Acast CEO Greg Glenday and Backyard Ventures CEO Matt Cisneros about why the acquisition is about culture and building faster, not just inventory, and how Acast plans to stay focused while the industry shifts under its feet. We also unpack YouTube shopping, inflated play metrics, RSS distribution friction, and what Podcast Day Asia reveals about where monetization and video are heading globally. • creator-first service as a growth strategy for podcasts, YouTube, newsletters and social • why Acast says focus and stopping projects drives profitability • video podcasting as an evolution, keeping distribution open and platform-agnostic • creator feedback loops using research, surveys and performance data • Spotify ad skipping backlash, what it means for creators and advertisers • new platform entrants, MG deals and why the long tail matters • newsletters as monetizable inventory, including the Kit partnership and Acast Austin • AI usage lines, transparency and rejecting synthetic hosts for companionship media • YouTube Amazon affiliate shopping, storefront links and RSS tag ideas • YouTube play metric changes, AMP Accords tension and measurement trust • field notes from Podcast Day Asia Jakarta, localization and payment realities • Buzzsprout one-click directory submissions, support fallout and RSS education • industry moves across hosting, programmatic radio ads, events and tooling You can give us feedback using the Buzzsprout voicemail link in our show notes, or become a monthly power supporter like the 24 Power Supporters at weekly.podnews.net, which we thank them very much for. Subscribe to our newsletter at podnews.net. Tell your friends and grow the show. And support us. Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Aug 28

When Algorithms Pull The Plug On Creators - the YouTube Faustian Pact

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail James and Sam look into this week's podcasting news, including the show pulled by YouTube. • YouTube removing a top podcast with no warning, then reinstating it • The risk of building a show on third-party platforms and automated enforcement • Why we think a podcast needs an RSS feed to be a podcast • YouTube reportedly paying creators to avoid Netflix and the coercion angle • Newsletters as the best real estate in podcasting and why platforms are piling in • Acast partnering with Kit versus all-in-one creator platforms like Beehive • Spotify Megaphone issues affecting ad campaigns and DAI reliability • Podbean analytics filters mistakenly wiping Apple Podcasts downloads • The whack-a-mole problem of bots, crawlers, and imperfect measurement • Podcast 2.0 building blocks gaining traction: person tags and location tags • Podcast Radar as a map-based discovery tool and why rich location data matters • Threads experimenting with transcript-synced audio posts • Listener mail on Megaphone support and hosting fit Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Aug 21

What Spotify And YouTube Changes Mean For Podcast Revenue

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail James is joined this week by Liam Heffernan from Mercury Podcasts, while Sam gets wet walking around Ireland. We weigh how platform decisions around ads, metrics, and video can quietly reshape podcast monetization, especially for smaller independent creators. We also zoom out to what these changes mean for trust in reporting, discoverability, and the future of open podcasting. • Mercury Podcasts’ mission to support independent shows ready to level up • Independent Podcasters Day and why indies need their own space • Spotify ad skipping tests and the knock on effects for programmatic revenue • Listener tolerance for unskippable ads and the risk of audience platform switching • YouTube’s “views” versus “engaged views” and why measurement transparency matters • Video podcast growth claims from Apple Podcasts and Buzzsprout plus what the numbers might miss • Discoverability pressure on audio only creators as platforms push video • Inception Point AI rebrand to Liquify AI and what the pivot signals • Megaphone back end changes, ad delivery quirks, and competitive separation rules • Podcast ad spend growth in Australia and Ireland plus notable industry job moves • Awards, events, and why more regional podcast conferences matter • Practical AI use in production workflows and where automation goes too far Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net
Aug 14

RSS launches video podcasts that pay; and Acast buys Backyard Ventures

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail We speak with Ben and Alberto from RSS.com on their new video podcast plan. Plus, Acast is buying Backyard Ventures: why? • RSS.com MAX plan for Apple HLS video and 70% revenue share • PAID meaning programmatic ads inserted dynamically • Interstitial ad markers on Apple versus baked ads for other apps • Alternate enclosure as a Podcasting 2.0 path to keep RSS open • Apple’s ad serving fee question and the limits of contract transparency • Why Apple may prefer an API workflow for video safety controls • YouTube raising monetisation thresholds and what that signals to creators • Spotify’s ad skip experiment and the risks of relying on one platform • Acast buying Backyard Ventures as a scale and inventory play in the US • Apple Podcasts play counts critique and why some analysts say ignore them • Magellan AI reporting ad revenue growth alongside rising ad load • Disney Plus, Hulu, and Twitch as new distribution surfaces for podcasts • Overcast and iOS updates plus the expanding HLS support lists • AI slop reporting ideas and watermarking attempts • Browser based transcription and summary tools as cheaper hosting features Get updated every day. Subscribe to our newsletter at podnews.net. Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net

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Trailer

The Podnews Weekly Review - the last word in podcast news

Send James and Sam a message or voicemail 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. Support the show Connect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.netFediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.socialSupport us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/supportGet Podnews: podnews.net

James Cridland

Host
Sam Sethi

Host

3.7

out of 5

23 Ratings

Sometimes is very informative

Sep 11

KRMedia

Fun at times.
My go to for all things related to the podcast industry

Mar 2

Ralph Owens | Houston TX

James and Sam give me the daily and weekly updates on the podcast industry that I need as a podcaster. Both the daily and weekly shows are always in my rotation.
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.
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.

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!