Podcasting in Iran has come a long way. What started as a niche hobby in the early 2010s has exploded into a massive cultural force over the last five years. Today, it’s not just for techies; it’s where millions of Persian speakers go for education, self-improvement, and a sense of connection. In fact, the Iranian podcast market is currently growing as fast as the global average (if not faster), fueled by a young, urban population that can’t get enough of high-quality audio.

A Market That Speaks for Itself

A key thing to understand about Iran's podcast market is the language it operates in. Iran speaks Persian (also known as Farsi), one of the world's most widely spoken languages with an estimated 100–110 million speakers globally. It is the official language of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, with around 70 million native speakers in Iran alone. This matters enormously for the podcasting landscape: unlike much of the broader Middle East and North Africa, which shares Arabic as a common language and therefore a largely common content ecosystem, Iran sits in its own distinct linguistic world. The Arabic-speaking podcast market spans over 20 countries and some 400 million people; but Iranian creators and listeners aren't part of it. Persian content is produced for Persian speakers, and Persian speakers consume Persian content. That makes Iran's podcast market not just a subset of a regional trend, but a self-contained and fast-growing ecosystem in its own right.

The Big Picture: Podcasting in Iran and the Middle East

The broader Middle East and Africa (MEA) podcasting market is currently valued at approximately $1,378.8 million as of 2024.2 Industry analysts project this market to experience a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34% from 2025 to 2030, eventually reaching a total revenue of $7,992.5 million.

Within this regional context, Iran represents a unique and highly active segment. While global podcast listener numbers stood at roughly 464 million in 2023 (representing about 6% of the world's population) Iran’s penetration rate has reached a significantly higher threshold. By the end of 2024, around 8 million Iranians regularly listened to podcasts, which accounts for 10% of the national population and approximately 11% of the country’s internet users. This disproportionate adoption rate clearly shows how Iranians have embraced the medium at a level above the world per-capita norm. The total addressable market (TAM) for Persian podcasts is estimated at between 15 million and 20 million potential listeners, suggesting that the industry still possesses significant room for horizontal expansion.

By the Numbers: Who is Listening?

The Iranian audience has grown steadily, even with some serious internet and economic hurdles. Back in 2020, there were about 5.5 million listeners; by the end of 2025, that number was projected to cross 10.5 million.

On the creator's side, things are just as busy. By the end of 2024, Over 9,000 Persian-language podcasts have been created, though many have gone quiet. Currently, about 20% of those (around 1,936 shows) are considered "active," meaning they’ve put out at least ten episodes and updated recently.

So, who’s tuning in? Mostly young, educated city-dwellers. About 41% of listeners are between 20 and 30, and another 32% are in the 30-to-40 age bracket. Listeners over the age of 40 make up only 14% of the total, and those between 10-20 years old represent 13%. This concentration among 20-to-40-year-olds highlights the medium's role as a primary source of information and entertainment for the workforce and university student population.

The gender split is fairly even, though it leans slightly more male (60%) than female (40%). Geographically, one can say it’s really a big-city game: Tehran (the capital city of Iran) is the clear leader, followed by some other major cities such as Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, and Shiraz. There’s also a huge "diaspora" audience listening from the US, Canada, Germany, and Australia.

Where Iranians Listen

While the hierarchy of podcast platforms in 2026 is led by YouTube (39%), followed by Spotify (21%) and Apple Podcasts (8%), Iran has its own platform hierarchy. Because of the unique regulatory and economic environment of the country (especially because of the sanctions and internet access), global giants aren't always the easiest to use. This is why the market is characterized by the extreme dominance of a single international aggregator and a burgeoning domestic hosting ecosystem.

The Castbox Crown

In Iran, Castbox is one of the leaders. It holds a massive 80% to 89% of the market. Why? Its user-friendly, high-performance interface functions reliably in Iran. Its social features, particularly the ability for users to leave comments and engage in discussions directly on episode pages, really clicked with an Iranian audience seeking community in a restricted digital space.

The Local Heroes

Domestic platforms are also stepping up. Shenoto is the largest local player, acting as both a host and a distribution app. Out of the 10,000+ Persian podcasts by early 2025, more than 8,000 use Shenoto’s services. It uses a "freemium" model, keeping most things free while offering a paid archive for top shows. It currently holds about 15-18% of the listener market. Other platforms, such as Namlik and Tehran Podcast, occupy a smaller portion of the market, together accounting for less than 3% of the total audience.

What’s Trending: It’s All About Self-Improvement

In many countries, categories such as comedy, news and sports may rule the charts, while the Iranian market exhibits a distinct "utilitarian" preference. Iranians are much more practical listeners. They mainly tune in to podcasts in order to learn skills, improve their mental health, or understand the world better.

Psychology and Learning

This is the biggest category by far. Shows like BPlus (book summaries) and Radio Rah(psychology) have some of the most massive followings. Research by the Rastak Research Center indicates that while religious and news topics have high production volumes, their actual audience share is remarkably low compared to the psychology and education sectors.

The Top Hits

The concentration of audience attention in Iran is highly intense, with a small number of "super-podcasts" capturing the majority of total listens. Total listens for Persian podcast episodes reached 696 million by 2024, with the top tier of shows accounting for a massive percentage of these interactions.

Podcasts Detail

• Radio Rah رادیو راه با مجتبی شکوری: Hosted by Mojtaba Shakouri, this podcast is arguably the most successful in the history of the Persian audio industry. It has surpassed 50 million total listens and maintains over 1.32 million followers on Castbox. Its content centers on life philosophy, love, and the search for meaning.
• BPlus بی‌پلاس پادکست فارسی خلاصه کتاب: Created by Ali Bandari, this show summarizes non-fiction books. It has recorded 34 million listens and has a follower count exceeding 1 million. Bandari's success led to the creation of a full production team, making BPlus a benchmark for professionalized podcasting in Iran.
• ChannelB پادکست فارسی: Another Ali Bandari production, this is one of the oldest and most respected narrative podcasts, focusing on true international reports.
• Jafekri جافکری: Produced by "Amirali G.," this podcast invites diverse thinkers to discuss mental models and has secured over 733,000 followers.
• Solh صلح درون: Hosted by Sepehr Khodabande, this podcast focuses on internal peace and emotional regulation, boasting 702,000 followers.
• Ravaq رواق: Farzin Ranjber hosts this deep-dive into existential psychology, primarily based on the works of Irvin Yalom. It has approximately 450,000 followers.
• radiogeek رادیوگیک: Hosted by the influential tech figure "Jadi," this podcast explores the intersection of technology, society, and freedom. It has over 68,000 followers on Castbox and is a staple for the Iranian developer community.

Audiobooks: A Massive Market

The audiobook scene in Iran is a multi-million-dollar industry. Two platforms really run the show here: Fidibo and Taaghche.

• Fidibo: Fidibo, launched in 2013 by Majid Ghasemi, was the first major platform to offer legal electronic and audio versions of Persian books. Its acquisition by Digikala (Iran's largest e-commerce group) provided it with the capital and user base needed to dominate the early market. By early 2025, Fidibo had expanded its catalog to include thousands of titles from major publishers and specialized sectors such as the capital market.
• Taaghche: A major rival with over 15 million installs. Their latest report shows that audiobooks now dominate their best-seller lists, and their users logged over 12 million hours of study time by early 2025. Taaghche did face a major hurdle in 2023 when its license was briefly suspended by the government but the platform remains a top choice for users.9

In addition to these two platforms, Shenoto also offers more than 2000 audiobooks, mainly as part of its premium plan.

Audiobook Consumption Data

According to Taaghche's data, audiobooks now dominate the bestseller lists in Iran. The peak hours for listening are between 10:00 PM and 1:00 AM, indicating that audiobooks have become a primary ritual for relaxation before sleep. December is the month with the highest reading and listening activity.

Startups and Production Hubs

The Persian podcasting landscape is increasingly characterized by professionalized startups and regional production hubs that serve both domestic and diaspora audiences. While many creators start as independent individuals, the top-tier shows have transitioned into media companies.

Key Audio Startups in Iran

• Shenoto (شنوتو): Founded in 2017 by Amir Hossein Madadi, Shenoto is the most comprehensive audio ecosystem in Iran. It provides hosting, distribution, and marketplace tools for 8,000+ audio creators. It has been instrumental in promoting "podcast culture" through its Android and web applications.
• Namlik (ناملیک): A focused platform for short-form audio content and professional narration of magazine articles.
• Tehran Podcast (تهران پادکست): A Persian podcast platform, curating Farsi audio content for listeners.
• Pejvak (پژواک) Festival: While not a startup, this state-supported initiative represents the institutionalization of podcasting, providing awards and recognition for audio excellence.

The Rise of the "Videocast"

A significant trend in the last 24 months is the transition of audio podcasts into "videocasts." This shift is driven by the fact that YouTube has become the primary search engine for long-form content, even for those who primarily listen. YouTube is officially blocked in Iran, but it is "wildly popular" through the use of VPNs. Persian creators have built massive audiences on the platform, attracted by the potential for dollar-denominated income. However, YouTube's improved location-detection systems have recently penalized creators whose audiences are primarily inside Iran. Ad revenue that previously reached $11 per thousand views has, in some cases, plummeted to $1 per thousand views because advertisers see little value in reaching a market where they cannot sell products because of sanctions.

Top Persian Videocasts and Channels (2024-2025)

The most successful videocasts blend the conversational style of a podcast with high-quality visual production. Some of these most successful channels include:

• Kouman: Known for their entertainment and food-testing videos, this duo attracts millions of views and operates in a format that mirrors conversational podcasting.
• Tabagheh 16 (طبقه ۱۶): Hosted by Soheil Alavi, this videocast features long-form interviews with startup founders and artists, focusing on the future of humanity and technology.
• MiaPlays: While primarily a vlogger, her channel is a primary example of high-engagement Persian video content with a massive following among the Gen-Z demographic.14
• Football360: Adel Ferdosipour’s platform, which features in-depth interviews and football analysis in a high-end videocast format.

The Revenue Gap: How Do They Make Money?

Monetization remains the most significant hurdle for the Iranian podcasting industry. Approximately 96% of Persian podcasts currently have no formal revenue model and are produced as passion projects or for brand-building.

The Sponsorship Dominance

For the 4% of podcasts that do earn revenue, the sponsorship model is the primary engine. About 80% of total industry revenue comes from advertising and brand partnerships. Major Iranian tech firms, such as Digikala (Iranian alternative to Amazon) and Snapp (Iranian alternative to Uber), have been the most active sponsors, valuing the high engagement and demographic profile of podcast listeners.

CPMs and Revenue Streams

While global CPM (Cost Per Mille) rates for podcasts range from $15 to $30 for 60-second ads, the Iranian market operates on a different scale. Revenue is highly concentrated: the top 2% of podcasts capture 95% of all industry earnings.

The "Sanction Gap" prevents Iranian creators from accessing international ad-networks or platforms like Patreon. Instead, they rely on:

• Domestic Ad Networks: Agencies like Yektanet that offer podcast-specific ad placements.
• Telegram-based Ad Sales: Many podcasters use their companion Telegram channels (often with tens of thousands of members) to sell advertising.
• Direct-to-Fan Payments: Using domestic platforms like HamiBash to collect small donations from loyal listeners.

Headwinds of Persian Podcasting

Internet disruptions have a direct impact on content production (both audio and video) in Iran. For example, in late 2022 to early 2023, the production of podcast episodes in Iran dropped to 582,273, down from 664,960 in the previous year, a decline attributed to internet shutdowns and the social atmosphere following major protests. To keep listening, Iranians rely a lot on VPNs. This widespread use of VPNs complicates data for creators; for example, an advertiser may see a "German" audience for a Persian podcast, when in reality, 90% of those listeners are in Tehran using a German IP.

What’s Next for Persian Podcasts?

Despite the challenges, the outlook for the Persian podcasting industry is one of resilient (but sometimes slow) growth. Several key trends are expected to define the next five years:

Integration of Artificial Intelligence

The global podcasting market is moving toward heavy integration with AI for real-time translation, auto-captioning, and chaptering.5 For Persian creators, AI represents a path to localization and professionalization. Emerging tools will allow Iranian podcasters to automatically translate their content into English or Arabic to reach the diaspora and regional markets, potentially creating bigger audiences for Persian podcasters. Such advancements in translation can also help broaden the access of Persian listeners to global shows in other languages, impacting their taste and listening habits and possibly changing the game for the Persian podcasting platforms.

The Institutionalization of Branded Content

While branded podcasts currently account for only 5% of revenue, more Iranian businesses are starting to view them as a crucial tool for brand authority. As the "noise" on traditional social media increases, the "high-intent" environment of a 40-minute podcast episode becomes an increasingly attractive marketing channel for Iranian SMEs and corporations.

The Expansion of the "Middle-Class" Creator

Currently, the industry is dominated by a few "stars" (e.g. Bandari, Shakouri, Jadi). However, as monetization tools on platforms like Shenoto mature and domestic ad-networks become more sophisticated, we can expect a "middle class" of Persian podcasters to emerge; shows that reach 5,000 to 10,000 listeners and earn a sustainable, if modest, income.

The Persian podcasting industry also stands as a testament to the cultural resilience of the Iranian people. In the face of some major roadblocks, the industry has managed to build a sophisticated, high-quality ecosystem that competes with the best audio content globally. For the urban Iranian youth, the podcast is more than just audio; it is an open door to a world of knowledge that no physical barrier has yet been able to fully close.

Johannesburg-based podcast production studio Volume got creative, using WhatsApp to shed light on how media startups in South Africa were reporting on the toughest parts of the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Aaisha Dadi Patel

In April 2020, Naeemah Dudan sent Paul McNally a voice note via WhatsApp letting him know she was editing a story in bed because she had a backache. It seemed like an intimate detail to share with someone she had only interacted with via WhatsApp and was speaking to for work purposes. But it was the exact type of anecdote that McNally was looking for.

Dudan is a member of the Hashtag Our Stories team, a South African-based mobile journalism company working with a number of partners, including Snapchat, to tell stories from all over the world. They were one of the South Africa-based media outlets whose work McNally and the rest of the team at Volume, a South African podcasting company, were profiling as part of their Media Diaries series.

Almost as soon as South Africa’s strict hard lockdown began in April – with only essential services allowed to operate, the army deployed to monitor that people stayed inside, and the sale of alcohol and cigarettes banned – the Volume team got to work. They had been partnered with the South African Media Innovation Programme (SAMIP) to produce an audio project that provided a closer look at how eight newsrooms, funded by SAMIP, were reporting on the pandemic. And this is when the Media Diaries series was born.

The Media Diaries series

“In unprecedented times like this, it’s important for media to lean on each other and learn from each other,” says Dudan, who sent McNally a series of voice notes via WhatsApp detailing every aspect of her day, from what she ate to who she had meetings with and what she was working on. Dudan’s colleagues Imani Dlamini and Sumaiya Omar did the same, which McNally then stitched together, edited using Pro Tools, and provided narration for. “We wanted to draw as much texture out of these voice notes as possible,” says McNally. Insert some background music, and all this resulted in an episode describing a day in the life of the Hashtag Our Stories virtual newsroom, that could be streamed on Volume’s website as well as podcasting platforms.

“This podcast tracks our journalists and editors in their intimate moments - as they send us voice notes via WhatsApp - and we document how they are coping and innovating around COVID-19,” the introduction to the series reads on Volume’s website. Co-founded by McNally and Roland Perold in 2017, Volume works on an agency model. Their work is underpinned by the intention to use podcasting as a storytelling medium, and they have made a model out of using their skills and platform to partner with organisations and amplify their work.

Another episode of Media Diaries profiled Scrolla, a mobile-first platform that reports community news in bite-size chunks. Reporter Everson Luhanga – previously a gardener who came to South Africa from Malawi in search of a better life – went into the township of Alexandra and broke the story of the death of resident Collins Khosa on April 10, caused by a brutal assault by members of the military and members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). It became a big national story, shining a light on the army brutality during lockdown. Documenting his reporting, Luhanga gave an insight into what the township environment was like under lockdown and how he navigated doing his work.

‘See how the sausage is made’

Both McNally and Perold see the series as a means of strengthening the credibility of newsrooms, especially in a context where there is growing media distrust. “If you consume media, you want to know a little bit about how the sausage is made,” says McNally, who believes that showing journalists’ reality allows for a more human look at who they are.

While publications such as Wits Journalism’s annual State of the Newsroom report provide insight into the South African media industry, the focus is largely on established newsrooms. Associate professor in the media studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand, Glenda Daniels, points out that there are “gaps” in terms of media reporting and media research work in South Africa. “We haven’t focused on start-ups, and podcasts, blogging, and journalist organisations with new models of funding,” she says.

For Perold, the series meant having a unique opportunity to elevate the profiles of smaller media organisations in South Africa, in a new way. “Using audio to tell those stories enabled us to add so much personality and colour to a story.”

New forms of a loved medium

Research from 2019 provided insight for the first time into South African podcast consumption, which remains burgeoning in comparison with the rest of the world. Edison Research’s Infinite Dial Report – one of the longest- running surveys of digital media consumer behavior in America – looked at a sample of 1510 South Africans from various age and racial backgrounds radio habits in major metro South Africa. The study found that only 10% consumed podcasts within the month before the date of the survey, lagging several years behind the USA and the other surveyed countries. At the same time, 68% of respondents had listened to AM/FM radio within the week preceding the date of the survey.

Radio has long been a strong and highly-consumed medium in South Africa, across divides, largely due to accessibility. AM and FM frequencies have given rise to many community radio platforms, which are often primary media sources for many people. Without the barriers of South Africa’s high data costs or the requirement to own a license for access to it, and availability in local languages, radio remains prevalent. “We live in a very video-saturated world, but audio is a lot cheaper to consume than video,” says Perold.

As the media industry has developed in South Africa, researchers Prof Dina Ligaga and Prof Sarah Chiumbu note that ICTs have “expanded communicative radio spaces and transformed the nature of audience engagement.” Podcasting has allowed for even further transformation, also changing methods of production. Given this, radio futurologist and Podnews Editor James Cridland believes that podcasting in South Africa is a fast-growing market with huge potential for growth, challenged largely by prohibitive data costs in the country.

“Audio allows for people to be heard, an opportunity which South Africans are not always given,” says McNally.

• The Republic of Latvia has a population of 1.9m people. Part of the European Union, it is on the Baltic Sea between Estonia and Lithuania.

On Sep 30 2021, Latvian public broadcaster Latvijas Radio celebrated International Podcast Day by doing an online discussion with Latvian podcasters and listeners. If you happen to speak Latvian, you can watch it here or listen here.

Included in the discussion was the results of a Latvian Radio study. It was made of 1,002 respondents aged 16-74, and was compiled using online interviews.

The main takeaways:

The terms 'podcast' and 'vodcast' mean much the same thing to many people - and the Latvian Radio study confirms it: 75% of respondents named YouTube as the main platform for podcast consumption in Latvia. Spotify stands second with 36%, followed by Google Podcasts (11%) and Apple Podcasts (10%).

Podcasters have to follow listeners and have to be where the listeners are: they can use YouTube as a marketing tool for their audio content.

The Latvian Radio study shows that 75% of Latvians (~1.045 million people) know what a podcast is, and 44% (~613k) have listened to at least one podcast. Only 7% (~97,5k) are thinking about starting listening.

However, all participants in the discussion agreed that these numbers are unlikely, and may have been affected by the online panel. All agreed that in reality numbers of those who has ever listened to a podcast should be lower, but those who are considering starting should be higher.

33% listen to podcasts less than once a month; 20% listen every month; and 5% listen every day.

The best way to find new podcasts are: web (56%), social networks (47%), recommended by friends (24%), podcast search boxes (16%), podcast charts (13%), influencers (9%), TV (9%), radio (9%), other (3%). Discussion guests added that the word of mouth is an important way to promote your podcast, either through interviews with other podcasters or other media.

Clubhouse discussions were helpful to promote podcasts when it was booming, platform promotions (like Apple featuring) can help but the Latvian market is so small that it is not a priority for such big platforms. Live events, too, help to find new audiences.

Social networks can be helpful but not by definition because of such different user habits: for example, you can see a promo for some potentially interesting podcast on your Facebook feed but then easily forget about it, because the next thing on your feed takes away the attention.

At this stage of podcast development in Latvia and the Baltics overall, podcasters are not competing with each other, they are helping each other. There are few hundreds of podcasts in Latvian and if one of them becomes mainstream, it would help all other Latvian podcasts to gain audiences, like it was with Serial in the US back in 2014.

Finally, podcasts are not really competing with radio. Radio can be more of a background when people want to relax and do not have to concentrate on the content, while podcasts offer a deep dive into some topics.

Executive Summary

By 2027, there will be more podcast listeners in Latin America than any other region in the world.

The podcasting landscape in Latin America is on the brink of a significant transformation, poised to become a global powerhouse in the medium by 2027. Despite currently lagging behind in terms of internet access and content availability, Latin America boasts a vast population of Spanish and Portuguese speakers, laying the groundwork for exponential growth.

As of 2023, Latin America already has 135.2 million podcast listeners, with Brazil leading the region with 51.8 million listeners. Projections suggest that by 2025, Latin America will surpass North America in total podcast listenership and will continue to lead globally in listener growth by 2027.

Although challenges such as monetization hurdles and attribution missteps persist, opportunities abound for advertisers and content creators alike. With the expanding internet connectivity and rising purchasing power in the region, Latin America presents an attractive market for podcasting.

Key conclusions highlight the industry's continuous growth trajectory, emphasizing the responsibility of stakeholders to navigate the evolving landscape thoughtfully. Brands are expected to increasingly recognize podcasting as a cost-effective medium for reaching diverse audiences, while the appeal of Spanish content offers opportunities for global outreach.

Moreover, the industry is expected to witness the entry of new players, including US agencies and production companies, further diversifying and enriching the Latin American podcasting ecosystem. As the region embraces podcasting as a mainstream medium, it is poised to redefine the global podcasting landscape in the years to come.

The state of podcasting in Latin America

In the podcasting realm, 2024 is gearing up to be a game-changer for Latin America – and it's about time.

When discussions arise about the nascent stage of the podcasting industry in the US, I can't help but reflect on the notion that, if indeed the industry is in its infancy there, then in Latin America, we are at the starting line. The untapped potential for growth in this region is immense.

When I write about Latin American (LATAM) podcasts, I’m referring to podcasts whose main audiences are based in Hispanic-speaking countries outside the United States. But it’s important to mention that we’ll be including Portuguese-speaking Brazil, the biggest country in the region in terms of population (214 million people) and podcast listeners (51.8 million listeners).

Given Brazil's substantial role in the podcasting landscape, our focus will be strategically divided among Hispanic Latin America, Brazil, and, for practical considerations, Spain.

So, when it comes to native Spanish speakers, the numbers are staggering – there are a whopping 485 million native speakers, with Mexico leading the pack at 126 million, trailed by Colombia, Argentina, and Spain. To put it in perspective, there are an estimated 380 million native English speakers.

Given this substantial pool of native speakers, you would assume a proportional surge in podcast listenership. However, reality doesn't quite mirror expectations. Factors such as internet access, content availability, and purchasing power come into play, creating a disparity when it comes to LATAM podcasting.

Here's the crux: Podcasting in Latin America is experiencing an explosive growth, and the momentum is expected to carry on in the coming years. The goal here is to i) shed light on the current state of podcasting in the region, ii) pinpoint the key challenges and opportunities ahead, iii) and draw out key takeaways for the coming years.

So, where are we right now in podcasting in Latin America?

Listeners

In 2023, an estimated 135.2 million listeners tuned in to podcasts from Latin American countries, as reported by Insider Intelligence and Emarketer. Among these, Brazil emerged as the frontrunner with 51.8 million listeners, trailed by Mexico with 27.5, and Argentina with 10.4 million listeners.

To put this in perspective, it’s estimated that the US had 130 million podcast listeners in 2023.

Rapid growth

With its expansive population, Latin America already hosts tens of millions more podcast listeners than Western Europe (refer to the chart below), surpassing even the United States by a narrow margin (135.2 million versus 129.9 million).

Adding to the impressive landscape, when excluding China, the most substantial podcast growth in the world in the next few years will come from Latin America.

Brazil and Mexico, currently hold the third and fourth-largest positions in podcast consumption, and are forecasted to sustain notable growth in the coming years.

Projections paint a compelling picture: by 2025, Latin America is anticipated to surpass North America (U.S. and Canada) in the total number of podcast listeners. Looking ahead to 2027, the region is expected to lead globally in terms of listener growth, emphasizing its pivotal role in shaping the international podcasting landscape.

This becomes even more intriguing when you factor in that a smaller proportion of the Latin American population, at 20.4%, engages with podcasts compared to Western Europe at 25.8% and North America at 37.8%.

Nonetheless, it's crucial to note that this seemingly lower percentage is influenced by a significant portion of the population in the region that has yet to embrace the online realm. Among internet users, the podcast scene tells a different story, with popularity in Latin America essentially matching that of Western Europe (28.2% versus 30.3% in 2023). As connectivity continues to expand throughout the region, it's set to unlock a substantial pool of potential podcast enthusiasts, painting a vibrant and promising future for the medium in Latin America.

Brazil

The Global Podcast Listeners Forecast 2023 does not yet have podcast metrics for several large countries—such as India and Indonesia—but given the digital usage trends that we do know about, it’s likely that Brazil would still end up as the third or fourth largest podcast market in the world even if we had listener data for every country. Brazil’s internet penetration rate and smartphone user rate have surged over the past 10 years, and its population has become eager adopters of new digital media like podcasting.

Spain

In 2023, Spain is set to lead Western Europe in podcast listenership, with an impressive 37.0% of internet users and 31.1% of the overall population listening in. These figures outshine the metrics of every other market in the region, even surpassing the UK. However, despite this substantial listener base, Spain will rank fourth in total listeners in Western Europe, a position influenced by its relatively smaller population compared to other countries in the region. The podcasting landscape in Spain is thriving, marking the country as a standout hub for audio content consumption in Western Europe.

How do we consume podcasts in Latin America?

In the realm of audio podcasting platforms across Latin America and Spain, Spotify reigns supreme. At Genuina, we manage millions of downloads per month, reaching audiences spanning the entire Spanish-speaking world. Our recent analysis of metrics shed light on our listenership patterns.

Astoundingly, 90% of our listeners in Latin America opt for Spotify, while 6% favor Apple Podcasts, and 1.4% tune in via Google Podcasts.

The primary driver behind this distribution becomes evident when considering the smartphone landscape in Latin America, where 73% of users have Android devices compared to the 27% utilizing iOS. With the Apple Podcast App exclusive to iOS, Spotify emerges as the dominant player, catering to the majority of our diverse audience across platforms.

Video podcasts - What is the question?

In contrast to the trend in the United States in 2022, where video just started coming into play as a companion for audio, Latin America has taken a different route. Here, we didn't go through a distinct audio-only phase. Podcasts and video have been intertwined since the inception of podcast listenership in the region.

YouTube stands out as the foremost podcast player in Latin America. Its dominance stems from unparalleled audience accessibility and cost-effectiveness compared to alternative platforms. The preference for video content from the outset has shaped the podcasting landscape in the region, setting a unique trajectory that reflects the diverse preferences of the Latin American audience.

The paradoxical nature of Latin America's digital landscape becomes evident in the fact that, despite not having the highest internet access rates, the region still claims the second-largest share of YouTube viewership globally. This phenomenon underscores the profound impact of digital content on the Latin American audience, as YouTube emerges as a powerful and widely embraced platform, transcending connectivity challenges.

Challenges and Opportunities for Latin America Podcasting

Room for Growth

Despite the optimistic outlook presented by podcast listener downloads in the region, there are notable areas where the industry is lagging, with expectations for it to catch up.

Monetization Challenges

While the podcasting scene in Latin America paints a promising picture, the financial aspect lags significantly. According to Statista, in 2023, only $62.5 million was spent on audio podcasting across the entire region, a substantial contrast to the $2 billion industry in the US. Anticipating the region's surge in podcast listenership, advertisers are expected to allocate more budget to this medium, potentially benefiting from lower CPMs in comparison to the US market.

Professionalizing the Industry

Given the youth of the industry in LATAM, several challenges need to be addressed for its professionalization.

• Attribution Missteps: One recurring issue in LATAM is the lack of emphasis on attribution metrics. Agencies, independent podcasts, and brands often neglect to measure the success or completion of their campaigns. The industry's slow adoption of attribution tools creates an information asymmetry between sellers and buyers, hindering progress.
• Brand Safety Dilemma: We’ve all been hearing about the upcoming necessity for brand safety features tools in podcasts. But when it comes to Spanish or Portuguese content, brands don’t have access to trustworthy information.

Moving Forward: Key Conclusions

Podcasting in Latam is only growing

By 2027, there will be more podcast listeners in Latin America than any other region in the world. Fueled by the region's expanding internet connectivity, rising purchasing power, and an influx of high-quality content, Latin America is set to captivate brands, podcasters and listeners, solidifying its position as the next podcasting powerhouse.

Industry Responsibility

The next few years will be pivotal for the development of the podcasting industry in LATAM, with a responsibility for both buyers and sellers to navigate this burgeoning landscape responsibly and learn from past mistakes in the US industry.

Patience for Monetization

For the multitude of podcasts not currently monetizing despite substantial audiences, patience is key. Brands are expected to recognize podcasting as a cost-effective medium to connect with untapped audiences in the near future.

Universal Appeal of Spanish

Spanish is more universal than often perceived, allowing podcasts from different countries to reach Hispanic audiences globally. Quality content will prevail over regional accents.

Expansion of Industry Players

The Latin American podcasting industry is poised to welcome more participants, including US agencies, production companies, ad-tech, attribution companies, and tools that have proven successful in the US market. The landscape is set to evolve and diversify with the entry of new players.

In September 2004, the term “podcasting” became popular with US creators. Just one month later, Serdar Kuzuloğlu, one of Türkiye’s prominent technology writers, mentioned the term in a blog post: the first time the word appeared in Turkish media. The article was titled “Trend: Podcasting.”

In 2005, Kuzuloğlu released his radio program as a podcast, marking Türkiye’s first-ever podcast. Despite some attempts in the following years, however, podcasts struggled to gain significant traction in the country.

The podcasting world began gaining momentum in Türkiye a few years before the pandemic, experiencing a rapid surge afterward. Spotify’s now-defunct Chartable revealed that Türkiye recorded an annual 5.2x increase in per-device podcast downloads in 2020, positioning it as the global leader in audience growth. At the same time, the number of Turkish-language podcasts grew 3.5x in 2020.

As of 2025, Türkiye boasts over 20,000 Turkish-language podcast channels and more than 400,000 episodes, according to the Podcast Index. Meanwhile, Listen Notes reports around 14,000 Turkish-language podcast channels, making Turkish the 15th most-produced podcast language globally.

In the years since the pandemic, Türkiye’s podcast ecosystem has developed its own key players and institutional frameworks. While there is still much ground to cover, it is clear that the ecosystem is becoming increasingly structured. New initiatives continue to emerge across all levels of the sector.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key developments:

Podcast Networks and Production Agencies

The first significant actors in the field were podcast networks and production companies. Studios such as Medyapod, Podcaster App, Podcast BPT, Bubble Works Media, Podfresh, and Socrates Podcast have continued to sustain their production activities. Notably, Podkids, a podcast network for children, remains active, with new networks continually emerging.

Podcast networks and production companies often operate in overlapping domains, fulfilling multiple roles within the ecosystem.

Podcast Apps

Over the past five years, Türkiye has seen the rise of several podcast applications. These include:

• Law Podcast, focusing on legal content.
• Podcaster App, Türkiye’s first global podcast application.
• Podcast Dinle, offering private network broadcasts.
• Poddy and Karma Türkiye, the latest additions.

Additionally, there are audio-focused platforms that support podcasting, such as TRT Dinle, Storytel Türkiye, Dinlebi, Power App, Karnaval, and Fizzy.

Podcast Training

Training programs have become a significant focus for the industry. Organizations like TGS Akademi, Podcaster App Akademi, Podeus Akademi, and Podfresh have prioritized education, organizing workshops across various cities.

News Lab Turkey has also spearheaded podcast incubation programs, offering long-term support to potential podcasters.

Podcast Research

As in every field, the importance of data in the podcasting domain cannot be underestimated. In this regard, there are notable examples of research conducted in Türkiye. Notable studies include:

• Podbee Media’s research with Ipsos Türkiye.
• Podfresh’s collaboration with Kimola conducted research that provided new insights beyond global data to better understand the ecosystem.
• Podcaster App and News Lab Turkey’s study, “From Producer to Listener: The Podcast Ecosystem.” focusing on both listeners and podcasters through focus group discussions.
• Karnaval Radio published “Türkiye’s Sound Map” report.

