“Giggly Squad” gets iHeart’s podcast of the year

• The winners of the iHeart Podcast Awards 2026 were announced. Podcast of the year went to Acast’s Giggly Squad. The show was hosted by Ego Nwodim, and three Icon Awards were also given out, to Jay Shetty, Terry Gross and Hrishikesh Hirway.

• A new US tax change could be good news for podcasters, says Ralph V Estep Jr, but it could also be confusing. Today, with the Podcast Professionals Association, he writes for Podnews: No Tax on Tips: What Podcasters Must Know Now - detailing the new tax rule that might mean meaningful money, as long as you do it right.

• In Australia, the Australian Podcast Ranker was released for February. There have been two enhancements to Demos+, allowing media buyers to see top indexing podcasts by audience composition, and an enhanced category ranker. The full ranker shows Mamamia Out Loud as retaining the #1 slot. Three smart-speaker bulletins are also in the top 10 - ABC News Top Stories, Sky News Australia Update, and The Update from NOVA.

• The industry data website Podcast Industry Insights has relaunched, with new data from Apple Podcasts categories as well as the Podcast Index. The information now contains seven years of historical data, and it remains outside of a paywall.

• Castbox’s Valentina Kaledina writes her thoughts from Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW. “If you want to become an influencer only on one platform, that is not going to work. Your audience is expecting from you a few different forms of content that they can consume in various settings.”

• Signings:

  • Gemini XIII has signed GoToHealth for ad sales and marketing. The show features interviews with health experts who share evidence-based medicine approaches to a wide variety of health issues.
  • The Nashville Podcast Network has signed the Battleground Podcast, a pro-wrestling podcast, to the network, which is owned by iHeart. It’s hosted by Nashville radio personality Battle.

People News

• Henrietta Harrison has joined Persephonica as an Executive Producer leading on factual and current affairs. She joins the company from Bauer Media where she created Katherine Ryan’s hit podcast, ‘What’s My Age Again?’. Her previous credits include BBC News and Loftus Media.

Tips and tricks - with Riverside

• Live podcasting adds instant feedback, real-time connection, and a bit of a technical headache. Riverside’s Kendall Breitman has tips on what you need to get going, and how to promote it.
• Tomorrow, Podnews goes to Latvia to learn more about podcasting there - not that you should notice, given our mobile podcast recording kit. It’s smaller than you think.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is a weekly science podcast discussing the latest science news, critical thinking, bad science, conspiracies and controversies. The latest episode focuses on a fundamental attribution error.

The Podcasting Morning Chat podcast, the daily live podcast for podcasters and content creators, announced today that Ralph Estep Jr. has joined the show as Co-Executive Producer, partnering with founder and host Marc Ronick.

The Georgia Guidestones were… a bit odd. A bizarre granite monument built under a pseudonym, long embraced by conspiracy theorists, occult‑curious travelers, political extremists, and even YouTubers. Until someone reduced them to rubble. Who Blew Up The Guidestones? is a new investigative podcast launching today from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

An interesting idea - a new podcast, consisting of short clips from a full-length show, to help reach new audiences. It’s launching today - which is, appropriately enough, Global Recycling Day; and, of course, it features questions about recycling. Talking Rubbish - Recycled Content is all about straightforward and practical tips for listeners on how to navigate the UK’s recycling system.

Remember that disastrous launch of “New Coke” in 1985? Many refer to it as the worst marketing decision in history. But what if it was actually the most brilliant marketing ploy ever conceived? The latest episode of Sleep Whispers has transformed this curious moment from history into a bedtime story. Enjoy this true story as you drift off to sleep tonight. Mmm… high fructose corn syrup… yawn…

AI is transforming the world - including those in retail and manufacturing. But faster doesn’t always mean smarter. Decision Loop launches this week - the podcast for retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods leaders who want clarity amid the AI hype; and talks about scaling, governance and good decision making. The show is from RELEX Solutions.