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Podcast causes diplomatic incident Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

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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10,000+ Finance Episodes. Here's What Works. — We've produced finance podcasts since 2015 for RIAs, allocators, PE firms, and VCs. This is what we've learned about building shows that actually move the business. Free.
Your next podcast episode, professionally recorded — Walk into a ready-to-record Melrose Podcasts studio in Los Angeles, New York or Austin. Bring your idea and choose the setup that fits, from audio-only recording to full multicamera production.
Ask a Marketer: How Advertisers Read the Research — John Right Side Up and Sounds Profitable as they walk through the latest podcast research to show you how real marketers think about consumer data. Turn numbers into insights and insights into action!

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

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Podcast Movement NYC reveals first set of speakers Aug 13, 2026

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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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Ask a Marketer: How Advertisers Read the Research — John Right Side Up and Sounds Profitable as they walk through the latest podcast research to show you how real marketers think about consumer data. Turn numbers into insights and insights into action!

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Acast acquires Backyard Ventures Aug 12, 2026

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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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Ask a Marketer: How Advertisers Read the Research — John Right Side Up and Sounds Profitable as they walk through the latest podcast research to show you how real marketers think about consumer data. Turn numbers into insights and insights into action!

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

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

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Locked out: YouTube changes qualification for ad revenue Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

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

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

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Now anyone can earn from Apple Podcasts video Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

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

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Storm clouds at Cumulus Podcast Network Aug 07, 2026

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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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What Finance Podcasts Get Wrong at Launch — Skipping compliance workflows, no content buffer, missing guest release templates. This free checklist makes sure none of that happens to your show.
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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, SoundStack, Frequency, Blubrry, PodAnalyst, Truefans, Companion Arts, Podium , Jonekiri, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, iono.fm, Podium, Tink Media, Locked On Podcast Network, Red Seat Ventures, Voxtopica, Compliance Podcast Network, Castbox, Ausha, Podcast Movement, POW PR, The Podcast Haven, Hypecast, Health Podcast Network, Transistor, Headliner, Rhapsody Voices, Double Elvis Productions, Diversion Podcasts, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Lemonada Media, CreatorX, Rephonic, Jam Street Media, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Adopter Media, Signal Hill Insights

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13% now consume podcasts most on the TV Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

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

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Acast and Buzzsprout both enhance video offerings Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

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

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EXCLUSIVE: Spotify threatens podcasting with ad-skipping tool Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

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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This one mistake kills podcast → client conversion — Most coaches & consultants accidentally design episodes that suppress sales. This free case study shows you the 3 elements every episode needs to attract, prime, and convert your ideal buyers fast.
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Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Nomono, Magellan AI, Hypecast, Frequency, Jonekiri, Truefans, POW PR, Compliance Podcast Network, Red Seat Ventures, Locked On Podcast Network, PodAnalyst, Blubrry, Podcast Movement, Podium , iono.fm, Ausha, Companion Arts, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Castbox, SoundStack, Voxtopica, The Podcast Haven, Tink Media, Podium, Health Podcast Network, CreatorX, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rhapsody Voices, Rephonic, Double Elvis Productions, Diversion Podcasts, Transistor, Jam Street Media, Headliner, Lemonada Media, Content10x, Podcast Partnership, Cleanfeed, Revolver Podcasts, Adopter Media, Lower Street, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Signal Hill Insights

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The EU Artificial Intelligence Act becomes law Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

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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