Infinite Dial UK to be unveiled next week

• Edison Research will unveil The Infinite Dial UK 2025 at The Podcast Show in London, it’s been announced. There’ll also be a free webinar on May 29. The study is made to be comparable with Infinite Dial data in other countries, including the US, Australia and New Zealand.

• Apple has unveiled new accessibility features coming later in the year. For podcasting, we gained transcripts in Mar 2024, but live captions for other apps will be available with more languages, Live Listen will add captions on a connected Apple Watch, the Personal Voice voice cloning system becomes more natural and quicker to train; a new magnifier app makes it easier to see the screen; and accessibility labels will be visible in the Apple App Store.

• An interesting data point as part of some work by Westwood One - 85% of Americans commute to work, but ad buyers are not like the rest of us - the advertising industry only commutes into work 4.2 times a week, rather than the average American who commutes 4.7 times a week. Friday is lowest for everyone. (One for you if you release on Fridays?)

• Joshua Weinstein, the co-founder of Sonoro, has been interviewed by media writer Simon Owens. The Latino podcast network generates over 100 million monthly downloads.

  • While we’re talking Sonoro, Inc has an article called This Surprising Strategy Helps Toyota Reach Latino Consumers - you’ll never guess what the surprising strategy is, although, given we’re linking to it, you might.

• The sixth PodFest Cairo took place last week, with an evening of panels, curated listening sessions and networking.

• Audion has launched Pathway, a product to help publishers to automatically monetise audio inventory through Audion’s premium programmatic marketplace.

• TED has partnered with Magellan AI to measure listener engagement, to help with promo swaps and feed drops.

• Financial newspaper The Economist is “making its podcasts more personal”, according to an interview. We learn that some of The Economist’s show archives are coming out of the paywall for the first time, like Boss Class.

• The Atlantic is to sell Apple Podcasts premium subscriptions , says Axios - and it will give access to existing Atlantic subscribers. We’re promised a new show called The Atlantic Out Loud.

• Acast suffered a phishing incident on May 9. Acting responsibly, the company informed customers in less than three hours and put mitigation in place; no data was accessed.

• A conference in London is planned at the end of June, promoting education through podcasting. EPOD includes producer and presenter Meera Kumar, and author and emeritus Professor of Political Communication Stephen Coleman from the University of Leeds.

• Amazon’s Audible is to make AI-voiced audiobooks. Amazon’s profit last year was $59bn - the equivalent of human voiceover fees for 39 million audiobooks.

Moves and hires

• AJ Feliciano has left The Roost after almost eight years at the video-first company. He promises a new venture later this year.

• Want to work for Australia’s biggest podcaster (by total downloads)? The ABC is looking for a Manager, Podcasts - and you’ll oversee Audio Studios, the ABC’s specialist podcast production unit.

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• AdResults Media tells us How Much Does Podcast Advertising Cost?

• Lower Street tells us How Much Do Production Companies Charge?

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: This Day in History is your daily check-in on the top historical event for this day in past years. A year ago, we were reporting on Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Webby win; in 2021 on Canada’s Infinite Dial; and in 2020 on Luminary apparently losing $3.5mn a month. This show focuses on real history though.

In Podcast Perspectives this week, an interview with Forever Dog CEO and co-founder Joe Cilio. We hear about the comedy podcast network’s start, nearly a decade ago - and why he believes that YouTube should, and can, be integrated into podcast audience growth.

Hosted by multi award-winning producer, Dominic Lawson, Mental Health Rewritten is a new narrative podcast that aims to break the silence on stigmatized mental health topics. The first season hopes to rewrite internal and external dialogues around sex, suicide, and cultural identity.

The Kids’ Podcast Podcast with Lindsay & Ira is your insider guide to making kids’ audio that makes an impact. Hosted by Lindsay Patterson - a leading creator in kids’ podcasts - and Ira Singerman - a kids and family entertainment business veteran - each episode explores why kids’ podcasts matter, how to craft shows that truly connect with young audiences, and why there’s never been a better time to get involved. Co-produced by Tumble Media and Hero Complex Entertainment.

In Confessions of a Christian Alcoholic you’ll hear raw, unfiltered stories of faith, addiction, and redemption. Hosted by bestselling author Jon Seidl and part of the LifeAudio podcast network, this show dives deep into real struggles with alcoholism — told by those who’ve lived it. You’ll hear from fellow addicts, trauma experts, and faith leaders as they share powerful stories of healing and hope.

When sports, business and culture collide, there’s often a deal to be made. Bloomberg’s The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly returns for a new season today, with the inside track from corporate titans, sports champions and game-changing entrepreneurs on investing, strategy, reinvention and the ones that got away. It’s from Bloomberg.