Academic Podcast Studies

Academia has also embraced podcasting as a research subject. To date, Türkiye has seen the publication of 34 master’s and doctoral theses on podcasts, 25 of which were released after 2021.

Moreover, Istanbul University,Türkiye's oldest university, is conducting a research project funded by TÜBİTAK, the institution in Türkiye funding scientific research, focusing on the political economy of podcasting. Podcasts have also been incorporated into the curriculum at prominent universities, including Üsküdar University, Medipol University, Istanbul University, Yeditepe University, and Bilgi University.

Podcast Events

Türkiye hosts various events centered on podcasting, including:

• Online sessions focused on the future of audio, recurring for two years and primarily targeting the advertising industry, led by MMA Türkiye.
• Within the audio working group under IAB Turkey, podcast has become an important topic.
• “Podcast Dinliyorum” events organized by Bubble Works Media are community meetups.
• Podcast summits, live recordings, and listener meetups are other events that can be mentioned.
• Additionally, podcast awards have been given for the past three years by Power App, a radio organization.

Advertising and Branding

The podcast industry has attracted attention from advertisers and brands. IAB Türkiye supports the sector through analyses and reports, while Poddict has launched solutions for podcast advertising. Brands in Türkiye are not only sponsoring podcasts but also producing their own.

Karnaval Radio, with its “Voice 2 Business” model, invests heavily in digital audio, including podcasts. According to Deloitte, digital audio investments—including podcasts—reached ₺1.1bn (US $31mn) in the first half of 2024, marking a 175% increase from the previous year.

News Media and Podcasts

Traditional and digital news outlets have also joined the podcast movement. Anadolu Agency, Türkiye’s official news agency, is the only one between the conventional sector that created a podcast network.

Digital-born news platforms like Aposto, Kısa Dalga, Medyascope, and Daktilo 1984 have made significant investments in podcasting. Notably, Aposto’s 6.30 Podcast has become a standout in the news podcast category.

Podcast Media

Publications like Podcast Gazetesi and Podcast Turkey provide weekly insights into the podcast world, including recommendations, industry news, and tips for podcasters.

Conclusion

Türkiye’s podcast ecosystem is rapidly evolving into a more institutionalized structure. Networks, agencies, applications, academic research, and the interest of both traditional and digital media showcase the industry’s importance and the intense effort put into this area. These steps towards institutionalization in Türkiye are laying a stronger foundation for the podcast industry, while paving the way for more investment and innovation in the future.

Situated at the crossroads of East and West, Türkiye’s rich storytelling tradition, high digital adoption rates and high digital usage rates position it as a promising market for podcasts.

Brazil is one of those countries that outsiders tend to shrink down to clichés — Carnival, soccer, the Amazon. But the numbers tell a different story. At 8.5 million square kilometers, Brazil is only slightly smaller than all of Europe. It’s the fifth-largest country in the world by area and home to 203 million people — a market so vast it finished 2024 as the world’s 10th largest economy. In short: Brazil is not a sideshow. It’s a stage of its own.

And yet, in the global podcasting industry, Brazil is still treated like a footnote. That’s not just an oversight; it’s a strategic miscalculation.

A nation that lives online

If there’s one thing Brazilians do better than almost anyone, it’s showing up online. The Global Digital Report 2024 ranks Brazil second worldwide for time spent on the internet: nine hours and thirteen minutes a day. That’s not usage — that’s residency.

On social media, the numbers are equally staggering. Brazilians average three hours and thirty-seven minutes a day on platforms, making the country the third heaviest user base globally. With 131.5 million mobile internet users, Brazil is the digital powerhouse of Latin America.

Instagram? Fifth-largest audience in the world. YouTube? Essential daily entertainment. TikTok? Adopted by every generation. Streaming music? Second globally. Influencer culture? Third. If there’s a metric for online engagement, Brazil is in the top five.

And this isn’t passive scrolling. Brazilians mobilize online with a fervor that is both admired and feared. During the last Oscars, actress Fernanda Torres, star of I'm Still Here, generated social engagement nearly seven times greater than all her fellow nominees combined. When French newspaper Le Monde panned the film, Brazilian users delivered 22,000 comments in a single day. The Academy’s Instagram eventually blocked Brazilian comments during the live ceremony — proof that underestimating Brazilian fans comes at your peril.

International artists have learned to count on Brazil’s digital muscle. Katy Perry leaned on Brazilian fans during a difficult stretch in her career. Bruno Mars went viral with a video shot here that racked up more than 60 million views. Madonna and The Weeknd have also tapped into the country’s hyper-engaged audiences.

The joke online is that Brazil is the “emergency bailout fund for international artists.” Careers may slump elsewhere, but in Brazil, fan culture can revive them overnight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxjmrjwq_I

Even politics isn’t immune. The infamous “Vampetaço” — a mass protest using a decades-old nude photo of soccer player Vampeta — once forced Donald Trump to shut down comments on posts about trade tariff policies imposed on Brazil. It’s hard to find a better case study in digital activism mixed with irreverent humor.

Beyond memes: a leader in podcast consumption

Beyond memes, Brazil has quietly become one of the world’s most voracious podcast markets. More than half of Brazilians listen to podcasts, averaging 11 hours a week — far ahead of the U.S., where the figure is 7.5.

YouTube is the country’s primary discovery platform, used by 81% of weekly podcast listeners. Video podcasts are especially popular, with nearly two-thirds of listeners in their 30s calling video a must-have. And while English may dominate globally, Brazil is fiercely loyal to local creators: 82% prefer podcasts in Portuguese, and 77% choose Brazilian productions. The top categories? News, technology, and politics.

The paradox is that despite this appetite, global platforms offer Brazil little more than copy-paste versions of tools built for the U.S. or Europe. Monetization systems for independent creators — standard in other markets — barely exist here. Hosting platforms rarely adapt to local pricing. Even startups that want to expand into Brazil struggle with the language barrier (no, Portuguese is not Spanish) and the challenge of recalibrating services for the Brazilian real.

The result? Billions in potential revenue left on the table.

Time to Wake Up

Brazil isn’t waiting to be “discovered.” It’s already a digital giant with a podcasting culture that rivals the biggest markets in the world. What it lacks is recognition — and infrastructure. Tools in Portuguese. Monetization systems that work in a local economy. Software designed for how Brazilians actually consume media.

In my own work with Bicho de Goiaba, I had to personally convince Justin Jackson, founder of Transistor, to build a viable solution for a Brazilian client. That shouldn’t be the exception; it should be the rule.

For global platforms, the choice is clear. Keep clinging to a U.S.–Europe axis and leave Brazil untapped — or recognize that one of the most passionate, engaged, and opportunity-rich audiences on the planet is already here, waiting.

The digital era is about real connection. And ignoring Brazil isn’t just shortsighted — it’s bad business.

This article was translated from Portuguese with some help from AI.

UPDATE: The company fixed the below issue in April. "We’ve validated the changes both internally and with multiple customers, and are confident the issues that kept it from working as-desired are now resolved," a spokesperson told us.

The below article is outdated.

A "301 redirect" is much like telling the Post Office that you've moved house, and asking them to redirect your mail to your new address. It allows podcasters to move a show from one podcast hosting company to another, and is a fundamental part of open RSS and portability. It keeps podcast hosting companies honest and competitive, knowing that it is relatively easy to switch companies.

Almost all podcast hosting companies offer 301 redirects for free. (Libsyn charged a $25 fee prior to 2020, but now operates like any other hosting company).

Unlike most podcast hosts, Libsyn doesn't use just one RSS feed for a podcast: it has a set of different feeds that it gives to podcast directories. Podnews does similar - we feed Spotify and YouTube slightly different feeds to the rest of the open RSS ecosystem, to enable us to serve slightly different content and help our analysis.

In Q4 2025, Libsyn made a number of changes to its RSS infrastructure, which stopped the company being able to offer 301 redirects for some of these feeds - technically, ones starting rss.libsyn. An email from the company's support team stated that these feeds are "meant for internal use only" and are "not redirectable".

We asked a Libsyn spokesperson why they'd stopped offering 301 redirects on these feeds. They replied that this was a temporary technical issue:

What has occurred is a technical edge case introduced late last year when we rolled out improvements to our RSS infrastructure to improve performance and reliability at scale. If you recall, we had a brief period of downtime and issues in October that you covered. As part of the work to address those issues, some feeds served via our CDN are using a temporary (302) redirect internally. In a limited number of cases, certain directories -- or manual submissions -- appear to have treated that temporary redirect as a source URL, which can complicate downstream redirects when a show later moves hosts.

The issue affects every Libsyn podcaster who wishes to move off the service. It's not a "limited number of cases" that directories have listed these URLs as the source URL - it's the majority, according to our research. In the Podnews podcast sample, which is populated by (mainly) Apple Podcasts and also the Podcast Index, we list more than 6,570 Libsyn podcasts using these "internal" feeds. (Only 5,900 Libsyn podcasts in our sample use the "correct" feeds, which start feeds.libsyn).

However, there's good news - contrary to the Libsyn support team telling customers that these feeds are "not redirectable" and offering no indication that this is a technical issue, Libsyn's spokesperson tells us:

The team is actively working on changes that will both prevent directories from adopting interim feed URLs and allow redirects to be applied consistently across all Libsyn feed variants. This work is a priority, and we anticipate getting something to market in the coming weeks.

Meantime, Libsyn creators who wish to leave the podcast host will find it difficult to ensure all platforms correctly see a redirected feed. Shows may disappear altogether from some platforms; others will show stale information and no new episodes.

In conversations with their customers, Podnews has evidence that the Libsyn support team are blaming other podcast hosting companies for Libsyn's technical issue. One communication to a customer said that "We have seen that (your new podcast host)’s redirect status tool they have custom built does not really work with Libsyn feeds and will state that the redirects are not functional because of how our RSS feeds are structured." This is false. When alerted to this behaviour, Libsyn agreed that blaming other companies "doesn't meet our bar for customer support / engagement." We would agree.

A Libsyn spokesperson told us:

Libsyn has not stopped supporting 301 redirects, nor do we have any intention of preventing creators from moving their shows if they choose to do so. Creator ownership and portability have been core to how we’ve operated for more than two decades and there is no intent to change that.

We remain deeply committed to building a creator-first hosting platform that prioritizes reliability, openness, and long-term growth for creators. Alongside core infrastructure investments like this one, we have exciting plans to innovate across distribution and monetization in a much more ambitious way in the future -- recent examples include the investments we’re making as part of our inclusion in the shortlist of Spotify Distribution API partners and Podroll, but those are truly just the start.

In the last four years, Libsyn's share of new episodes has dropped from 5.1% to 2.9%. Its popular The Feed podcast was abruptly cancelled without even offering a final episode, and Elsie Escobar, Mathew Passy and Rob Walch have left the company in recent months.

As the world's first podcast hosting company, Libsyn still has significant goodwill from the podcast community. We would hope that the company fixes this issue quickly.

Whenever I chat with experts about podcast guesting, the first thing they bring up is getting booked on podcasts, almost as if pitching and landing interviews is the main goal.

But here’s the problem: getting booked is not the strategy. It’s just one small part of it.

If you look at people who produce podcasts, getting a guest to show up is not the end goal. They are far more strategic. They think about messaging, branding, audio quality, production, promotion, audience and more.

Guesting is no different. It’s a full marketing strategy that needs to be approached from a 360° view. If you are not intentional at every stage, it won’t drive meaningful business growth. Without a clear plan for how each interview supports your business, results become inconsistent at best and nonexistent at worst. And it all starts with your goal.

The Missing Link: Defining Your Goal

A 360° approach to guesting starts with your primary goal.

Most guests want everything. Visibility, leads, authority, collaborations, content to repurpose. But when you try to achieve all of it at once, your strategy becomes scattered and diluted.

Your goal is what drives every decision you make.

It influences the topics you pitch, how you structure the conversation, the stories you tell, your call to action, and what you do after the episode is released.

Without that clarity, your messaging becomes broad, your conversations lose direction, and relationships fade.

A Guesting 360° Approach

Podcast guesting is not a single moment. It is a process that happens across three phases: Prepare, Perform, and Propel. Or more simply put, before, during, and after.

Each phase plays a role in turning an interview into a business asset instead of just another piece of content.

When one phase is overlooked, the impact drops. When two are missed, the interview becomes little more than exposure. A Guesting 360° approach ensures that every stage is intentional and aligned with your goal.

Prepare: Aligning Your Message With Your Outcome

Preparation is often reduced to selecting a topic and outlining a few talking points. While that may help you deliver a decent interview, it does little to support a specific business goal.

Strategic preparation starts with the outcome you want to create.

Some of the key elements to be intentional about include:

• Clarifying your message and audience
• Crafting topics that bridge the gap between your audience and your offers (what I call the Bridge to Profits)
• Developing your bio and media assets
• Getting media ready (camera, lighting, mic)
• Creating a clear pitch plan

Examples:

If your goal is lead generation, your topic should clearly highlight a problem your ideal client is experiencing and naturally connect to your offer. Your messaging should guide the listener toward a clear next step and envision you as the solution.

If your goal is collaborations or partnerships, your pitch strategy becomes more targeted. You will focus on aligned shows, deeper research, and relationship-building before and after the interview.

The preparation phase shifts depending on the outcome you are aiming for.

Perform: Leading A Conversation That Helps You Meet Your Goal

Many guests rely on the host to guide the interview, aiming to keep the conversation natural and engaging. While connection is important, leaving the direction entirely in the host’s hands often leads to missed opportunities (and confused listeners).

A strategic interview still feels organic, but it is guided.

You need to be intentional about:

• The interview questions you provide to guide the conversation (I call this the Interview GPS)
• Your talking points (no winging it)
• Story soundbites that showcase the transformation you create for clients
• A call to action that feels like a natural next step

Examples:

If your goal is lead generation, your talking points need to go beyond education. They should help the listener recognize their challenges, understand your approach, and picture what it is like to work with you.

If your goal is content repurposing, your talking points should be structured in a way that is easy to turn into short-form content. Think clear frameworks, “3 reasons why,” or “4 mistakes” style segments, along with concise, memorable stories.

The conversation itself is the most important part of guesting. When you are strategic here, you dramatically increase the likelihood of achieving your goal instead of hoping the exposure turns into results.

Propel: Expanding The Impact Of The Interview

The final phase is where many of the biggest opportunities are missed. Once an episode is published, most guests share once and move on or worse, assume it’s the host’s job to promote. This couldn’t be more wrong.

After the interview, you should have:

• A promotion and repurposing plan
• A follow-up strategy to nurture the relationship with the host
• A system for tracking and reviewing results

This is where your results compound.

Examples:

If your goal is collaborations, the post-interview phase is your opportunity to deepen the relationship with the host and explore ways to work together.

If your goal is visibility, the episode can be repurposed into short videos, posts, emails and more, extending your reach and reinforcing your authority over time. You can even leverage the content to drive traffic to your offers, calls, lead magnets, and events.

The interview itself is only the starting point. Results compound when you fully leverage every episode.

From Activity To Strategy

Many podcast guests are doing the work. They are showing up, sharing insights, and contributing valuable conversations.

But without a defined goal and a strategy across every phase of that 360° view (Prepare, Perform, and Propel), those efforts rarely translate into consistent business results.

Because you do not need more interviews.

You need each interview to be designed to deliver a result.

If you want to stop leaving success to chance and start leading every interview with strategy - and turn your message into real results, check out all 5 shifts in this free resource.

From Crickets to Clients: 5 Shifts to Turn Podcast Interviews Into Real Results

Shift from hopeful exposure to purpose-driven results and grab your copy here.

What is a podcast? It's a simple question: but it doesn't, quite, have a simple answer. I'm regularly asked this: so, here's an attempt to work out what a 'podcast' really is.

The origin of the word

We've written a long history of the word podcast. The word was coined by a journalist in February 2004, but wasn't used by anyone else until September that year.

As the history shows, the first podcast (though not called that) had been published almost a year earlier, on Jul 9, 2003, by Christopher Lydon; while the first podcast feed, as defined by the technical definition of a podcast, was in Jan 2001.

Perhaps, even, the first thing that was much the same as a podcast, both technically and editorially, was from Robin Williams and Audible back in January 2000 - audio interviews with showbiz friends, recorded in Williams's house, then delivered automatically to a portable audio player.

Either way, podcasts existed before they were called podcasts. (Just as mobile phone apps existed before they were called mobile phone apps).

The technical answer

Most podcasters would agree that, technically, a podcast has four elements:

• an audio file
• without DRM
• available to download
• distributed via an RSS feed using an <enclosure> tag

(You can have video podcasts, but they're called "video podcasts".)

What people think are podcasts

According to the Edison Research Infinite Dial, the platforms used in the US for podcasts are...

1. YouTube (32% of time per day)
2. Spotify (25%)
3. Apple Podcasts - 20%

You will note that YouTube is #1 on this list, even though it does not satisfy any of the above elements.

It's not just the US. In fact, in Germany the most popular platform for podcast listening is YouTube (YouGov, June 2021). And, in the UK (Ofcom, March 2022), people say they listen to podcasts on Spotify (41%), YouTube (34%), and on BBC Sounds (which doesn't use RSS feeds, at 38%).

This is confused further by shows like No Agenda that publish on YouTube and YouTube Music as audio, as well as on "proper" podcast apps. Are you listening to a podcast when you listen on YouTube or YouTube Music? Absolutely. Is it a podcast app? No.

Shows like TWiT take this one step further. You can listen to TWiT in your favourite podcast player; but you can watch it on YouTube as a fully-produced television show. When listening on YouTube Music, you can flip a switch to turn on the video, or just stick with the audio. And you can download it as video, using RSS enclosures. Apple Podcasts and Spotify also offer video in their players.

The real answer

"A podcast is on-demand audio. Like a radio show, but on-demand."

That's it. That's all a podcast really is.

The "on-demand" bit is important. It's the defining thing about podcasting.

The "audio" bit is important. Yes, you can get video podcasts, but the point of any podcast, even one with video in it, is as a piece of audio. Close your eyes, and it should still work - it’s “something for your ears when your eyes are busy”. If you need to look at the screen to understand any of it, it’s no longer a podcast.

The "like a radio show" bit is imperfect: podcasts can be very different to the kind of polished radio shows you might hear on NPR or the BBC. But it tries to convey that you'll hear human beings talking: which makes it different from an algorithmic Pandora music stream, for example.

Are things on YouTube or YouTube Music "podcasts"?

Well, not technically: YouTube isn't using RSS feeds for this (at least, not yet).

But they're absolutely what humans would call a podcast. YouTube call them podcasts too. And, as we've seen above, so do the general public.

Are paid-for Apple Podcasts Subscriptions "podcasts"?

Well, not technically. You can't subscribe in any podcast app other than Apple's, and they don't appear in a DRM-free enclosure in an RSS feed.

But Apple calls them podcasts, as do the people who make them available that way, like Luminary or Radiotopia. If it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, most people will call it a duck.

Are Audible exclusives "podcasts"?

Well, not technically: they don't appear as a DRM-free enclosure in an RSS feed.

But they're absolutely what humans would call a podcast; and Audible, themselves, call them podcasts.

Audible itself plays "podcasts", delivered via RSS, but it also plays plenty of things that aren't delivered that way but still sound, look and smell like podcasts.

What does anyone else think?

Some of the first people to "podcast" also agree. Todd Cochrane and Rob Greenlee, who were both podcasting in October 2004, said this in The New Media Show on Feb 8 2023:

Todd: A technical definition of what a podcast is - that ship has sailed. You know, I understand where people are concerned, but...

Rob: Yeah, I don't take the hard stance on that anymore because I think if you look at it from how the listener or viewer looks at it, I think you can totally see how that could that perception could happen. But if you're a content creator, I think you have to understand the differences, but as far as what the audience thinks, I'm just kind of accepted that podcasting is much more expanded now than what people think it is.

Todd: Personally, I can maintain that podcasting is derived from an RSS feed, but I'm also big enough to know that for the audience they don't care that it derives from an RSS feed.

Rob: And at the end of the day, I guess we shouldn't care either. If they think it's a podcast, it must be a podcast, right? I can't change somebody's mind - and say 'Sorry, that's not a podcast'. It looks like it. It sounds like it.

Todd: Yeah. So it looks like it smells like it, everything.

Does an argument about "what a podcast is" help the industry move forward?

An argument about the benefits of an open ecosystem certainly helps.

A clear definition for financial reporting, budget lines, and consumption research is also an important thing.

However, it's probably not too helpful to tell people who have just spent an hour listening to their favourite podcast on YouTube that, in fact, they've not been listening to a podcast.

Because they have.

There are many different podcast directories and apps out there - and if you want to be sure of the most amount of downloads, you should make sure your podcast is on as many of these platforms as you can.

Tips for adding your podcast

It doesn't matter where you host your podcast, you can still be listed in any of the following places. Some podcast hosts make it a little easier to submit than others; but all of them will give you an RSS feed address, which is all you need to get listed.

Many of the podcast directories below also bring in data from Apple Podcasts: so you may find you're already listed. You might want to search first. However, it's useful to "claim" your podcast on these other services: some give you more consumption data, and other data: and some will even give you money!

The most important places you should add your podcasts

1. Apple Podcasts. Its data powers many other people, and it is responsible for a great deal of podcast plays.
2. Spotify. In many countries, Spotify is the most popular way of listening to podcasts.
3. YouTube. You can import your podcast into YouTube automatically from your RSS feed; and it may be a helpful place for people to discover your show.
4. The Podcast Index. It also powers many other peoples' data, and gets you into many other podcast apps.
5. All the rest. Almost everyone else's services make for a miniscule amount of listening; so they'll not make much difference to your downloads, but you're here already, so why not?

You can see our podcast stats to see where we get our listens from. Your show will differ.

Use your podcast host

If you're with a podcast host who has relationships with some of these directories, you're usually best to use the podcast host to submit. It's easier, and your host may have a special relationship with some of these platforms.

All the podcast directories we're in

• AddMyPodcast - add yours - is a service that aims to make it easy to add your podcast to many independent podcast directories at once.
• Amazon Echo - submit to Amazon Music to be in the podcast directory for this smart speaker.
  • We're also in the daily briefing section. From your app, choose Menu > Settings > Flash Briefing, and add "podnews". Add yours with a friendly developer.
  • "Alexa, play the latest news from Podnews"
• Amazon Music - add yours. Amazon Music has an app, a web service, and is used by Amazon's Echo speakers.
  • Here's Amazon Music on Instagram. Want to be promoted on it? You'll want this submission form.
  • Their Creator Outreach Document goes into detail about how to get your show promoted within the app.
• Anghami - Add yours. Anghami is an Arab-language music and podcast service, with 15mn listeners monthly in the Middle East and North Africa.
• Apple Podcasts - Add yours in Apple Podcasts Connect. If you only add yourself to one podcast app, add yourself to this one; many other apps pull from Apple.
  • By default, when you submit a new show it will appear in Apple's API, so your show will appear in other podcast apps too. If you want to opt out, you'll be given a confirmation message to ensure you understand that the show will only be available on Apple Podcasts. We would recommend not opting out - your goal is to appear in as many places as possible.
  • If you think it's something Apple Podcasts might feature, then here is advice from Apple as to how to make a successful request.
• Audacy - the company uses Listen Notes to add yours.
• Audapp is an app from Nigeria's MTN, the largest mobile company in the country. Here's more about the app, and you can add your podcast here.
• Blubrry - Add yours. Blubrry runs a full podcast directory that can be used by other developers.
• Bullhorn - Add yours. Bullhorn runs a podcast app with a difference: you can use it without any data connection. Instead, the app gives each listener a temporary telephone number to call to listen to a podcast - using their free cellphone minutes.
• Castbox Add yours by suggesting your podcast. Castbox does pull from Apple Podcasts, but you can speed up the process here.
• Deezer - Add yours. Deezer doesn’t support M4A (AAC) files; and stops checking 180 days after your last episode.
• Disctopia - to add yours to their directory, open their app or website, search and play your podcast (or host with them!)
• Fydd - Add yours. Fydd is an independent podcast search engine, based in Germany.
• Gaana - Add yours - Gaana is a popular music and podcast platform in India and Asia.
• Gpodder is a libre web service and app. Hit 'missing podcast' on the left hand side to add yours - though, this website seems down more often than it’s up, and hasn’t updated our daily podcast for more than two years. We’d probably not bother.
• Hayti - Add yours. Hayti is the largest Black-owned podcast app in the U.S, showcasing a diverse array of over 2,000 podcasters who celebrate culture, news, entertainment, and various other captivating topics.
• iHeartRadio - Add yours - while you might hear that iHeart is “#1 for podcasts”, that’s the podcasts that they make, rather than this app. Still useful to be there, though.
• iTunes doesn't exist any more. Stay on the right side of Apple and call it "Apple Podcasts".
• iVoox - iVoox is the biggest podcast and radio app for Spanish speakers, but also contains English language content. We’re not sure how to add shows hosted elsewhere here any more.
• JioSaavn - Add yours. JioSaavn is one of the largest music and podcast apps in India and Asia.
• Lava is an iOS app where you can add your RSS feed to your profile.
• Listen Notes - Add yours. This directory also pulls from Apple Podcasts.
• Overcast Add yours by listing in Apple Podcasts
• Pandora - Add yours (you'll be in Pandora in 24 hours). Pandora is only available in the US.
• PocketCasts - Add yours. PocketCasts is a well-regarded podcast app on Android, iOS and desktop.
• Podbean - Add yours
• PodcastAddict - Add yours - this app claims it's the #1 podcast app for Android users. Here's a little more information for podcasters.
• Podcast Index - the Podcast Index powers many podcast apps, and is used by many more as a backup to the Apple API. Your host should help you add your podcast there; or if you simply search for your podcast on Podnews (and click into the page), we'll automatically add it for you if it isn't there.
• Podchaser - Add yours, though it does also pull from Apple Podcasts. Also, best to claim your podcast on Podchaser to add more data and make sure you're seen by more of the service's users.
• Poddog is a podcast app available in Japan, and lists Japanese podcasts. There's a link to submit your podcast towards the bottom of their homepage. We're there, though they don't have a website version to link to.
• Podimo - Add yours - and you could potentially get some revenue share from Podimo customers. The claiming process requires an IBAN for a bank account, which isn't used in some countries.
• Podknife - Add yours; register then use the "Add a podcast" menu item
• PodLP - Add yours. PodLP is a podcast app for KaiOS and CloudPhone, mobile phone operating systems for the developing world. We're there (there's no website view).
• Player FM - Add yours by pasting the RSS feed into the search box. This also pulls from Apple Podcasts.
• Radioline - add yours. Radioline (it's a French company, so pronounced something like "Rad-ee-oo-lean") provides podcast listings for a large number of companies including LG televisions.
• Samsung Bixby - add yours - Bixby is the Samsung equivalent of Alexa, and this link goes to a complex 50-step process using "capsules", "playgrounds" and "hints". We're not on this platform: but on the bright side, we suspect nobody else is either.
• Siri - "Hey, Siri - play news from Podnews" will find us. "Hey, Siri - change my news to Podnews" is how to hear us more often. Otherwise, Siri uses the Apple Podcasts directory.
• SiriusXM - Add yours by listing your podcast in Pandora, then using the email address in the guide to request that your show is in SiriusXM. (We've no idea what criteria they use).
• Spotify - Add yours. Spotify is the #2 podcast platform in the world, and gives you some great statistics, too.
  • For the US, if you'd like to submit your podcast to the editorial team for possible promotion, use this form.
• The End The End is a specialty directory that lists only fiction podcasts that have reached a season finale or a series conclusion. But if you qualify, it's well worth being there. Submit via this simple form.
• TuneIn - TuneIn is used by many different podcast services including Amazon Alexa powered speakers, and Tesla cars. You can list yourself here.
• YouTube - add yours. YouTube isn't really a full podcast player; but it does let you import an RSS feed into YouTube. Make sure you mark your podcast as "a podcast", to get into all the places podcasts are.
• YouTube Music - YouTube Music is YouTube's audio app, which plays podcasts as well as music. Slightly confusingly, you can get this app to play RSS feeds, too, so you can help listeners play your show in it, without uploading your show to YouTube properly.

Here's how to link

For your own website, we'd recommend just adding an Apple Podcasts and Spotify button, and a big embedded player so people can just hear it. Here's where to find an embedded player. We'd suggest you use the real embedded players from both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which people will recognise.

If you don’t have a website, then a) we’d recommend one, but b) you could try using one of these universal link tools.

If you want a set of well-designed badges for all the major podcast apps, we recommend - and use - Nathan Gathright's vector icons.

Apple Podcasts announced enhanced support for video, delivered with iOS 26.4, which was generally available on Mar 24, 2026.

So, how does the Apple Podcasts HLS video feature technically work? Strap in...

Apple hasn’t published the specific requirements for HLS video within Apple Podcasts; it’s proprietary information, covered by an NDA (though we’re hopeful that it might be more public in a while). But, here’s what we’ve learnt so far:

The basics

Apple Podcasts video uses Apple’s own HLS specification - RFC8216 - for on-demand streaming, and their authoring specification for Apple devices is the most important. The .m3u8 multivariant playlist file is delivered to Apple through the API that partner podcast hosts also use for Apple Podcasts subscriptions and show submission.

Partners deliver a multivariant playlist that defines different versions of the video and audio.

From launch partners, there appear only to be videos from ART19 and Acast inside Apple Podcasts at the moment (and one access-gated show that’s Apple’s own). Both of those are using AAC-LC for their audio (the base AAC format), and H.264 for their video.

The videos

Apple’s default bitrate specifications, for iOS, suggest 2000 kbps for wifi, 730kbps for cellular connections; but to also make available a version which is no more than 192kbps. These are the default specifications, however; we would expect that Apple Podcasts will have a more bespoke set of bitrate expectations.

According to analysis by John Spurlock, both ART19 and Acast are supplying video encoded in five sizes: 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p and 240p. ART19’s show is encoded to 30 frames per second. Acast’s uses 23.976fps. Both are US standards; Europe uses 25 or 50fps; Apple supports all of these.

I-frame playlists must be supplied (they are the things that add thumbnails as you scrub through a video). Both ART19 and Acast are supplying these.

Subtitles “may” be provided. The standard only uses WebVTT files. This is one of the standards in the transcript tag that Apple Podcasts already supports. Only ART19 is currently supplying subtitles.

The Apple specifications do offer “stereo video” and “immersive video", which is playable on an Apple Vision Pro unit. You should be able to produce 3D-like video, therefore, in your standard Apple Podcasts HLS stream, for those with Apple Vision. (Apparently around 400,000 people!)

The audio

The audio is a separate track, known as a “rendition”. That enables playback to continue uninterrupted when a user hits the “Turn Video Off” button; so your phone just continues to download the audio track and doesn’t bother downloading any video track any more. It also enables audio playback to be rock solid, even if the video isn’t. We’ve seen that first-hand: particularly when seeking through video, the audio starts almost immediately, but the video can take a few seconds to appear. This is good.

The presence of only one audio track suggests that there won't be any opportunity to offer a different audio mix to the one in the video. We also understand that the audio track from the HLS is the only audio that will be heard by users of Apple Podcasts. If you’re on a device that copes with HLS (like an iPhone running iOS 26.4), your phone will never download the MP3; just the audio rendition within the HLS. So enabling video for an episode means the MP3 won’t get played. (The MP3 is still needed for things that don’t do HLS yet, like the HomePod, earlier iOS devices, or, er, the Apple TV).

We’ve said “one” track above; actually, the spec allows you to have multiple bitrates for the audio track as well. Apple suggests anywhere from 32 up to 160 kbps for the audio component - and most providers are doing 128-160 kbps.

The ads

Ads will use HLS interstitials, which may form the basis of Apple’s billing.

Interstitials (“ads") can, using an attribute called X-RESTRICT, be marked as not skippable, so if this is set, you can’t skip the ad once it starts playing - and not jumpable, so you can’t jump past an ad altogether on the scrub bar. You’ve probably already discovered this behaviour on numerous streaming TV services. We wondered if that meant that this would mean ads won't be skippable - but we've now been told that the Apple Podcasts app will prohibit this setting.

Things may change

There's plenty that we don't yet know - hidden by an NDA - and we hope Apple Podcasts will be open with their HLS documentation once they're able to.

Theoretically, though, this does mean that the same HLS feed should work if you were to put it into an alternateEnclosure for other podcast apps, and should also work just fine on Android or other devices. However, we don’t know whether the ads will work this way; interstitials may require those specific assets to be sent to Apple or something, we don’t know.

Other than the ads, certainly, there's nothing proprietary here - just a carefully constructed HLS multivariant playlist. And that's good news for all of us.

