Apple expands transcripts to eight more languages

• Apple Podcasts has expanded its transcripts to now include a further eight languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch. Apple Podcasts can now also detect when more than one language is spoken in an episode. The company says that more than 80 million episodes have transcripts. Creators who prefer to provide their own transcripts can do so through RSS using a supporting podcast host.

• Exclusive: We’ve an interview with Spotify’s VP of Podcast Product, Maya Prohovnik, in the Podnews Weekly Review tomorrow.

• Ausha launched “Ausha Intelligence”, what it calls the first AI-powered tool designed to generate search-optimized show notes and promotional content. It was first demonstrated at Podcast Movement in Washington DC by Podnews’s Editor, and offers customisable prompts to match your editorial style.

• Airwave Media has launched Airwave History +, a collection of 27 top history shows with ad-free episodes, early content, and bonus content. Ben Mathis tells Podnews: “We found that 85% of listeners who would pay for ad-free content are most interested in bundled content within a category.”

• The Signal Awards published a list of finalists. You can vote for the Listener’s Choice in every category, starting today. The website claims there have already been 10,741 votes (at the time of writing this).

  • The awards contain a lot of recognisable large podcast companies, but it’s nice to see small indies also being recognised - for example, Diferente Creative’s Science Wise is a finalist in the science category.

• The winners of the Slushno Awards in Ukraine were revealed. This year’s ceremony not only celebrated the best in podcasting but also highlighted the rapid growth and evolution of the industry, and high demand of audio content due to electricity outages in the country.

• Subscription podcast company Podimo has acquired Podads, one of Denmark’s leading podcast agencies and advertising platforms. It’s part of a strategy for a hybrid subscription and ad-supported model.

• Oops. Libsyn Ads has made payments to podcasters twice, by mistake, according to an email. Users of its Auto Ads service will see future payouts reduced to account for this.

• The bankruptcy proceedings of Kast Media rumble on, with at least eighteen objections to the bankruptcy plan. The objections were filed by Arcadian Vanguard LLC, the company behind Jim Cornette’s podcasts.

  • Documents filed by Arcadian include a 350-page transcript of a conversation between Kast Media’s Colin Thomson and some extraordinarily bad-tempered lawyers. Here’s one highlight.

• Podcast Radio is now available in Minnesota on Alpha Media’s KAUS 1480 AM. KAUS will broadcast dedicated genre hours, including business, true crime, comedy, and musical conversation.

• Headliner’s mobile app now supports automation and batch clip creation.

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Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• As more languages gain support - how does the Apple Podcasts transcription feature work: and how can you retain control of your transcripts?

People News

• Production company Listen has hired Emma Williams as Director of Marketing & Promotions. Emma previously worked with the chart-topping Diary of a CEO.

• Podimo recently hired former Head of Creators at Instagram, Whitney Rosenthal as Podimo’s Director of Creator Platforms, and promoted Ida Adler-Olsen to Head of Content Research.

Podcast News

The Shawn Ryan Show pipped Joe Rogan as #1 US podcast in Spotify. The show tells real stories about real people from all walks of life, and is with the Cumulus Podcast Network.

Podcast Perspectives this week interviews Alex Goldman, to discuss his experience leaping into podcast ownership with his new show, Hyperfixed; his previous show Reply All, how he’s built his new business with a lean team, the role Supporting Cast subscribers play in story development, and much more.

The Trial of Diddy is new from the Daily Mail today. Marjorie Hernandez hosts the show, who has, over the last six months, been investigating this incredible story and speaking to the people in the eye of the storm of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Expected Goals is a new show today designed to lead the business conversation for women’s football. Hosted by journalist and football business analyst Matt Cutler and Maggie Murphy, the former CEO of Lewes FC and board member of the Barclay’s Women’s Super League, it’s designed for anyone riding the women’s football wave - both those investing in it and those who want to understand the dynamics of the business underpinning it.