WEBVTT 00:00:00.420 --> 00:00:04.570 From our free daily newsletter, the latest from podnews.net with 00:00:04.570 --> 00:00:05.400 co-host. 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:10.340 Podcast ad skipping isn't as bad as I thought. 00:00:10.340 --> 00:00:14.750 That's the words of Bumpers' Dan Meisner, suggesting that, for Bumpers' 00:00:14.750 --> 00:00:15.800 clients anyway. 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:19.940 In most shows, 90% of their audience listen right through the ad 00:00:19.940 --> 00:00:20.660 breaks. 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:24.280 He concludes, the longer your ad break, the greater your ad 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:26.940 avoidance and the lower your ad retention. 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:31.430 Meanwhile, in the tech stuff later today, we'll discover that 00:00:31.430 --> 00:00:34.400 Apple Podcasts' new HLS streaming specification 00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:38.420 might include the ability to disable skipping through ads, if 00:00:38.420 --> 00:00:41.280 that part of the specification is implemented. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:45.520 The CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, was on BBC Radio 4's Today 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:47.440 programme this morning. 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:50.500 The company has donated a million pounds to the National Film 00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:51.860 and Television School. 00:00:51.860 --> 00:00:54.940 In a wide-ranging interview covering the future of television, 00:00:54.940 --> 00:00:57.760 he highlighted how much of a competitor YouTube is 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:01.920 and criticised the BBC for giving free programming to them. 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:04.400 He also spoke about podcasts. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:07.770 We've clipped a bit of those comments, in case you want to hear 00:01:07.770 --> 00:01:09.240 them in our show notes. 00:01:09.240 --> 00:01:13.240 But here's a little clip about what he thinks podcasts are. 00:01:13.240 --> 00:01:16.420 I actually think podcasts are just an extension of chat shows. 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:19.070 It's like, it's the new generation of chat shows, where you don't 00:01:19.070 --> 00:01:21.040 have to make one show that appeals to everybody. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.440 And he amazed us with his handle on the stats. 00:01:23.440 --> 00:01:25.930 I think there's a million podcasts now, literally, around the 00:01:25.930 --> 00:01:26.400 world. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:26.880 A million? 00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:31.160 The most conservative number is literally three times higher. 00:01:32.520 --> 00:01:36.420 Amazon FM, an audio monetisation network, has expanded to Brazil 00:01:36.420 --> 00:01:39.030 with the appointment of a commercial director for the country, 00:01:39.030 --> 00:01:40.140 Priscilla Falcone. 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:44.120 The Parapods Network and Daylight have signed three new shows 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:45.740 for their portfolio. 00:01:45.740 --> 00:01:49.190 The shows will gain cross-promotional opportunities, monetisation 00:01:49.190 --> 00:01:50.720 and audience development. 00:01:50.720 --> 00:01:54.940 The Australian podcast ranker, quote, fails to measure video 00:01:54.940 --> 00:01:59.020 podcasts, according to Prithi Day, a Spotify executive, 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:02.930 pointing out in reported comments to Mumbrella what she called 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:05.680 the chart's failure to capture video streams, 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:10.050 after a podcast began posting full-length video episodes on 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:10.980 Spotify. 00:02:10.980 --> 00:02:15.640 The Australian podcast ranker uses log file analysis to measure 00:02:15.640 --> 00:02:16.400 podcasts 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.770 and would happily include consumption on Spotify if the company 00:02:20.770 --> 00:02:22.280 supplied the data. 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:24.970 It's really important, she said, to have a third-party 00:02:24.970 --> 00:02:26.140 measurement platform 00:02:26.140 --> 00:02:29.540 that provides greater transparency and clarity in the ecosystem, 00:02:29.540 --> 00:02:33.020 but neglected to give any transparency as to the reason why 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:35.300 Spotify isn't supplying this data 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:38.720 to the third-party measurement ecosystem in the first place. 00:02:38.720 --> 00:02:41.780 It hasn't stopped Mumbrella writing up a big piece about it, 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:42.360 though. 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:46.470 In Ireland, the Hearsay Audio Arts Festival has been announced 00:02:46.470 --> 00:02:48.160 May 7th to the 10th, 00:02:48.160 --> 00:02:50.860 after what the festival director calls a break for renewal. 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:52.760 Calls are open for contributions. 00:02:52.760 --> 00:02:57.300 In Japan, Podcast Expo 2026 has been launched with a first set 00:02:57.300 --> 00:02:58.360 of speakers. 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.560 It calls itself Japan's largest podcast event. 00:03:01.560 --> 00:03:04.340 It's expecting more than 5,000 visitors. 