New Overcast beta adds full transcripts

• Transcripts are coming to Overcast, and will be free for everyone, says developer Marco Arment. We first reported on this feature in July. The service doesn’t yet use creator-produced transcripts, relying on AI; and the current beta says (see it here) that each transcript “probably contains errors”. However, Marco tells Podnews that today’s build already downloads any VTT specified in the feed using the Podcasting 2.0 tag - "I just haven’t finished the parsing and display of them yet”, he says. (It’ll transcribe everything - even private feeds).

• When is the new video experience in Apple Podcasts going to launch? It’s with iOS 26.4, which has just posted its release candidate. That might mean it’s released to the public “as soon as next Wednesday (Mar 25) or as late as the following Monday (Mar 30)”, says seasoned Apple watcher John Spurlock. The upgrade message does not appear to promote video in Apple Podcasts to iPhone users; but opening Apple Podcasts gives a new splash screen highlighting the new feature.

• Podcast app and hosting company Truefans has launched a video hosting service. The service charges by total bandwidth used, and works with a number of third-party podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts. Podcasters will gain access to a new ‘watch time’ metric.

• AdResults Media pulls together five audio trends that might help you update your own company deck about podcasting and audio.

• In Australia, the IAB has embarked on a new piece of work about “the future of measurement” - reviewing current measurement practices and identifying gaps and future requirements.

• Ausha’s Odile Beniflah writes about her experiences at Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW. The new format “worked beautifully”, she said. Meanwhile, Greg Wasserman from RSS.com also wrote his reflections, highlighting the two generations of media creators who attended the event.

People News

• Paula Szuchman has joined the executive team at The New York Times. She joined as Head of Opinion Audio in 2020, and was made Director of Audio the following year.

Tips and tricks - with Riverside

• Guy Raz knows a thing or two about podcasting - working on How I Built This and kids show Wow in the World. So after testing quite a few platforms, he worked out how to record his award-winning content remotely, and in pristine quality.
• With the worst of winter behind us, it’s time to do a little spring-cleaning: not just your home, but your podcast, too. Checking your mindset can help avoid podfade, says Jason Cercone, writing for Podnews with the Podcast Professionals Association.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Dressed - the history of fashion explores the social and cultural histories behind the who, what, when of why we wear. It is, of course, the one thing we all have in common.

In Australia, ABC Business Daily launches on Monday - a business and economy podcast hosted by Senior Business Correspondent Carrington Clarke Mon-Thu, and That’s Business with Alan Kohler every Friday.

Voxtopica has released season 5 of the Feminism NOW podcast, following a five year partnership with the National Organization for Women. Last year, the male audience for the show doubled, and the share of younger listeners also increased, says Voxtopica CEO Richard Fawal.

This weekend marks the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid - and the new podcast More Muslim explores the Muslim experience, history and culture. You’ll hear immersive stories about Muslim life, like legal marriages, a neighborhood in Cape Town, a professor in Sudan teaching her students amid a war, and women’s prayer spaces. The team behind the show is a group of mostly Muslim producers who have worked on some of your favorite podcasts, including More Perfect and Radiolab.