MIDiA: Spotify and Apple can each lay claim to leads in podcast platform war

MIDiA Research posted a graphic from its fourth-quarter podcast tracker survey ahead of the launch of its Podcast Platforms report. The data, from a consumer survey of 576 podcast users, show Spotify with a lead in the overall weighted average of four national cohorts. Spotify is also the leading podcast app for Canada, Australia, and the UK, according to MIDiA’s research — but Google leads in the U.S. Continue Reading

BBC annual plan: More local creative, more from BBC Sounds

The BBC’s annual plan for 2019-2020 demonstrates a continued focus on local culture and creativity while embracing the ongoing digital shifts in the entertainment world. The UK broadcaster cited the popularity of audio and video streaming platforms, including Apple’s very recent announcements about television, and laid out how it plans to stay relevant in the competitive market for eyes and ears. Continue Reading

BBC’s Google block, part 2

We reported yesterday that the BBC blocked Google Podcasts’ access to BBC podcasts, so they cannot be represented in the Google Podcasts app. That block extends to playing BBC podcasts in Google Search results, via the native audio that Google has built there. The BBC declined to comment in response to our inquiry yesterday, but this morning an explanatory blog post appeared that lays out the BBC’s rationale. Continue Reading