Apple Podcasts has launched what it calls "a transformative update" for the way Apple Podcasts handles video. The feature was announced on Feb 17, and publicly launched with the release of iOS 26.4 on Mar 24, 2026.

Until now, Apple Podcasts did support video; but in a half-hearted way. If you listened to This Week in Tech (Audio) then you were expected to find This Week in Tech (Video), a separate podcast feed. That feed contains (massive) MP4 video files; and as we discovered in our testing, Apple Podcasts played them, but initially only in a tiny, tiny window (less than a tenth of an inch high).

Now, Apple Podcasts supports video in a very different way. And, many would say, better.

Podcasters who are using supported podcast hosting companies can publish video versions of shows alongside the audio episodes - no more separate RSS feeds. The playback works properly - no more tiny windows. And, perhaps most importantly for the podcast ecosystem, the video remains hosted by your podcast host, which means you can do dynamic ads if you want.

The way it works - see below - means that it only works for podcasts hosted by companies that have partnered with Apple Podcasts. At launch, those were Acast, ART19, Audiomeans, Ausha, Captivate, Firstory, Omny Studio, PodBean, Podigee, Podspace, Riverside, RSS.com, Simplecast and Transistor.

More content will roll out throughout the year.

Want to see it working?

We would make a video, but Stephen Robles has done it already and done a much better job than we would.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_kFFv3y2s

Not visible in the video above is that shows are highlighted as having video in the home page within Apple Podcasts as well.

Which shows is it enabled in?

There are a number of shows with video already enabled. When it was previewed, we played with a few different shows. Mind If We Talk? is hosted on Acast; and Baby, This is Keke Palmer is hosted on ART19. The Zane Lowe Interview Series, from Apple Music, is also available in video.

How it works technically

Apple Podcasts is not doing video via RSS. You still need an RSS feed to publish a show (that's where your episode title and descriptions go), but once you've published the audio, your podcast hosting provider needs to separately send Apple Podcasts a URL to an HLS multivariate playlist for that episode to Apple Podcasts. That is sent to Apple using a special API that the podcast hosting provider has access to.

We’ve got lots of technical detail about the HLS multivariate playlist over here.

There is no support for the alternateEnclosure. (You can use it, and you'd be sensible to do that since iHeart have announced forthcoming support for it; but Apple won't support it.)

You don't upload your video to Apple. Instead, your podcast hosting provider will host the video yourself, using HLS.

What is so special about HLS?

Apple Podcasts is very excited about HLS. Here's why it's important.

Put simply, HLS breaks up a video into lots of short (ten second) long video files. An HLS playlist tells the app to "download this file" then "download this file", and so on. As you watch, the video player is downloading and playing those files one after another. It downloads just enough for you to keep watching.

As it downloads the files, it's keeping an eye on how long it takes to download them, and using HLS's dynamic playlists, the player can switch to lower-quality files if it needs to. Perhaps your signal is low, for example.

Additionally, the audio is a separate piece of content. So even if the video breaks up - and we have seen that in our testing - the audio should continue to be unaffected.

Every video app (Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, etc) uses a form of HLS (or MPEG DASH, which is a competing system). So why is Apple so excited about HLS?

First, Apple invented it.

Second, it means that podcast hosting companies will serve the video. Not Apple. Which means...

Podcast hosting companies can serve dynamic ads in the video. This means that it's up to creators, and their podcast hosting companies, how they want to monetise their shows - rather than just leaving it all to Spotify or YouTube.

And, since it downloads little slices of the video as you watch, it means that podcast hosting companies can see how much of each show is being watched. If you only watch the first ten minutes of a show, your podcast app will only download the first ten minutes of a show. Good news for everyone.

Apple's business model is different

Spotify lets anyone upload video podcasts for free; but they sit on Spotify's servers, and you're limited with what you might want to do with advertising. However, if you're big enough, you can get money from Spotify.

YouTube lets anyone upload video podcasts for free; but they sit on YouTube's servers, and you're limited with what you might want to do with advertising. However, if you're big enough, you can get money from YouTube.

Apple will only accept video podcasts from partnering podcast hosting companies. They stay on the servers of those podcast hosting companies. And Apple will charge those podcast hosting companies an impression-based fee for the delivery of dynamic ads. So, Apple earns from any dynamic ads your ad provider serves.

Some podcasts are already using HLS video. These will not work with Apple Podcasts, which requires participating podcast hosts to send HLS information separately, and have specific requirements.

Do Apple charge for baked-in ads? No, they don't. The charge is just for dynamic advertising: it doesn't include baked-in ads.

Will Apple give any targeting data in return? No, they won't. There's no change from how it works with MP3/RSS today. The only thing your ad provider will be able to use to target the advertising, as now, is the IP address (as well as time of day, etc).

Will Apple Private Relay be used? No. There's no change from how it works currently with MP3/RSS.

What does this mean for analytics?

Apple Podcasts Connect will continue to offer the same information it does today, and will include video playback.

We asked if video would be broken out separately within Apple Podcasts Connect. Apple replied to tell us that "Video will be included in podcast analytics" - they're eager not to disappoint, but we suggest that the answer is no. However, your podcast hosting platform will have more data - significantly so, since HLS helps them get data that's much more detailed.

Our impressions

We looked at the developer beta.

Video podcasts are now nicely highlighted in the home screen with a "video" icon, top-right.

But, below, video podcasts aren't highlighted in search, oddly - though individual episodes are.

As to playback - the video works nicely, and automatically, with the usual iPhone controls. You can send the video via AirPlay to anything capable of playing it (including Apple TV, which oddly doesn't have video in the Apple Podcasts app). You can pop out the window into a little overlay while you doomscroll whatever social media you want to doomscroll.

We saw a dynamic ad in one of the videos we saw. The provider - Acast, in this case - had added a visual caption to the audio ad, saying “Advertisement: we’ll be back after this short message”.

You can play back video at 1.3x or other speeds if you want, just like audio podcasts. You can turn on Apple Podcasts' "Enhance dialog" feature, to make voices clearer in the video, just like audio podcasts. Everything works like you would expect it to within Apple Podcasts - but with video.

Apple Podcasts still has transcripts, but those transcripts no longer display with "as you listen" highlights. You can't tap a section you want to move forward/back to, to be able to hear/see it. I suspect that's because the transcripts are for the audio, but the video file might differ in some way. That's a bit messy. ("Time-synced Transcripts are not yet available for some video episodes", the transcript says right at the bottom, though we haven't seen a video episode with them available.)

More than that - Apple Podcasts also has captions/subtitles. But not for all shows. Baby, This is Keke Palmer has them, and you can turn them on. Mind If We Talk? does not have them. (iPhone does have on-device subtitles, which you can turn on; but not here in the Apple Podcasts app). Apple Podcasts does the same odd thing with full-screen video, if you've locked your auto-rotation, that makes full-screen video a small letterbox in the middle of the screen; and puts subtitles over the video, not underneath it.

Chapters don't seem to appear on the scrub bar (even when just listening to audio); and chapter titles don't appear in the player. We couldn't see any timed links appear; though we are told that they should appear if they're present (and these will work so much better with video).

There are auto-downloads for video - but this feature is not turned on by default. Apple's usual auto-downloading of shows you follow continues to be audio, unless you opt-in to tell it to be video. (It should be noted that the audio download still uses this new HLS system - there’s no separate audio track).

Video streaming is also turned off by default for you if you're on mobile data. I'm told there will be plenty of tooltips to help us understand this.

You can "Turn Video Off", which switches to an audio-only experience (showing the episode artwork as you'd expect). This plays the audio track from the HLS file, as we detail in this article.

And all this video stuff also works just fine with MP4 files, like This Week In Tech, which play properly in full screen now. The user sees no appreciable difference between a video in MP4 and one delivered via HLS, excepting the need to find the special video feed.

The disappointing

It's not available on the Apple Podcasts app in Apple TV. At all. You can AirPlay to your Apple TV, but the experience isn't otherwise on Apple TV. Given the apparent use of video podcasts as a TV replacement, this is a strange omission.

Video in podcasts is available on the Apple Vision Pro. We'd say "why you'd want that is anyone's business", but we could say that about the Apple Vision Pro anyway. The specification allows podcasters to deliver immersive video for these devices though, so...

Apple doesn't support alternateEnclosure, even for big old MP4's. This is a bad choice - because MP4s are the only way to get video into the Apple Podcasts app from self-hosted shows.

In fact, this is the first time Apple Podcasts has ever announced a feature that forces you to be a customer of a few large companies to use it.

Up until now, transcripts, chapters, subscriptions - all these features have been available to anyone, in a truly open manner. Other launches have been enhancement: auto-submissions of new shows, for example. But now, there is no access to HLS video if you're self-hosting, or if you are using a small podcast hosting company. Apple Podcasts can't talk about being open when this feature is closed to all but four companies.

By keeping HLS video away from the RSS feed, this is a proprietary solution for Apple Podcasts. No other player will see these HLS video feeds (unlike creator-produced transcripts, for example, which are visible everywhere). This is a shame.

However - there's nothing to stop you from adding video to the alternateEnclosure for other companies to see: we'd suspect that the iHeartRadio app is likely to use HLS when iHeart launches open video support later this year. We know that Apple Podcasts happily ignores the alternateEnclosure from RSS feeds already, so it's absolutely safe to do. That's a tiny, incremental piece of work: so when turning on Apple Podcasts video, turn on the alternateEnclosure as well, and you'll get access in a bunch more apps, too.

In conclusion

Apple rarely does things first: but it does them properly.

Video in Apple Podcasts is thoughtfully produced and well-made; it offers the very best of what Apple does, and is a genuine addition to the app.

Whether it's truly "open" or not, it follows the ethos of podcasting - that creators should be responsible for distribution and for monetisation.

The Apple team are deep thinkers and want the best for the industry. This is a good move for the entire industry; and whatever we might think of the "per-impression" charge, it does mean that Apple also wants this to be a success.

Now, let's see how quickly podcast producers embrace it - and how fast the Apple team can onboard new podcast hosts. (So far, the number has trebled in a month).

What the industry says

At PAVE Studios, Max Cutler posted a long piece on LinkedIn, pointing out that while Spotify and YouTube have announced future plans for dynamic ad insertion, Apple seems to have delivered it.

Bryan Barletta, Founder of Sounds Profitable, told Podnews: "This is the first video solution on a major platform in the creator space that puts full dynamic video ad serving control into the hands of the hosting platforms and creators. This isn’t just serving your own ads over DAI or enabling the platform to sell ads for you, it’s the podcaster in control. A tech fee attached to ad serving compared is incredibly refreshing when compared to a percentage of ad spend. This is a big deal."

Podcast Discovery's Matt Deegan writes that this changes the economic architecture of podcasts - enabling dynamic podcasts is one thing; but Apple now becomes part of the monetary flow of podcasts, not just the distribution layer.

Former Sony Music Entertainment exec Steve Ackerman says: "Dynamic ad insertion is something that YouTube has said is coming this year to their platform for podcasts but is not currently possible. And this is not something that Spotify yet allows in video. Indeed, some podcasters are sacrificing ad money for the right to upload video to Spotify. This therefore puts both Spotify and YouTube on the back foot, whilst getting Apple Podcasts back in the game in a significant way. For the podcast industry this opens another big new revenue stream, and should drive audience numbers up on Apple Podcasts when they had been going down. Which further reinforces why podcasting, across audio and video will continue its aggressive revenue growth."

With winter officially behind us, it’s time to shift our attention to the next big topic dujour: spring cleaning. And, in this case, that’s keeping your podcast fresh to make sure that podfade doesn’t strike.

According to our friends at Podcasting Tech, approximately 47% of new podcasts don’t get past three episodes. And per the Podbean Blog, most don’t get beyond 10 episodes.

Chop up the numbers any way you like and it looks like whatever you’ve just discovered under your sofa. It’s not pretty… and it’s especially sad when you think about the excitement, passion, and creativity new podcasters have as they’re developing their new idea, only to see it put on a shelf once the work begins.

As podcasting continues to grow, evolve, and incorporate new technology, it’s time to do better. You have a unique opportunity to connect with an audience clamoring for your thoughts, ideas, and commentary. But if you desert your efforts before you’ve established yourself, developed your skill set, or experienced any significant breakthroughs, no one will ever know.

If finally starting a podcast, building momentum on an existing show, or breathing new life into one that’s gone dormant is one of your resolutions this year, here are five ways to eliminate podfade this spring (and beyond):

1. Let Strategy Be Your Guide

Nobody’s crazy enough to go out in the snow without making preparations - whether it’s a big warm coat, or those snow-chains that might, hopefully, keep you on the road. Your podcast needs a similar beacon to help you on your path.

That beacon can be found in the strategy you apply to your efforts and the careful thought you put into planning all aspects of your podcast.

On the naughty list for me this past year was the number of “fly by night,” “launch your podcast in 24 hours” courses and programs that graced my news feed. They were abundant, shortsighted, and not at all focused on what it takes to grow and sustain a podcast over time.

It’s no wonder so many podcasts fade away after their opening salvo.

Taking time to build an impactful strategy will help you:

• Define your purpose: WHY you want to build a podcast
• Construct a detailed, targeted listener profile
• Evaluate other podcasts in your space for ideas you can emulate or improve upon
• Build out your podcast branding
• Create a catalog of content to carry you through the first several MONTHS of your show (how do you conquer the “10 episode or less stat? Produce 11-15 episodes before you ever take your podcast public)
• Outline several topics (new, adjacent to your past episodes, based on current events, etc) to give yourself a road map that keeps your show humming
• Build an extensive guest list, determine themes, build assets, promote the podcast before it’s live

These are just a few of the critical items that should be built into a sound podcast strategy. Do it right and it will serve as the foundation that not only helps you grow, but keeps you engaged in the activities that lead to said growth.

2. Don’t Let Metrics Diminish Your Mindset

Several years ago, one of my former clients made the decision to shut down his show. I understood he was overwhelmed with other priorities, but that wasn’t the reason behind his choice. On a call one day, he said:

“If I had 5,000 downloads an episode, I’d keep going.”

Now, there are many ways to unpack that statement. For one, his downloads weren’t anywhere close to that number, so I’m not sure why he built up 5,000/per in his head as the necessary benchmark for staying in the game.

Additionally, his primary objective (at least from our initial planning discussions) was not built around metrics at all. Yet, over time, despite putting LESS effort into his show, he felt the numbers didn’t justify the time he was dedicating.

I learned a valuable lesson from this: Mindset Over Metrics.

It’s going to take time, energy, and effort to truly develop a show into an entity with staying power. You need to prove yourself to your audience and give them a product worth consuming, sharing, and devoting their attention to.

If you go into this with visions of instant fame and a bank account flooded with cash just because you pressed record, you’re not going to like how things shake out.

But if your mindset is focused on the message you’re delivering, over time, you’re going to get better at delivering it. And as that happens, metrics begin to fall into place naturally.

3. Play At Your Level

As this article goes live on the interwebs, there’s a lot of chatter about Netflix’s foray into podcasting, plus Hulu, and then Disney, YouTube, and then what Apple Podcasts are doing.

There’s always going to be room for debate and speculation on these major platforms. But don’t let it derail what YOU want to accomplish.

The beauty of today’s digital world is the ease of accessibility to multimedia channels. To do what we can do with podcasting today was practically impossible without access to a million-dollar studio as little as 15 years ago.

The big players getting big paydays? They’ve earned it.

Now, it’s your turn to build something that could earn that kind of notoriety one day. Pour your time and effort into building something impactful for YOUR target audience. In time, you could become one of the big players, too.

4. Lean Into Video, Not a Hollywood Production

Another hot-button issue in podcasting is video overall. Personally, I’m all for it…mainly because I’m an advocate for letting my audience consume content where they’re present.

• On the go: consume the audio
• Scrolling the socials: breeze through some short-form clips
• More time to invest: watch the full video of the show
• In a reading mood: absorb the info via a blog post

My take on the video phenomenon is that folks want to use it…but they want a top-tier professional production without the budget to pay for it or the skill set to do it themselves.

While this type of product might stand out, it’s a) not the norm and b) not necessary to build a podcast that keeps you engaged in the process.

One day, you may acquire the skills or financial means to inject some Spielberg into your show. But for now, capitalize on subject matter you can riff about in your sleep. That will keep you hungry to develop more of it on a consistent basis.

5. Don’t Get Caught Up In the AI Slopyard

This section could be an article in and of itself, but I’ll keep this brief.

If you’re like me, you’re inundated with so much fake, AI-generated garbage, you’re ready to throw your smartphone overboard.

And I can say with all the confidence in the world that I want REAL conversations with REAL people when I press play on a podcast.

AI platforms can be useful for post-production and creating assets for promoting your show. But using it to generate the content your audience consumes or, worse, act as the host and/or guest of your show…it simply defeats the purpose.

Letting a robot do the heavy lifting just so you can have a podcast is not sustainable and, in my opinion, is pretty cringy. Authentic storytelling and in-depth conversations are at the heart of podcasting. It’s what your audience craves AND it’s what will keep you energized to keep creativity alive.

No matter what stage of the podcast game you’re currently in, you’re on the cusp of something special. The only way you don’t experience that is by throwing in the towel and giving up on yourself.

The podcast community has your back. Use the rest of this year to create the best of things.

The author, Ralph V. Estep, Jr., is a Delaware-based licensed accountant, author and podcast host.

A new US tax change is landing right in the middle of the creator economy—and it’s going to create both opportunity and confusion.

The headline floating around is simple: “No Tax on Tips.” But the reality is more specific: it’s a new federal income-tax deduction for qualified tips, and it comes with rules that matter a lot if you’re a podcaster, YouTuber, streamer, or any creator receiving audience support.

If you’ve ever been paid through Super Chats, gifts, Stars, “Buy Me a Coffee” style donations, or voluntary contributions from listeners, you need to understand what this does (and doesn’t) mean—because the creators who track it correctly could keep meaningful money, and the creators who lump everything together could create a mess at tax time.

First: what actually changed?

The “No Tax on Tips” provision was signed into law as part of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, and it applies for tax years 2025 through 2028.

At a high level, it allows eligible taxpayers to deduct up to $25,000 per year of qualified tips from federal taxable income—subject to income limits and other eligibility rules. It phases out once your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000 (or $300,000 for joint filers).

That’s the “what.” The “how” is where creators need to pay attention.

Yes, creators are included—but not every dollar you receive is a “tip”

This is the first major issue I’m seeing: platforms use casual language that blurs categories.

A tip (for tax purposes) generally needs to be:

• Voluntary
• Not required
• Not tied to a promised product or benefit
• Given because the audience member simply wants to support you

That’s why some creator income is likely to fit the definition—while other common creator revenue streams probably don’t.

Often tip-like (depending on how it’s structured):

• Live stream tips and voluntary “donations”
• Super Chats / Stars / gifts / badges / cheers
• Voluntary listener support with no promised perk

Usually NOT a tip (it’s business income):

• Memberships and subscriptions
• Patreon tiers that include perks/benefits
• Paid courses, coaching, templates, digital products
• Sponsorships and brand deals
• Ad revenue

Here’s the rule of thumb that keeps you out of trouble:

If the audience member is buying access or buying something, it’s not a tip. If they’re supporting you without expecting anything, it might be.

The biggest creator mistake: letting platforms “bundle” everything

Most creator platforms do not make your life easy here.

They’ll often deposit money to your bank account in a single lump sum that includes:

• Tips
• Memberships
• Ads
• Platform incentives
• Refunds/chargebacks
• Sometimes even sales tax or fees rolled into the same reporting view

If you record that deposit as “Income” and move on, you may be setting yourself up for one of two problems:

1. You don’t claim a deduction you legally qualify for, because you can’t prove what portion was tips.
2. You misclassify income as tips that isn’t actually tips—creating unnecessary risk, amended returns, penalties, or a compliance headache you didn’t need.

This is why I keep repeating one phrase to creators:

Tip income must become its own revenue bucket.

Not later. Not “when I have time.” Not “when my accountant asks.” If this law applies to your business, the cleanest advantage comes from clean tracking.

A practical reality creators need to know: your year-end forms may not show it cleanly (yet)

This is another key detail: early guidance has indicated that current-year information reporting forms may not be updated in time to neatly display “deductible tip totals” the way creators wish they would.

That means your ability to claim the deduction may depend on:

• Your platform statements
• Your exports and reports
• Your logs and internal bookkeeping categories
• Your ability to tie deposits back to tip activity

In other words: you can’t outsource this to “future me.” You need a paper trail.

What creators should do right now (four steps)

You don’t need to panic. But you do need to prepare.

1) Separate tip income immediately In your bookkeeping software (or even a spreadsheet if you’re early-stage), create a category specifically for qualified tips. If you have multiple platforms, consider subcategories by platform.

2) Export platform statements monthly Don’t trust dashboards to look the same later. Download what you can—PDFs, CSV exports, payout details—and store them in a folder by month.

3) Don’t restructure your business “because of a headline” A tax change can be real and still not be fully clarified in practice. For many creators, the smartest move is: track now, plan now, file later with clarity.

4) Keep “benefit-based support” separate from “no-benefit support” If you run memberships or Patreon tiers with perks and also receive voluntary support, track them distinctly. That separation is what protects you.

Will this trigger audits?

Claiming a legal deduction is not the problem. Sloppy reporting is.

Creators run into trouble when they:

• Call everything a tip
• Can’t back up totals
• Have inconsistent reporting (platform totals don’t match books)
• Mix personal and business funds
• Rely on “creator tax hacks” from social media

A clean system lowers stress and lowers risk.

Where the worst advice is about to spread fast

If you’re a creator, you’ve seen the pattern before:

A tax headline drops → influencers turn it into “everyone pays zero tax” → people restructure incorrectly → tax season becomes chaos.

You’ll hear things like:

• “Creators pay zero taxes now!”
• “Everything is tax-free!”
• “You don’t need an accountant anymore!”

Ignore that.

This is a real opportunity for many creators—but it’s not magic, it’s not automatic, and it absolutely does not replace good bookkeeping.

What this means for the creator economy

From a business perspective, this is one of the clearest signals yet that lawmakers and regulators are recognizing what the creator economy already knows:

Creators aren’t “just hobbyists.” Many are modern service businesses with real revenue, real payroll, real overhead—and now, tax rules that explicitly acknowledge how audiences support them.

But benefits tied to new rules always come with a tradeoff: the creators who build clean systems will capture the upside, and the creators who stay disorganized will spend that upside on cleanup later.

Final word: don’t wait for April to learn what you should track in December

If you receive audience support that could qualify as tips, now is the time to get organized—because good tax outcomes are usually built in months, not in minutes.

If you want help sorting your income streams, building clean creator bookkeeping, and preparing for how this changes your 2025 filing strategy, you can find my breakdown and updates at: https://www.contentcreatorsaccountant.com/no-tax-on-tips

I don’t know if it’s the changing weather or some kind of New Year’s Resolution hangover, but there’s a feeling of change in the air.

I say this with emphasis because I’m fresh off the rebranding of my podcast and, as I learned in the many conversations I had leading up to this major shift in my brand’s creative landscape, many other podcasters and creators are feeling like making vital changes to their podcasts as well.

Whether it’s a facelift with the name, a fresh redesign to their cover art, or a total 180 in content direction altogether, creators at various stages of their podcasting journey have reached the proverbial fork in the road, anxiously wondering whether to stay the course or venture down the road not yet traveled.

Undoubtedly, there’s something satisfying about making a change that better serves your purpose. It brings clarity to your efforts and keeps your mission front of mind.

But sometimes, there’s that annoying little voice inside, doing its best to throw you off kilter: “Is this the right move? Am I going to kill my progress? Will my audience still show up?”

If you’ve reached a point where you find yourself questioning whether your current podcast name hinders your visibility, relays the wrong message, or simply doesn’t serve your purpose, this feature’s for you.

My story

Here's why I decided to make this crucial shift with my podcast, how I made it happen, and what you should be thinking about if you decide to venture down the same path.

Back in 2023, I rebranded the name of my business to Bombtrack Media. This was a tactical move that brought forth a total shift in business offerings, messaging, and philosophies. As I moved through the rebranding process, I knew I’d be launching a fresh podcast to accompany the new direction of my brand..

When I landed on Bombtrack Media as my company name, it was no more than 10 seconds later that I proudly exclaimed, “My podcast can be called Let’s Blow This Up! It’s the perfect complement to my brand name!!”

And it was. As I learned from branding expert Alexandra Watkins, author of Hello My Name Is Awesome, the more branding spinoffs your name can spawn, the more memorable your name becomes.

So staying true to this axiom, my list of spinoffs grew and took shape nicely:

• My podcast is called “Let’s Blow This Up
• My audience will be called “The Bomb Squad”
• My podcast studio will be dubbed “The Bomb Shelter”
• My content will be EXPLOSIVE!
• My service offerings can be named TNT or Dynamite

You get the picture.

So I launched Bombtrack Media, I launched Let’s Blow This Up, and away we went.

As I began growing the brand, I knew I made the right decision with changing the name as a whole. But as time went on, something started to bug me about Let’s Blow This Up.

I was so fixated on having a podcast name that connected to my brand name, I never considered anything else. And while Let’s Blow This Up served THAT purpose, it failed miserably in the one department that mattered most: visibility.

The content found within Let’s Blow This Up focused on various aspects of podcasting: strategy, marketing, production, editing, etc.

But could you learn that by looking at the name alone? Nope.

If you were in search of a podcast to help you elevate your podcasting efforts, are you going to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and entering ‘let’s blow this up’ or something similar to ‘podcasts about podcasting?’ Obviously the latter.

So I started digging into Podcast SEO on a much deeper level and learned rather quickly I had what can only be described as a visibility clusterf*ck on my hands.

• A show name that made my podcast hard to find in organic search
• A show description that wasn’t SEO-friendly
• To my credit, I did have SEO-driven episode titles, but they weren’t nearly as strong because the first two points were absent
• Absolutely no presence in podcast search engines for the most relevant terms regarding my show (podcasting, etc)

The pivot

My discoveries, combined with advice I’d received from other podcast professionals and through breakout sessions at Podfest, was enough to light the fire of change within me: and make me pivot.

And after a few weeks of focused, painstaking work, the rebrand officially went into effect. Podcasting Strategy Simplified was born!

Now, I’m a realistic guy and know I won’t experience huge results overnight.

But I can say with full certainty that since making this vital change, the vibe around my podcast (and my brand) has changed significantly.

• Feedback has been outstanding.
• There’s no more confusion around what the show’s about (‘Podcasting Strategy Simplified’ is as on-the-nose as it gets).
• New episodes have been built with total clarity.
• The new name relates to what I do within Bombtrack Media 100%.

And another big win? The much-needed updates brought forth a rebrand in myself, personally and professionally. These essential moves have put everything I’m doing on a much clearer path and, ultimately, have rejuvenated my focus and mindset for my overall brand mission.

The entire experience has been win-win!

But what about you and your podcast?

Have you been questioning whether your podcast name, podcast description, episode titles, show notes, and/or overall content direction is on point?

As I said a few moments ago, you're not alone. I can say the following with complete confidence: don't ignore the voice in your head pushing you towards a change IF YOU FEEL YOUR CURRENT DIRECTIVES AREN'T SERVING YOUR GREATER PURPOSE!

If rebranding is something you’ve been contemplating, it’s important to make your changes wisely, strategically, and for the right reasons. The following are items you need to consider and utilize as you move towards changing things up with your podcast:

• Look very closely at the name of your show and ask yourself whether it speaks to your mission, as well as if it positions you to be discovered on podcast apps for your niche. Do a quick search on the most common AND the most specific keywords and phrases in your niche and see if your show populates.
• Do not get hung up on "sunk costs" - meaning if you feel like you'll lose complete traction because of all the effort you've put in thus far. If your show name is not aligned with the direction you want to go, there’s no point in digging deeper into that hole.
• Focus on clear communication with your audience and let them know what's happening with your show. If you clearly explain what's to come and your content continues to align with their reasons for showing up to listen/watch, a name change will not chase them away. This will also alleviate those “sunk cost” feelings you may be experiencing.
• As you choose your new name, focus on the three key items that will drive more positive Podcast SEO: a powerful, on-point show name, an SEO-friendly show description, and engaging, hook-driven episode titles. Make these three aspects clear, attention-grabbing, and intriguing to boost discoverability and increase the number of people who press play.
• When it comes to your name, go with something direct versus something “cute.” While Let’s Blow This Up was a name I loved (and still do), it wasn’t serving my greater purpose. Straightforwardness and discoverability with your new name will get you a lot more mileage.
• Use your podcast rebrand as an opportunity to look at EVERYTHING across your digital footprint and adjust where necessary. Do not make your podcast look like its own separate fiefdom - it should align with your brand 100% across the board.
• Make a list of all the platforms you'll need to update. I speak from experience...as you move into execution, you'll discover things you missed (I forgot to update my email signature, which, for 5 days, featured a dead link and the wrong show name).
• Don’t expect things to instantly transform. It will take time and focused effort for your changes to begin taking shape.

I plan to monitor my results over the next several months now that things are in full swing with Podcasting Strategy Simplified. But here's a small win that proves I’m on the right track:

After one week of having the rebrand in motion, I received an email telling me that Podcasting Strategy Simplified hit the Goodpods charts in the Podcasting category at #58. Again, small win…but Let's Blow This Up never made that type of breakthrough.

Podcast SEO matters, my friend.

And small wins will compound into big ones if you give them the respect they deserve.

I’ll wrap up with this: Don’t let rebranding your podcast intimidate you. Yes, there are several steps that lay in front of you to make it happen. But the work you put in today will serve your podcasting initiatives for years to come!

Think about the big picture and do what’s right for your long-term growth and sustainability.

Happy rebranding!

In Jan 2007, the launch of the iPhone changed everything about mobile phones - with the App Store being launched in July 2008. The Apple Podcasts app was launched in June 2012.

But there was a podcast app that was launched three years before Apple Podcasts. It was a fully-featured podcast app - with a lot of features that we take for granted today.

And, it wasn’t on an iPhone at all.

That app was on Android phones; and called Google Listen.

Google Listen was launched in August 2009; posted by Research Scientists Bill Schilit and Sam Roweis. A product of Google Labs, the company’s home for prototypes and the famed Google “20% time” for side projects, the app was a free download for anyone with an Android phone. It described itself like this:

Listen from Google Labs brings podcasts and web audio to your Android-powered device. It lets you search, subscribe, download and stream. By subscribing to programs and search terms it will create a personalized audio-magazine loaded with fresh shows and news stories whenever you listen. In this release Listen is indexing thousands of popular English-only audio sources.

It looked like this at launch.

Within a month, v1.0.1 was launched, with some UX improvements and bug fixes. By the end of Dec 2009, the player had a “skip forward 30 seconds, back 7 seconds” feature (ad skipping had arrived!); and was correctly using a user-agent.

In February 2010 - after the launch of the brilliant Nexus One - a big change. Instead of Google Listen using RSS itself, the app moved to using Google Reader, a popular RSS reader at the time. Your podcast subscriptions were now in a Google Reader folder, where you could also see them (and, by that time, also comment on them with your friends). Here’s a review from AppJudgement at the time.

Still more than two years before the launch of Apple Podcasts as its own standalone app, Google Listen had iterated through a number of changes.

How Google Listen differed from other apps

“My subscriptions” let you subscribe to individual podcasts, as most other apps did - but also let you subscribe to search terms. Fascinated about Toyota cars, or the French Revolution, or the Laravel framework? Subscribing to that search would always show you "a recent episode whose content matches that search term”.

Your “listen queue” let you choose specific episodes to hear in a specific order. Listen would play your queue first, then automatically start playing your subscriptions. Play queues are surprisingly late to the party from other podcast apps!

Google Listen by the numbers

According to an internal document seen by Podnews, by January 2012 the app was achieving 580,000 monthly users (190,000 weekly users). Google Listen was shipped pre-installed on some HTC phones.

Users loved it. Internal Google numbers indicate that the average session duration was over an hour long: and the average user used it five times a week.

In late 2010 or early 2011, Google Listen v2 was under way. Designs were produced internally, showing a clearer UX, a new logo (Google colours beaming from a transmitter), integration with Google Plus, the company’s social media service, and - yes - support for video.

Here - possibly public for the first time - is what Google Listen v2 would have looked like:

What the company learnt

In a document seen by Podnews, auto-download and queuing were seen as significant benefits: and features we take for granted (only download on wifi, only keep the last three episodes) were hailed as successes.

Google Listen did best with commuters - hence the high session durations, and the fact it was used five days a week. However, Google Listen didn’t cope well with other activities - a family car trip, or an exercise routine.

While it remains an innovative feature, “subscribe to search” wasn’t as successful as the company had hoped. And the company had built some excellent social designs - but hadn’t implemented them, partially because v1 had already built “popular searches” into the app, and so a more in-depth social discovery tool wasn’t seen as being required.

