BBC sees significant growth in podcast plays on BBC Sounds

• The BBC’s personalised audio app within the UK, BBC Sounds, has released some usage data. “There were more than 100 million plays of podcasts and on demand radio programmes on BBC Sounds (last) quarter”, they say, “double the number (from) the previous quarter.” Veteran radio executive Phil Riley tweets that “this is about 4% of total BBC listening”, using some generous maths.

• Podcast consumption on smart speakers is up, says Libsyn: their official podcast The Feed claims podcast plays on smart speakers has grown 45% between October and December. Hold on though: the growth, while welcome, just means they’re now responsible for 0.29% of all plays.

• Apple Podcasts has sent an email to all podcasters saying that new episodes are displayed “within 24 hours” in Apple Podcasts. As we add, it’s not entirely clear that this relates only to people who aren’t subscribed to a podcast. (Meantime, Apple are hiring).

• Entertainment lawyer Gordon Firemark has announced a Podcaster’s Legal and Business Bootcamp, a half-day workshop to help get podcasters’ legal and business affairs in order. It’ll happen alongside Podfest, on Mar 6 in Orlando FL, USA.

• Evergreen Podcasts has been accepted into the VentureOut New Media program: the first Cleveland OH-based company to do so. CEO Michael DeAloia says: “VentureOut will help us forge stronger strategic relationships.”

• OZY Media has announced a multi-year deal to produce iHeartRadio Original podcasts. Two of OZY’s podcasts - The Thread and OZY Confidential will “join the iHeartPodcast Network’s deep catalog of podcast titles”.

From the new book Make Noise by Eric Nuzum, available now

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Reader’s letters

Yesterday, we said we’d no longer refer to exclusive audio content as “podcasts”; merely “shows”. Steve Boyett said: Thank you so much for this decision! The notion of shows exclusive to a particular provider (especially a paid one) is antithetical to the very concept and definition of podcasting. I’ve been railing about it for a while, as I’m concerned about it as a trend. If podcasters aren’t careful, they’ll co-opt themselves.

An interesting observation from Ken Randall: Watching Netflix original “The Witcher” series the other day for the first time, my Apple TV defaulted somehow to “English with Descriptions”, providing a narrative of all the sights on the screen. He suspects that this audio track would make for a great podcast. We do, too.

Hit reply with your thoughts.

Tips and tricks - with Acast Open

• Paul Bae, the host of the Podcast Gumbo podcast, is posting things he’s learning about creating the Podcast Gumbo podcast.

• In the above, Paul links to our guide about LUFS: the way you make your podcast sound just as loud as it should be.

Podcast News

Showing the importance of a great archive, RISK! is rerunning their controversial Little Big Man episode from 2010, in response to the sudden and shocking death of basketball star Kobe Bryant. (Libsyn)

The Chapo Trap House podcast makes it to Iowa City IA, USA tomorrow. The event in the Engelert Theatre is sold out. The theatre, named after a local family, has a capacity of 725. (Soundcloud)

Mouthpeace launches today: the latest weekly podcast series from Lemonada Media. It’s hosted by Michael Bennett, an NFL player, and his wife Pele Bennett. (Lemonada Media, Westwood One, Megaphone)