Japan podcast consumption increases

• More people are listening to podcasts in Japan than ever before, according to a new survey on podcast usage from Otonal and the Asahi Shimbun Company. More than three-quarters of podcast users are watching video podcasts at least once a month, says the study; the number one platform for podcasts overall is YouTube. Among younger listeners (those aged 15-29), podcast usage is bigger than Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and TikTok.

• Podcast discovery platform Great Pods has relaunched with an expansion of user-facing features. The website features a comprehensive database of professional podcast criticism.

• Nomono released audio/video sync, a tool that automatically syncs your separate video files to your clean audio recorded using Nomono microphones. (There’s a demo in the press release).

• Video podcasts are being heavily promoted on the front page of Apple Podcasts in iOS 26.4. Worthwhile knowing: on the web, you can peek into other countries’ editorial promotions of video content: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, France, Mexico and plenty more.

• The Podcast Academy announced its newly elected Board of Governors members, who are: Alejandro Vargas, Brandon Schexnayder, Eric Barnett, Fallon Jethroe, Ilana Susnow, Kacie Luaders and Norma Jean Belenky. The full leadership has been published.

• Podscribe has added two new product updates: air checks for run-of-network campaigns, and a new integration with customer data platform Tealium.

• PAVE Studios has announced an expansion of video: a new video-first series, and the addition of weekly video to two audio shows. Shows are in video on YouTube; no video on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

• The New York Festivals Radio Awards released its 2026 shortlist. The awards includes podcasts, and features creators across six continents … also, The Golden Lobes has released its shortlist, including Romesh Ranganathan and Sir Andy Murray.

• NOVA Podcasts has signed self-development podcast Do You F-ing Mind to its network. The show has more than 300,000 monthly downloads globally.

• BDG Scan is a new website that analyses your podcast, checking its consistency and technical attributes. (Here’s the Podnews Daily.)

• Triton Digital released its Canadian Podcast Ranker for February.

• Acast took part in a session at Advertising Week Europe, alongside British Airways Holidays and Little Dot Studios.

People News

• Owen Grover has been appointed General Manager, US, at Nomono. He joins from Truefire Studios, Pocket Casts, and iHeartMedia.

• VICE Studios has announced a strengthened leadership team, based in Los Angeles and London.

Tips and tricks - with Riverside

• In “20 Best Podcast Recording Software ’or Pros & Beginners” from Riverside, there’s a good overview of how the individual recording tools work (although you can probably guess who’s #1).
• If you’d like live captions for every podcast you listen to - whatever app you use - then we tell you here how to turn on live captions on your device, whether it’s a phone or desktop.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: The World, the universe and us is from New Scientist, and is your essential weekly dose of science and wonder in an uncertain world; helping to put the stories that matter into context. A recent episode has the cheery title: Scientists Can Now Preserve a Brain After Death - What’s Next?

After six years, the UK’s RadioToday Programme has returned, with a special episode from Radiodays Europe in Riga. The guests include our Editor, James Cridland, and Bauer Media’s Simon Myciunka.

In Podcast Perspectives this week, Audacy’s Leah Reis-Dennis, Acast’s Greg Glenday, and Libsyn’s Brendan Monaghan are all interviewed on Monetization, AI, and Video. The interviews took place at SXSW last week.

In the Podnews Weekly Review this week, Sam and James look at AI within podcast apps, with Ken from Snipd; AI within podcast hosts, with Barry from Podhome; and Apple’s public launch of video.

A new podcast from Greg Wasserman is Podcast Network Insights - “There are so many podcasts about podcasting, all trying to get you into their system for coaching and consulting, as an industry and the technical sides. However, there was no one specifically talking to network operators, sharing those stories, and informing podcasters about other networks besides the big ones they know about, and why they might not want to join a network.”

In The Ballet of Empathy, Magic Thread Media invites you to join Dr. Mark Rittenberg — a UC Berkeley Haas Distinguished Teaching Fellow — for a profound exploration of human connection. Drawing on decades of global experience, Dr. Rittenberg moves you beyond traditional management theory to examine the raw, rhythmic “dance” of leadership. Through his signature Active Communicating methodology, you’ll tackle the courageous acts of apology, the necessity of forgiveness, and the heartbreak of silence.