We can even tell you the company’s vision for Google Listen. It was:

Fill the gap in information access when people have partial attention, by providing a "query free" and "query cheap" stream of relevant, personal and engaging audio information.

The inevitable switch to video

Google Listen may not have made it to v2, but it was the basis for Google TV’s “Queue”, launched in May 2010 for Google TV v1.

If you bought a Google TV-compatible television (Sony made one) or you bought a Logitech box, Google Queue let you subscribe to RSS feeds for audio and video, right on your TV. You’d always have something to watch.

By November 2010, when the Logitech Revue set-top box came out, Google TV apparently had a podcasts app, powered by the same team. The “dedicated podcasts area” wasn’t mentioned by most reviews of the, um, Revue.

The Logitech Revue, described by Harry McCracken as an example of a trend of “products which ship even though they’re clearly not ready to ship”, wasn’t successful, with more boxes returned to Logitech than sold by them.

The Google graveyard

And, as for the Google Listen Android app, v1.1 is as far as the app got.

"The project came out of Google Research, not Android, and so didn't have a formal home,” someone with knowledge of the product told us. And, in any case, other - better - podcast apps had appeared. Stitcher had originally launched in 2008 and was an Android app by 2010; Pocket Casts launched on Android in March 2011; and AntennaPod launched in July 2012.

So, in August 2012, the company announced that “with Google Play" (the new name for the Android app store), "people now have access to a wider variety of podcast apps, so we’ve discontinued Listen."

“You deserved better than this”, said GeekWire in a blog post, highlighting that what made it a great podcast app was search - Google’s speciality. "I’ve yet to find another app as good as Google Listen at finding relevant episodes based on searches for specific topics across a large database of shows,” said GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop.

A Googler involved with the Google Listen project told Podnews: “The vision was for something like Notebook LM - a lean-back audio stream that users could interrupt to change the direction. It wasn’t something we were able to build at the time."

Google returned to podcasts with Google Play Music Podcasts, which launched at the end of 2015 but was only available in the US and Canada, and cached audio. Then, the launch of Google Podcasts in June 2018, which was closed in 2024, replaced (kind of) by YouTube Music and YouTube itself.

But, perhaps the spirit of Google Listen lives on in Google’s “Daily Listen”, which the company calls a personalised podcast based on your Discover feed.

Google Listen was the first in a number of experiments by Google to organise the world’s audio, and make it easy to discover. While Apple Podcasts gets the plaudits, Google Listen still had a part to play in podcasting’s history and growth. We owe its developers a debt.

When they travel, a lot of podcasters swear by complicated flight cases with foam inserts; portable audio recorders with SD cards and XLR adaptors, and some even take microphone stands with them.

Podnews records a podcast every weekday - the Podnews Daily - and a ninety-minute weekly podcast, the Podnews Weekly Review. I have to be able to record everywhere - in hotel rooms, on conference show floors, in airport lounges, on the banks of the River Thames, in all kinds of places. I need to record interviews in noisy coffee shops, or on the show floor. So I need a decent microphone to take with me.

When at home, I use the Shure MV7, plugged into a RØDEcaster Pro.

But I learnt quite early on to avoid packing a big microphone into our checked-in bag. My older microphone, wrapped carefully in t-shirts, was examined by the TSA - the just left on top of the clothes, and spent the remaining 27 hours being clattered from one side to the other of the bag. It didn’t work at all when we got it home. (RØDE repaired it - free - which was nice of them).

So instead, I use the Shure MV88+. And here’s why...

It’s a tiny, handheld microphone that comes with a squidgy travel case with enough protection to be thrown into a backpack. The travel case has separate slots for a USB cable, a headphone cable, and - for that one time when I forgot my headphones - a pair of cheap Sony earbuds that sound every bit as cheap as they look.

It can record in stereo if you want it to: something most unlike any typical microphone for podcasting, but great for immersive atmosphere.

It’s got built-in dynamic compression, limiting, and EQ. You can tell it to record in stereo or mono, and even tell it what kind of pickup pattern you want.

All its settings can be changed using Shure’s Motiv software on your PC or phone. (And for the avoidance of doubt, you don’t need to run this software at any other times if you don’t want to - it just changes the settings on the microphone).

To record with it, I either a) plug it in, using a USB-C to micro-USB cable, to a MacBook: and record directly in Hindenburg; or b) plug it in, using a USB-C to micro-USB cable, to an iPhone: and record directly onto the Shure Motiv software there. (By the way, that Motiv software even works without a microphone at all, just using your phone).

It comes with a little stand, but I don't use that (it's in a drawer at home). Instead, for a microphone arm, I use, um, my arm. After, at the time of writing, 780 flights (298 longhaul), I’ve never once forgotten my arm. Seriously, since the microphone is so light, it’s easy to hold in one hand; there’s no appreciable handling noise.

I’ve done countless podcasts with it, including many different guest spots; I’ve been live on the BBC with it (both Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live in one day); and conducted a number of ad-hoc interviews on show floors of podcast conferences. It’s never, once, let me down (although doubtless writing this, it now will do).

The only tips I can give you are: first, make sure you tell it to record in mono, and secondly, pack it in your carry-on (it goes in the bottom of my backpack). In airport security, take it out and lay it in the tray next to your bag - from some angles, it looks a little too much like a cigarette lighter in the X-ray machine, so you’ll save everyone time if you put it separately on the tray.

I use Bose QC35 headphones with it. These are noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones, good for the plane ride; but have a line input cable as well. They charge using the same cable as the microphone uses; but when you use the the line input, you don’t need to turn the headphones on, or use noise cancelling. They’re on their fourth headset pads.

And that’s it. No flight case. No foam inserts. No complicated portable audio recorders. No SD card. Just one, US $250-ish, microphone. Sorry to disappoint.

• As a disclosure: I used to use the Shure MV5, a ball-shaped thing. When I excitedly pointed this out to a Shure representative on their stand at The Podcast Show one year, he gave me this ex-demo MV88+ to use “because it’s better”. It is; but at no point did they ever tell me to review it.

Published in the RadioDoc Review, this presentation, first given at the MeCCSA Radio and Audio Studies symposium, pays tribute to the narrative podcast as a vibrant audio art/journalism form, destined to survive and even benefit from the video podcast turn.

I want to start with a scene from about ten years ago.

We were in Barcelona, at a glitzy media summit called the Global Editors Network. Compared to academic conferences, this was hi-tech and shamelessy show-offy, from the cocktails and canapes at a castle straight out of Game of Thrones, to the expo hall filled with tech types flaunting their latest must-have gadgets and apps.

Cut to a panel about to address an audience that includes editors from the New York Times, Washington Post, El Pais, Le Monde, Financial Times, The Guardian, as well as executives from Buzzfeed, Slate and the like. Enter stage left, Francesco Baschieri (CEO of a podcast marketing research company), Dana Chivvis (producer of a certain podcast called Serial) and me (billed as Editor of a new journal of audio criticism, RadioDoc Review).

For an academic researching radio documentary, which is what I mostly was at the time, to say this was surreal is beyond understatement. We were used to being relegated to a small room at media/comms conferences, at which a mere handful of scholars might make it to your session. Now I was gazing at these high-powered media moguls, who – best of all compliments – had actually put away their phones.

They were there, of course, to hear about Serial. Just six months before, in December 2014, it had dropped the last of 12 episodes, setting records for the most downloaded narrative podcast that are STILL off the charts – five million downloads in the first month and hundreds of millions by now.

The media executives wanted to know what was Serial’s special sauce.

Over a decade on, we’ve had a good run at defining that. It was partly the cliffhanging suspense of a murder mystery, told week by week, as a ‘live’ investigation. It was helped by strong production values, from the experienced This American Life team, along with the lucky coincidence of launching just as Apple placed a bespoke podcast app on their iphone. And perhaps most of all, it had a host in Sarah Koenig who talked to you with the ease and intimacy of your new best friend.

None of these things – apart from the iphone app – were new. Serialisation goes back to at least Dickens. Audio storytelling craft started in the 1920s and ‘30s. And the intimacy of radio has been celebrated since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s so-called ‘fireside chats’ to the American nation in the 1930s.

But what Serial indisputably did, was make audio storytelling SEXY.

What Serial also did, that day in Barcelona, was get me an improbably large audience for a message I and others had been trying to convey to the media studies field:

• Audio Is NOT LESS THAN Film or TV
• Audio can create characters inside your head as powerfully as those in a great novel
• Audio can move you to tears, or make you laugh, or gasp, via sound alone
• Audio can free your imagination

All these points had been argued with insight and originality in the three issues of RadioDoc Review I’d published by then. I’d conceived RadioDoc Review because of a dearth of in-depth critical analysis of the crafted audio form. As both an audio MAKER as well as an academic, I wished the two sides could be in conversation. And so in a serendipitous moment, I sent out a clarion call for disparate lovers of the built audio form to come together, select pieces and write about works that moved or inspired or challenged us. This happened at a Radio Studies conference in Luton, UK, in 2013.

The very first article was by Seán Street, the first Professor of Radio in the UK, who wrote about the Danish poet and producer Pejk Malinowski’s feature, Poetry, Texas – the title is a pun on a place in that state. In parsing this gentle, luminous piece, Seán noted that we interpret feelings absorbed through sound in what he terms ‘a partnership between memory and imagination’ (Street 2014). This phrase has stuck with me over the years, as a key understanding of how as listeners we co-create the meaning of carefully choreographed sound.

When that review was published, Alan Hall, founder of the independent UK audio production company Falling Tree Productions, enthused on social media that this criticism was ‘invaluable’. Alan went on to write penetrating reviews for us, including of Jens Jarisch’s Prix Italia-winning Children of Sodom and Gomorrah, a piece that presciently explores the troubled path of young Africans seeking refuge in Europe.

I met Jens at the International Feature Conference shortly after we published Alan’s review, which while saluting his masterful production, had also queried the ethics of some of his creative juxtapositions. I wondered if Jens would be upset – but in fact he was elated. He longed to be challenged and stimulated, as Alan’s review had done. Because perhaps only a peer (Alan has himself won the Prix Italia and is still making glorious audio) could so fully appreciate how Jens had composed the work.

But back to Barcelona. Before this A-List non-audio-facing audience, I set out a very truncated idea of the built audio form and the perceptive and growing wisdom accruing around it in forums such as RadioDoc Review. Then I played them clips from esoteric works. Afterwards, prominent media people confided in me their secret or stifled love of audio, and the thrill they felt at the sudden boom in podcasting, and where it might go. There was an aura of allure and excitement around being licensed to like the humble medium of audio. The ears of these key media innovators were momentarily open, aware.

Fast forward three years, and podcasting’s cosy DIY world of chumcasts, chatcasts, narrative podcasts and hybrid formats (like the delicious My Dad Wrote a Porno) is too commercially appealing to be left to its own devices. The New York Times has had huge success with a narrative news format, The Daily, that will soon have more listeners than the paper has readers.

Into what one executive called this ‘sea of niches’ steps Spotify. It will introduce paywalls, in direct contradiction of the open garden system envisaged by Dave Winer when he co-created the RSS feed that allowed most of us to listen to podcasts absolutely free (McHugh 2022, 100). Joe Rogan was an early – and expensive – Spotify trophy.

Some folk will become celebrities because of their podcast – Lex Fridman, for instance, goes from being a novice academic at MIT writing about AI and EVs, to a guy with six million downloads of his show. That’s after he attracts the imprimatur of Elon Musk, but still.

Existing celebrities want their own podcast. Conan O’Brien, Mel Robbins, Michelle Obama … celebrities interrogate other celebrities about ‘the messiness of being human’ (here I’m talking Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard). In other words, celebrities now want to seem authentic. Because authenticity is one of the characteristics listeners value about podcasting, right? (For more on this, check out articles by Berry, Lindgren, McHugh, that I reference in the abstract).

Celebrities aren’t the only ones who’ve muscled in on the orphan cousin of radio that podcasting once seemed to be. A couple of years back, I started seeing industry newsletters about THE PIVOT TO VIDEO. They offered advice, not on which microphone delivered the best sound or value, but on which LOOKED the most impressive, the most Podcast-Hosty. Analysts had started pointing out the powerful parasocial relationship between podcast hosts and their fans, and advertisers were salivating.

The acme – or nadir – came when a social media post showed a grab of a ‘podcaster’ wearing headphones and speaking animatedly into a hefty microphone to sell some message. It turned out he didn’t actually have a podcast. He was just usurping the cachet of being A Podcaster.

YouTube soon spotted an opportunity. It made podcasts easy to upload for makers and easier for consumers to discover, and to connect as fans. Plus these shows could be more directly monetised. No wonder YouTube overtook the competition as the most popular platform for podcast users. And as a visual platform, to help a show stand out, use of imagery increased. 1

Soon media watchers started describing the new tranche of video podcast hosts with their chat/interview formats as reinvented late night TV talk show hosts.

‘To call podcasts even an audio medium would be selling it short, because “podcast” now refers to just about anything with recorded speech’ said an Esquire reporter last December (Menapace 2025). ‘The word “podcast” already has an archaic early-internet ring to it. Like referring to “the world wide web”’ says a recent piece in The Times (Marriott et al 2025).

What’s NOT in question is how important podcasts – however we define them – have become. Podcasts are now well and truly mainstream – they’re ‘as much a part of our culture as telly or TikTok’, says the Times again. This is affirmed by audio scholar David Dowling, who wrote recently that ‘podcasts are now a central component in global media ecosystems’ (2025). Dowling whittles down the distinctive characteristics of podcast journalism to three: Intimacy, Reflexivity and Democracy.

Intimacy, he says, refers to ‘production and narrative strategies (personal narrative, informal tone, cadence, and delivery), listening modalities (headphones, private or semi-private listening, asynchronous), and affective rationality (parasocial relations, trust.’

On reflexivity, Dowling explains: ‘Podcast journalism often makes its own process visible, particularly when hosts disclose reporting challenges, ethical trade-offs, source verification, and uncertain evidence.’

And

‘The concept of democracy encompasses both inclusion (of marginalized voices, diverse perspectives, low barriers to entry) and its counterforces (inequality in reach, ideological polarization, platform-mediated gatekeeping).’

This last aspect, democracy, brings to mind two scholarly articles I ran across: one theorises what they call ‘access intimacy’ in the context of Indian podcasts that canvass disability injustice (in press, Asian Studies Review). Audio podcasts, they argue, avoid the visual rhetorics of disability and their objectifying representations of disabled bodies. The other article (in press, Continuum) proposes that blind podcasters in China are transforming constraint into creative recoding, where accessibility is authored through voice, rhythm, and resonance to co-create sonic publics as resistance and innovation. Just two further examples of how liberating AUDIO is compared to video, a theme I’ve harped on about a lot. Audio, happily, frees us from judgement based on appearance.

But let’s think about NARRATIVE NONFICTION PODCASTS specifically.

To Dowling’s triad of podcast journalism traits, I’d add a fourth for this genre: AESTHETICS. Elegant writing, strong structure and well judged choreography of sound can elevate podcast journalism to an art form.

So where are narrative podcasts headed in this global media ecosystem? Last year, the Serial-induced bubble burst. Well regarded indie production companies went bust: Pineapple Street Studios (who made the cheeky Wind of Change) and Campside Media (who did the absorbing Wild Boys). Even slick corporate Wondery hived off its large narrative team, responsible for shows such as The Shrink Next Door, which had gone to commercial podcast heaven and been adapted as an Apple TV series.

So is it over?? Is finely honed audio storytelling finished? Must we embrace video as the new podcast form? Maybe not. A recent Guardian article pointing to how poorly video serves any kind of podcast format that is not just talking heads has had a lot of industry traction. In it, one of the UK’s most esteemed audio producers fearlessly proclaimed – at last – that the Video Podcast Emperor Had No Clothes. Eleanor McDowall, a co-director of Falling Tree Productions, told the paper:

The absence of images from radio and podcasting isn’t some failure of technology. These audio mediums have grown from a deep love of sound and its imaginative possibilities. When I hear people say the future of audio is essentially television, it makes me feel they never knew what was exciting about sound in the first place. (Sturges 2025b)

Brava Eleanor. Because that’s the nub of it.

Do we make podcasts that are essentially television, or do we pursue and deepen our relationship with sound and its imaginative possibilities, via the narrative podcast form unleashed so spectacularly by Serial, but also played and experimented with for about a century as a built audio storytelling mode.

I’m thinking of the extravaganzas DJ Bridson made for the BBC in the 1930s – panoramic audio used to tell epic stories such as the Battle of Culloden. Of the amazing Radio Ballads of Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker, that braided actuality and real workers’ voices and songs in a tightly layered format, whose precision is astonishing to contemplate as a pre-digital art form.

In the US, I’m thinking of Norman Corwin and Studs Terkel’s Born To Live and David Isay’s The Sunshine Hotel and Ghetto Life 101 and later experimenters like Nick van der Kolk, the understated genius of Jonathan Goldstein’s Heavyweight, Madeleine Baran’s In the Dark and Brian Reed and Julie Snyder’s S-Town.

In Australia, I’m thinking of the ABC’s Unravel and Bowraville’s Indigenous voices and some I’ve been lucky to work on like The Greatest Menace. And all the other imaginative narrative podcasts and audio stories and compositions that harness and celebrate all that is exciting about sound.

Because video can’t do multitracked, composed, choreographed audio. That form lives in our head, between our ears, a partnership between memory and imagination. A narrative podcast is a sonic journey that draws on texture, tone and temporality, evoking individualised sensory responses as it unfolds in real time. It can’t be reduced to a screen.

And while I love the Alchemy of the Mix as much as anyone, it’s not necessarily fancy sound design that can pierce the heart and mind – narrative podcasts are anchored and emotionally grounded in the affective power of the human voice. Which can bring us undone without any embellishment. Or an image. In fact the voice has MORE power when we’re not distracted by a visual.

Are there creative outliers in the Video Podcasts world?

Yes, a few. In Australia, Matt Bevan makes a show called If You’re Listening, which tackles a serious global topic in a playful way. He makes separate video and audio mixes for the same theme. This sensibly plays to the different strengths of each medium. For instance, as a backgrounder to the tensions in Venezuela, he made an episode on the US arrest of Panama leader Colonel Noriega for drug trafficking back in the day (Bevan 2026). A close-up shows Noriega’s pockmarked skin. This detail matters. Why? Next is an image of Panama’s opposition leader, Dr Hugo Spadafora. A reporter tells us that Noriega held a grudge against Spadafora because of his movie star good looks. Which likely explains why he had him decapitated, while alive. In this context, the image of Spadafora is a valuable, if gruesome, addition to the storytelling.

Others who appreciate audio are taking up the video challenge. The amazing team who make Have You Heard George’s Podcast (featured by the way in RadioDoc Review) are reprising episodes as video for YouTube. ‘We need to go where the audience is,’ Ben Benbrick, the producer and composer, explained. ‘Even if your strategy is audio-first, it’s insane to leave out [YouTube]’ (Sturges 2025a).

Maybe their reincarnation will win the new ‘outstanding visual podcasting’ gong at the British Podcasting Awards.

Coda

I wish such genuinely creative efforts well. But let’s just be clear that these are different creatures from how podcasting was conceived – as an AUDIO ARTEFACT. In one sense, I’m glad about the video push. Because it will slough off the people who see ‘podcasts’ as only about power, influence and reach. Or only about talk. Let them have their cheapskate TV-manqué ‘shows’ and their passive audiences, tethered to screens. I’ll be out walking my dog, earpods in, pictures forming in my mind from whatever wonders the audio true believers have created. And there’s plenty of optimism around.

Gretta Cohn, CEO of Pushkin Industries, a premium podcast network that has survived the narrative downturn, describes masterful audio storytelling well. She’s president of the Webby Awards this year, a competition known as the ‘Oscars of the Internet’. With podcast entrants, she’s looking for bold and deliberate structure, airtight research, sound design that elevates rather than decorates, and most of all, emotional impact (at which audio is unparalleled). On the future of audio podcasts, Cohn (2026) said recently:

After years of scale-at-all-costs, the industry is re-centering on craft: sharper editorial vision, more ambitious storytelling, and stories that take real time to earn trust. I’m also energized by the global expansion of narrative audio. We’re seeing formats evolve in ways that reflect LOCAL cultures and storytelling traditions, not just U.S. or U.K. models. And I’m excited by the maturity of the audience: listeners are more discerning, more interactive, and more willing to follow creators into deeper, more layered storytelling experiences.

That doesn’t sound like a dying art form to me. So, viva the narrative podcast and its passionate tribe of makers. As Cohn (2026) drily observes: ‘When creators speak in a voice that’s clearly their own […] you feel it immediately. Authentic work has stakes for the people making it; trend-chasing rarely does.’

Talking head video RESTRICTS our capacity to connect, keeps us separated by a screen. Whereas as the great soundscape scholar Raymond Murray Schafer tells us: ‘hearing is a way of touching at a distance’ (Schafer 2012:102). Jad Abumrad, who creatively illustrates Schafer’s theories in his own legendary podcasts such as Radiolab, Dolly Parton’s America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, puts it simply and poetically: crafted audio is ‘where the story and the sound are actually holding hands’. (Taylor 2026)

So, audio friends, I rest my case: may there always be space between our ears for evocative AUDIO storytelling and the imaginative possibilities of sound.

References

Apple (2026, February 16). Apple introduces a new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts. https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2026/02/apple-introduces-a-new-video-podcast-experience-on-apple-podcasts/#:~:text=A%20new%20video%20podcast%20experience,download%20videos%20for%20offline%20viewing.

Berry, R. (2016). Podcasting: Considering the evolution of the medium and its association with the word ‘radio’. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 14(1), 7- 22.

Bevan, M. (2026, January 5). Trump’s playbook for Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela. If You’re Listening. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptJpPoupiaI&list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq&index=8

Cohn, G. (2026, January 12). What it Takes to Make an Award-Winning Podcast. The Webby Awards. https://www.webbyawards.com/jury-president-qa-gretta-cohn/

Cridland, J. (2026, February 17). Video in Apple Podcasts - all the details. Podnews. https://podnews.net/article/video-apple-podcasts-details

Dowling, D. O. (2025). Theorizing Podcast Journalism: Toward a Medium-Specific Framework for Audio Reporting. Journalism and Media, 7(1).

Lindgren, M. (2016). Personal narrative journalism and podcasting. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 14 (1), 23-41.

Marriott, J. & Nicol, P. (2025, December 26). The best podcasts of 2025, from James Corden to Pride and Prejudice. The Times. https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-best-podcasts-of-2025-from-james-corden-to-nineties-nostalgia-x652658rk

McHugh, S. (2016). How podcasting is changing the audio storytelling genre. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 14(1), 65-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/rjao.14.1.65_1

McHugh, S. (2022). The Power of Podcasting: telling stories through sound. Columbia University Press.

Menapace, B. (2025, December 22). The 20 Best Podcasts of 2025. Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g69837930/best-podcasts-2025/

Schafer, R. M. (2012). The Soundscape. In J. Sterne (Ed.), The Sound Studies Reader. Routledge.

Street, S., (2014). Poetry, Texas: Review One. RadioDoc Review 1(1). https://doi.org/10.14453/rdr.v1i1.3

Sturges, F. (2025a, May 23). Your favourite podcast is now a video – but are vodcasts the future, or just ‘crap telly’? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/23/podcasts-video-vodcasts-down-the-caff-have-you-heard-georges-podcast#:~:text=Successful%20podcasters%20are%20filming%20their,or%20reflect%20YouTube's%20increasing%20might%3F

Sturges, F. (2025b, December 27). ‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/27/podcasts-rush-to-video-turning-them-into-dreadful-listens?

Sullivan, J. L. (2019). The platforms of podcasting: Past and present. Social media+ society, 5(4).

Taylor, D. (2026, February). Jad Abumrad, creator of Radiolab, talks about creativity. [Post]. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dallastaylor_jad-abumrad-creator-of-radiolab-talks-about-activity-7423032324461879297-HPlO?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAQIqqsBfJlBj2fgasWJHmRfX4n19cy2Suk

In press:

Beyond Marginalisation: Disability Themed Podcasts and Collective Advocacy in India. Asian Studies Review.

Sounding Otherwise: Sensory Politics and Platform Resistance in Chinese Blind Podcasting. Continuum.

Note:

This paper was delivered as a keynote at a symposium for World Radio Day, 13 Feb 2026, for MeCCSA (Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association), UK. You can watch the address below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hVCxI5V-_w

Reproduced under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence v4.0. DOI link.

Below are the terms of service for Apple Podcasts Connect.

We're reproducing it here because we're reporting on it today, and these terms of service are not visible without an Apple ID.

Here is a link to the previous terms from 2025. The new terms from Feb 2026 are below.

The changes

• 1a) now talks about video as well as audio podcasts. This is the main change in these terms: acknowledging the existence of video.
• 8e) is a new clause, which allows Apple to use your content to help promote Apple Podcasts. In the past, companies like Apple have to specifically gain permission if they want to show a screenshot of your show on the Apple Podcasts website, for example; this now enables them to do so without asking. This doesn't let them use your content for anything else.
• In clause 15, we learn that Apple has moved part of this contract from California law to Delaware law.
• 18) is a new clause. It lets Apple change these terms of service. They've always been able to change terms of service anyway; so this changes nothing.

Terms of Service

Apple Podcasts Connect TERMS OF SERVICE

THESE TERMS OF SERVICE (“TERMS OF SERVICE”) CONSTITUTE A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND APPLE INC. ("APPLE") STATING THE TERMS THAT GOVERN YOUR USE OF APPLE PODCASTS CONNECT, INCLUDING THROUGH YOUR USE OF AN API INTEGRATION, AND THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH IT (COLLECTIVELY, "PODCASTS CONNECT"). TO AGREE TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, CLICK "AGREE." BY CLICKING AGREE, YOU CERTIFY TO APPLE AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY IN THE JURISDICTION IN WHICH YOU RESIDE (AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE IN MANY COUNTRIES OR REGIONS) AND HAVE THE RIGHT AND AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT ON YOUR OWN BEHALF, OR IF YOU ARE ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF YOUR COMPANY, ORGANIZATION, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, OR AGENCY, INSTRUMENTALITY, OR DEPARTMENT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AND AUTHORITY TO LEGALLY BIND SUCH ENTITY OR ORGANIZATION TO THE TERMS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, DO NOT CLICK "AGREE," AND DO NOT USE PODCASTS CONNECT. YOU MUST ACCEPT AND ABIDE BY THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AS PRESENTED TO YOU; CHANGES, ADDITIONS, OR DELETIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE, AND APPLE MAY REFUSE ACCESS TO PODCASTS CONNECT FOR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH ANY PART OF THESE TERMS OF SERVICE.

1.Overview. (a)Access. Access to Podcasts Connect is provided solely as an accommodation and at Apple's sole discretion and is available to you to the extent you are, or are an authorized representative of, the person or an entity (a "Content Provider") that has submitted (i) one or more valid audio and/or video podcasts, (ii) any photos, images, graphics, video, or other artwork related to particular podcast content (“Artwork”) and/or (iii) audio, visual, text, comments, data, metadata and other digital content, including without limitation, advertising, sponsorship, and promotional content contained in or related to the podcasts (all such content, collectively or individually, as context requires, referred to herein as “Content”) to Apple or Apple affiliates for distribution on Apple’s digital podcast distribution service (“Apple Podcasts”) regardless of the device or platform on which Apple Podcasts is made available. (b)Restrictions. Your access to particular Podcasts Connect services may be further limited by the Podcasts Connect administrative user(s) for the Content Provider with which you are associated. As a condition to your access to Podcasts Connect and the distribution of your Content on Apple Podcasts, you must comply with Apple’s technical documentation, requirements, and content guidelines (including, without limitation, those currently available at https://podcasters.apple.com/support/891-content-and-subscription-guidelines) (collectively, “Apple Requirements”) that govern the use of Podcasts Connect and the Content, including without limitation, you shall not engage in any unlawful, unfair, misleading, fraudulent, improper, or dishonest acts or business practices relating to the Content or use of Podcasts Connect. Accordingly, subject to applicable law, Apple reserves the right to label or remove your Content and suspend your access to Podcasts Connect if you violate the Apple Requirements. The Apple Requirements may be updated from time to time and made available to you by Apple (e.g., on the Apple Podcasts for Creators website or by other digital means).

2.System Requirements. To use Podcasts Connect you need compatible hardware, software (latest version recommended or required), and Internet access (fees may apply). The performance of Podcasts Connect may be affected by these factors. You acknowledge and agree that such system requirements, which may be changed from time to time, are your responsibility.

3.Agreement. Your use of Podcasts Connect is, if applicable, subject to the terms of any agreement between yourself and Apple with regard to your Content (“Agreement”), including, without limitation, its confidentiality provisions. In the event of a direct conflict between these Terms of Service or any information provided on Podcasts Connect, on the one hand, and any applicable Agreement, on the other hand, the terms of such Agreement shall govern with respect to such conflict.

4.Confidentiality. You acknowledge that, in the course of your use of Podcasts Connect, you may have access to certain information and materials that are confidential and are of substantial value to Apple, including, but not limited to, any proposed Agreement you download from Podcasts Connect or you otherwise receive from Apple, which value would be impaired if such information were disclosed to third parties or used for purposes other than expressly permitted by such Agreement, or as set forth herein ("Apple Confidential Information"). You agree to maintain any Apple Confidential Information in confidence, and not disclose or otherwise make available Apple Confidential Information to any third party without the prior written consent of Apple. In the event either party chooses not to enter into an Agreement, you agree to destroy all copies of any Apple Confidential Information in your possession, including any proposed Agreement(s).

5.Your Information. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information required to register with Podcasts Connect and at other points as may be required in the course of using Podcasts Connect ("Podcaster Data"). You hereby confirm that any Podcaster Data you provide and already have provided to Apple (including, without limitation, in the Apple Podcasts application process or through prior use of Podcasts Connect) is accurate, current, and complete. You further agree to maintain and update your Podcaster Data as required to keep it accurate, current, and complete. At all times, Your personal data will be handled in accordance with Apple’s Privacy Policy, which can be viewed at https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/.

6.Account and Password. As a registered user of Podcasts Connect, you must establish an account ("Account"). You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your Account. You may not reveal your Account information to anyone else, allow anyone else to use your Account, or use anyone else’s Account. You are entirely responsible for all activities that occur on or through your Account, and you agree to immediately notify Apple of any unauthorized use of your Account or any other breach of security. Apple shall not be responsible for any losses arising out of the unauthorized or other improper use of your Account.

7.No Programmatic Access. You may not use any data mining, robots, scripting, or similar data gathering and extraction tools to access Podcasts Connect, including, without limitation, the Podcasts Analytics Service, and you shall not exploit Podcasts Connect, or any data therein, in any manner not expressly authorized by Apple.

8.License. (a)As necessary to provide and enhance the end user experience on Apple Podcasts (e.g., accessibility, search and recommendations), You grant Apple a non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, worldwide license to use, download, store, reproduce, publicly display and perform, and distribute your Content on Apple Podcasts. You further grant Apple a non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute and publicly display and perform, in any media, your Artwork (including, without limitation, delivering Artwork for display on end users’ devices where content featuring the Content is present, including, in any case, as an image or video associated with an episode, a podcast, channel, or a collection of podcasts) and/or any promotional materials you provide to Apple, and any derivatives thereof, for the purposes of promoting Apple Podcasts and your Content (e.g., promotion on Apple Podcasts, on social media and through directed marketing emails to end users). Apple may use the names and authorized likenesses of the hosts and guests of your podcasts in furtherance of promoting your Content, although Apple shall obtain further written approval from you if any such host or guest name, likeness, or identifying material is otherwise used as an endorsement of Apple, Apple Podcasts, or other Apple products or services. (b)You grant Apple the right to create transcripts of your Content (“Transcripts”) and to (i) publicly display such Transcripts on Apple Podcasts and (ii) use your Content and/or Transcripts to generate chapters of your Content for public display; provided that Apple shall provide you with the ability, within Podcasts Connect or by other digital means, to opt out of the public display of such Transcripts and chapters on Apple Podcasts, except where the display of such Transcripts is required by applicable law. (c)You grant Apple a nonexclusive, worldwide, and royalty-free license to use your Content for internal research and development to improve Apple’s products and services. (d)Apple may edit, resize, modify or crop Artwork to fit the design and layout of Apple Podcasts, the space allotted in promotional materials and/or the technical and formatting requirements in the Apple Requirements, which for clarity includes the right to modify metadata as reasonably necessary to correct errors therein. (e)Apple may create derivative works of your Content and/or Artwork, and use, reproduce, publicly display and perform, and distribute such derivative works for the limited purpose of promoting Apple Podcasts and/or the availability of your Content on Apple Podcasts; provided that the foregoing shall not include the right to exploit your Content, Artwork and/or derivatives thereof, through merchandise or other similar ancillary commercial activities. (f)Apple may in its sole discretion use all or some of the metadata you provide hereunder, or supplement or replace such metadata.

