New UK research shows lack of diverse voices

• How diverse is UK podcasting? Fewer than 5% of the top 100 podcasts in the UK are hosted by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women or non-binary people, according to new research from Spotify. Spotify has announced UK/IE applications are open for their annual Sound Up podcast accelerator programme for BAME women and non-binary people in the UK and Ireland. You’ve got until 4th August to enter for access to a four week virtual training course with equipment. (It’s also open in Sweden, where entries close Jul 26, by the way).

  • We’ve also published the key findings of their research under their release. 74% BAME women feel that their voices are are underrepresented in podcasting, it says.

• Podbean, the second-largest professional podcast host, is now IAB Certified. The company achieved certification last week, and it means that Podbean is using a standard measurement for podcast downloads. Here’s a full list of podcast hosts, including those that are IAB certified.

• On July 3, we reported that Acast and Comic Relief were fundraising: the prize being to 'join your favourite podcast and record an episode with them'. We hear that so far this has raised over £15,000 (US$19,000) for charity. There’s still time: you’ve until August 2 to enter.

  
  Aug 26 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• On-demand/digital device listening is now bigger than linear/analogue device listening, according to new data from Edison Research.

• Magellan AI has published a look at US podcast advertising “movers and shakers” in June 2020 - the 15 advertisers with the largest month over month increase in podcast spend. The most-increased advertising brand was the new Samsung Galaxy 5G.

  • Westwood One have announced they’ve subscribed to Magellan AI’s competitive advertising intelligence service.
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• iHeartMedia has signed Tenderfoot TV to produce a nine-show deal for the iHeartPodcast Network.

• Today’s new exclusive show for Spotify is from Addison Rae, a TikTok and Instagram star, who has announced that she’s to produce a new show with her mom, Sheri Nicole. If you’re unfamiliar with TikTok, here’s why they’re famous. (Sheri only has 8.1m followers on TikTok; Addison has over 50m. Get with the program, mom, like duh).

• There’s a new podcast studio in Dayton OH, USA: DATV has kitted out the 'Pod Studio’ with robotic cameras and a video switcher.

• Why wouldn’t you want a podcast player that looks like a terminal window? podcast-cli has been written with Go, and uses the Apple Podcasts directory.

• After Podnews reported a bug, NPR has fixed their NPR One Android podcast app’s user-agent. The fix rolls out later this week, benefiting podcasters everywhere. Thank you! (Listen to Podnews in NPR One).

Thank you to Zvook for becoming our latest supporters. Zvook matches advertisers with podcasts - and their support helped us add “Add this event to your calendar” functionality to our podcast events website today.

Tips and tricks - with Podcorn

• 6 things you need to know about intellectual property in podcasting (Juliana Clark, Bello Collective)
• How silence can improve your podcast interviews (Rachel Corbett)
• Spending $5 a day on Facebook ads can grow your podcast audience - after Tanner Campbell posted his plan a few weeks ago, he reports back: their podcast is #12 in books, and #50 in arts. The plan works!

Aug 26 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

Podcast News - with The John Bartolo Show

In The John Bartolo Show An underwater celebrity fashion photographer: Chiara Salomoni from One Ocean talks deep sea diving, photography and swimming with sharks.

BMW has sponsored Hypnopolis, a science-fiction scripted drama set in 2063. In its first week, the podcast hit #1 in eleven countries, says a release.

Serendipity Stories, a narrative nonfiction podcast that spans across international lines and unpacks the long-term effects of chance encounters, launched late last month. The host, YeSeul Kim, is a first generation Korean American now living in northern Italy.

Your Own Personal Beatles has some very clever artwork and explores our personal relationship with the greatest band of all time.

After more than three years of investigation, the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX’s Reveal: American Rehab uncovers a type of drug rehab treatment that is flourishing by turning tens of thousands of people desperate for treatment into an unpaid, shadow labor force. It launched earlier this month.

The Screenster Podcast reminds us that it isn’t just the stars that make movies and TV shows. Georgie Grier talks to a different guest in the business each week; from the Costume Designer on 'Friends’ (in the latest episode) to the Intimacy Coordinator on 'Normal People’, about their careers, the shows they have worked on and what they are watching.

In Wide World of Dougs, comedians Doug Benson and Doug Mellard meet new Dougs in an effort to find the best and most exciting Dougs in the world. This week’s episode - Doug E. Doug. Can they beat that?