The ad-free shows in Apple Podcasts - who pays?

• Apple Podcasts is promoting some shows as “ad-free in October” - but Podnews has learnt that publishers are not being compensated for the lack of revenue. Affected publishers include public radio stations, who have already seen significant funding cuts this year. Our full report looks at other podcast platforms offering ad-free shows; and Taylor Swift’s argument in 2015 with the company, about who should be paying.

• Podcasting creates a unique one-on-one connection between hosts and listeners - a parasocial relationship, amplified by the rhythm and proximity of podcasting. So, will AI break this trust? Alberto Betella from RSS.com, suggests that AI voices can be trusted, as long as they use the right prosodic cues - and they’re used responsibly. Meanwhile, Tom Webster from Sounds Profitable writes that AI-performed ads may unlock significant new revenue.

• Transistor has released a free podcast episode art generator, which uses your podcast feed to help make episodes. You can use it wherever you’re hosted. Justin uses it for his Build your Saas podcast.

• A study into LGBTQ+ Podcast Consumers has been announced by Coleman Insights and Women in Media. The study is looking for sponsors.

• A new podcast company has been launched in Italy. Sounds Great SRL is a new podcast venture from media investor SG Company and digital audio company MDE; it’ll focus on the creation, production, distribution, and monetization of podcasts and audiobooks.

• A new law has been passsed in California that seeks to regulate the loudness of commercials on streaming platforms. An existing law, known as the CALM Act, was passed in 2010 for broadcast TV stations and cable operators. Here’s the full text of SB 576; it refers to “video streaming services” only.

• In the EU, a new law, 2024/900 (the “TTPA”) is focusing on political advertising. The regulations are designed to make EU citizens recognise political advertisements, understand who is behind them, and whether they’ve been specifically targeted to receive them; here’s some more detail on what that means. Suggesting it’s all too hard, Google has blocked political ads in the EU; so has Facebook (detail), and also AdsWizz. The amount of political advertising in the EU is surprisingly low; US $50.5mn was spent on online ads between 2023-2025. In 2024 alone, US online political advertising was $1.9bn.

  • While ads in podcasts are affected by this law, branded podcasts can also, of course, fall under the definition of political advertising.

• Evergreen Podcasts has signed with analytics and yield management platform Flightpath.

Tips & Tricks

• What makes video work for magazine publishers? Crowdfindervideo’s Simon Elliott spoke with Peter Houston at the Publisher Podcast Summit earlier this year.

• Ausha has launched The Ausha Academy, a free educational platform. The first six lessons are dedicated to podcast search optimisation, designed to help podcasters make their show more visible.

Podcast News - with Airwave

New with Airwave - A Zen Mind. Take a deep breath, settle in, and return to the present moment with A Zen Mind Guided Meditations, lovingly created and hosted by Jo Rose. Each meditation is a gentle space to turn inward, release what no longer serves you, and reconnect with your truest self. Slow down, breathe deeply, and realign with clarity, wisdom, and peace.

The Podnews Weekly Review today features an interview with Roxcodes, the founder of FlightCast - a new, video-first, podcast host. Plus, Sam finds a taxi driver with royal connections.

RESONATE Podcast Festival and Tink Media have launched Pitch Party, a new podcast where audio lovers and production company reps alike will discover a new podcast pilot from independent producers weekly. Audio lovers and production company reps alike can tune in to learn about forthcoming shows, as well as the process of making narrative audio with conversations with the creators of each pilot.

Launched last month, The Missi & Brooke Show stars Missi Pyle and Brooke Dillman, two of the most successful work horses in Hollywood, are finally doing what no one has been asking for: starting a podcast! The show is everything you need to know about two people you never wanted to know anything about. Warning: contains foul language, too much singing, and brief nudity.