Comprehensive coverage of the podcasting industry and its business ecosystem.
Apple’s Siri voice assistant is getting a closer relationship with podcasts. When asking Siri for news, the platform can provide audio-based news updates from the Podcasts app. In the U.S., Siri defaults to audio updates from NPR, but a second voice command can change the default to The Washington Post, CNN, or Fox News. Continue Reading
Pandora is making plans to broaden its podcast offerings. CEO Roger Lynch spoke with Variety during CES and said his goal is to create “the equivalent of the podcast genome project.” Lynch said the company is working on a system that would allow listeners to browse and discover new shows on Pandora. The move isn’t unprecedented, but there are some questions. Continue Reading
Stitcher announced the debut of two new shows on its podcast network. The first is Unladylike and the second show is Who Is Franklin Jones? The Stitcher Premium subscription service is also getting three new programs. Continue Reading
PodcastOne SportsNet is partnering with AP to provide listeners with reports from athletic events. The partnership will kick off with coverage of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The deal promises real-time access to sports programming, and expands PodcastOne’s existing roster of shows centered on athletics and athletes. Continue Reading
Gimlet Media has hired Jenny Wall as its new chief marketing officer. Wall will be responsible for marketing and audience growth for the podcasting business, including its adaptations into film and television projects. Continue Reading
American Public Media and Putney Student Travel are hosting an immersive podcast program aimed at high school students. The Summer Podcast Institute is a two-week educational program in St. Paul, Minn., for students interested in podcast and audio production. Continue Reading
Podtrac has published its rankings of the top podcasts and the top podcast publishers for November 2017. The company added a third chart of the top “snackable” shows for the month, but that has had little impact on the top podcasts list. Continue Reading
This guest column by Corey Layton, Content and Marketing Director at Whooshkaa, boldly predicts th podcast industry into 2018. Even more bravely, this article looks back at Corey Layton’s 2017 predictions. Continue Reading
Podtrac has launched a third podcast ranking chart. In addition to its monthly list of the top podcast publishers and the top podcasts, the company has debuted a third ranker called Top 15 Snackable Podcasts. Insight from CEO Mark McCrery. Continue Reading
BuzzFeed will cease its production of the Another Round podcast starting in 2018. However, hosts Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu have taken over ownership of the show. The duo announced on Twitter that they plan to take a break, but will be back to continue making the popular show. Continue Reading
General Motors is reportedly adding podcasts to the dashboard of about one-million cars. Only a handful of podcasts will be included in a proprietary selection. The most interesting aspect of this venture is GM’s recognition of podcasting as a worthy audio category around which to build business relationships and proprietary distribution products. Continue Reading
PRX has received a grant of $465,000 from the Barr Foundation that will support a multi-tier podcast training program next year. The 2018 campaign will build on PRX’s Podcast Garage studio and its Project Catapult training program for public radio stations. Continue Reading