Italian Podcasting Festival 2025 announced

At a time of rapid growth in the audio ecosystem, the Italian Podcasting Festival confirms its position as a reference point for professionals, creators, brands, institutions and podcast enthusiasts, with a packed calendar of presentations, talks, courses, labs, panels, workshops, networking events and live shows.

Under the organisation and artistic direction of Ester Memeo, CEO and Founder of Podstar, the 2025 edition will address the most relevant topics in today’s digital audio entertainment landscape:

• Video podcasting: workshops, talks and case studies to learn how to produce video-audio content strategically;
• Artificial intelligence applied to podcasting: tools, experiences and reflections on how AI is transforming production and distribution;
• Podcasting and social communication: the role of podcasts in spreading civic, cultural and current affairs topics;
• Crossmediality: how podcasts interact with other media and formats, creating complex editorial and narrative ecosystems.

On the 20th of September, the local events in Rome will begin with a showcase of live podcast presentations and the awarding of a Prize for the best innovation focused podcasts, organised in collaboration with the Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti – Roma Capitale and Rome Future Week. At the Casa del Podcast in Villa Torlonia, ASSIPOD.org – the Italian Podcasting Association will offer free training courses for those starting from scratch, along with masterclasses on advanced topics such as the podcast and audiobook market and production.

On the 30th of September, for International Podcast Day, an online event will feature Italian and international guests to explore global trends and exchange experiences from around the world. On that same day, new data on the Italian podcast market will be presented, based on research by NielsenIQ for Audible – an Amazon company and one of the leading players in the production and distribution of high-quality audio entertainment (audiobooks, podcasts and audio series). The report will offer an updated overview of listening trends, formats and user behaviours.

The Festival will culminate in the Podcast Summit in Milan, held at Cascina Triulza – MIND Milano Innovation District, across two days:

• On the 3rd of October, the event will feature presentations and live podcasts in collaboration with 24Ore Podcast – the podcast division of Gruppo 24 ORE. Later in the day, in collaboration with Acast, the long awaited Emerging Podcasts section will showcase the most notable projects published over the past year. On this occasion, the Breakthrough Podcast of the Year Award, established by MediaKey and dedicated to the most outstanding emerging podcast, will also be presented. The day will conclude with the Aperipodcast, the Festival’s traditional networking event that brings together the community and industry professionals.

• On the 4th of October, the Festival’s final day will include themed panels, workshops and live performances by creators and podcasters, who will take the stage with original formats created specially for the event. On the same day, the Pod24 Award by 24Ore Podcast will be presented, recognising the work of the best independent podcasts in reportage and investigative storytelling.

Among the first confirmed sponsors and partners of the 2025 edition: Acast, Audible, Yamaha Music Europe GMBH – Branch Italy, ASSIPOD - Associazione Italiana Podcasting, Spotify and Canva, with additional participation from YouTube. The collaboration with 24Ore Podcast is also confirmed, underscoring the growing recognition of podcasting as a cultural and social medium.

Official media partners of the Festival are MediaKey and Class Editori, supporting the visibility and dissemination of content across the Italian podcasting ecosystem.