Better podcast data coming for iOS apps

• Better data is coming to every podcaster. As we’ve documented in the past, many different apps use a useragent called AppleCoreMedia to request podcasts, making it hard for podcasters, and podcast hosting companies, to know which app is really downloading them. iOS 16 will fix that: AVURLAssetHTTPUserAgentKey has just appeared in Apple’s documentation for the next version of iOS, allowing all podcast apps to correctly state their user agent. Developers can adopt this today; there will be a public beta in July; and this will roll out for everyone in Q3. Expect us to grumpily highlight apps who don’t bother with it.

  • Buzzsprout’s global stats don’t include AppleCoreMedia, under-estimating downloads from Apple Podcasts. On the other hand, Libsyn’s stats wrongly attribute all traffic to AppleCoreMedia as Apple Podcasts.

• International publisher and event company Haymarket has bought the company behind the British Podcast Awards, and similar awards in Ireland and Australia. Haymarket has plans to expand its position in audio.

• Headliner now supports direct sharing to TikTok, as well as YouTube playlists.

• PodcastOne is to take two of its biggest podcasts live: Jordan Harbinger and LadyGang will produce live video podcasts from Las Vegas as part of a deal with auto manufacturer Hyundai.

• Sports podcaster Religion of Sports has raised $50m in funding.

• In Ukraine, indie podcast community Radio Podil had to stop during Russia’s invasion. Here’s what’s happening there now.

• Resonate post a review of the Vocaster Two from Focusrite.

• Adell Coleman, chief operating officer of DCP Entertainment, is the curator of the EarBuds Podcast Collective this week, highlighting shows supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

Moves and hires - with Podjobs.net

• Kate London has been named SVP, Head of Music Legal & Business Affairs at Audio Up. She moves from a similar role at Global Music Rights.

• Maya Prohovnik has been named Head of Talk at Spotify, replacing Michael Mignano. She was employee #1 at Anchor.

Tips and tricks - with RedCircle

• Launching a paid ad campaign for your podcast starts with finding the right audience, says Pacific Content

• What makes a great podcast host? We Edit Podcasts suggests that confidence and a willingness to learn are important.

Podcast News - with Post Script Media

From Post Script Media: Climate change is not a distant science story. It’s a story about how everything in our carbon-based economy works — and how it’s getting reworked. The Carbon Copy is a weekly news analysis podcast that explains the changing planet through the lens of current events. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

Chatter that Matters, hosted by Marketing Hall of Legends Tony Chapman, features chats with people who do extraordinary things, despite often challenging circumstances. Coincidentally, Tony will be introducing Podnews’s Editor onto the stage at Canadian Music Week this morning, but this mention in Podnews is in no means trying to curry favour with him.

Geopats Podcast goes global this month, with Mae Thomas from Maed In India in this week’s show, an upcoming appearance from Tony Doe in Nigeria and two more to come.

One of the UK’s best-known broadcasters Nick Grimshaw has launched a podcast, Dish, with the chef and restauranteur Angela Hartnett OBE. The show starts tomorrow with the stars of hit TV show, Ted Lasso - Hannah Waddingham and Phil Dunster.