The Ambies will livestream tonight

• Due to the weather - not least, the cancellation of all trains into NYC - The Ambies award ceremony, due to take place last night, was postponed until tonight. In a new development, you’ll be able to livestream it, from 8pm ET. We’ll have all the winners tomorrow.

• Goalhanger boss Tony Pastor spoke at MIP London, saying people are connecting with podcasts that “no commissioner at a TV station in the UK would dream of commissioning.” He added: “We realized that the closer we are to television on YouTube, the better we do”.

• A new analytics platform for podcasts has launched called Podlytic. We’d spotted it in its pre-launch period on Feb 2; the platform claims to eliminate the fragmentation of podcast analytics, and help show the complete history of a show as it moves from one podcast host to another.

• Magellan AI released its Australian podcast advertising benchmarks for Q4/25. Podcast ad spending is up 10% year-on-year, with more than 50% growth in the retail sector. The #1 advertiser was sports betting and wagering company Entain Group, who own a number of betting brands.

• Since the sale of Adelicious (now Audioboom), David McGuire has been busy working on a new creator intelligence tool called fanswoon. The latest version includes the ability to follow individual content streams (podcast, video, song, newsletters, etc) and track its data over time. David tells us that he’s also added an AI feedback to it, enabling the user to get a summary of what their fans think, as well as a summary of other recommendations. There’s a free newsletter; and you can follow two things for free too.

• Headliner announced a partnership with podcast platform Hubhopper. Hubhopper users can now use Headliner’s video clipping tool to produce shareable video clips with a single click.

• JAR Podcast Solutions has expanded its YouTube-first video practice. "While many providers treat video as an add-on, JAR treats it as a distinct strategic discipline,” says the press release.

• A brand new independent, worker-owned, podcast production studio has launched in the US. The people behind Good Egg Audio have been making chart-topping podcasts and winning plenty of awards for the last ten years; and would “love to whisk up something good together”.

• The Broadcasting Press Guild in the UK revealed its award nominees. For Podcast of the Year, the five shows nominated are Dish, ill-advised by Bill Nighy, Audible’s Pride and Prejudice, The History Podcast, and The Mishal Husain Show. The awards take place on Mar 18.

• Launches in video:

  • The Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast is now in video. The show was added to YouTube in video this week; it’s not on Spotify, however, in video form.
  • Sportscafé, an award-winning New Zealand sports podcast, has launched in Australia. The show has been available on YouTube for some time and has generated more than 2.5mn combined YouTube views. It’s not on Spotify, however, in video form.
  • Midlife, Messy and Marvellous is new from British TV presenter Marverine Cole. The show is made to inspire women navigating midlife and menopause. It’s in video on YouTube, but - there’s a pattern emerging here - not on Spotify in video form.
  • HBO Max and TCM’s Talking Pictures returned for a new season yesterday - Ben Mankiewicz sits down with some of Hollywood’s most influential actors and filmmakers. The show "transitions into a video podcast format to give audiences an immersive way to experience these in-depth conversations.” It’s in video on YouTube, but - huh - not on Spotify in video form.
  • Journalist David Begnaud has launched Do Good Crew, a multiplatform good news storytelling tool, including a new podcast. The show is in video, on YouTube - and, whoah, also in video on Spotify!

• Signings: Amy Westervelt’s Drilled has joined the Pushkin Podcast Network. Expect a new season on April 21 … The Road Trippin’ Show has teamed up with Backyard Ventures; the podcast is the longest-running athlete-led podcast in sports … Wave has announced an exclusive partnership with Andrew Santino’s hit podcast Whiskey Ginger, a show that interviews friends in and out of the entertainment industry as they reflect on deviant stories of their past, all while sipping whiskey.

People News

• Marshall Lewy has been appointed Head of Audible Content, North America. He was former Wondery Chief Content Officer, and joined Audible after Wondery’s narrative audio team was integrated into the division.
• Mathew Passy has joined Produce Your Podcast as Director of Strategic Growth. He joins from Libsyn and The Podcast Consultant.
• Lovisa Ohlson has left PodX; she was Head of Content, and was employee #1. “Having had a front-row seat to this company’s growth over the past four years has been such an incredible experience. I’ve learned something new every single week and had the privilege of connecting with the best people in the business.” She’ll “recharge a bit” then explore her next adventure.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Where did the color orange get its English name from? What souvenirs did Ernest Hemingway acquire after surviving a plane crash? And, is it harmless to refer to a person’s bottom as a 'caboose?' There’s an Answer for It! every Tuesday.

In the School of Podcasting this week, Dave Jackson talks about whether podcasting needs video. There’s lots of data, and lots of research; he also suggests that the new HLS Apple Podcasts video is “meh”.

In The Room launched last week from The Independent - a new political podcast for the UK, hosted by former Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Helen MacNamara, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson.

In Right Answers Mostly, hosts Claire Donald and Tess Bellomo dive into juicy, underrated historical events and pop culture phenomena with a casual, entertaining approach. Each week, they unpack buzzy moments from the past — most recently dedicating an entire four-episode “Kennedy Month” to the legacy, lore, and lasting intrigue of America’s most storied political family. Next month, the podcast shifts to Women’s History Month, with episodes centered on the women who defined eras, drove headlines, and changed the course of history.

On Kind you’ll hear stories of the times people received an act of kindness and how that changed things. Think of it as your moment to remember the good in humanity. Kind is back with a brand new season. New episodes every Tuesday.

Podcasts in the wild

At the beginning of season 2 episode 1 of Paradise on Hulu, this pre-roll tells us to hunt out the Paradise Official Podcast “wherever you watch your podcast”. You can watch some podcasts on MS NOW, so it’ll be on that, right? Or, er, Netflix? Strange place for a Hulu podcast, but that’s where we’re watching Bill Simmons after all? Thank you to the owner of this smeary mobile phone camera for snapping it for us.