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17.Miscellaneous. Subject to Section 3 above, these Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between you and Apple and govern your use of Podcasts Connect, superseding any prior agreements between you and Apple. If any part of these Terms of Service is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be construed in a manner consistent with applicable law to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intentions of the parties, and the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. Apple's failure to enforce any right or provisions in these Terms of Service will not constitute a waiver of such provision, or any other provision of these Terms of Service. Apple will not be responsible for failures to fulfill any obligations due to causes beyond its control.

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Last updated: February 18, 2026

Reproduced by Podnews for critical and educational purposes, as protected under international copyright law.

This is an opinion piece.

Podcasting works on an RSS feed: a format that was initially developed and released by Netscape in 1999, and amended by Dave Winer in 2000 to include ‘enclosures’, the audio files that make up a podcast.

A podcast RSS feed consists of, at its most basic, the title and description of a podcast and its episodes, and an address showing a computer to where to find the audio file.

A “podcast app” is better thought of as a search engine for podcasts. Like Google does for websites, it indexes your podcast and links to the audio, making it available for people to discover alongside 2.5m others. Like Google, it doesn’t alter it or charge for your podcast. And, like Google, you don’t normally sign a contract to be available in it.

For traditional media, it’s a very different syndication model to that which they’re used to and their legal people find the differences hard to comprehend: but there is also a certain element of trust implicit in the open podcast ecosystem which some lawyers find hard to cede.

However, in the years since the first podcast in 2003, an understanding has grown between podcast publishers and podcast apps: something you could almost call an unwritten contract. Here it is.

Open RSS feeds are intended for consumption in podcast apps. Just like how Google will index your website and make it discoverable by others, so podcast apps will use your RSS feeds to link to your content. A contract is not required between a podcast publisher and a podcast app to be listed: the publication of an open RSS feed is implicit approval.

• Private RSS feeds do exist, and podcast apps make strenuous efforts to ensure that these are not publicly indexed. Here’s a sample blocklist which many podcast apps use. If you don’t intend your RSS feed to be public, ensure it’s clear that it shouldn’t be ingested by podcast apps.

Podcast apps will not touch or alter the audio in any way. Audio remains on the podcast publisher’s hosting company, and any podcast app out there just links to it. This is important because it means you get the important analytics, like total downloads, from your podcast host. You don’t need to log into a myriad of different publishers to get analytics. (Some do offer additional analytics, but that’s fine).

Your audio won’t be edited. Ads won’t be added to your audio, nor will parts of your audio be edited out.

• Luminary was found to be running a proxy server, and retribution from the industry was swift. The company had a very rocky launch, mainly because it lacked the experience in the podcast industry. Some of the most popular shows were pulled, and Luminary’s brand was significantly harmed.
• Stitcher used to cache and re-encode audio so that, the company claimed, audiences on mobile could listen without chewing through their data bandwidth. The industry reacted by pulling their shows. The company stopped interfering with audio as a result.
• Spotify launched by caching audio, but quickly reached agreement with most large podcast hosts to offer “pass-through”. This allows Spotify to offer a reliable service for all podcasts, including those that self-host, but allows larger podcast hosts to offer the benefit of their reliability.

Podcast apps will not charge to listen to your podcast. While all podcast apps need to earn revenue somehow, none put podcast listening behind a paywall (without, of course, those podcasts being specifically comfortable with that idea). Nobody should get rich out of your podcast, except you.

• Some podcast apps offer paid exclusives, including Apple, Spotify and Amazon. They also offer the catalogue of 2.5m freely-available podcasts; and none make you pay for those free shows.
• Some podcast apps include display advertising, which may allow advertisers to target listeners based on the categories they listen to; or paid memberships for a “plus” service, allowing you to remove ads or unlock more features. This isn’t monetising a specific show.

Podcast apps will not touch or alter the accompanying metadata: the title, description or image. That data is taken directly from the RSS feed, and podcast apps don’t not alter or truncate this.

• There’s a default, defacto standard about what is supported in podcast descriptions and episode notes. There’s a technical limit for Apple Podcasts of 4,000 characters, and certain HTML tags that are accepted; but within these constraints, all podcast apps display titles, descriptions and images without any alteration.
• In 2026, Podcast Addict added a service that automatically added chapter images to podcasts, without telling creators. It quickly selected pornographic images as those chapter images.

These aren't signed agreements

There are hundreds of podcast apps out there, and it’s clearly impossible to sign specific agreements with each and every one.

Further: there are 2.5m podcasts out there. It’s unrealistic for a podcast app to sign agreements with each and every one of them. It’s also unnecessary, since the podcast is publicly available.

By publishing an open RSS feed, just like publishing an open website, you are inviting people to link to your content: without any contracts or agreements.

Is this a podcast app that will respect the unwritten contract, above? If it is, you should be in it.

Is this a podcast app that doesn’t respect the unwritten contract? Tell the world about it. Drop me a line at editor@podnews.net. As the above examples show, there’s nothing I like better than exposing bad behaviour.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents implies any wrongdoing: but, what so far do we know about Jeffrey Epstein's connections into podcasting? We know he listened - possibly from the unergonomic desk pictured above: but what else do we know?

Lawrence Krauss, a former astronomy professor and host of The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss, spoke repeatedly with Epstein about his podcast in January 2019, asking for money, which Epstein was happy to give - until he seemed to withdraw, worried about conflict between the podcast and his foundation. At one point in 2017, Epstein asks him how to get onto the Joe Rogan show. "Can you introduce me, I think he's funny", he says. Rogan didn't reply; and in a news report Rogan says he declined.

At another point, Krauss is asking Epstein's staff for a room in one of Epstein's NY apartments to record a (video) podcast.

Epstein was subscribed to the newsletter of Peter Attia, the host of The Peter Attia Drive, a health and fitness podcast. Unsurprising - it appears Attia was his physician. He's reported to appear in the files more than 1,700 times.

LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who hosts Masters of Scale, hosted a dinner with Epstein in attendance in 2015.

Deepak Chopra, a wellness guru and host of Deepak Chopra’s Infinite Potential, spoke with Epstein about having dinner together. He's reported to have at least a dozen meetings with Epstein.

The #1 way that people discover new podcasts is by a personal recommendation. Shows that were recommended to Epstein include The Dan Bongino Show (by Kathy Ruemmler, a Goldman Sachs lawyer who has since resigned); The Joe Rogan Experience (#1169, with Elon Musk, by Juleanna Glover, a former advisor to Elon Musk); Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (an episode with Jackie Marling, from a redacted contact); an NPR podcast about technology, discussing brain technology (from "Anistasiya", presumed to be Anastasiya Siroochenko, a Ukrainian real-estate agent).

Epstein bought "Airfoil for Mac", from Rogue Amoeba, to stream audio round his house. He also used Spotify as a premium user, signing up in 2011. Emails from Spotify suggest that he listened to Michael Bublé and Pitbull; others shared music tracks with him. Spotify added podcasts in 2015.

Podcasts really do reach everyone; and while none of the above suggests any wrongdoing, the Epstein files clearly post more questions than answers.

Want to earn Bitcoin, automatically, as your listeners enjoy your podcast? How about getting tips or even messages from your audience, all paying you Bitcoin?

There are emerging podcast apps out there - like Fountain, Podcast Guru or Castamatic - that can be configured, by a listener, to send you small amounts of Bitcoin as they listen. It's free to set yourself up to receive them, too - and by doing it, you'll reward podcast app developers and the open podcast ecosystem.

Listeners can automatically send you a small amount of Bitcoin every minute they listen. They can give you a "boost" - a tip - if they like what they're hearing and want to reward you for the value they get from your podcast. Or they can send a "boostagram", a tip with a message attached, to give you great, positive feedback.

Here's how to get your podcast earning cryptocurrency. Now: it's still very early days, but it's much easier than it's been before.

Any questions about the below? Come and ask in the PodcastIndex Social group, a system that'll remind you of Twitter. That's full of people who can help you.

Before we begin: what will you earn?

With this system, you'll earn real Bitcoin, not some sort of strange coin or token that you've never heard of.

Because one Bitcoin is worth many thousands of dollars - in fact, $69,500 when we last updated this - you'll use satoshis, normally shortened to "sats".

Just like a cent is a small fraction of a dollar, so a satoshi is a small fraction of a Bitcoin. A very small fraction - one sat is 100 millionth of a Bitcoin.

You can transfer Bitcoins to your own local currency whenever you want (if you want): your local currency is called fiat money, in case you see that word somewhere. Or you can keep your earnings in Bitcoin, where it may increase in value (or, who knows, may not). But don't worry - this isn't a cryptocurrency scam.

1. Go get a Strike account

The Strike app is available in over 95 countries in the world, including every state of the USA except for New York. The link we've used here is an affiliate link that will give you (and us) $500 of free trades. Or, just search for Strike in your app store.

Your Strike account is, essentially, a bank account for Bitcoin. You can set it to automatically withdraw Bitcoin into your "normal" bank account when you reach 100,000 sats (that's about US $70). Or you can leave it there. Again, nobody is asking you to invest in cryptocurrency.

Once you've got a Strike account - which may be a bit of a torturous process requiring ID documents thanks to government rules around money laundering but should be free - you'll be given a "Lightning address". Mine is jamescridland@strike.me - which people can use to send money to you.

2. Add your payment details in your RSS feed

If you host your podcast with a podcast host, you may be able to ask support nicely to add this data to your feed (or tell you how).

This code lives in the main <channel> part of your RSS feed. Here, we're giving 1% of everything we earn to the Podcast Index, and keeping the rest.

<podcast:value type="lightning" method="keysend">
<podcast:valueRecipient name="James Cridland" type="lnaddress" address="jamescridland@strike.me" split="99" />
<podcast:valueRecipient name="Podcast Index" type="lnaddress" address="podcastindex@podcastindex.org" split="1"/>
</podcast:value>

3. You're done - and can now receive payments

Listeners enjoying your show on supported apps will now have the ability to: a) give you a small amount of sats for every minute they listen b) give you a larger amount of sats as a "boost", along with a message.

You will get a notification every time you receive money into your Strike account. You can turn that off if you want.

4. See who paid you and the messages they sent

Strike is just a "bank account", so all you'll see is this - a set of wierd things marked "payments::stream" which contain links to metadata about the payment...

That's not very helpful, is it?

Well, we thought we'd make it easier for you. So we have a thing called "Runway", which will pull that data from the individual podcast players, and give you something looking like this:

How much can you earn?

In the week ending November 14 2021, Podnews earnt 42,160 sats, which at the time of writing is US $29. That's the equivalent of $1,508 or so in a year, which might also be the equivalent of a plane ticket and a nice stay in a hotel, or dinner and food for you and all your mates.

Or, you might keep that Bitcoin, and assume it goes up in value. But, again, you don't have to.

Because Podnews is only a three minute podcast, we don't get as much automatically-streaming sats as others, either, and are rather more reliant on boosts and boostagrams: one reason why you'll see us mention boostagrams most Mondays.

Got a podcast app? Want to check what its user agent details are?

OP3 is a free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy.

OP3 gives a nice API with almost real-time logfile statistics. And here's how to use it to see what user-agent this random new podcast app you've just discovered is using.

• Using wifi - play any show that is measured by OP3. (Podnews Daily is one).
• From the same device (or, at least, the same wifi connection) - visit this URL: https://op3.dev/api/1/hits?start=-1h&format=json&token=preview07ce&hashedIpAddress=current

Requests should appear within a few seconds.

OP3 doesn't store IP addresses, but this call uses the same one-way hash to show you requests from your own IP address.

(Just a quick note: if using iPhone, you'll want to remember not to be using Apple's Private Relay to check the URL, otherwise it'll look like a different IP address. Apple's Private Relay isn't used for podcast apps.)

An example

We thought we’d test the Pocket Casts desktop app, to see if it correctly adds Pocket Casts to the user-agent.

Below are the results: a HEAD and a GET call from the app, which marks itself as PocketCasts/2.0.8 in the userAgent, and also adds a referer. And you can see where we were at the time.

Get a proper token from OP3’s API if you’re going to do this in production, of course.

(If this isn’t another reason to join Podnews in supporting OP3 financially, we don’t know what is.)

{
    "rows": [
        {
            "time": "2025-01-06T23:26:10.212Z",
            "uuid": "3c68c38e43b54814a23a71e5534d7900",
            "hashedIpAddress": "cfb9f1a20014cc16f6c465436dbe37e1eac53449",
            "method": "HEAD",
            "url": "https://op3.dev/e,pg=9b024349-ccf0-5f69-a609-6b82873eab3c/podnews.net/audio/podnews241015.mp3",
            "userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) PocketCasts/2.0.8 Chrome/126.0.6478.185 Electron/31.3.1 Safari/537.36",
            "referer": "https://play.pocketcasts.com/",
            "edgeColo": "BNE",
            "continent": "OC",
            "country": "AU",
            "timezone": "Australia/Brisbane",
            "regionCode": "QLD",
            "region": "Queensland"
        },
        {
            "time": "2025-01-06T23:26:10.238Z",
            "uuid": "63a7ae73b71f4bfdacf3f817487baa3e",
            "hashedIpAddress": "cfb9f1a20014cc16f6c465436dbe37e1eac53449",
            "method": "GET",
            "url": "https://op3.dev/e,pg=9b024349-ccf0-5f69-a609-6b82873eab3c/podnews.net/audio/podnews241015.mp3",
            "userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) PocketCasts/2.0.8 Chrome/126.0.6478.185 Electron/31.3.1 Safari/537.36",
            "referer": "https://play.pocketcasts.com/",
            "range": "bytes=0-",
            "edgeColo": "BNE",
            "continent": "OC",
            "country": "AU",
            "timezone": "Australia/Brisbane",
            "regionCode": "QLD",
            "region": "Queensland"
        }
    ],
    "count": 2,
    "queryTime": 1163
}

At the expo hall in Podfest this year was one booth manned by "The International Podcast Awards".

This wasn't an award ceremony I'd heard of, so on the third day of the conference, I went to ask some questions of the guy who was sitting at the booth.

"Who does the judging?" was a good first question. The answer surprised me. "My dad". That wasn't the wide judges' committee that I was expecting. I paused.

"So, how do the awards work?" I was told that they are free to enter, and if you win, it's $300 to an awards ceremony in Phoenix AZ, where you get to pick up the award, you get filmed doing an interview, the whole red carpet treatment, but there are other packages available. There are two events a year: the next is scheduled for April 2026, in Arizona. "Who doesn't want to win an award, right?" he said.

"Do you have any more details?" I asked. "Yeah, you can photograph this," he said, holding up a sheet of letter-sized paper, which had been on the stand next to a metal microphone-shaped award and some lanyards. The right-hand side of the leaflet contained advantages you get from winning an award; the left-hand side claimed that they serve "entrepreneurs", "executives" and "every-day heroes".

I went to the website - to learn more about the every-day heroes who have won this award in the past.

The only winner I can find

When I looked, the website's "awards" gallery didn't contain any of the awards given out by the International Podcast Awards. Instead, it contains a picture of the award's "first winner", apparently from Australia. Despite it looking as though these link to more information, they don't.

The podcaster, wearing a tuxedo, holds an award plaque marked "International Podcast Awards", in front of a pull-up banner marked "Podcast Awards". His name wasn't mentioned at all on the site.

The podcaster is Kain Masters - who is Australian - and his podcast is Terminally Curious with Kain Masters, a show hosted on Spotify for Creators. His last episode, from August 2025, is Inside the World's Most DANGEROUS Security Job, where he interviews Atlas Aultman, a former special operations director in Afghanistan. The episode has 131 views on YouTube.

The person seen giving him the award in the picture is Joshua 'Atlas' Aultman.

The YouTube video, posted by Podcast Awards International, features Masters being interviewed by Clifford Starks, a pro UFC fighter. The video, which has 841 views, doesn't contain any mention of the award; but the video's description says the podcast "won for film work, editing and high-quality content to name just a few things that made his show amazing to consume."

By email, I asked the International Podcast Awards for a list of winners.

I got a response from... Joshua 'Atlas' Aultman, who runs the International Podcast Awards.

He told us: "We asked for/received podcasts and studio nominations through social media in 2025. We presented a show, studio, and 1-million+ view award at a red-carpet event last year. Awards were announced on social media but we haven’t created an awardee page yet - this website thing is new. Judges for last cycle were me and my team."

He tells me that Masters was "the main winner", and that they had other entries. He said that Bill Brassow was "recognized for his work in podcast production" (though his company, PodWorks, were the people filming and photographing it). He also suggested that Ian ‘Badger’ Asher received an award "for getting 1M views" - he's the CEO of a company called Gun TV Shows, and appeared on the TARGETED podcast, which is hosted by Atlas Aultman. I don't see evidence from the event's YouTube channel of these awards.

The "awards" gallery which wasn't

Apart from the winner Kain Masters, the awards page contained a number of other images.

Under "highlights", next to Masters is another picture, marked "US shows" featuring happy winners holding an award. The picture shows Ross Fyfe and Jimmy Bosco, winners of The West End Golf Day from 2017. West End Draught is a brand of Australian beer, and the West End Cup takes place every year in South Australia, at the Liquor Industry Golf Club in West Lakes, which is just to the west of Adelaide. Its relevance to a podcast awards is unclear.

Scroll further down to the "Gallery Highlights - Snapshots from our unforgettable 2025 red carpet event", and you could see seven images. An image of a red carpet in a cinema in Uzbekistan; an image of a classical music concert; an image of a child winning an award in Dubai; the original FIFA World Cup on display in the FIFA Museum; a video interview in front of a hand-drawn Cyrillic map; an image from India showing prizes being given for the New Business Launching Seminar run by Striking Online Service & Shopping Pvt Ltd of West Bengal; and finally, marked "red carpet buzz", an image from 2023 of an outdoor red carpet in Turkiye. All are accompanied by misleading ALT text, claiming they're taken at the awards. It's our opinion that they're not.

After Podnews contacted the company, all these images were removed, excepting the Turkish red carpet.

The images on the website's front page remain a mix of Kain Masters being interviewed by Clifford Starks; a black and white picture showing a man recording something in a pizza restaurant in São Paulo in Brazil; Aultman interviewing Starks; then, lower, Starks, Aultman and Masters with nine other unidentified people in front of a banner with podcast platform logos on it; Masters accepting the award from Aultman; an unrelated picture of a glass award to someone called Matt Seymour marked as being for the Unsplash Awards 2018 (the company used for all the free stock images on this website, and which has since been removed); Starks interviewing Masters; Starks interviewing an unidentified woman at the award; and finally Masters giving a speech to a ceremony with four visible tables for guests.

The submit page includes details of a "red carpet venue in Phoenix Arizona", and an embedded Google map for 697 Hilltop Street, Springfield MA, an address which appears to be used on websites for variety of businesses, including a Chinese food company, a roofing company, a phsychiatrist, a beef seller, a rental company for Perth in Australia, a Bangalore-based microgreens company, a plumbing company, a pizza restaurant, a printing company, and plenty more.

The others in the images weren't winners

The YouTube channel for the awards helps me understand who is pictured on the website.

The unidentified woman on the front page is Stephanie LaBorde Dreux, who is Head of Community Activation of the IDIA, an organisation helping people access technology. Osama Awadalla is a former fighter and actor. Others in the group image include the owners of a gym, and the owners of a martial arts company. (Kain Masters describes himself as a martial artist). The event was videoed by PodWorks Studios.

In short - I think there was only one winner - Kain Masters. Apart from being a podcaster, he's also an author of a well-reviewed book about how to become a toxic male. He's shared social posts on his Instagram of his win. I tried to get in touch, but the only way appears to be to send him a message on LinkedIn, and he only accepts messages from Premium members.

The "praise" from winners who didn't exist

The front page contained "praise" from two happy podcasters. One is Liam Fox from Sydney, who claims to be a winner; his same photograph is used on a Parisian alternative health website where he's called Jacques, a warehouse worker who was delighted at his treatment by the company. The other is Eva Chen from Phoenix, who oddly is illustrated by a picture of a business award given in Nottinghamshire, England in 2019. I can't find a podcaster called Eva Chen, excepting the New York-based fashion influencer.

I asked who these winners were. Aultman told us: "The names and quotes you referenced were the original placeholders that we had in draft. They got published instead of the reviews that were supposed to be in there - so we fixed that, thanks for pointing that out. That’s all my fault, I wanted it live prior to Podfest so we could use the website and then got caught up with work."

The replacement "praise" is from Kain Masters, and a non-committal quote from "Stephanie D" - who is presumably Stephanie LaBorde Dreux. She isn't a podcaster.

The business plan

I then noticed the "store" at the top of the page: and all becomes clear.

As with similar awards, there's a fee to attend the awards ceremony, of $300 each, or $500 "with your significant other, best friend, or someone you want to impress".

But, unusually, that's not all.

To get a "media package", which is a red-carpet video interview, is $500 "so (your audience) can celebrate your success".

Additionally, to "talk on our stage" is $500 - to "add to your speaker reel or boost your credibility". "We set up the stage, the lights, the sound the professionals, and gather an amazing crowd - you deliver value for up to 1 minute of microphone time." (This makes my recent talk at Podfest be valued at $22,500).

Aultman told us: "At this point, I’ve spent thousands of my own money trying to keep people who have amazing shows in the world of podcasting with this program. There was interest in the next red carpet event at Podfest, but I wasn’t trying to sell anyone and nobody committed to attending the event by purchasing a ticket. Low ticket sales = awards recognition online only. I’d love to keep doing this but it’s very quickly becoming a financial burden that I won’t be able to continue on red carpet events past April if there is no awards dinner, enough donations, or sponsors."

An evening of cosplay

Excepting the photos on the website, these people aren't doing anything wrong. They provide a nice service - it's an evening of cosplay, where for $300 you get to dress up in a nice suit and get treated like a fancy award-winner, so you get to claim you have won an award and charge your clients more. Pay $500, and you get to cosplay with a potential client. Pay $500 more, and you get to give a 60-second speech in front of them. And for another $500 more, a video interview with a UFC fighter.

If you don't care about the circumstances of it, it's a good investment that'll make you look more persuasive - you're a winner of the International Podcast Awards after all, which is almost as exciting as winning a real award.

Aultman disputes this. "To be perfectly clear - nobody has paid for an award. And no one has paid for recognition. This isn’t a buy-an-award program - it’s free to enter."

"At this point, I’ve had little interest in people at Podfest attending another event and appreciate your interest in telling people about us. I’m not sure the traditional / audio-only podcast community will be interested in this. It’s been the YouTubers that are expressing the most interest."

And perhaps, for people who care more about how things look, it would be the ideal purchase.

What began as a modest idea in France has grown into one of the largest coordinated podcast charity initiatives in the world. Podcasthon, founded by Jeremie Mani and his co-founders, invites podcasters to dedicate one episode of their show to a charity of their choice during a single, synchronized week in March.

This year, the initiative has surpassed 2,000 participating podcasts, up from roughly 1,500 the year before. That growth reflects not only increased awareness of the project, but also a growing appetite among podcasters to use their platforms for social good.

Speaking with Doug Downs of Stories and Strategies, Mani describes the moment as a meaningful validation of the idea. “We recently passed a major milestone with more than 2,000 podcasts registered,” he said. “Last year at the same time, we were at about 1,500, so the growth has been quite significant.”

Podcasthon’s expansion has been both geographic and linguistic. Originally launched in French-speaking countries, the initiative opened to English-language podcasts in 2025 and will now include Spanish- and German-language podcasts in 2026. In total, Podcasthon will operate in four languages this year, with participating shows spanning North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

A Coordinated Week with an Outsized Impact

The concept behind Podcasthon is deliberately simple. During one designated week in March, podcasters release an episode focused on a charity they care about, whether through an interview, a solo episode, or a special feature. Those episodes are published simultaneously, creating what Mani calls a “mass effect” across the podcasting ecosystem.

The goal is not direct fundraising, but awareness. “We are not trying to ask for donations,” Mani explained. “What we want is to help charities expand their circle of supporters, whether that means volunteers, donors, or simply people who now know they exist.”

That emphasis on storytelling is key. Podcasting’s long-form, intimate nature allows listeners to connect emotionally with causes in a way that other media often cannot. According to Mani, that emotional connection is where Podcasthon’s real value lies.

“Podcasting is probably the best medium ever to convey emotion,” he said. “It allows people to connect deeply with stories, and that’s exactly what charities need to reach new audiences.”

Podcasthon Week is typically mid-March, creating a recognizable annual moment when listeners may encounter multiple charity-focused episodes across different shows. The effect, Mani suggests, is cumulative: even if a listener switches between podcasts, they continue to hear stories centered on impact and altruism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Qb7IiHj40

Measuring Success Beyond Downloads and Donations

Like many nonprofit initiatives, Podcasthon faces challenges when it comes to measurement. There is no central tracking of donations or volunteer sign-ups tied directly to podcast episodes. Instead, feedback comes from charities themselves after the event.

Following each edition, the Podcasthon team surveys participating organizations to understand what impact, if any, the episodes had. The responses, Mani says, reveal a wide range of outcomes.

“We’ve collected hundreds of stories from charities,” he notes. “Some of them found volunteers for very specific events. Others gained media attention, secured public funding, or simply heard from people who didn’t know help was available to them.”

One example comes from Australia, where a charity struggling to recruit volunteers released a Podcasthon episode shortly before a major event. According to Mani, the episode led to a surge of local interest that exceeded expectations and helped staff the event successfully.

While none of these stories individually represent headline-grabbing fundraising totals, Mani believes their collective impact is significant. “If you multiply small successes by 2,000 podcasts, across dozens of countries, it creates something powerful,” he said.

The synchronized nature of Podcasthon also enables partnerships with major podcast platforms and hosting companies, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Acast, and regional players in Europe. Those partnerships help amplify participating episodes, further extending reach for both podcasters and charities.

As Podcasthon prepares for its fourth edition in March 2026, its continued growth suggests that podcasting’s role in social impact storytelling is far from niche. For thousands of creators, dedicating one episode a year has become a meaningful way to align content with cause and to remind listeners that podcasts can do more than entertain.

And if Podcasthon’s trajectory continues, that collective impact is only just beginning.

Exclusive: Podnews can report that the iHeartRadio app will be the first mainstream podcast app to support video via open RSS including using the alternateEnclosure feature of Podcasting 2.0.

This means that, for the first time, podcast creators can include the audio and video version of their show in the same RSS feed, making it easier to find, and easier for consumers to switch between audio and video versions of the same show.

Crucially, alternateEnclosure allows publishers to produce different edits of the same content, to make the best of the medium. Spotify or YouTube's solution forces podcast listeners to listen to the video soundtrack, rather than a bespoke edited audio version.

Unlike YouTube or Spotify, there's no logging into specific creator portals and extra steps in your podcast process. It just uses the power of open RSS.

We asked iHeartRadio for more information.

Q&A with iHeartRadio

Will the iHeartRadio app support video in RSS, in the same way Apple Podcasts does? 

We will support video in RSS the same way audio is supported in RSS, at no cost to creators. The two other major playback platforms for video are taking between 40 and 50 percent of the podcasters video revenue. We won’t be doing that. We will treat it like audio podcasting and will carry video podcasts for free.  RSS feeds can be submitted to iHeart at podcaster.com.

Will we have to upload video in some form of iHeart portal? 

No.

Video episodes will come through the RSS feed just like audio episodes. No additional effort is required from the podcast publisher. 

What video formats will you be supporting? MP4, MOV and M4V like Apple? 

MP4 is the most common video format found in RSS feeds that support video today, so iHeart will support MP4 for initial launch. As other formats become popular, iHeart will consider additional support.

(Podnews research in December 2025 showed that 94% of all video podcasts are using MP4).

Will you be rehosting the video or will the video be passthrough like the audio is? 

Videos will not be rehosted. Videos will be passthrough like audio so the podcasters keep all their revenue.

Will you be supporting the alternateEnclosure feature?

Yes, iHeart will follow the best practices and standards laid out by the Podcast Index as seen here. 

Will consumers be able to choose between video and audio?  

Yes, iHeart users will be able to easily choose between watching and listening, with audio being the primary option.

Anything else podcasters need to know to get video into the iHeart app? 

iHeart is excited to help podcasters grow their audience while keeping their hard-earned revenue in their pockets - we will not be taking any revenue share from these video podcasts distributed on the iHeart app.

If the podcast isn’t already available through iHeart, podcasters can submit it anytime at podcaster.com.

When video support becomes available, the video episodes with alternateEnclosure type=video will be accessible across iHeart’s mobile apps and websites in supported countries.

Support from podcast hosts

Triton Digital's Omny Studio's recently announced video support is rolling out, but will, we understand, support alternateEnclosures. Triton Digital is part of iHeart, so this gives a fully supported platform for podcasters - with monetisation built-in.

Omny Studio was also announced this week as a launch partner for Spotify's video publishing and monetisation. It's also been able to publish to YouTube, with an integration with Headliner since August 2024.

For video-first podcasters, Omny Studio appears, currently, to be the most feature-rich solution.

Other podcast hosts that already support alternateEnclosure include iono.fm, Sovereign Feeds, Fountain, Disctopia and PodToo. However, hosts need to support both alternateEnclosure and video.

Support from other podcast platforms

The iHeartRadio app will be the first major podcast app supporting video via open RSS. Podnews research from December 2025 suggests that it will join TrueFans, Fountain and Podcast Guru, which supports alternateEnclosure and video playback. More will surely follow.

Backwards support

For listeners/viewers on iHeartRadio, you just need one feed - your audio feed, with a video "alternateEnclosure". If your show is not already on iHeartRadio, just submit this feed to podcaster.com.

You can also publish a separate legacy video-only feed - like many openRSS video podcasts currently do. This will continue to be used by Apple Podcasts and others.

iHeart will, we think, accept legacy video-only RSS feeds, too. But this will halve your algorithmic power within the app, since you've now got two shows, and two feeds. It'll be harder to link to, and your audience won't be able to switch between video and audio as easily. That's the benefit of the new alternateEnclosure feature: one feed, multiple formats.

(We understand that Omny Studio will publish both types of feeds, incidentally.)

What does an alternateEnclosure look like?

Below - an audio podcast with an alternateEnclosure for a video version of the same episode.

It's entirely backwards-compatible with all existing podcast players; those that don't support it just won't show it. (Podnews Daily uses a number of alternateEnclosures, including video.)

<enclosure url="https://example.com/audio-episode-1.mp3" length="432000" type="audio/mpeg" />
<podcast:alternateEnclosure type="video/mp4" length="1056995" bitrate="650000" height="1080">
    <podcast:source uri="https://example.com/video-episode-1.mp3" />
</podcast:alternateEnclosure>

Open solutions win

iHeart gets a wide range of great video podcasts using open RSS - either the existing extra video feeds, or the enhanced alternateEnclosure feeds. iHeart gets these without adding additional workload on podcast producers.

Podcast producers have to do nothing other than produce great content. Publish once, distribute to many places, using the power of open RSS. And publishers keep all the revenue they already earn from their podcast video (including dynamic video advertising). And all the analytics, too.

Listeners get access to their favourite content, however they want to listen.

Dave Winer, one of the inventors of podcasting, calls this "interop".

We call this a great future for open video podcasting.

A website called PodcastAdBlock is using AI to copy podcasts and resell them without ads, in a service that could have cost the podcast industry almost a million dollars so far.

The company sells access to their own ad-free copies of shows from publishers like Spotify, NPR, the New York Times, Slate, iHeart, and New York Magazine without permission.

As one example, the tool claims to remove around ten minutes of ads from each episode of Pivot for $1.99 a month. Podnews took advantage of a trial offer to see if it worked. The resulting MP3 file indeed contains no ads, as well as an inserted message saying how many ads were cut out.

The company has been marketing its tool through advertising on Meta's Facebook and Instagram and on Reddit recently.

Are publishers losing out?

We see no evidence that publishers have knowingly opted-in to this service, or that they get any revenue from it. A company spokesman told Podnews that publishers did not opt-in to be included, and "there is no opt-out mechanism at this time". The company also clarified that they do not compensate publishers directly.

Some publishers promoted on the website offer their own ad-free versions through Apple Podcasts, SupportingCast or others. This tool could remove that revenue from publishers.

The list of publishers on the website is broad enough to include most large podcast publishers - from WNYC Studios to Audiochuck, Pushkin Industries to Global, Wondery to The Guardian. We're not convinced that such a large variety of publishers would give their agreement to a tool like this.

