Pocket Casts
Address: 
60 29th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
Website: pocketcasts.com
Owned by: Automattic
Latest news
- Sep 18: Are podcasts at the front of the store? Showing a preview of data from the upcoming Podcast Landscape 2026 study at Podcast Movement NYC, Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster revealed that, for the first time, the top three places where people have "ever" consumed podcasts are not dedicated podcast apps. YouTube, Spotify and Netflix don't show podcasts front-and-centre when using them, requiring users to dive into menus to discover any podcasts. Webster compared Netflix's podcasts category as the equivalent of the CD range in a Walmart - just the most popular titles in a small selection which is hard to find; while a real podcast app like Apple Podcasts or Pocket Casts was the equivalent of Tower Records.
- Sep 10: The CEO of the Pocket Casts and Wordpress owner Automattic, Matt Mullenweg has been placed on mandatory administrative leave by the company's board of directors, after returning from Burning Man. He will be replaced by interim CEO Mark Davies. Mullenweg has initiated a number of legal quarrels over the past year, and lost more than 150 employees. He claims he was "conspired against".
- Sep 8: Popular podcast app Pocket Casts is adding a new "networks" section in the Discover view in the app. Got a network to submit? You'll want this form.
- Sep 2: Blubrry has released support for HLS video for Apple Podcasts, including the alternate enclosure for apps like Pocket Casts and others, for all plans. (The company puts both HLS and the original video file in the alternate enclosure).
- Aug 6: Back in Dec 2021, the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Activists sued SiriusXM for not providing podcast transcripts in its app. In 2022, SiriusXM kicked back, calling it un-necessary and unreasonable. Since then, we've seen Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Spotify and even SiriusXM add transcripts to podcast apps - to the point where it's an expected feature. It now appears that the two sides have reached agreement in principle on all key terms after more than a year of negotiations suspended the court action. Judge Jeanette Vargas has allowed a final deadline extension of Oct 30.
Data credits: Google Maps, Podnews newsletter