The adblocking podcast app

• Exclusive: A podcast app that skips ads has been launched. Adblock Podcast is built by Micah Engle-Eshleman, who charges listeners to skip ads, and shares that revenue with podcast creators. The service also caches audio to avoid negatively impacting advertisers who pay per impression. We have the first interview with Micah in today’s edition of the Podnews Weekly Review, to learn how it works, and what its future is.

• Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster has launched a book. The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast is not a book telling you how to make a podcast (“you know how to do that”), and instead, tells you how to make your podcast better.

  • Our link to the book helps support independent bookstores, is cheaper than Amazon, and we earn $2 for each book sold.

• Acast released its Q2 2024 financial report. Net sales grew by 24% year-on-year to SEK 477.9 mn (US $44mn), driven by North America and Europe; total listens dropped 15% y-on-y to 1,104 mn after the changes in Apple’s iOS 17. The figures are described as “another step closer to profitability”.

  • Earlier this week, Audioboom published its eCPM (revenue per 1,000 downloads) of $60.09. For comparison, we calculate Acast’s average eCPM is $39.63.

• Podcast hosting company bCast is to close. “It has simply not been possible to sustain the amount of usage with the revenue generated”, says an email to customers, seen by Podnews. The London-based company had grown by selling “lifetime” deals, which it tried to cancel in 2021, (and, a day later, changed its mind). The company hosts around 1,500 shows, of which around 350 are active.

• Podcast Movement has published its full schedule for its event near Washington DC in August. MrBallen is the latest big name to be confirmed as a speaker. Code PODNEWS saves money on passes.

• Lemonada Media has announced Lemonada Books, working with a division of Simon & Schuster. The first titles will be based on David Duchovny’s Fail Better, and Last Day.

• British podcast company Persephonica is to move its headquarters to Sheffield. The company makes some of the biggest shows in the country, and its move to South Yorkshire will help develop podcasting talent in the region.

• In Dubai, the Al Arabiya Network has launched a new global Arab language podcast network called Mazeej.

• Wondercraft is to unveil a new interface on Aug 5. There’s an email in your inbox if you’re a Wondercraft user with more info.

• Bloomberg has published a profile of Joe Rogan, and his move to Austin TX, including his comedy club The Mothership.

Thank you, Darius Derakshan, for becoming our latest personal supporter on our Patreon page!

People News

• Zai Bennett will be the new CEO and Chief Creative Officer for BBC Studios Productions His remit will span the company’s UK and international production units. He’s currently Managing Director of Content for Sky.

• Jimmy Buckland has been named Strategy and Operations Director for News UK’s broadcasting division. He has worked for the company, which owns talkSPORT, Times Radio, Virgin Radio UK and other channels, since 2009.

• Kacey Spivey has been annnounced as the Director of Podcasts at Pionaire, a talent-first boutique podcast agency. She comes from YEA Networks. Pionaire has also signed additional creators.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Wanting to embed a podcast player onto your website? Here are a bunch of podcast players anyone can use.

• Would you prefer to listen to your favourite podcast in mono? Here’s how to achieve it, whatever podcast app you use.

Podcast News

Game Over: c*ncer sheds light on the realities of childhood cancer, and aims to bridge the gap in childhood cancer awareness. It’s new from the Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation.

Club Random with Bill Maher has been added to Studio71's podcast network, for increased advertising and growth opportunities. Studio71 will also support the launch of new podcasts produced under the Club Random Studios banner.

Karen is new from Wondery; it’s from the Law&Crime true crime network, and is exclusive to Wondery+ (in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery+ app).

Makes You Wonder is new this weekend from Wondercraft’s Oskar Serrander, who examines the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence, exploring the good, the bad, and how it hinders and enables our creative, human pursuits. The show is hosted on Acast.

As the Paris Olympics get ready to start this weekend, Flashpoint is new from Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts, looking at Eric Rudolph, the person who bombed the Atlanta games in 1996, and who remained on the run until 2003. The podcast hears the stories of Rudolph’s victims, and his lasting impact.

In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams is new from iHeartMedia, breaking down the biggest stories in women’s basketball.

The Dr Hilary Show was launched earlier this week. Hosted by Dr Hilary Jones, a UK “media medic”, the show will include the latest health news and famous guests. His first guest is Piers Morgan, the former newspaper editor and CNN presenter.

Alongside the adblocking podcast app, the Podnews Weekly Review this week also includes an interview with Manan Bhalodia, who has developed customisable daily AI generated podcasts called “Quickies”. Just want the full-length interviews, and less James and Sam? Find Podnews Extra in your podcast app.