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PodX Group is to acquire Lemonada Media.
The Swedish company already owns a number of podcast production
houses across the world.
It's their first acquisition in the US.
No terms were given. Last month, PodX merged its three UK
companies.
Spotify announced that it's to add a play count visible within
the app for all podcasts.
Plays will capture engagement across audio and video content on
Spotify, the company says,
also pointing to a blog post for creators.
But what exactly are plays?
Well, plays are a new metric that reflects the number of times
people have actively watched
or listened to any episode in your catalogue, the Spotify for
Creators page says,
but gives no detail of how it's calculated.
Pod News asked Spotify for the definition of a play.
It's a measure of intentional engagement, we were told,
but we were sent no further clarification on how it's calculated,
even when we asked again.
Consumption will now be confusingly displayed to creators in
streams, downloads and plays.
But without a definition of what a play is, it seems an opaque
and self-serving number.
Consumption hours and consumption hours by user will now also be
available in Spotify.
The Canadian podcast listener, a survey of podcast consumption
in Canada will contain enhanced video podcast metrics when it's
released later this year.
The research will break out actual audio and video consumption
among genres, top podcasts and among all podcast consumers.
Spotify and IAS launched the platform's first third-party brand
safety and suitability tool.
For podcast advertisers across the Spotify audience network, the
joint solution provides classification at the podcast episode
level for brand safety and suitability measurement.
In Germany, Wondery has done its first podcast distribution and
monetization deal.
Two podcasts have joined the network.
A weekly show with two comedians and a sports show about
football.
In the UK, a surprising announcement, Christiane Amanpour's
first podcast with Global will be co-presented with her former
husband, former US diplomat Jamie Rubin.
Fountain version 1.2 has been released, bringing a new design
for library and content pages, a rebuilt audio engine and a way
to get summaries for shows.
And PodSummit YYC in Calgary, Alberta in Canada has announced a
featured speaker, And It's Me.
The event is in mid-September.
You'll be able to buy passes soon.
And in podcast news, the bedtime podcast for anxious kids and
their parents is Wink!
Stories for Better Bedtimes, a production of BYU Radio and
always add an interruption free.
It's built to calm busy minds and busy bodies.
And Greed, Lies, Murder and Wine, Blood Vines is now available
on Open RSS.
From Wondery, the show is an eight-part narrative series that
details a years-long investigation of wine fraud in California
and the mysterious murder of a government witness.
It's hosted by investigative journalist Chris Walker, who asks a
troubling question.
How can you ever really trust what you're drinking?
And this podcast is sponsored by Red Circle.
Want to read ads for Recess, Fiji Water or Mood?
With Red Circle, you can, regardless of where you host.
You can sign up today.
There's a link in the show notes.
And that's the latest from our newsletter.
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