Podcast causes diplomatic incident

• An appearance on a comedy podcast by the Australian Prime Minister has resulted in an international diplomatic incident. In July, Anthony Albanese was criticised for responding to a game of “shag, marry, date” with the answer “Kylie Minogue, all of the above”, and was forced to apologise. Now, political opponents, aided by the Murdoch press, have complained about a gesture Albanese made when he was describing two melons he was gifted by Japan’s (female) prime minister; a former Japanese ambassador has described it as “casually mocking” the gift. It’s headline news in Australia. The show, launched by NOVA Podcasts in May, is called Bush Deep, which apparently wasn’t enough of a red flag to Albanese’s media team.

• The Basis DSP, an ad buying platform, has announced a partnership with Barometer to offer brand-suitability scores on an episode-by-episode basis. The company claims that this is “podcast advertising catching up with the controls advertisers expect from more mature programmatic channels”. Barometer announced episode-level context in March with AdsWizz, and with Acast in January.

• Sony has highlighted how Jampot Productions have been using Sony cameras to make their video podcasts. The company is based in London, and was founded by Jamie Laing.

• Nobody Signing These Giant Podcast Deals Expects to Make the Money Back, writes Steve Raizes in a LinkedIn post.

• How many top podcasts have video? Amplifi Media suggests that only six shows in the Edison Research US top 50 are audio-only.

• Spotify Spain published a list of songs people played during the solar eclipse, in comparison with the number of plays they usually get. “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles was played 27% more than usual; Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” got 92% more plays than normal, Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” got 227% more, and the biggest song, with 969% more plays than normal? Eclipse by Pink Floyd, the last track on The Dark Side of the Moon.

• Ashley Carman reports that Alex Cooper’s Unwell is to stop making energy drinks. Suprisingly, even her business partners Nestlé didn’t see anything wrong with bottles of sweetly-flavoured “hydration” drinks with the word “Unwell” on them in big letters.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement NYC

• Big Aussie podcasters have spoken at Podcast Movement before - like Toni and Ryan, who were on stage in Dallas last year. Ryan Jon from the show shared how they’ve grown their audience and deepened engagement by leaning into social media, embracing video, and refusing to compromise on what makes their show feel personal.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Dressed explores the social and cultural histories behind the who, what, when of why we wear.

The Stories from the States podcast is to make its debut on broadcast radio, and will air on AM950 in Minnesota, and on WCPT in Chicago.

Conversations From The Frontlines is back for its fifth season. The show highlights the movement leaders, visionaries, advocates, and changemakers who are “building the good,” and planting the seeds of future progress in Los Angeles.

The Podnews Weekly Review this week chats with Ben and Alberto from RSS.com on their new video hosting plan.