Apple to add podcast analytics, enable series and custom order for podcasts

June 12, 2017

• The WWDC session about Apple Podcasts, with new features for iOS 11, and lots of stats. Here's a direct link to the streaming video for those of us not using Safari, and slides. Of note: lots of changes to the RSS spec (which other podcatchers will have to support too), and way more flexible. Here's an Engadget piece covering the main news. /ht Matt Wade

• The biggest news: Apple promise basic podcast analytics (slide 75), which launches later this year: there's a full piece on the analytics over on Recode. (Can't help but think that analytics for just one podcast player - even if it is the market leader - doesn't help the podcast industry as much as we'd think it does. Hit the comments if you disagree.)

• NB: Apple still didn't announce a method of handling paid podcast subscriptions.

• Gimlet Media has a new home - the Pioneer Building in Brooklyn NY. It used to be a self-storage building, and the landlord has spent $30m doing it up.

• The 2017 VW Tiguan has Apple Carplay in it, and this author discovered that it's made him listen to podcasts again.

• Ten comedy podcasts "guaranteed to make you laugh out loud".