The homepage has a number fed by an API that appears to reflect activity within the tool. It claims "78,735 hours of ads removed" for its users so far (the actual number is converted from a total seconds saved figure). Using a conservative $10 CPM for a 30-second spot, that roughly equates to $944,000 of lost revenue for the industry in less than six months.

The company suggests that "this is an illustrative metric" and "does not directly map to listen time from PodcastAdBlock users".

How legal is this?

It's Podnews's opinion that stripping ads and reselling content is illegal under copyright law.

"We do temporarily process and host modified versions of episodes for individual users," admitted the company. "These are not publicly indexed or redistributed," they claim - but, of course, these modified versions are redistributed to paying customers.

The tool is based in the UK, where companies must list their registered address and other details on their website. PodcastAdBlock had not done this until we contacted them. It's now visible that it's owned by Freewheel Group Ltd, which has one employee, and assets of £323,000 (US $434,000).

Their "24/7 customer support" email address did not respond to our enquiries for three days.

The company says that the service is "similar in spirit to ad-blocking in the web browser space". We think this is a false equivalence: web browser ad-blockers like uBlock Origin do not make copies of content and republish them to its users; and nor do ad-blockers charge users to remove the ads.

PodcastAdBlock takes payment through Stripe, which prohibits "products and services that infringe on intellectual property rights". We asked Stripe's press office whether they considered the company's activities compliant with Stripe's TOS. Stripe did not respond to our request for comment.

Ethics and podcasting

Even though the website didn't say who built it, and their support email wasn't responding, we discovered the person behind this tool. He's Ben Bowler. Also a cycling YouTuber, he's a serial entrepreneur; and in 2025, he launched seven startups.

Bowler has posted a blog about how the service was built, and what tools he used along the way.

In September of this year, he launched another startup - Poison Pill, a tool that is built to protect music from unlicensed AI training. In a story in MusicAlly covering his new tool, Bowler says:

“Musicians’ and rights holders’ content has been scraped relentlessly by generative AI companies, using their music without permission to train and profit from models sold as replacements for working musicians.”

We agree with this.

We'd also suggest that scraping content by podcast publishers, and using their audio without permission on your AI tool to profit from it, is just as unethical.

We put that to him. He didn't comment.

APRA MCOS is the music collection agency for Australia and New Zealand, helping creators get paid for their work.

They have an online mini-licence for music use, which covers podcasts - either minimal clips or even "featured music".

It can be used for any podcast (that is no more than 80% music).

And it starts at only AUD$275 a year (USD$183), including GST.

Too good to be true?

Afraid so.

You typically need two kinds of licences to use music:

• APRA AMCOS covers the songwriters, composers and publishers. (In the UK, this is what PRS for Music does).
• PPCA covers the recording, and represents the record labels and recording artists. (In the UK, this is what PPL does). Sometimes this is called "synchronisation".

The APRA AMCOS online mini-licence is great; but it only covers the bits APRA AMCOS covers. If you want to play a recording of a bloke you found in the pub singing an INXS song, this licence is great for you. But if you want to play INXS themselves, then you also need a licence from the PPCA. APRA AMCOS point this out quite clearly (at the bottom of page 3):

As you may have already worked out, the PPCA don't offer a podcast licence. They do offer a specific licence for broadcast licence holders who may also wish to offer "catch-up" listening, but your plans to use commercial music in your podcast is, sadly, not going to happen.

Here is more detail about using commercial music in podcasts if you want to read another article telling you you can't do things.

Sorry.

Updated pricing and eligibility for 2026

Video files have been supported since the beginning of podcasting; even by Apple Podcasts, which once used to have a video section in the app (see a button for a video chart in a screenshot from 2015).

And, video files haven't gone away. The Podcast Index currently (as of Dec 2025) contains 113,597 open RSS video podcasts - 94% of which use .mp4 files. (We tested that using the newestEnclosureUrl - the filename of the latest episode posted). That's 2.3% of all the podcasts in the index.

But - where can you play these video podcasts? What apps truly support them?

What we tested

There are lots of apps out there, so to avoid testing hundreds of the things, we went through the top apps visible in OP3 for the Podnews Weekly Review. The percentages shown in the list below are December's download numbers for this podcast. We tested all apps with more than 0.5% of playback. (Spotify always does poorly for "podcasts about podcasts", but it's there.)

We tested using This Week in Tech (Video) - which has a 1.36 GB downloadable video file in it, using .mp4. The video is 30fps 1920x1080 H264, with AAC audio. It's a big file: worth noting that all the apps that supported video appeared to start playing before the full file had downloaded. We tested the majority of apps on iPhone, some Android-only apps on Android, and TrueFans on web.

What we found

✅❓ Apple Podcasts (iPhone) (43%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Apple Podcasts directory.

All episodes are marked as "video" in the epsiode list.

When you hit "play", the video plays: but in place of the thumbnail in the player at the bottom of the screen, making it almost impossible to recognise that you have found a video podcast. Here's the size of the video. You have to open the player up to see video playing larger than a pinhead.

Once you've opened the player, you can turn your iPhone on its side to watch fullscreen.

Is this full video support? Undoubtedly, Apple Podcasts plays video: but you have to really know what you're doing, because the player doesn't open automatically. That results in a video window that in our tests (using an iPhone 16 Pro Max) was less than a tenth of an inch high. Keeping the video essentially hidden, with a further click-away from playback, isn't a great user experience in our view.

❌ Overcast (iPhone) (35%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Overcast directory.

All episodes appear greyed-out, and when you choose an episode to watch, there is no play button.

Update: An earlier version of this article didn't realise you have to add episodes manually (uniquely for a podcast app) - so once we did that, you can hit play. For us, it played one second of the audio track, then sat with a "spinner" on the screen. We're told it should play the audio track (only), but it didn't even do that for us. Even when the file had loaded completely, it wouldn't play further.

✅ Pocket Casts (iPhone) (5.9%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Pocket Casts directory.

All episodes have a blue video button next to them, indicating that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" opens the player window and plays the video.

Tapping on the video makes it full-screen, from where you can turn your iPhone on its side to fill the screen with the video. The player also lets you fill the screen entirely. There's a Chromecast icon, but touching it doesn't do anything.

❌ iHeartRadio (iPhone) (3.4%)

Note: we have the Australian version v10.59.0, which is roughly the same as the version available in the US, we believe.

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the iHeartRadio directory.

Apart from its title, there is nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" opens the player window and plays the audio only, accompanied by a cropped thumbnail. There appears to be no way of playing the video.

✅ 😕 Spotify (iPhone) (2.5%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Spotify directory. It appears separate to the audio feed - this is presumably to allow the regular audio version to correctly pass-through for monetisation purposes.

Apart from its title, there's nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" opens the player window and plays the video.

Note: this video is not from the RSS feed - the video has to be uploaded separately. The average user doesn't really care about that, so for the purposes of this test, we give it a green tick, but we don't feel great about it.

❌ Fountain (iPhone) (1.3%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Fountain directory.

Apart from its title, there's nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" starts only playing the audio of the podcast, accompanied by a cropped thumbnail. You can open the player fully, but it still only plays the audio. There appears to be no way of playing the video.

Fountain supports HLS video streaming using the alternateEnclosure; but doesn't appear to support standard video playback.

✅ TrueFans (web/Safari) (1.2%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the TrueFans directory.

Episodes are marked with a video icon.

Pressing "play" starts the playback of the video in a playback overlay on the website. You can make it full-screen or pop-out the video.

❌ Castamatic (iPhone) (0.99%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Castamatic directory.

No episodes appear in the episodes list. There appears to be no way of playing the show at all.

❌ Podcast Guru (iPhone) (0.99%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Podcast Guru directory.

Apart from its title, there's nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" starts only playing the audio of the podcast, accompanied by a 16:9 thumbnail. There appears to be no way of playing the video.

✅ Podcast Addict (Android) (0.76%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the Podcast Addict directory.

Apart from its title, there's nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" starts playing the video of the podcast, in full-screen (albeit stretched to fill the screen rather than in 16:9 aspect ratio).

✅ AntennaPod (Android) (0.52%)

You can find This Week in Tech (Video) in the AntennaPod directory.

Apart from its title, there's nothing to indicate that this is a video podcast.

Pressing "play" starts playing the video of the podcast in a playback window.

Additionally...

YouTube Music plays RSS feeds, so following the link in our directory we thought we'd give it a go. Amusingly, or perhaps on purpose, YouTube Music does not play RSS video podcasts. So, er, no. Though, of course, YouTube and YouTube Music itself plays video separately from RSS.

In conclusion

Only for 9% of downloads would someone get the video visible on the screen when they hit 'play'. Just 9%.

For 46% of downloads, video isn't playable at all.

And while 45.5% of downloads will play the video, those apps either aren't playing it from RSS, or don't put the video front and centre of the experience.

Podcast app developers have a choice - to support video podcasting as a first-class citizen, or, lose those that prefer video to proprietary solutions like Spotify or YouTube.

What's next for video podcasting?

Spotify and YouTube allow podcasters to upload their shows, in video, to their servers. That's not using open RSS - so, specifically, what might change here for people using RSS for their video podcast?

One feed is better than two

All the way through the test above we had to choose between "This Week In Tech (Audio)" and "This Week In Tech (Video)". The audio version is published in a different feed to the video version.

Two feeds for the same content isn't good for anyone - it's a poor user experience, but it's also bad for algorithms. Anyone choosing This Week In Tech (video) is not choosing This Week In Tech (audio), and therefore both suffer in an apparent loss of popularity when compared to other shows that only have one feed.

The solution for this is the alternateEnclosure tag, which would let podcasters put both audio and video files in the same RSS feed. That would allow a default of the audio version (which would work for everyone); but also allow people to use a "switch to video" button to show the video version. All in the same feed.

More than one video file is better than one

With one downloadable file, you're stuck with whatever the creator has given you. That's great for audio - but less good for video.

Apple Podcasts accepts up to 4K files, but it's pointless playing back a 4K file on an iPhone - the screen isn't good enough for that, and it would be a massive file to keep on your phone. Ideally, we'd have a 1080p file - but if there's only one to choose, tough.

This video podcast for example (it's not listed in Apple Podcasts) is just a 576p ("SD") video file. No access here to a 1080p version, or any better - so if there's only one to choose, it'll just look a bit smeary on your 4K telly.

No - better to offer a few different files, so your device can choose the right one. The solution for this is, once more, the alternateEnclosure tag, which allows multiple formats and filesizes.

Not downloading a massive file is good too

1.36 GB for one episode is a lot for your phone to deal with, and most of us don't have the space. But, given most podcasts are consumed while at home or within wifi range, why not - instead of downloading the whole lot - just stream?

That's what HLS is built for: allowing podcasters to stream video without a massive download. It's an Apple invention; but Apple Podcasts doesn't use it - yet.

However, HLS playlists - which can also automatically deliver different bitrates and formats - also fit into the alternateEnclosure tag, allowing a capable podcast app to choose a stream rather than a download if it makes more sense.

Who supports the alternateEnclosure tag?

A few apps already do, after the Podcast Standard Project did some work on HLS video. They're not, yet, mainstream; but the more that supports this, the better.

Now, all we need is for Apple Podcasts to support the alternateEnclosure tag.

And, to be fair, for Overcast to support video at all.

How did audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed get named? This is a full timeline, showing when, and where, it was used - and who invented the term.

A new medium emerges

As Eric Nuzum discusses elsewhere here, the first audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed was published on Jan 20, 2001; with Dave Winer placing one song by the Grateful Dead into a post, as a test.

While the actor and comedian Robin Williams may hold a claim to being the first podcaster, Christopher Lydon is generally held to have the published the first ever original piece of audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed on Jul 9, 2003. Here's the first 60 seconds, via Dave Winer's website:

However, Dave Winer suggests others were involved: but it was his daily show Morning Coffee Notes that really got people thinking.

It's fair to say that Chris's podcast - it was certainly one of the first podcasts... it was probably not the first. There were people doing what Chris was doing at the same time. There was Doug Kay, and Steve Gilmore was also doing it. None of us had the effect that I was looking for, and that didn't come until the summer of 2004 - my amateurish podcast. One guy called it a soliloquy, like what I'm doing right now. It's just one person talking into a microphone. Random little things, one paragraph per idea, things that had occurred to me the previous day or overnight or whatever. And I called those Morning Coffee Notes. Chris's were absolutely wonderful. I don't want to take anything away from them, in fact they were beautifully produced. But that was the problem. The problem was if an average person hears Chris Lydon doing an NPR-like thing, they're not going to get the idea that they can do it. That was a really important point that I didn't see. When I did it, nobody could miss that I didn't know what I was doing. - Dave Winer, A Podcast About Podcasting, 2015

But these audio shows did not have a name. Yet.

A suggestion in a mailing list

On Sep 15 2004, Dannie J Gregoire wrote on the ipodder-dev mailing list:

I can see there being the desire of users in some instances to be able to easily subscribe and get older posts/episodes/shows (what are we calling these things anyway? How about pode or sode for short?) that no longer appear on the rss feed. Right now if for example someone wanted to listen to all the Daily Source Codes back to sode #1, they would have to manually go through the archives and download any sodes not automagically received, somewhat defeating the purpose of an ipodder. Not too much of a problem now but...

...adding...

I guess one could argue that this is simply an rss/server side issue, and that the "podcaster" (yes, I like making up new words) should be responsible enough to offer a page of seperate feeds of old sodes by month/year/season/etc.

Gregoire is credited by Dave Winer, speaking in Guy Kawasaki's podcast Remarkable People:

Adam had the initial idea for why this made sense at that particular point in time. This was the first meeting that we had, and this goes back to 2000.

He saw me do it, and then he started doing it. And then, I don’t know, by September of 2004, there were twenty or thirty people doing [it], and we needed a name. And so we had a mail list and I asked people, “What should we call this?” And a guy named Dannie Gregoire said, just call it “podcasting.”

And Adam and I were doing a podcast called Trade Secrets, and on that we discussed it. So let’s just go with podcasting, and that’s it.

Guy Kawasaki: That’s how podcasting got named?!

Dave Winer: What did you think? We hired some kind of a market research firm and they did a focus groups and shit? Come on! That wasn’t how it worked!

and by Adam Curry, in Joe Rogan #1436 in March 2020:

And this just kept building and building, and other people started doing these and we call them soliloquies, and little bundles of joy, and all kinds of really dumb names. And Dannie Gregoire, a guy who was just listening, said "Oh, this is a podcast", and the name stuck.

Now - Ben Hammersley from The Guardian years earlier had actually use the term 'podcast' somewhere in an article which - there was no podcasting at the time, but he envisioned that, and called it 'podcasts', so...

Joe Rogan: Oh, wow, so he's the guy - he's the guy who named it.

Curry: (sigh) He used the term, but I would say Dannie Gregoire really named what we were doing at the time.

The "podcasting" name was enthusiastically adopted by the medium's inventors, Dave Winer and Adam Curry.

Gregoire, a blogger, was registering a number of domain names, and registered podcaster.net. According to the WHOIS history of that domain name, he created it, via GoDaddy using his nameservers, on Sep 16 2004.

"domainName": "podcaster.net",
"domainType": "added",
"createdDateRaw": "2004-09-16 15:58:58 UTC",
"nameServers": [
    "NS1.DGREGOIRE.COM",
    "NS2.DGREGOIRE.COM"
],
"registrarName": "GoDaddy.com, LLC"

Ben Hammersley

As above, Adam Curry notes Ben Hammersley used the term a little earlier.

Hammersley, a British author and journalist, had been researching RSS and audio for some time, writing Content Syndication with RSS for O'Reilly Media, published in March 2003. In chapter 4.2 of this book, he discussed enclosures in RSS 0.92, and gave an example of an RSS feed with a number of linked audio MP3s.

He was interviewed on Rob and Dana Greenlee's syndicated Web Talk Radio show on Dec 20, 2003, including a chat about RSS:

In The Guardian, Hammersley turned his attention to the growing use of RSS for the use of audio and radio content, and wrote on Feb 12, 2004:

What to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?

He spoke about this piece in a BBC documentary ("Podcasting - The First Ten Years", Trevor Dann for BBC Radio 4):

That was the first time the word 'podcasting' had been seen in print, alongside two other potential words for the medium. In the same piece, Hammersley interviewed Christopher Lydon, who, with Dave Winer, had been producing audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed.

Hammersley told Podnews in an email: "It’s a dumb thing I made up in about 5 seconds while trying to pad that article out to make it fit the page, very close to deadline"; but it was the first time 'podcasting' had been seen in print: in a national British newspaper with a circulation of 383,000, and one that, later that year, was claimed to be reaching 2.5m US readers alone.

However, after Hammersley's initial article, the "podcasting", or any derivative of it, was not mentioned anywhere else in the media or in blogs for five months.

The first use of 'podcast' in a podcast

On Sep 18 2004, Dave Slusher is said to have been the first to have used the word "podcast" in a podcast, Evil Genius Chronicles, and credited (un-named) Gregoire:

Somebody has registered podcasting.net, and I saw podcaster, or podcaster.net and I saw podcaster hitting as a user agent hitting my RSS feed and I went and looked at it and right now it's just a coming soon page but I'm going to pay attention to that. I want to see who's got that and what they're doing but that term, I think they've coined the term. So "iPod platform" just doesn't spring from the tongue but what I'm doing right here, and what Adam [Curry]'s doing, and what Dave Winer's doing, and what IT Conversations are doing, that's podcasting. I think that is the term. I am using that from here on out. Y'know, so I am a podcaster, and they are podcasters, and I am podcasting right now, and you listen to my podcast. Fuckin' A! I'd like to know who this is, because you are one brilliant bastard! Goddamn that's a good term!

In an episode of Trade Secrets on Sep 22nd 2004, Dave Winer refers to a previous episode of Adam Curry's Daily Source Code, and, giving the credit to Ben Hammersley, says:

Dave W: I was listening to your daily source code thing. I'm one of my walks where... by the way, I love the term podcasting.

Adam C: Isn't that great? Isn't that fantastic?

Dave W: Yeah, [it's a] good term. I did a Google on it, and Ben Hammersley seems to have the first use of it, so...

Adam C: Okay.

Dave W: Ben Hammersley has appropriated almost everything, so I'm glad to be able to return the favor to you! Hey, Ben, if you can hear this, thanks a lot!

In a piece on his website, Dave Winer suggests that this was the conversation between him and Adam Curry that was the agreement to use the word.

The word catches on

The term was quickly taken up. Adam Curry mentioned podcasting on his blog for the first time on Sep 21 2004; Dave Winer blogged 'what is podcasting?' on Sep 24 2004, by Doc Searls, who blogged about podcasts on Sep 28 2004, and Dan Gillmor on Sep 28 2004.

A number of podcast-related websites began to go live in early October, including PodcastAlley.com, live on Oct 7 2004, and the original podcaster.net seems to forward through to podcast.net, which was already live on Oct 9 2004.

As an example that the term was already well-embedded, Todd Cochrane posted the first "Geek News Central Podcast" on Oct 9 2004; and, on the same day, Rob Greenlee posted a comment announcing the new name on the Web Talk Radio Show website. Evo Terra followed on Oct 13, 2004.

The first time the word "podcast" appeared in print (alongside "podcasting") was on Oct 14 2004 in The Los Angeles Times, and taken up by The New York Times, on Oct 28 2004.

The first time "podcasting" appears to have appeared on the radio was October 30 2004, on the Australian ABC, at the end of Buzz, a technology program. It was a trail for Music of the Blogospheres, a thirty-minute documentary about podcasting on October 31 2004, including interviews with Adam Curry and Dave Winer. The ABC has since restored the audio for all of us to listen to.

Matt Webb, then working at the BBC as a software developer, used the word "podcast" in an informal announcement on Nov 11 2004; Newsweek used "podcasts" on Dec 2 2004; The UK's Independent newspaper on Dec 8 2004; Dublin's Sunday Tribune on Dec 12 2004 (p39, "Radio Head"); and the BBC on Dec 30 2004.

As for Hammersley, on Nov 14, 2004 he released "RadioPod", a piece of software that recorded radio streams, converted the audio into MP3, and produced an RSS feed for a... podcast.

So, who invented the term?

Ben Hammersley was the first to use the term in print, in a widely-read publication.

But Dannie J Gregoire was the person who suggested the term to Dave Winer and Adam Curry. Gregoire may have come up with the word independently; or may have been influenced (knowingly or not) by reading Hammersley's article five months previously. We'll never really know.

Regardless, without Gregoire's suggestion of the term in Sep 2004 - and its enthusiastic use by Adam Curry and Dave Winer - we'd be calling audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed something quite different.

Extra: who invented the word "podfade"?

Scott Fletcher of Podcheck Review coined the word in February 2005, when he gave up on two of his podcasts. He's credited in an article in WIRED magazine. Podcheck Review itself "podfaded" just a year later.

For much of its history, podcasting was all about the numbers. As the medium grew, success was all about more: more episodes, more downloads, more chart appearances. Those metrics helped establish podcasting as a viable channel, but they also narrowed how success was defined. Volume became a proxy for effectiveness, even though it said little about whether listeners actually stayed engaged, returned regularly, or built any lasting relationship with a show.

Those conditions no longer apply. Podcasting is now established, crowded, and directly competing with newsletters, streaming video, social platforms, and traditional journalism for the same finite attention. As a result, the criteria for success have shifted. Brands and creators are increasingly evaluating podcasts the way they evaluate other editorial investments: not by how much they publish or how fast they grow, but by whether a show has a clear audience, a consistent identity, and demonstrable staying power.

This year, the Golden Globe Awards introduced a podcast category. That move isn’t so much a guarantee of quality or a new benchmark to chase, but it does signal that podcasts have fully entered the mainstream media landscape, recognized. For creators and brands, this is a natural moment to reassess why a podcast exists and how they should define success. In a crowded, mature environment, standing out depends less on scale and more on focus, consistency, and purpose.

Editorial discipline

As podcasts move from growth to maturity, the central challenge shifts from getting heard to giving listeners a reason to return. Many shows don’t struggle because they lack promotion, but because listeners aren’t sure who the podcast is for or why they should come back next week.

The podcasts that cut through tend to behave like established publications. They have a clearly defined audience, a format that listeners recognize immediately, and a consistent point of view. You don’t have to listen long to understand what the show is, who it’s for, and what kind of value it delivers.

That kind of discipline is surprisingly rare. Too many podcasts try to appeal to “anyone interested in the topic,” which usually means no one in particular. Others shift tone, length, or focus so often that the show never develops an identity. Standing out can be as simple as achieving clarity. Can you describe the show in one sentence? Does a listener understand what kind of experience they’re signing up for each week? Does the podcast answer a recurring question or serve a clear purpose?

Fewer, better shows

Launching a corporate podcast has become relatively easy. Stopping one, however, is rarely simple. Podcasts often carry internal ownership, executive sponsorship, or perceived brand value that makes them harder to cut based solely on performance. As a result, brands continue to run multiple shows out of obligation or caution rather than because those shows are delivering clear returns.

In a saturated environment, that can be a liability. Each additional show competes not only with the wider market but with internal attention, budgets, and creative energy. When resources are spread too thin, quality drops. And audiences notice.

A more effective approach starts with a proactive audit. What are you hoping that this podcast will achieve? Who is it for, and how clearly can you define that audience? What role do you see the show playing going forward within the organization’s broader content strategy? If you can’t answer those questions clearly, you need to step back and think some more.

Once a podcast is up and running, it’s easy to feel pressure to expand – to spin up additional shows, experiment with side formats, or chase new audiences. A more disciplined approach focuses instead on sustaining a clearly defined show. Concentrating energy on doing one thing well makes it easier to maintain quality, consistency, and a listening experience audiences recognize and return to.

Tracking progress

As your podcast becomes more established, outside indicators such as rankings, awards, and high-profile mentions may give you an inflated sense of the podcast’s impact. Those elements can certainly highlight that your show is gaining attention, but they offer an incomplete picture. They measure reach and momentum, but not editorial strength or long-term value.

That’s not to say that ranking and awards are irrelevant, but they function best as checkpoints rather than objectives. External recognition can help guide renewal decisions, support conversations with sponsors, or prompt internal reviews of what’s resonating and why.

The problem arises when those signals begin to dictate direction. Chasing recognition without a clear editorial foundation often leads to short-term spikes followed by drift. Defining success internally keeps external markers in their proper role – as useful indicators of performance rather than drivers of the podcast’s purpose.

Clarity versus growth

Podcasting is no longer defined by growth for its own sake. As the medium has matured and competition has increased, success is less about volume and visibility and more about clarity, consistency, and purpose. Throughout this shift, the same principles keep resurfacing.

Podcasts that stand out have a clearly defined audience, a recognizable format, and a reason for listeners to return. Those podcasts avoid expanding without clear justification, make deliberate choices about how to allocate resources, and treat external signals as feedback rather than direction.

Chapters are one of the most useful things to help listeners find their way round longer podcasts; and with iOS 26.2 (and iPadOS 26.2), almost every podcast will have chapters.

Here’s what you need to know:

Apple Podcasts will automatically generate chapters for podcasts that don’t have them.

Apple Podcasts won’t make chapters for trailers, and won’t make chapters for short shows less than ten minutes long - but otherwise will make them for every episode.

Chapters are identified in the app as being automatically created.

As a creator, you can easily opt out of Apple making automated chapters - by making your own instead. And they’ve made it easy to do so, by now supporting three different formats - one of which is supported by every single podcast host.

(You can also opt out altogether in Apple Podcasts Connect).

Using chapters in Apple Podcasts

When playing a podcast, drag your finger along the progress bar and you’ll see the chapters appear, and a nice piece of haptic feedback when you move over a chapter point.

The big image on your iPhone screen when playing a podcast back changes to the chapter image, if one has been set by the podcaster.

If you hit the “list” icon, bottom-right, when listening to an episode, you’ll notice that you get a drop-down list of chapters on-screen. Click on any of those to go straight there.

(If you’re wanting to see a podcast with chapter images, naturally we recommend the Podnews Weekly Review).

Chapters are also supported in Spotify (no chapter images though); in YouTube; and in many other apps - as long as you supply them.

Making your own chapters

Apple Podcasts now supports three chapter formats:

• It continues to support ID3 tags. These are chapter codes hidden in your MP3 or AAC file, made when you export a piece of audio.
• It also supports “Episode Notes”, a list of chapter points normally placed at the bottom of individual episode notes. These are also supported by Spotify and by YouTube, and is a simple way to add chapter support.
• Finally, Apple supports “Chapters JSON”, the Podcasting 2.0 standard. This is a separate file for your show, which can contain (some) links and images. They appear to be ingested when your episode is published.

ID3 tags work well with some podcast hosting companies who don’t change your audio file when you upload it. However, they can be stripped by others, so they don’t always work. They’re most often produced by your audio editor. (In Hindenburg, use Shift+CMD+Enter to make a chapter point. It supports images, links and names.)

Anyone can write “Episode Notes” chapters, and they are supported for creators on any podcast host. Look at the bottom of the episode notes on this show and see how the chapter marks are written. Ensure there’s always a 00:00 one. No links here though.

The most flexible is “Chapters JSON”, supported by some podcast hosting companies already, like Buzzsprout, RSS.com or Transistor. Unlike “Episode Notes” chapters, Chapters JSON also supports links and full-resolution images.

There are special chapter-producing programs out there.

• Forecast is a free app, written by Overcast’s Marco Arment, but it only supports ID3 chapters.
• PodChapters is a web-app which can automatically add chapters for you.
• ChapterTool is a bare-bones web app, which comes recommended by some of our readers.

“Timed links” to content

Apple Podcasts also announced “timed links”, which can link to media elsewhere in the Apple ecosystem.

These can be automatically-generated based on the transcript, though again you can add these in chapters directly.

The most helpful opportunity for podcasters here is if you are interviewing a guest that has another podcast. When they mention that they have a podcast, a link can appear on the screen linking to that podcast in Apple Podcasts directly.

You can also link to books in Apple Books, tracks in Apple Music, news stories in Apple News, tv shows in Apple TV, and a few others.

Links are checked for availability (a book might be available in Apple Books in one country but not in another) and only appear if the piece of content is available in your own storefront.

If you link from a chapter (using ID3 or Chapters JSON) then you can expect these to appear as “timed links”.

We understand that these links support Apple’s affiliate codes, if you’re using those.

You can’t link to apps in the Apple App Store (which seems surprising); nor can you link to anywhere else, so you can’t use them for advertising - just to other pieces of content within the Apple ecosystem.

You can also opt-out completely if you want: the setting is in Apple Podcasts Connect right now.

How many people use chapters?

Historically, chapters haven’t been very well used by podcast listeners: but that’s mainly because they’ve not been produced by creators very often, so most people don’t know they’re there if they even are.

By creating podcast chapters automatically for every podcast, Apple Podcasts will ensure that chapters are universally and consistently available, and you’d have to expect that usage of chapters will increase dramatically.

You’ll be able to see how many people use chapters in the episode analytics in Apple Podcasts Connect for your show - which should show you where people skip in the middle of a chapter to the next one.

“Is Apple making it easier to skip the ads?” - well, maybe. But you can always make your own chapters, and you’ll be more in control with where you put your ads and where you put your chapter markers. (Alternatively, your Editor would prefer you made your ads better so people won’t skip them).

As part of Amazon Music 2025 Delivered, the company released data about the top podcasts on the service. Here are a selection of countries. Click through to learn more and listen - whatever podcast player you use.

Podcasts are “curated through a combination of editorial insights and performance metrics.” Podnews specifically asked for India and Japan, since Amazon Music has significant market share in these markets.

Podcasts Detail

Top podcasts: UK

• 1: RedHanded
• 2: MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
• 3: Sh**ged Married Annoyed
• 4: The Rest Is Politics
• 5: The Rest Is History

Top podcasts: Germany

• 1: Dick & Doof
• 2: Die Nervigen
• 3: Äffchen mit Käffchen
• 4: Die Drei Rabauken
• 5: Kottbruder - GermanLetsPlay & Paluten

Top podcasts: Italy

• 1: La Zanzara
• 2: Lo Zoo di 105
• 3: Elisa True Crime
• 4: Indagini
• 5: Il podcast di Alessandro Barbero: Lezioni e Conferenze di Storia

Top podcasts: France

• 1: Legend
• 2: Hondelatte Raconte
• 3: Chroniques Criminelles
• 4: Novi
• 5: Ça commence aujourd’hui

Top podcasts: Mexico

• 1: La Corneta
• 2: La Corneta Extendida
• 3: Relatos de la Noche
• 4: Panda Show - Picante
• 5: La Cotorrisa

Top podcasts: Brazil

• 1: Não Inviabilize
• 2: Não Inviabilize apresenta: Histórias da Firma
• 3: Inteligência Ltda.
• 4: Modus Operandi
• 5: Caso Bizarro

Top podcasts: Japan

• 1: Azumi Shinichiro`s Sunday Heaven (安住紳一郎の日曜天国)
• 2: Okubo Kayoko`s Lovey-dovey Love (大久保佳代子とらぶぶらLOVE)
• 3: Easy Linguistics Radio (ゆる言語学ラジオ)
• 4: Mayurika`s Unagerorin!! (マユリカのうなげろりん！！)
• 5: Over the Sun (TBSラジオ『ジェーン・スーと堀井美香の「OVER THE SUN」』)

Top podcasts: India

• 1: The Desi Crime Podcast
• 2: The Stories of Mahabharata
• 3: Raj Shamani’s Figuring out
• 4: Teen Taal
• 5: The Horror show by Khooni Monday

As part of Spotify 2025 Wrapped, the company released data about the top podcasts on the service. Here’s the ones we know about. Click through to learn more and listen - whatever podcast player you use.

A post about methodology suggests that podcasts in this list are ranked by total minutes listened.

Here’s the list for 2024.

Podcasts Detail

Global Top Podcasts of 2025

• 1: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 2: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 3: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 4: Call Her Daddy
• 5: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
• 6: Huberman Lab
• 7: Crime Junkie
• 8: Modern Wisdom
• 9: On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• 10: The Tucker Carlson Show

Top Podcasts of 2025: UK

• 1: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 2: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 3: The Louis Theroux Podcast
• 4: The Rest Is Politics
• 5: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 6: The Rest Is History
• 7: We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson
• 8: Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
• 9: The Rest Is Football
• 10: The Rest Is Entertainment

Top Podcasts of 2025: Spain

• 1: La Ruina
• 2: Nadie Sabe Nada
• 3: El Podcast de Marian Rojas Estapé
• 4: The Wild Project
• 5: Tengo un Plan
• 6: Poco se Habla! Briten y Xuso Jones
• 7: WORLDCAST
• 8: ROCA PROJECT
• 9: La Fórmula Del Éxito con Uri Sabat
• 10: La Pija y la Quinqui

AI is no longer the stuff of science fiction.   The technology has arrived, and it's making waves in the podcasting world. Creators are routinely using these tools to write show notes, edit interviews, mix and sweeten audio, create  artwork, and even generate synthetic voices. For busy podcasters, these tools feel like magic—doing in seconds what once took hours. 