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:07.760 And in further reading today, linked from our newsletter, 00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:10.910 Barrett Media speaks with a number of people about Apple Podcasts' 00:03:10.910 --> 00:03:11.920 plans for video. 00:03:12.540 --> 00:03:15.620 Stephen Goldstein says, with Apple's move, for the first time, 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:19.790 every major distribution platform now treats video as core to 00:03:19.790 --> 00:03:20.900 podcasting. 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:24.840 While John McDermott suggests that at least a third of podcasts 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:26.620 won't be able to put video 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:28.260 into Apple Podcasts, adding, 00:03:28.260 --> 00:03:31.990 I do find myself continuing to struggle to make sense of this 00:03:31.990 --> 00:03:34.200 industry's desire to pivot to video. 00:03:34.200 --> 00:03:38.700 It's a Monday, so time for some tech stuff with RSS.com. 00:03:38.760 --> 00:03:42.140 And how will Apple Podcasts' video work? 00:03:42.140 --> 00:03:46.050 Well, we've taken a long look at the HLS streams that Apple 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.180 Podcasts appear to be asking for. 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:51.910 Particularly, we learned that advertisers can mark their ads to 00:03:51.910 --> 00:03:53.040 be non-skippable, 00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:54.880 in the specification at least. 00:03:54.880 --> 00:03:56.840 From all that we can currently see, 00:03:56.840 --> 00:04:00.340 it does appear that there's nothing proprietary in how the HLS 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:01.380 streams work. 00:04:01.860 --> 00:04:05.150 So they could work well in other apps and on other devices if 00:04:05.150 --> 00:04:07.640 added to the alternate enclosure tag. 00:04:07.640 --> 00:04:12.600 Podcast host RSS.com has announced support for the alternate 00:04:12.600 --> 00:04:13.660 enclosure tag. 00:04:13.660 --> 00:04:17.000 Speaking of which, it allows you to attach alternate media files 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.360 to the same episode. 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:22.000 The company lets you use externally hosted URLs for now. 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.630 They're of particular use for bandwidth-poor countries like some 00:04:25.630 --> 00:04:26.540 parts of Africa, 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:28.660 where mobile data is very expensive, 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:31.120 and they can also be used for video. 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.640 We link to one show with an HLS video as an alternate. 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:38.720 And free podcast analytics service OP3 has published its bills 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:39.840 for February. 00:04:39.840 --> 00:04:43.080 PodNews is a supporter to help pay for the service, 00:04:43.080 --> 00:04:45.040 which monitors a tonne of shows. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:48.740 We link to over 1,300 that we've found measured. 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:53.320 And in podcast news, what do jail-breaking fighter jets, 00:04:53.320 --> 00:04:57.710 lost Amazon vans and swapping your phone's smart features for a 00:04:57.710 --> 00:05:00.220 handful of mud have in common? 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:03.380 This Week in Tech will tell you it's all the best tech news, 00:05:03.380 --> 00:05:06.400 all in one place with Leo Laporte and friends, 00:05:06.400 --> 00:05:09.280 and that show is with Airwave, and we thank them for their 00:05:09.280 --> 00:05:09.920 support. 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:13.060 What can a tiny worm tell us about human ageing? 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:17.300 And could gut bacteria hold the key to a longer, healthier life? 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:22.820 Beyond Longevity is a new podcast exploring the cutting edge of 00:05:22.820 --> 00:05:24.200 longevity science 00:05:24.200 --> 00:05:27.800 through in-depth conversations with leading researchers, 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.120 clinicians, and innovators. 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.950 And Battles of the First World War is a show looking at the 00:05:33.950 --> 00:05:36.800 battles of the Great War of 1914 to 1918. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:40.460 The show dives into the details of how and why these battles 00:05:40.460 --> 00:05:42.260 unfolded and happened as they did, 00:05:42.260 --> 00:05:46.000 and revisits the stories of the men and women who lived, fought, 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.420 and died during the first titanic struggle of the 20th century. 00:05:49.420 --> 00:05:52.700 The new season focuses on the Second Battle of the Marne, the 00:05:52.700 --> 00:05:54.640 turning point of 1918. 00:05:54.640 --> 00:05:58.300 And this podcast is sponsored by Co-Host. 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:01.460 Is your podcast audience truly growing? 00:06:01.880 --> 00:06:05.680 Explore Co-Host's new listener metric that reveals how many 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.300 people are discovering your podcast for the very first time. 00:06:09.300 --> 00:06:11.020 Learn more about Co-Host. 00:06:11.020 --> 00:06:12.440 There's a link in our show notes. 00:06:12.440 --> 00:06:14.320 And that's the latest from our newsletter. 00:06:14.320 --> 00:06:18.340 To read all the stories and subscribe for free, we're at podnews.net.