A million-dollar copyright infringement?

• Exclusive: A website called PodcastAdBlock is using AI to copy popular podcasts and resell them without the ads. Shows from publishers like Spotify, NPR, the New York Times, Slate, iHeart, and New York Magazine are all promoted on the website. We’ve taken a full look at the product, and how much it might be costing us.

• In India, The Economic Times discovers that some guests pay a fee between US $15,000 and $30,000 to be interviewed on “some of India’s most-watched podcasts”, and these paid appearances are rarely disclosed to audiences. That’s against the law in India (and against FTC rules in the US).

• Podscribe published its rankers for December 2025. Amazon was the biggest advertiser; Audacy has returned as a top ten publisher; and the top five podcasts remain unchanged.

• The audience for podcasts aren’t actually the same people as the audience for streaming, according to new data from Magellan AI and Ad Results Media. The companies suggest that buying all forms of digital audio reaches more people than podcasting (or streaming) alone.

• Video podcasting is growing, says podcast monetisation company Audioboom, announcing Audioboom’s 2025 in numbers. The company claims to be the number one video podcast publisher in the world.

• BuzzFeed write 9 Ways My New AirPods Max Made Producing Podcasts So Much Easier, from one of the hosts of Buzzfeed’s Office Hours with Sohan & Hameda.

• How-To Geek publishes Why I stopped listening to podcasts on YouTube. “Instead of letting me passively listen to a conversation while I was driving or doing chores, I felt like I was totally stuck looking at the device.” The author has moved to… Audible. Meanwhile, MakeUseOf discovers AntennaPod.

• Jay Clouse posts his review of his personal year. Under lowlights, he posts: “The more I focused on YouTube, the less attention I was giving the podcast … This year, I’m renewing my vows to the podcast—the audio show—and having that clarity feels really good.”

• Dave Jackson worries about hearing more and more ads in podcasts. (We know a company that could help with that, Dave. More seriously, perhaps this is why those types of companies exist.)

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• Is Joe Rogan reading his ads? Or is it AI? Adam Curry suggests the ads you hear might be a cloned voice, on the Podcasting 2.0 podcast this week. The guests are Mitch and Archie from Podverse.

• There is an alpha of the new Podverse available as a webapp. The new version of this open-source podcast player is being built as an API service first, and then having a web-based front-end. Plans for the app include the ability to make a white-label podcast app for one show or network.

• Dave Jones from the Podcast Index is working on a tool that will show you all the new shows being published at any one time, and you can listen to them and help humanly categorise it. He’s calling it “the crap trap”. He also has suggested that there may be a way for Podcast Index to “verify” feeds, to avoid some feeds being pirated by bad actors, and to give more control to podcast publishers.

• Above, we mention PodcastAdBlock. On his personal blog, here’s how the service’s developer, Ben Bowler, coded it. Ben’s latest start-up is a “poison pill” to protect musicians from having their work stolen by others who wish to use AI to make money from it. Sounds like a good idea for podca--- oh

Podcast News

The Bible in a Year has “almost approached” one billion downloads, according to reports.

In a landscape where the tech industry’s reputation often precedes it, veteran social entrepreneur and Tech for Good pioneer Jim Fruchterman is rewriting the narrative in Tech Matters. Through conversations with extraordinary change-makers, you’ll discover how tech skills can build a better world and drive genuine social change. Whether you’re a developer wanting to pivot your career or an entrepreneur who believes profit and purpose aren’t mutually exclusive, you’ll learn how to put people first when building technology.

The Happy Home Podcast with Arlene Pellicane has officially joined the LifeAudio Podcast Network. Focused on building strong families through love, intention, and healthy habits, the show offers practical encouragement for parents and spouses seeking to grow toward their ideal family life.

Ready to have more fun in your life this year? The Finding Fun Experiment is here to help you get unstuck from the “meh” and find more vibrancy and passion in your life. Each bite-sized episode shares practical tips for building daily fun habits in your life, ease stress, and live a light, brighter, and healthier life.

In In Every Universe, two people find each other in every life, every world, every universe. From fantasy monarchies to modern-day flower shops to futuristic space adventures, A and Z cannot stop finding each other… but they can’t stop losing each other either, as the darkness always finds them and ends the story once they meet. Will they be able to find their happy ending?

In Fintech Files from BCG Platinion, you’ll hear BCG consultants explain embedded finance, digital identity, and AI in banking like they’re talking to your grandma. Now in Season 4, you’ll hear from founders, regulators, and fintech leaders across 40+ countries, exploring fintech for social impact: sustainable investing, decarbonization, and democratizing finance. You’ll get sophisticated insights without the jargon, and the hosts actively want to hear from you about topics to explore.

Ever wondered what happens when a business partnership breaks up and the bookkeeper is left to pick up the pieces? Season 3 of The (Not Boring) Boring Small Business Bookkeeping and Accounting Podcast dives into the messy, human side of bookkeeping. You’ll also get practical tips for starting a bookkeeping business, explore software alternatives to QuickBooks, and hear what really builds client trust during tax season chaos.