But here’s the catch: with every new innovation come new legal questions, and AI is creating more of them than any tool we’ve seen before. The same technology that makes your production workflow smoother, if used carelessly, can expose you to copyright claims, privacy violations, or even lawsuits from guests, collaborators, sponsors, and members of the public.

In this article, we'll unpack some major legal issues podcasters need to understand before allowing the machines to  take over.

Copyright and Ownership: Who Really Owns AI-Generated Content?

Long before AI became a reality, in cases involving animal-created artwork, U.S. copyright regulators and Courts have held that only humans can hold copyright.  An important recent case, Thaler v. Perlmutter, confirmed that works without meaningful human authorship aren’t eligible for copyright registration. In other words: the machine can’t be the author.

As legal precedent, what this means is that if an image, voice track, or text is created entirely by AI, no one truly “owns” it. You might have input the prompts.  You might have paid for it.  Yet,  in the eyes of the law, it isn't going to be considered yours.

That could be a problem if you rely on AI for things like:

• Your podcast’s logo or cover art
• Theme music or voice-overs
• Episode scripts, intros, or social-media copy

If that work is purely AI-generated, it may not be protected—and worse, it could infringe on someone else’s copyrighted material.

What this means for you: Use AI as a tool, not as a substitute for your own creative efforts. The more you direct, revise, and humanize the output, the stronger your ownership claim. Add your creative input—rewrite, re-record, or remix—and document that contribution.

Infringement and the Hidden Risks in AI Training Data

Most AI tools are trained on enormous datasets scraped from across the internet. Some of that material is public domain… but much of it is not. This issue is front and center in lawsuits like Getty Images v. Stability AI, where artists and rights-holders allege that AI companies trained their models on copyrighted works without permission.  In one prominent case, AI company Anthropic settled claims for $1.5bn.

What this means is that when you use an AI system to generate art, music, or text, you can’t always know where its “inspiration” came from. If the tool you're using spits out something too similar to an existing copyrighted work, you could find wind up publishing an infringing derivative work.  And in the crosshairs of a costly, time-consuming and embarrassing lawsuit.

The takeaway: Choose tools with transparent licensing policies. If a company can’t clearly tell you what rights you have to the AI output—or where its training data came from—treat that as a red flag.

And remember:  if your AI-generated content looks suspiciously familiar, don’t use it. The time saved isn’t worth the risk.

Voice Cloning and the Right of Publicity

One of the most exciting (and dangerous) uses of AI in podcasting is synthetic voice cloning. All it takes is a short sample to train on, and an AI can mimic anyone’s voice—your own, your co-host’s, even a celebrity’s.

If you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s cool,” you’re not wrong. But if you’re thinking, “Could I make Morgan Freeman introduce my show?”  Stop.  Just don't. 

Using someone else’s voice or likeness (especially a celebrity's) without consent can violate the right of publicity; a state-law protection that gives individuals control over how their image, name, and voice are used commercially.  In the US, 37 states, including California, New York, and Tennessee (through the new “ELVIS Act”) have such laws in place and  treat this especially seriously.

Even using AI to “enhance” or “clean up” a guest’s voice can raise issues if it alters their tone or meaning without their permission.

Best practice: Get explicit written consent from anyone whose voice you use—real or synthetic. Update your Podcast Guest Release to include language authorizing limited use of AI tools for editing or enhancement, provided it doesn’t misrepresent what the person said.

Your reputation depends on authenticity, accuracy and transparency. Don’t let an AI voiceover create doubt about what’s real. And, when you do use AI, disclose that fact to your audience, so there's no claim that you're misleading or deceiving them.

Defamation, Disinformation, and the Duty of Care

AI is powerful, yes.  But it’s not reliable.  These tools can “hallucinate”,  inventing details, fabricating facts, and presenting everything with utmost confidence.

When creators rely on AI to generate content, show notes, research talking points, or summaries of news stories, they risk accidentally publishing false or misleading information. And if those statements inflict harm on someone’s reputation, that’s defamation, plain and simple.

As a podcaster, you’re a publisher. “The AI made me do it” isn’t a legal defense.

Protect yourself by:

• Reviewing and fact-checking every AI-generated script or summary before publication.
• Avoiding speculative or accusatory language about real people or companies. 
• Keeping an editorial chain of custody: note where your research came from, what tools were used, and who verified the content.

Bottom line:  Fact check the heck out of everything.   If something's not corroborated by multiple credible sources, it's too risky.  Just. Don't. Publish.

The credibility of your show is your brand’s most valuable asset. Guard it carefully.

Privacy and Data Protection

If you're relying on AI tools for transcription, editing, or analysis, you're  going to be uploading audio or video content to them.   That means you’re sending your guests’ voices (often containing personal data) to third-party servers.

If you don’t have  the proper permission, that could violate privacy laws like California’s CCPA or Europe’s GDPR, which regulate how personal data (including biometric voice data) is processed.

Simple fix: disclose and obtain consent. Your guest release should clearly authorize use of AI-based editing or transcription tools. Specify that their voice will not be altered to change meaning or intent.

If you’re using AI to analyze listener data or generate marketing insights, make sure the tools comply with applicable privacy regulations and don’t retain identifiable information without consent.

Transparency, Ethics, and Disclosure

Even if you’re on solid legal ground, there’s an ethical component to AI use in creative work. Audiences value authenticity. If they learn that large portions of your show were written, voiced, or mixed by AI without disclosure, trust can erode fast.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already indicated that failing to disclose AI involvement—especially in advertising or influencer content—could be considered deceptive.

Best practice:

• Be transparent when using AI, particularly when it contributes significantly to your content.
• Don’t use synthetic voices or “deepfakes” that could mislead listeners.  At very least, a conspicuous disclaimer like "celebrity voice impersonated" should accompany the use of these materials.
• Maintain editorial oversight and take responsibility for all published material. 

You don’t have to make your show  an entirely AI-free zone, but you must be transparent about its use.

Contracts and Terms of Service: Read the Fine Print

Most podcasters never read the Terms of Service of their AI tools—and that’s dangerous.

When you upload your audio or text to an AI system, you may be granting the company broad rights to use that material for training future models. Some even allow reuse of your data for commercial purposes.

That means your guest’s interview—or your unreleased material—could theoretically end up inside the next iteration of the tool, accessible to others.

Tips:

• Review the tool’s data-use and retention policies.
• Avoid uploading anything sensitive, confidential, or subject to third-party rights (like licensed music or private client material).
• Choose platforms that offer “no-train” or enterprise options that exclude your content from model training.

Protecting your IP starts with reading the terms tow which you’re agreeing.

Practical Legal Strategies for Podcasters Using AI

If you’re going to use AI in your production process — and let’s face it, you probably are — do it smartly.

Here’s a short checklist for staying on the right side of the law:

1. Document your human input. Keep precise and detailed notes on what parts of the process were your creative decisions. The more, the better.
2. Register copyrights for the human-authored portions of your episodes, show notes, or artwork. (and, when registering, it's important to* disclaim* the non-original components, such as those generated by AI.)
3. Use contracts that address AI usage:
   • Add AI clauses to your production and editing agreements.
   • Update guest releases to reflect AI-assisted editing and post-production.
   • Include ownership and authorship terms that clarify human contribution.
4. Keep your tool list current. Track which AI services you use and how they handle data.
5. Stay educated. This area of law is evolving quickly; what’s legal today may look different tomorrow.

The smartest creators aren’t afraid of AI—they’re strategic about how they use it.

The Future: Opportunity Meets Accountability

Creators are at a fascinating crossroads. AI can empower us to produce more content, faster, with higher production value. It can help small creators compete with the big players. But it also amplifies the consequences of getting things wrong.

Courts, legislators, and regulators are still catching up, and the rules are far from settled. But one thing is clear: podcasters who take care to protect their work, and respect the rights of others, will be the ones who thrive in this new era.

Treat AI like any other production partner: helpful, powerful, and capable of making big mistakes if you’re not paying attention.

“Throughout the year, Apple Podcasts editors hand-curate and feature the absolute best programming on our platform. 2025 was an incredible year for podcasting, and to celebrate, we’ve assembled 10 unforgettable listens that truly represent the best of the best. From captivating storytelling to hilarious conversations and inspiring insights—these are the shows that will have you sharing, laughing, reflecting and on the edge of your seat. Dive in and explore the Best of 2025.”

To compile this list, we called each Apple Podcasts storefront, and found each show that the editorial team at Apple Podcasts recommended. Some stores share recommendations with others; some aren't lists of 10.

We found 29 storefronts with “Best of” lists.

Podcasts Detail

Algeria

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Australia

• 1: Just The Gist
• 2: Wisecrack
• 3: No One Saw It Coming
• 4: Big Design Adventure
• 5: Fallout: Spies on Norfolk Island
• 6: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 7: Sea of Lies
• 8: SCAMMERLAND
• 9: Fwends
• 10: Gina

Austria

• 1: PLOT HOUSE
• 2: Die Peter Thiel Story
• 3: Was bisher geschah - Geschichtspodcast
• 4: Cashing Feelings – KI-Chatbots und das Geschäft mit Gefühlen
• 5: DIE LEUTE LIEBEN DAS
• 6: Stars unserer Kindheit: Peter Lustig & Elfie Donnelly
• 7: Firewall: Jedes System hat eine Schwachstelle
• 8: Godcode: Macht. KI. Drama.
• 9: Sherlock Holmes Kurzgeschichten
• 10: Wie geht's? mit Robin Gosens

Bahrain

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Brazil

• 1: As Cunhãs
• 2: Segue o Som
• 3: Potter Entrevista
• 4: Prato Cheio
• 5: Alô, Ciência?
• 6: Só no Brasil
• 7: A Estratégia do Dia
• 8: Marília: O outro lado da sofrência
• 9: Mesacast BBB
• 10: Dando as Cartas

Canada

• 1: Sea of Lies
• 2: Gloves Off
• 3: Tubby
• 4: See You in Court
• 5: Go-Boy!
• 6: Pipeline
• 7: Left To Their Own Devices
• 8: Your Weekly Breakdown
• 9: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 10: Wisecrack

Egypt

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

France

• 1: Renverser la table
• 2: À bientôt de te revoir
• 3: Clément Viktorovitch podcast
• 4: Women Stories - Récits de vie
• 5: Le Fil Mental - Fabien Olicard
• 6: Liste de lecture
• 7: Polissons : le podcast jeunesse
• 8: Alice Underground
• 9: Injustices
• 10: Skills

Germany

• 1: PLOT HOUSE
• 2: Die Peter Thiel Story
• 3: Was bisher geschah - Geschichtspodcast
• 4: Cashing Feelings – KI-Chatbots und das Geschäft mit Gefühlen
• 5: DIE LEUTE LIEBEN DAS
• 6: Stars unserer Kindheit: Peter Lustig & Elfie Donnelly
• 7: Firewall: Jedes System hat eine Schwachstelle
• 8: Godcode: Macht. KI. Drama.
• 9: Sherlock Holmes Kurzgeschichten
• 10: Wie geht's? mit Robin Gosens

India

• 1: The Desi Crime Podcast
• 2: Woice with Warikoo Podcast
• 3: Horror Nights With Amit Deondi : Hindi Horror Stories every Friday
• 4: Corner Office Conversation
• 5: First Principles
• 6: The Masoom Minawala Show
• 7: Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee
• 8: Raj Shamani's Figuring Out
• 9: People by WTF
• 10: Cyrus Says

Iraq

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Ireland

• 1: Stolen Sister
• 2: DIVERTED
• 3: A Few Scoops with Aoife Moore and Colm O’Regan
• 4: The Laughs Of Your Life with Doireann Garrihy
• 5: Titanic: Ship of Dreams
• 6: Ireland Said Yes
• 7: Sea of Lies
• 8: The David McWilliams Podcast
• 9: Keep It Tight
• 10: Lucky Boy

Japan

• 1: 原宿の今じゃない企画室
• 2: 聞くだけでごはんができるラジオ
• 3: 報談 【HOU-DAN】
• 4: 視点倉庫
• 5: カメとキリギリス
• 6: 聞く図鑑
• 7: 聞く健康習慣　Hana博士の体調最高ラジオ
• 8: 考えすぎフラグメンツ
• 9: Beyond K-point
• 10: がっちゃんこ（金）20世紀×バッテリィズ

Jordan

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Kuwait

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Lebanon

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Libya

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 3: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 4: Think With Hessa
• 5: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 6: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Mauritania

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Morocco

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

New Zealand

• 1: Just The Gist
• 2: Wisecrack
• 3: No One Saw It Coming
• 4: Big Design Adventure
• 5: Fallout: Spies on Norfolk Island
• 6: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 7: Sea of Lies
• 8: SCAMMERLAND
• 9: Fwends
• 10: Gina

Oman

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Qatar

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

Saudi Arabia

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

South Africa

• 1: Because We Said So
• 2: Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba
• 3: True Crime South Africa
• 4: Ideas That Matter Podcast by Vusi Thembekwayo
• 5: History of South Africa podcast
• 6: The Money Show
• 7: What Now? with Trevor Noah
• 8: After School Is After School With Sis G.U
• 9: Short History Of...
• 10: The Motherhood Network

Taiwan

• 1: 禎甄要chat內
• 2: 時間的女兒：八卦歷史
• 3: 姐妹悄悄話｜SistersTalkTalkShow
• 4: 曼報 Manny's Newsletter
• 5: 天下學習
• 6: 心身難路上的身心科
• 7: 博音
• 8: 法客電台 BY 法律白話文運動 Plain Law Movement
• 9: 只能喝酒的圖書館
• 10: 一起說故事

Tunisia

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

United Arab Emirates

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Tarab
• 8: Think With Hessa
• 9: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 10: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

United Kingdom

• 1: Mad, Sad and Bad with Paloma Faith
• 2: Sea of Lies
• 3: Titanic: Ship of Dreams
• 4: Flesh and Code
• 5: Single Ladies In Your Area
• 6: Mo Gilligan: Beginning, Middle & End
• 7: Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball
• 8: UNTAPPED
• 9: Wolf & Owl with Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis
• 10: Lucky Boy

United States

• 1: Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
• 2: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 3: Heavyweight
• 4: Bone Valley
• 5: NO SUCH THING
• 6: Wisecrack
• 7: No Easy Fix
• 8: Pablo Torre Finds Out
• 9: The Nature Of with Willow Defebaugh
• 10: The Mel Robbins Podcast

Yemen

• 1: مسيّان
• 2: ABtalks
• 3: LIT- Luca's Insight Track
• 4: G.Talks - The Podcast for Dreamers
• 5: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 6: The Mo Show
• 7: Think With Hessa
• 8: عندي سؤال | Aandi Soual
• 9: The Gstaad Guy Podcast

These shows are described by Apple as “the most popular podcasts of the year based on listenership.”

“Top Shows” lists all shows in Apple Podcasts; “Top New Shows” lists shows that were first released in 2025.

To compile this list, we called each Apple Podcasts storefront, and found each list of shows. We found 60 storefronts with “Top Shows” lists. They’re all listed below, in order of country. Some countries inherit regional lists.

Podcasts Detail

Algeria

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Argentina

Top Shows

• 1: Palabra Plena, con Gabriel Rolón
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 4: Historia en Podcast
• 5: Durmiendo
• 6: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 7: Inglés desde cero
• 8: La Venganza Será Terrible (oficial)
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: Psicología y Vínculos
• 4: De la columna a la cabeza
• 5: La Toma
• 6: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 7: The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott
• 8: Skyvan: Los vuelos de la muerte
• 9: ¿cómo carajo me relaciono?
• 10: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Australia

Top Shows

• 1: Conversations
• 2: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 3: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 4: The Imperfects
• 5: Casefile True Crime
• 6: Mamamia Out Loud
• 7: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 8: No Filter
• 9: The Rest Is History
• 10: The Case Of

Top New Shows

• 1: Dear Rachelle
• 2: No One Saw It Coming
• 3: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 4: The Rest Is Classified
• 5: Stalked
• 6: Julie's Gone
• 7: Deadly Mirage
• 8: The Unthinkable
• 9: Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
• 10: The Mushroom Trial: Say Grace

Austria

Top Shows

• 1: Thema des Tages
• 2: FALTER Radio
• 3: Inside Austria
• 4: Ö1 Journale
• 5: Geschichten aus der Geschichte
• 6: LANZ & PRECHT
• 7: Klenk + Reiter
• 8: Der Professor und der Wolf
• 9: Frühstück bei mir
• 10: Die Dunkelkammer – Der Investigativ-Podcast

Top New Shows

• 1: Die Peter Thiel Story
• 2: Einschlafen mit Biografien
• 3: Ö1 Journale - gehört vertieft
• 4: CEO
• 5: Die Jägerin
• 6: Plus Ultra - Der Weg in den Dreißigjährigen Krieg
• 7: DIE GRUABERIN
• 8: Hangweyrer & Palfrader
• 9: Sherlock Holmes Kurzgeschichten
• 10: Rohrer bei Budgen

Bahrain

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Bolivia

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Brazil

Top Shows

• 1: Café Com Deus Pai | Podcast oficial
• 2: O Assunto
• 3: Psicologia na Prática
• 4: Inteligência Ltda.
• 5: Jota Jota Podcast
• 6: Não Inviabilize
• 7: Os Sócios Podcast
• 8: Autoconsciente Podcast | Vida interior
• 9: Flow Podcast
• 10: NerdCast

Top New Shows

• 1: Aprenda Filosofia
• 2: O Síndico
• 3: gostosas também choram
• 4: De Saída - A Vida Fora da Internet
• 5: Mano a Mano
• 6: Neymar (UOL Prime)
• 7: NÃO IMPORTA
• 8: Isso não é uma sessão de análise, com Vera Iaconelli
• 9: Vou Te Mandar um Áudio
• 10: Escute as Mais Velhas

Canada

Top Shows

• 1: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 2: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 3: The Daily
• 4: SmartLess
• 5: Dateline NBC
• 6: Call Her Daddy
• 7: Huberman Lab
• 8: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 9: On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• 10: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Top New Shows

• 1: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 2: Deadly Mirage
• 3: Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
• 4: The Oprah Podcast
• 5: Murder in the Moonlight
• 6: Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
• 7: Khloé in Wonder Land
• 8: Devil in the Desert
• 9: Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
• 10: Sea of Lies

Chile

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Colombia

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Costa Rica

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Czechia

Top Shows

• 1: Opravdové zločiny
• 2: Čestmír Strakatý
• 3: Vinohradská 12
• 4: Kriminálka
• 5: BROCAST
• 6: 5:59
• 7: U Kulatého stolu
• 8: Hype-Cast Podcast
• 9: Kecy a politika
• 10: HLASY ZLOČINU

Top New Shows

• 1: Lepší už to nebude
• 2: Longevity podcast
• 3: POLICIE
• 4: Fantastic Future
• 5: Klasické pohádky
• 6: Kellner
• 7: Holky říkaly
• 8: Pohádky pana Donutila
• 9: Sirény
• 10: Další už se nevejde.

Denmark

Top Shows

• 1: Genstart
• 2: Mørkeland
• 3: Afhørt
• 4: Third Ear
• 5: Tyran
• 6: Danske Drabssager
• 7: HjerneRO
• 8: True Story
• 9: Millionærklubben
• 10: Historien om alt

Top New Shows

• 1: Historien om alt
• 2: Bedraget - løgnens anatomi
• 3: Sagen Genåbnet
• 4: Magtfuld
• 5: Det sidste måltid
• 6: Lang Levetid Podcast
• 7: BorgenUdenFilter
• 8: I selskab med Q
• 9: Forbrydelsens Ansigter
• 10: JP fortæller

Dominican Republic

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Ecuador

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Egypt

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

El Salvador

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Finland

Top Shows

• 1: Jäljillä
• 2: Uutisraportti podcast
• 3: Futucast
• 4: Sijoituskästi
• 5: HS Visio -podcast
• 6: Puheenaihe
• 7: Rahapodi
• 8: The Rest Is History
• 9: Antin koulumatka
• 10: Politiikan puskaradio

Top New Shows

• 1: Keskiyön kaninkolo
• 2: Kuuntelija-podcast
• 3: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 4: Kuka minä olen
• 5: Eurooppa-podi
• 6: #paasipodi
• 7: The Rest Is Classified
• 8: Helppoa suomea – Learn Finnish Through Comprehensible Input
• 9: Raha, talous ja politiikka
• 10: Inderes

France

Top Shows

• 1: LEGEND
• 2: Affaires sensibles
• 3: Hondelatte Raconte - Christophe Hondelatte
• 4: Les Pieds sur terre
• 5: Les Grosses Têtes
• 6: HugoDécrypte - Actus et interviews
• 7: CHRONIQUES CRIMINELLES
• 8: Entrez dans l'Histoire
• 9: Émotions
• 10: Transfert

Top New Shows

• 1: Ton Quotidien avec Pablo Mira
• 2: Women Stories - Récits de vie
• 3: La fabrique du mensonge
• 4: TED en Français
• 5: SAFE PACE - Le podcast des sports d'endurance, présenté par Hugo Clément
• 6: Le piège : dans les coulisses du développement personnel
• 7: Adulescence
• 8: Le Fil Mental - Fabien Olicard
• 9: Alice Underground
• 10: Une philosophie, le podcast de Charles Pépin

Germany

Top Shows

• 1: LANZ & PRECHT
• 2: Hotel Matze
• 3: Mordlust
• 4: MORD AUF EX
• 5: Verbrechen
• 6: Kaulitz Hills - Senf aus Hollywood
• 7: Gemischtes Hack
• 8: RONZHEIMER.
• 9: Lage der Nation - der Politik-Podcast aus Berlin
• 10: Baywatch Berlin

Top New Shows

• 1: Die Peter Thiel Story
• 2: Die Jägerin
• 3: Einschlafen mit Biografien
• 4: Make Economy Great Again
• 5: Sherlock Holmes Kurzgeschichten
• 6: Plus Ultra - Der Weg in den Dreißigjährigen Krieg
• 7: Der Sophie Passmann Podcast
• 8: Hateland
• 9: Der Germanwings-Absturz – Zehn Jahre ohne euch | WDR
• 10: Berlin Code – mit Linda Zervakis

Guatemala

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Honduras

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

India

Top Shows

• 1: The Stories of Mahabharata
• 2: Raj Shamani's Figuring Out
• 3: 20 Minute Books
• 4: The Daily Brief
• 5: Finshots Daily
• 6: The Desi Crime Podcast
• 7: The Ranveer Show
• 8: Chanakya Neeti (Sutra Sahit)
• 9: On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• 10: The Morning Brief

Top New Shows

• 1: The Stories of the Ramayana
• 2: The Masoom Minawala Show
• 3: Osho Ashtavakra Maha Geeta
• 4: Atomic Habits
• 5: The Psychology Of Money: Timeless Lessons On Wealth, Greed, And Happiness, Book Summary, Podcast
• 6: Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story
• 7: People by WTF
• 8: The Rest Is Classified
• 9: Man Vs Scam

Iraq

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Ireland

Top Shows

• 1: Crime World
• 2: My Therapist Ghosted Me
• 3: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 4: First Conviction
• 5: The Rest Is Politics
• 6: The David McWilliams Podcast
• 7: The Louis Theroux Podcast
• 8: The Rest Is History
• 9: The Indo Daily
• 10: The Mel Robbins Podcast

Top New Shows

• 1: The Gambler
• 2: The Rest Is Classified
• 3: Stalked
• 4: Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane
• 5: What's My Age Again?
• 6: They F**k You Up
• 7: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 8: Unicorn Girl
• 9: Behind the Story
• 10: Fame Under Fire

Italy

Top Shows

• 1: Elisa True Crime
• 2: La Zanzara
• 3: Il podcast di Alessandro Barbero: Lezioni e Conferenze di Storia
• 4: Indagini
• 5: Alessandro Barbero Podcast - La Storia
• 6: ONE MORE TIME di Luca Casadei
• 7: Passa dal BSMT
• 8: Chiedilo alla Storia - Intesa Sanpaolo On Air
• 9: Geopop - Le Scienze nella vita di tutti i giorni
• 10: Stories

Top New Shows

• 1: Il cono d'ombra - La storia di Denis Bergamini
• 2: PULP PODCAST
• 3: Il Banchiere di Dio
• 4: Dentro il caso
• 5: Nera
• 6: SEIETRENTA - La rassegna stampa di Chora Media
• 7: Narciso - Il femminicidio di Giulia Ballestri
• 8: PARLARNE TRA AMICI - Il podcast di libri di Daria Bignardi
• 9: Fentanyl. La molecola del diavolo
• 10: Il cielo sopra Ustica

Japan

Top Shows

• 1: 安住紳一郎の日曜天国
• 2: 大久保佳代子とらぶぶらLOVE
• 3: マユリカのうなげろりん！！
• 4: 令和ロマンのご様子
• 5: 6 Minute English
• 6: 歴史を面白く学ぶコテンラジオ （COTEN RADIO）
• 7: 英語で雑談！Kevin’s English Room Podcast
• 8: TBSラジオ『ジェーン・スーと堀井美香の「OVER THE SUN」』
• 9: 英語聞き流し | Sakura English
• 10: Global News Podcast

Top New Shows

• 1: 真誠presents　大久保佳代子・森本晋太郎のどうぞご自由に
• 2: 日経ビジネス　モーニングニュース
• 3: 永野はミスターTBS
• 4: 原宿の今じゃない企画室
• 5: 【最新回のみ】中川家 ザ・ラジオショー
• 6: エルフのとりま集合ラジオ！
• 7: みうら五郎
• 8: 味な副音声 ～voice of food～
• 9: 深井・けんすうのまぼろし会議
• 10: 芹ゆう子　お気づきかしら（仮）

Jordan

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Korea

Top Shows

• 1: 송은이 김숙의 비밀보장
• 2: 손에 잡히는 경제
• 3: 6 Minute English
• 4: 슈카월드
• 5: Listening Time: English Practice
• 6: TED Talks Daily
• 7: 여둘톡
• 8: 컬투쇼 레전드 사연
• 9: 김혜리의 필름클럽
• 10: Culips Everyday English Podcast

Top New Shows

• 1: 말줄임표
• 2: [KBS] 작은 서점
• 3: 완벽한 하루 이상순입니다
• 4: 책잡힌 사이 : 독서모임장들
• 5: 와우산라디오
• 6: 어예진의 방과후 목돈연구소
• 7: on your MARK Radio
• 8: 나라영어
• 9: 고전맛집
• 10: 정희원의 라디오 쉼표

Kuwait

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Lebanon

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Libya

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: وعي
• 5: كنبة السبت
• 6: بودكاست طمئن
• 7: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 8: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Mauritania

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Mexico

Top Shows

• 1: La Cotorrisa
• 2: Las Alucines
• 3: Relatos de la Noche
• 4: La Corneta
• 5: Leyendas Legendarias
• 6: Cracks Podcast con Oso Trava
• 7: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 8: Penitencia
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Gusgri Podcast

Top New Shows

• 1: Teorías de Conspiración
• 2: Caso 63
• 3: Operación Viuda Negra
• 4: Aprendemos Juntos México
• 5: Hágale como quiera
• 6: Más Allá del Pasado
• 7: Hermanos de Leche
• 8: En Buen Pedo
• 9: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 10: De Todas las Flores, El Podcast

Morocco

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Netherlands (the)

Top Shows

• 1: Maarten van Rossem en Tom Jessen
• 2: Boekestijn en De Wijk
• 3: Geschiedenis Inside
• 4: NRC Vandaag
• 5: Napleiten
• 6: De Jortcast
• 7: Aaf en Lies lossen het wel weer op
• 8: De Stemming van Vullings en De Rooy
• 9: De Dag
• 10: de Volkskrant Elke Dag

Top New Shows

• 1: Jacob, dood in Qatar
• 2: De Nederlandse bewaaksters van Auschwitz
• 3: FD De zaak Frits van Eerd
• 4: Het Verhaal van de Schaal
• 5: De Snapchatmoord
• 6: Fred en Ries
• 7: Onaantastbaar
• 8: Het Fortuin Carlier
• 9: Rust in je hoofd
• 10: Bingomaffia

New Zealand

Top Shows

• 1: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 2: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 3: Between Two Beers Podcast
• 4: The Rest Is History
• 5: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 6: The Dom Harvey Podcast
• 7: The Rest Is Politics
• 8: Huberman Lab
• 9: The Daily
• 10: Casefile True Crime

Top New Shows

• 1: Kim Hill Wants To Know
• 2: The Rest Is Classified
• 3: Dear Rachelle
• 4: The Lodge
• 5: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 6: Stalked
• 7: Titanic: Ship of Dreams
• 8: Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
• 9: The Oprah Podcast
• 10: Deadly Mirage

Nicaragua

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Norway

Top Shows

• 1: Forklart
• 2: Krimpodden
• 3: Wolfgang Wee Uncut
• 4: AVHØRT
• 5: Leger om livet
• 6: Nesten hele uka med Lepperød
• 7: Spårtsklubben
• 8: Misjonen med Antonsen og Golden
• 9: Synnøve og Vanessa
• 10: Svarttrost

Top New Shows

• 1: Nesten hele uka med Lepperød
• 2: Spårtsklubben
• 3: Lev vel
• 4: Who's Your Daddy
• 5: Sunn Økonomi
• 6: Vår første kaffe
• 7: Gutta
• 8: Nysgjerrige Norge
• 9: Gukild & Johaug
• 10: Off Record - Med Liva og Elisabeth

Oman

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Panama

Top Shows

• 1: Dante Gebel Live
• 2: LA DOSIS DIARIA ROKA
• 3: Inglés desde cero
• 4: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 5: Las Alucines
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Cuéntale Al Podcast
• 8: Se Regalan Dudas
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: La cuarta es la vencida

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: IQ POTENCIADO
• 4: La Toma
• 5: Hábitos atómicos | Desarrolla buenos hábitos
• 6: Privando En Jefe
• 7: Cosa Nuestra Radio con Rauw Alejandro
• 8: De la columna a la cabeza
• 9: Night Talks | El Podcast
• 10: Sepa la Madre

Paraguay

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Peru

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Poland

Top Shows

• 1: Kryminatorium
• 2: Żurnalista - Rozmowy bez kompromisów
• 3: Raport o stanie świata Dariusza Rosiaka
• 4: Przemek Górczyk Podcast
• 5: WojewódzkiKędzierski
• 6: Piąte: Nie zabijaj
• 7: Podcast Historyczny
• 8: Imponderabilia - Karol Paciorek
• 9: Radio Naukowe
• 10: Dział Zagraniczny

Top New Shows

• 1: Rezultaty
• 2: Wojsiat Ogólnie w newonce
• 3: DŻIN Z KOMIKIEM
• 4: Casefile Polska: Prawdziwe Zbrodnie
• 5: ZA MOICH CZASÓW
• 6: Lekki Stan - Oddech, Mindset, Medytacja
• 7: Stan skupienia.
• 8: Podcast Forbes
• 9: Laboratorium zbrodni. Podcast Crazy Nauka
• 10: Prof. Antoni Dudek: Rzeczypospolite

Qatar

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Saudi Arabia

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: جناية
• 3: كنبة السبت
• 4: بودكاست صحب
• 5: بودكاست أبجورة
• 6: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: هدوء
• 9: بدون ورق
• 10: بودكاست رذاذ

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام وعي
• 2: ذا قال
• 3: أنا عايش ؟
• 4: بودكاست الهنوف
• 5: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 6: مع عائض القرني
• 7: أرباح
• 8: قصص الأنبياء
• 9: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 10: مسيّان

South Africa

Top Shows

• 1: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 2: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 3: Podcast and Chill with MacG
• 4: On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• 5: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 6: Huberman Lab
• 7: What Now? with Trevor Noah
• 8: Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba
• 9: True Crime South Africa
• 10: Modern Wisdom

Top New Shows

• 1: Because We Said So
• 2: The Oprah Podcast
• 3: Atomic Habits
• 4: Khloé in Wonder Land
• 5: 2819 Church
• 6: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
• 7: Toni Told Me with Toni Tone
• 8: Mindful Mondays with Shudu
• 9: Aspire with Emma Grede
• 10: The Rest Is Classified

Spain

Top Shows

• 1: Nadie Sabe Nada
• 2: La Ruina
• 3: El Partidazo de COPE
• 4: Criminopatía
• 5: Tengo un Plan
• 6: The Wild Project
• 7: LO QUE TÚ DIGAS con Alex Fidalgo
• 8: Todo Concostrina
• 9: La escóbula de la brújula
• 10: El podcast de Cristina Mitre

Top New Shows

• 1: Operación Viuda Negra
• 2: Relatos de la Historia
• 3: Operación Moon
• 4: WORLDCAST
• 5: El perfilador
• 6: Noches de Historia
• 7: Vida Corriente en la Edad Media
• 8: True Crime en Español, Historias de Crimen, Historias Reales, True Crime Español
• 9: Jules y Ren
• 10: True Crime Español

Sweden

Top Shows

• 1: P3 Dokumentär
• 2: Rättegångspodden
• 3: Alex & Sigges podcast
• 4: ursäkta
• 5: Fallen jag aldrig glömmer
• 6: Framgångspodden
• 7: Svenska brott
• 8: P3 Krim
• 9: Svenska fall podcast
• 10: P1 Dokumentär

Top New Shows

• 1: Svårkränkt med Mirabell och Perla
• 2: Blodspår
• 3: Podme True Crime
• 4: VAFALLS
• 5: Historien Om
• 6: Experimentet
• 7: Felaktigt Dömd
• 8: Hela Sanningen
• 9: Håll Käften Podcast
• 10: Sportens Fall

Taiwan

Top Shows

• 1: Gooaye 股癌
• 2: 唐陽雞酒屋
• 3: 好味小姐開束縛我還你原形
• 4: 百靈果 News
• 5: 從前從前
• 6: 博音
• 7: 豬探長推理故事集
• 8: 蔡阿嘎543
• 9: 瘋女人聊天室
• 10: 呱吉

Top New Shows

• 1: 禎甄要chat內
• 2: 薔栗膠
• 3: Pleasure Talks－A Podcast by JOLIN
• 4: HOT 基礎英文新聞 Hot English News
• 5: 人生五分熟 Life Medium Rare
• 6: 阿Q們
• 7: 《遠距抱抱》抱緊處理
• 8: 陪我走一段
• 9: 喂Meg你在幹嘛
• 10: 罪癖 Crimophilia

Thailand

Top Shows

• 1: คำนี้ดี
• 2: Mission To The Moon
• 3: People You May Know
• 4: 5 Minutes Good Time
• 5: Midnight Diary
• 6: The Library
• 7: The Secret Sauce
• 8: 8 Minute History
• 9: 6 Minute English
• 10: พี่อ้อยพี่ฉอด พอดแคสต์

Top New Shows

• 1: ฝรั่งอั่งม้อ
• 2: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 3: คืนเผาผี Ghost Night
• 4: อวกาศคาดไม่ถึง
• 5: HAHA Podcast
• 6: Loodloop Podcasts
• 7: 8 Minutes Rescue
• 8: on your MARK Radio
• 9: Sai_MoneyMonster Podcast
• 10: Sherlock Holmes

Tunisia

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

Turkey

Top Shows

• 1: Ortamlarda Satılacak Bilgi
• 2: Dr. Gulec Radio
• 3: Kendine İyi Davran
• 4: Meksika Açmazı
• 5: Merdiven Altı Terapi
• 6: Haddini Aşan Yaşam Rehberi
• 7: 6 Minute English
• 8: Terapist Koltuğu
• 9: Barış Özcan ile 111 Hz
• 10: Hikayeden Adamlar

Top New Shows

• 1: Sinan Canan'la İnsanın Fabrika Ayarları
• 2: Öykülerle İngilizce
• 3: Derinden Sesler
• 4: Bakıcaz
• 5: Tarihte Acaib ve Garaib
• 6: bunları sadece günlüğüm biliyordu
• 7: Psikolog Gökhan Çınar’la Psikolojik Dayanıklılık Serisi
• 8: Kız Muhabbeti
• 9: mecbur muyum?
• 10: İngilizcesi Neydi?

