Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
Vulture shares podcast insights: New York Magazine’s Vulture website has published a trio of interesting podcast articles. First is a history of podcasting’s start and recent surge of interest, then investigating whether the industry is in “a podcast bubble.” Finally, it shared a collection of 100 shows to listen to.
Qualcomm plans future smart speaker chip upgrades: The insides of smart speakers may be getting an upgrade. Qualcomm announced plans for a new chip to power faster and smarter responses from voice assistants, even in noisy environments, as well as one for improving the audio in smaller, inexpensive devices. There’s no launch date for these yet, according to Engadget, but it’s a notable development for those who are carefully monitoring the hardware market.
Deloitte finds “subscription fatigue” for video: Once again, audio platforms may want to stay attuned to the woes and victories in their video counterparts. A survey by Deloitte found that 47% of U.S. consumers are frustrated by the number of subscriptions and different services they use for video entertainment. Not only are Netflix and Hulu continuing to offer increasingly distinct sets of programming, but new services from Apple and Disney will join niche options to make the video space very crowded. Deloitte also found that 57% voiced frustrated that content leaves services when licenses expire. “Consumers want choice — but only up to a point,” said Kevin Westcott, Deloitte vice chairman and U.S. telecom and media and entertainment leader.