Podnews Weekly Review

Apple turns on HLS video in Apple Podcasts and rewrites the business rules while keeping files with hosts. We unpack the listener experience, creator workflows, dynamic ads, costs, open standards, and what Spotify and YouTube might do next, with insights from Justin Jackson.

• HLS explained and why it matters for control
• What listeners get on iOS and when it ships
• MP4 feeds versus HLS delivery trade-offs
• ...

(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 an...

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...

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 us...

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, commun...

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...

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.

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Start podcasting, keep podcasti...

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 messag...

We track the biggest forces shaping podcasting next year: Goalhanger’s network effect, a pivot to listener-based analytics, and the tension between open RSS and closed “podcast” branding from big platforms. We dig into video hosting defaults, live streaming, and why honest metrics will decide winners.

(It's a re-upload! With the intro.)

• Apple’s Show of the Year milestone and Goalhanger’s model
• Cross-promo and c...

(This is made with AI from our sponsor, Buzzsprout)

We break down the Recap Apocalypse across Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Amazon, then dig into craft with Brad Mielke on how Start Here reached 2,000 episodes by prioritising clarity, titles that pull, and audio-first production. Data meets discipline and the result is steady growth without burnout.

• Spotify’s Creator Wrapped as a real growth tool
• YouTube’s ...

(This description is produced by our sponsor Buzzsprout's CoHost AI tool).

We cut through the download delusion and show how people, playback, and time spent reveal true growth. Dan Misener explains loyalty metrics, we test platform tactics, and we share simple ways to turn spikes into steady listeners.

• people numbers, playback intent, and time spent as core metrics
• loyalty as repeat listening, short‑...

We break down TikTok’s podcast network with iHeart, Netflix’s audio push, and whether video is worth the cost, then dig into research on clips, companion podcasts, and the ad shift between radio and on‑demand. Sari Azut joins to show how a screenshot becomes a shareable clip and useful attention data.

• TikTok’s entry into podcasting and censorship concerns
• iHeart’s finances, radio softness, and podcast growth
• ...

(This is an AI description from Buzzsprout's Cohost)

We test Netflix’s “video podcast” land grab, then show why Apple’s AI chapters and Timed Links are the practical upgrade creators needed. DAX’s Brian Conlan joins to explain why audio’s problem is ROAS, not downloads, and how better measurement unlocks bigger budgets.

• Netflix licensing moves and YouTube exclusivity trade-offs
• Why this is cheap TV, n...

We unpack a bold true crime breakthrough: RNZ uses AI to recreate a deceased inmate’s voice with family consent and full disclosure, elevating the investigation without faking facts. We also dive into video on the TV screen, premium RSS, and why co‑host chemistry beats guest fatigue.

• Spotify adds video podcasts to Apple TV
• YouTube AI upscales low‑res video and adds QR shopping
• RNZ’s NARC uses 11Labs with ethi...

We track Edison Research’s sale to SSRS, Spotify’s TV distribution push, and whether video truly grows podcast audiences. We debate Oxford Road’s new ad-performance ranker, membership models that creators can own, and the messy state of podcast standards.

• SSRS acquires Edison Research and keeps the team
• Edison’s people-based ranker shows stable top shows and fast risers
• Spotify expands via Samsung TV Plus and...

We break down the Netflix–Spotify pact to move select video podcasts off YouTube, weigh the real winners, and ask whether exclusivity helps or harms creators. We also challenge Apple’s ad‑free push, share data on when people actually listen, and explore practical tools that make podcasts easier to find and love.

We'd have had ChadF on this week for an interview, but technology let us down. Sorry.

• Why Netfli...

Flightcast’s Rox Codes joins us to unpack a video-first hosting and growth platform built for YouTube, Spotify, and serious creators, while we challenge inflated web “browser” downloads, pricing resets, and what actually counts as a podcast in a $3B market. We weigh useful AI assistants against synthetic co-hosts, and map the road to practical standards like HLS and Podcasting 2.0.

• livewire host-share data showing consol...