United Arab Emirates (the)

Top Shows

• 1: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 2: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 3: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 4: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 5: بدون ورق
• 6: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 7: On Purpose with Jay Shetty
• 8: كنبة السبت
• 9: Learning English Conversations
• 10: هدوء

Top New Shows

• 1: Atomic Habits
• 2: قصص الأنبياء
• 3: أنا عايش ؟
• 4: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 5: كلام وعي
• 6: The Rest Is Classified
• 7: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 8: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 9: The Oprah Podcast
• 10: بودكاست آن

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)

Top Shows

• 1: The Rest Is Politics
• 2: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
• 3: The Rest Is History
• 4: The Rest Is Entertainment
• 5: The Louis Theroux Podcast
• 6: The News Agents
• 7: Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
• 8: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 9: The Rest Is Politics: US
• 10: Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Top New Shows

• 1: The Rest Is Classified
• 2: What's Up Docs?
• 3: Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball
• 4: Stalked
• 5: What's My Age Again?
• 6: Mad, Sad and Bad with Paloma Faith
• 7: Journey Through Time
• 8: Wanging On with Graham Norton and Maria McErlane
• 9: Titanic: Ship of Dreams
• 10: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

United States

Top Shows

• 1: The Joe Rogan Experience
• 2: The Daily
• 3: The Mel Robbins Podcast
• 4: Crime Junkie
• 5: Dateline NBC
• 6: SmartLess
• 7: Call Her Daddy
• 8: This American Life
• 9: Huberman Lab
• 10: The Ezra Klein Show

Top New Shows

• 1: Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• 2: Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
• 3: Deadly Mirage
• 4: Blink | Jake Haendel's Story
• 5: Murder in the Moonlight
• 6: Devil in the Desert
• 7: What Happened to Holly Bobo?
• 8: Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
• 9: Unicorn Girl
• 10: The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Uruguay

Top Shows

• 1: Palabra Plena, con Gabriel Rolón
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 4: Historia en Podcast
• 5: Durmiendo
• 6: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 7: Inglés desde cero
• 8: La Venganza Será Terrible (oficial)
• 9: En terapia con Roberto Rocha
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: Psicología y Vínculos
• 4: De la columna a la cabeza
• 5: La Toma
• 6: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 7: The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott
• 8: Skyvan: Los vuelos de la muerte
• 9: ¿cómo carajo me relaciono?
• 10: Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Top Shows

• 1: Seminario Fenix | Brian Tracy
• 2: Psicologia Al Desnudo | @psi.mammoliti
• 3: Estoicismo Filosofia
• 4: Durmiendo
• 5: Escuela de Nada
• 6: Despertando
• 7: Dante Gebel Live
• 8: Inglés desde cero
• 9: Se Regalan Dudas
• 10: Las Alucines

Top New Shows

• 1: SINIESTRO
• 2: IQ POTENCIADO
• 3: La Toma
• 4: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 5: De la columna a la cabeza
• 6: Sorbito de Opinión
• 7: El Retake
• 8: Teorías de Conspiración
• 9: La Segunda Muerte del Dios Punk
• 10: Irrevementes Podcast

Viet Nam

Top Shows

• 1: Tri Kỷ Cảm Xúc
• 2: Thuần Podcast
• 3: Vì sao thế nhỉ!
• 4: Better Version
• 5: Nguyễn Hữu Trí Podcast
• 6: Sunhuyn Podcast
• 7: Minh Niệm
• 8: Viết Chữa Lành
• 9: Have A Sip
• 10: 6 Minute English

Top New Shows

• 1: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast
• 2: The Inner Child
• 3: Truyện cổ tích cho Bé
• 4: Chuyện kể cho bé _ Cô Ủn Ỉn
• 5: Chill Guys Podcast
• 6: The Zoe Space Podcast
• 7: Thiền & Thương Yêu
• 8: HAHA Podcast
• 9: 🩵 Diệp Tít Thủ Thỉ Cùng Con 🩵
• 10: Pháp Thoại Thích Pháp Hòa

Yemen

Top Shows

• 1: فنجان مع عبدالرحمن أبومالح
• 2: كنوز السيرة للشيخ عثمان الخميس
• 3: هدوء
• 4: بدون ورق
• 5: وعي
• 6: كنبة السبت
• 7: بودكاست طمئن
• 8: سوالف طريق - ابو طلال الحمراني
• 9: #ABtalks
• 10: Dupamicaffeine Podcast بودكاست دوباميكافين

Top New Shows

• 1: كلام بالعقل مع د.باسم سليمان
• 2: Nefoos - Mustafa Hosny - نفوس - مصطفى حسني
• 3: تعليم الإنجليزية
• 4: قصص الأنبياء
• 5: أنا عايش ؟
• 6: El Mal El Halal - المال الحلال
• 7: Omam Podcast - أُمم مع ميرنا الزيني
• 8: بودكاست الهنوف
• 9: كلام وعي
• 10: Miss Honey: Slow English Podcast

OP3 is a free, privacy-aware and open-source podcast analytics service (which Podnews is a corporate sponsor of).

Once you’ve set up your podcast, you get public stats pages like this, and you get a ton of useful stats that you can compare alongside your podcast host’s stats.

But - at the bottom of the page, OP3 has an “export” function, which allows you to download monthly files containing the full details of every podcast download you’ve had. Which allows you to answer questions that you’ve never been able to answer just using your podcast host.

Get set up

You’ve access to the last two calendar months of stats in OP3. Find the box marked “Export download details” at the bottom of the page.

Because we’re writing this in November 2025, we’ll grab the stats for October 2025 for the Podnews Weekly Review, from the show’s open OP3 page by hitting “Oct 2025”. The system will prepare a TSV file for you and download it.

Next, let’s open a spreadsheet program. We’ll use Google Sheets, because everyone has access to that.

• Hit the button marked “Start a new spreadsheet”
• Choose “File > Import” and upload the TSV file you just downloaded
• Leave the defaults and hit “Import Data”

You should end up with something looking like this:

There’s one line for every single download our podcast got in October.

And with this... we can have some fun.

What are the top apps by download different countries?

OP3 tells you the apps that all your listeners are using. In our case, Apple Podcasts is #1 with 64%. But - 3.1% of our plays are from Japan. What is the most popular app in Japan for our podcast?

We’re going to use a pivot table to help us here.

• Choose “Insert > Pivot Table”
• Leave the default for a new sheet
• Hit “Create”

OK, you should now have a screen looking like this.

In OP3, the name of an app is called an agentName. We’d quite like to see the total number of downloads for each agentName. In the middle column, choose “Count of agentName for each agentName”.

The result will be a list showing you a total number of downloads for each agentName, or app name.

In “Rows”, you’ll see it says “agentName Order Ascending, Sort by agentName”. Let’s change those two dropdowns to “Descending”, “COUNTA of agentName”.

Now, you’ll have something that looks like this. It’s the total downloads for this podcast, by app name.

This is great: but this is nothing that you can’t get with your podcast host stats anyway.

But we want to just see whether Japan follows the same pattern - Apple Podcasts at #1, Overcast at #2, and Chrome at #3. Let’s filter this list, just for listeners in Japan.

So, scroll down the middle column to where it says “Filters”, and hit the “add” button. Choose “countryCode”, and change the dropdown from “show all items” to just “JP”.

We’re given total downloads, by app, in Japan only.

Overcast isn’t used much - by our Japanese listeners at least - and it’s really only Firefox, Overcast and Chrome. Try getting that from your podcast host!

Listeners vs downloads - by app

OP3 has a thing called an audienceID, which is calculated like the IAB calculates a “listener” - it’s a hash of a users’ IP address and their useragent. These hashes change monthly for privacy; but for many listeners, that data won’t change throughout the month.

“COUNTA” will just count them, and since every download has an audienceID, it’ll show the total downloads.

But, “COUNTUNIQUE” will count unique ones - every individual “listener”.

A little fiddling with the pivot table allows us to see all apps, and how many unique audienceIDs they have as a percentage of all downloads.

Here’s what we can see - Apple Podcasts users are, likely, mostly subscribed to the show and download each episode automatically: each listener is downloading about five episodes each. (Auto-downloading normally happens overnight while your phone charges, connected to wifi)

Pocket Casts figures are quite different: listeners using that are only consuming one or two episodes. It might be because Pocket Casts “streams” on demand, rather than download, so listening is more likely to be away from home. Or it might be because we have fewer people subscribed.

(In reality, even if the IAB calls these figures “listeners” or “audience”, it’s really “device”.)

What time do people in California download our show?

You can see overall times of downloads in many podcast apps - but that’s not really very helpful.

Let’s pretend we’re aimed at California, and we want to work out when people are downloading our show in that state.

For this we’re going to go back to the main sheet. We’ll insert a new column in column B, type hour into B1, click into B2 and put in the formula =MID(A2,12,2) so it just pulls out the hour from the time next to it. Then fill that formula down the rest of the data (select the cell with the formula, copy it, then hold down the SHIFT + CTRL keys then hit the down arrow key, to select the remaining cells in the column, then paste.) Now we have an hour column.

Then, insert a new pivot table again. We want the rows to be hour (which is GMT); we want the values to be COUNTUNIQUE of audienceID (so we’re looking at people not downloads); and we’ll filter by regionName to “Texas”.

Finally, the “hour” column is in GMT, not California time, which is eight hours behind. You can write your own formula to add another column if you like, outside the pivot table.

We end up with this:

You can see here that there’s a jump in California at about 4pm-7pm (1600-1900 if you don’t read 24 hour clocks), and then another peak at about 7am-10am.

(We normally publish between 4pm-7pm Los Angeles time, incidentally.)

Downloads per listener

While OP3 does a pretty good job of spotting the bots, some bots pretend to be other things, and there’s a limit to any type of bot detection.

Total number of downloads per audienceID is an interesting thing. We’ve done 262 episodes so far, so... how many people downloaded EVERY episode in October? It turns out seven listeners did. But also that there’s one very dedicated listener who has downloaded (apparently using Apple Podcasts) each episode six times. Assuming they listen to each of the episodes in full each time, that’s 99 days of content they’ve just downloaded there.

You can also see that “Apple Podcasts” seems to be the user-agent that most of these bots use. (I’ve hidden some columns to help this screenshot be visible).

We can’t block these from downloading - OP3 doesn’t keep the IP address for privacy reasons - but it’s always helpful to understand quite what’s going on.

Get your show onto OP3

OP3 is free. Many, many different shows have added themselves to OP3, and it’s pretty easy to add your own show. But once you do, you’ll have access to all this data, and much more.

Below are the terms of service for Apple Podcasts Connect.

We're reproducing it here because we're reporting on it today, and these terms of service are not visible without an Apple ID.

Here is a link to the previous terms from 2024. The new terms from Nov 2025 are below.

The changes

• The preamble now requires you're legally allowed to agree these terms (either that you're an adult, or you have authority from your company).
• ¶1 now specifies "graphics or other artwork". Apple has added a number of graphical requirements, and this probably is to cover those. Realistically, there's no change here.
• ¶8c has added the ability for Apple to create and display chapters from your work. This is new. (A reminder that you can opt out of these in Apple Podcasts Connect).
• ¶8d and ¶8e used to be $para;9b. The content hasn't changed.
• ¶9a has disappeared. It has been incorporated into ¶8a, which talks more about allowing Apple to actually show the images you've sent them. There's no change.

Terms of Service

Apple Podcasts Connect TERMS OF SERVICE

THESE TERMS OF SERVICE (“TERMS OF SERVICE”) CONSTITUTE A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND APPLE INC. ("APPLE") STATING THE TERMS THAT GOVERN YOUR USE OF APPLE PODCASTS CONNECT, INCLUDING THROUGH YOUR USE OF AN API INTEGRATION, AND THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH IT (COLLECTIVELY, "PODCASTS CONNECT"). TO AGREE TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, CLICK "AGREE." BY CLICKING AGREE, YOU CERTIFY TO APPLE AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY IN THE JURISDICTION IN WHICH YOU RESIDE (AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE IN MANY COUNTRIES OR REGIONS) AND HAVE THE RIGHT AND AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT ON YOUR OWN BEHALF, OR IF YOU ARE ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF YOUR COMPANY, ORGANIZATION, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, OR AGENCY, INSTRUMENTALITY, OR DEPARTMENT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AND AUTHORITY TO LEGALLY BIND SUCH ENTITY OR ORGANIZATION TO THE TERMS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, DO NOT CLICK "AGREE," AND DO NOT USE PODCASTS CONNECT. YOU MUST ACCEPT AND ABIDE BY THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AS PRESENTED TO YOU; CHANGES, ADDITIONS, OR DELETIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE, AND APPLE MAY REFUSE ACCESS TO PODCASTS CONNECT FOR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH ANY PART OF THESE TERMS OF SERVICE.

1.Access. Access to Podcasts Connect is provided solely as an accommodation and at Apple's sole discretion and is available to you to the extent you are, or are an authorized representative of, the person or an entity (a "Content Provider") that has submitted one or more valid podcasts and any related photos, images, graphics or other artwork related to particular podcast content (“Content Images”) and/or audio, text, comments, data, metadata and other materials (all such content, collectively, or individually, as context requires, referred to herein as “Content”) to Apple or Apple affiliates for distribution on Apple’s digital podcast distribution service (“Apple Podcasts”) regardless of the device or platform on which Apple Podcasts is made available. Your access to particular Podcasts Connect services may be further limited by the Podcasts Connect administrative user(s) for the Content Provider with which you are associated. As a condition to your access to Podcasts Connect and the distribution of your Content on Apple Podcasts, you must comply with Apple’s technical documentation, requirements, and content guidelines (collectively, “Apple Requirements”) that govern the use of Podcasts Connect and the Content, including without limitation, you shall not engage in any unlawful, unfair, misleading, fraudulent, improper, or dishonest acts or business practices relating to the Content or use of Podcasts Connect. Accordingly, subject to applicable law, Apple reserves the right to label or remove your Content and suspend your access to Podcasts Connect if you violate the Apple Requirements. The Apple Requirements may be updated from time to time and made available to you by Apple (e.g., on the Apple Podcasts for Creators website or by other digital means).

2.System Requirements. To use Podcasts Connect you need compatible hardware, software (latest version recommended or required), and Internet access (fees may apply). The performance of Podcasts Connect may be affected by these factors. You acknowledge and agree that such system requirements, which may be changed from time to time, are your responsibility.

3.Agreement. Your use of Podcasts Connect is, if applicable, subject to the terms of any agreement between yourself and Apple with regard to your Content (“Agreement”), including, without limitation, its confidentiality provisions. In the event of a direct conflict between these Terms of Service or any information provided on Podcasts Connect, on the one hand, and any applicable Agreement, on the other hand, the terms of such Agreement shall govern with respect to such conflict.

4.Confidentiality. You acknowledge that, in the course of your use of Podcasts Connect, you may have access to certain information and materials that are confidential and are of substantial value to Apple, including, but not limited to, any proposed Agreement you download from Podcasts Connect or you otherwise receive from Apple, which value would be impaired if such information were disclosed to third parties or used for purposes other than expressly permitted by such Agreement, or as set forth herein ("Apple Confidential Information"). You agree to maintain any Apple Confidential Information in confidence, and not disclose or otherwise make available Apple Confidential Information to any third party without the prior written consent of Apple. In the event either party chooses not to enter into an Agreement, you agree to destroy all copies of any Apple Confidential Information in your possession, including any proposed Agreement(s).

5.Your Information. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information required to register with Podcasts Connect and at other points as may be required in the course of using Podcasts Connect ("Podcaster Data"). You hereby confirm that any Podcaster Data you provide and already have provided to Apple (including, without limitation, in the Apple Podcasts application process or through prior use of Podcasts Connect) is accurate, current, and complete. You further agree to maintain and update your Podcaster Data as required to keep it accurate, current, and complete.

6.Account and Password. As a registered user of Podcasts Connect, you must establish an account ("Account"). You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your Account. You may not reveal your Account information to anyone else, allow anyone else to use your Account, or use anyone else’s Account. You are entirely responsible for all activities that occur on or through your Account, and you agree to immediately notify Apple of any unauthorized use of your Account or any other breach of security. Apple shall not be responsible for any losses arising out of the unauthorized or other improper use of your Account.

7.No Programmatic Access. You may not use any data mining, robots, scripting, or similar data gathering and extraction tools to access Podcasts Connect, including, without limitation, the Podcasts Analytics Service, and you shall not exploit Podcasts Connect, or any data therein, in any manner not expressly authorized by Apple.

8.License. (a)As necessary to provide and enhance the end user experience on Apple Podcasts (e.g., accessibility, search and recommendations), you grant Apple a non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, worldwide license to use, download, store, reproduce, publicly display and perform, and distribute your Content on Apple Podcasts. You further grant Apple a non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of (solely for formatting and sizing), and publicly display and perform, in any media, your Content Images (including, without limitation, delivering Content Images for display on end users’ devices where content featuring the Content is present, including, in any case, as an image associated with an episode, a podcast, channel, or a collection of podcasts), other promotional materials you provide to Apple, and any derivatives thereof, for the purposes of promoting Apple Podcasts and your Content (e.g., promotion on Apple Podcasts, on social media and through directed marketing emails to end users). Apple may use the names and authorized likenesses of the hosts and guests of your podcasts in furtherance of promoting your Content, although Apple shall obtain further written approval from you if any such host or guest name, likeness, or identifying material is otherwise used as an endorsement of Apple, Apple Podcasts, or other Apple products or services. (b)You grant Apple the right to create transcripts of your Content (“Transcripts”) and to (i) publicly display such Transcripts on Apple Podcasts and (ii) use your Content and/or Transcripts to generate chapters of your Content for public display; provided that Apple shall provide you with the ability, within Podcasts Connect or by other digital means, to opt out of the public display of such Transcripts and chapters on Apple Podcasts, except where the display of such Transcripts is required by applicable law. (c)You grant Apple a nonexclusive, worldwide, and royalty-free license to use your Content for internal research and development to improve Apple’s products and services. (d)Apple may edit, resize or crop Content Images to fit the design and layout of Apple Podcasts or the space allotted in promotional materials, or modify the Content to make it consistent with technical and formatting requirements in the Apple Requirements, which for clarity includes the right to modify metadata as reasonably necessary to correct errors therein. (e)Apple may in its sole discretion use all or some of the metadata you provide hereunder, or supplement or replace such metadata.

9.Rights Clearances and Royalties. With respect to the Content (including Content Images), you represent and warrant that: (a)you own or have otherwise obtained all rights, licenses, releases, and permissions to submit and make your Content available on Apple Podcasts and to grant the rights granted to Apple and its affiliates in these Terms of Service, including without limitation, applicable licenses respecting all sound recordings and musical compositions contained in any Content made available on Apple Podcasts; (b)your Content and its submission and use as authorized in these Terms of Service will not violate (1) any applicable law, (2) any third-party intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights, or (3) any agreements with, or policies of, a third party related to use of the Content as permitted in these Terms of Service; (c)you are responsible for making full and timely payments of all royalties, residuals, equitable remuneration, participation payments and/or other sums payable for any rights and/or waivers obtained pursuant to (i) above, and all payments that may be required under any collective bargaining, union or guild agreements related to the Content or its exploitation or other use hereunder, including any similar payments which are not now but hereafter become payable; (d)you have the authority to make the foregoing representations and warranties on behalf of yourself and any entity on behalf of which you are making available the Content on Apple Podcasts.

10.Analytics. To the extent that Apple provides an analytics service through Podcasts Connect for content distributed on Apple Podcasts excluding any applications or associated information distributed on the App Store (“Podcasts Analytics Service”), you acknowledge that the Podcasts Analytics Service is provided solely as a convenience to you and agree, unless otherwise authorized in writing by Apple, to use any data provided through such Podcasts Analytics Service solely for purposes of internal business analytics, including promotion and marketing purposes, and making data available to advertisers solely as necessary to monetize Content, and subject to the following conditions and restrictions: (a)You agree not to provide such information to any third parties or allow third parties to access your account in Podcasts Connect (b)You must not aggregate (or permit any third party to aggregate) analytics information provided to you by Apple as part of the Podcasts Analytics Service with other content providers’ analytics information, or contribute such information to a repository for cross-content provider analytics. (c)You must not use the Podcasts Analytics Service or any analytics data to attempt to identify or derive information about any particular end-user or device. (d)If you are receiving analytics data from an analytics service offered by the App Store for your applications (if any), this Section 10(d) does not apply to any such analytics data received from such analytics service and your use thereof shall be guided by any applicable Apple Developer Program License Agreement that governs your distribution of any such applications. (e)You agree that Apple may share anonymized aggregated listening data collected via referral links with certain third-party services who provide such links for the purposes of promoting your content on Apple Podcasts.

11.Intellectual Property. (a)Acknowledgement of Ownership. You agree that Podcasts Connect contains proprietary information and material that is owned by Apple and/or its licensors, and is protected by applicable intellectual property and other laws, including but not limited to copyright, and that you will not use such proprietary information or materials in any way whatsoever except for use of Podcasts Connect in compliance with these Terms of Service. No portion of Podcasts Connect may be reproduced in any form or by any means. (b)Copyrights. All copyrights in and to Podcasts Connect are owned by Apple and/or its licensors. (c)Trademarks. Apple, the Apple logo, iTunes, Podcasts Connect and other Apple trademarks, service marks, graphics, and logos used in connection with Podcasts Connect are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. You are granted no right or license with respect to any of the aforesaid trademarks and any use of such trademarks.

12.Disclaimer of Warranties; Liability Limitations. To the extent permitted by applicable law: (a)APPLE DOES NOT GUARANTEE, REPRESENT, OR WARRANT THAT YOUR USE OF PODCASTS CONNECT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, AND YOU AGREE THAT FROM TIME TO TIME APPLE MAY REMOVE PODCASTS CONNECT (OR PARTICULAR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES THEREIN) FOR INDEFINITE PERIODS OF TIME, OR CEASE TO OFFER PODCASTS CONNECT IN ITS ENTIRETY, AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU. (b)YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, PODCASTS CONNECT IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. PODCASTS CONNECT AND ALL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES DELIVERED TO YOU THROUGH PODCASTS CONNECT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" FOR YOUR USE, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. (c)IN NO CASE SHALL APPLE, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, CONTRACTORS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF PODCASTS CONNECT OR FOR ANY OTHER CLAIM RELATED IN ANY WAY TO YOUR USE OF PODCASTS CONNECT, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE, OR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE, POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA PODCASTS CONNECT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THEIR POSSIBILITY. (d)APPLE DOES NOT REPRESENT OR GUARANTEE THAT PODCASTS CONNECT WILL BE FREE FROM LOSS, CORRUPTION, ATTACK, VIRUSES, INTERFERENCE, HACKING, OR OTHER SECURITY INTRUSION, AND APPLE DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY RELATING THERETO. (e)Nothing contained in this Section 12 is intended to exclude, restrict, or modify any rights held in Australia under the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law (being Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010) if you are a 'consumer' (within the meaning of the Australian Consumer Law). If Apple is liable to you under that legislation, to the extent to which Apple is entitled to do so, Apple limits its liability in respect of any claim under those provisions to, at Apple's option, the supplying of the services again or the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again.

13.Indemnity. BY USING THE PODCASTS CONNECT SERVICE, YOU AGREE, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD APPLE, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, CONTRACTORS, AND LICENSORS HARMLESS WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF YOUR BREACH OF THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES MADE BY YOU HEREIN, OR YOUR OTHER IMPROPER, UNAUTHORIZED OR UNLAWFUL USE OF PODCASTS CONNECT.

14.Notices. Apple may send you notice with respect to Podcasts Connect by sending an email message to the email address listed in your Account contact information, by sending a letter via postal mail to the contact address listed in your Account contact information, or by a posting on Podcasts Connect. Notices shall become effective immediately.

15.Governing Law. You expressly agree that the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflicts of law rules, govern these Terms of Service and your use of Podcasts Connect and the distribution of your Content on Apple Podcasts, and that the exclusive jurisdiction for any proceeding relating in any way to your use of Podcasts Connect will be the Northern District of California. You hereby waive the right to object to the foregoing choice of law, personal jurisdiction or venue.

16.Termination. You agree to comply with the above at all times during your use of Podcasts Connect, and acknowledge and agree that subject to applicable law, Apple has the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your account or take such other action as it sees fit if you breach any of the terms of these Terms of Service.

17.Miscellaneous. Subject to Section 3 above, these Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between you and Apple and govern your use of Podcasts Connect, superseding any prior agreements between you and Apple. If any part of these Terms of Service is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be construed in a manner consistent with applicable law to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intentions of the parties, and the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. Apple's failure to enforce any right or provisions in these Terms of Service will not constitute a waiver of such provision, or any other provision of these Terms of Service. Apple will not be responsible for failures to fulfill any obligations due to causes beyond its control.

Last updated: November 4, 2025

Reproduced by Podnews for critical and educational purposes, as protected under international copyright law.

On Mar 5 2024, Apple Podcasts launched one of the biggest innovations in podcasting for some time - full transcripts for almost every podcast out there. Here’s a comprehensive article to answer any questions you might have.

Does Apple Podcasts have a fancy page showing this off?

Yes. Here it is.

Which podcasts get transcripts?

All new episodes in thirteen supported languages.

Apple has now completed producing transcripts for all older episodes, too. There’s more than 125 million of them!

How quickly are transcripts added?

They appear a while after the publication of a new episode. The website says: “For new episodes, make sure it’s been at least 24 hours since your episode was published.”

In our experience, automated transcripts appear at the same time as a new show appears. If you’re supplying an accompanying transcript via your RSS feed, that can take a little longer to be ingested.

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Where do these transcripts appear?

You’ll see them in iOS 17.4 (and greater) on iPhone, and iPadOS 17.4 (and greater) on iPad.

Here’s how to update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.

There are two views of transcripts within Apple Podcasts on mobile: a simple one in the episode view, and when hitting the transcript button in the player, which highlights word-by-word and lets you touch the paragraph you’d like to hear.

And, as of October 2025, they also appear in the Podcasts app on your Mac, using iOS 26. This is what they look like there.

Are they highlighting word-by-word?

Yes - well, sentence by sentence in most cases. Apple matches up the transcript to the audio.

(We’d presume that this additional step will allow them to spot any podcaster who throws lots of spam in their transcription).

It also shows the existence of musical interludes as you listen, with the use of a little three-dot pause symbol. As you might expect, it’s a very similar experience to Apple Music’s lyrics, and Apple Books.

Can you see chapter titles in the transcript view?

Yes, you can.

Can you see images from chapter titles in the transcript view?

Yes, as you listen. They appear at the top of the screen. Here’s the Podnews Weekly Review inside a chapter with an image.

Does it show speaker names?

Not for Apple’s auto-transcripts (because they don’t know who’s speaking).

But, if you supply your own transcripts - see below - and mark them up correctly, then it does show speaker names - both for VTT and SRT transcripts. Again, here’s the Podnews Weekly Review.

Can I use the transcripts to find parts of podcasts I'm interested in?

Absolutely you can. There's a search button in both views on iPhone, allowing you to search the full transcript. On MacOS it's a little harder - use the ellipsis button next to the episode title to "View transcript", where you'll see the older view with a search button.

You can also touch a part of the transcript to get the player to go to that part of the podcast. Hold it, or right-click it on desktop, for more options including the possibility of sharing from that point.

Can I copy/paste the transcripts?

You can highlight a short paragraph to send to someone else, yes. While the app will let you highlight the entire script, it won’t let you copy more than a few paragraphs, though.

Do I have to download the podcast’s audio to read the transcript?

No.

How does this work with dynamically-inserted ads?

We listened to an episode of The Daily from the New York Times. Our version had an ad for the Queensland Government at the start, telling us to wear sunscreen. This portion of the podcast did not have a transcript at all: but we also didn’t see a transcript of what listeners in the US got either.

Apple says: “If portions of your episode change with dynamically inserted audio, Apple Podcasts will not display the segments of the audio that have changed since the original transcription.”

As a creator, do I have to use Apple’s auto-transcripts?

No. You can opt-in to a feature that lets you use your own transcripts. They use the standard podcast:transcript tag from the Podcasting 2.0 project.

First, opt-in to using your own transcripts in Apple Podcasts Connect; then, ensure you’re linking to either VTT (or an SRT fallback) in your RSS feed.

Can I turn transcripts off altogether for my podcast?

You can. It's a super-hidden setting, but you'd go in Apple Podcasts to your podcast, go to the episode, choose "Free RSS" under Audio & Transcripts, hit the "EDIT" button at the bottom of the dialog box, choose "use a custom setting", and in the drop-down box, choose "Do not display transcripts for this episode".

It's bad to do this because you're communicating that you don't care about accessibility; it might be illegal in your country; and listeners can just turn auto-captions on using their mobile phone anyway. We'd suggest you didn't do that.

Which podcast hosting companies support transcripts?

Apple has a list, though there are more.

Can I edit Apple's auto-transcripts?

No. But you can download the auto-transcript, and use that to edit a corrected version if your podcast host supports the transcript feature; or edit it directly on your podcast host.

What’s the typeface they’re using?