Playback data all in one place

• German podcast platform Audiorella launched Audiorella Data, a tool that gathers playback data from Spotify, YouTube, and other key platforms into one dashboard. ZDF is its first customer.

• Acast released its financial report for Q1/2025. The company saw sales growth of 30%, up to US$55mn for the quarter. North America grew by 65%. However, the company went back into loss, losing $3mn in the quarter; and total listens dropped by 1% year-on-year - though that is a creditable number, given Acast lost the BBC in November.

• The South African government is planning to regulate podcasters. A government minister said that there was “an obligation to protect the rights of the people who use these podcast platforms, including equality, dignity, and privacy,” adding: “You can’t have a platform where anything goes and has no regulatory parity.”

• Sports Social has launched five shows into the French podcast market, including one hosted by the French football legend Robert Pirès.

• The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) released a proposal for five key principles for a code of practice for the use of AI by tech companies in news reporting.

Moves and hires

• Mia Lobel has been hired as Executive Producer of Podcasts at Slate. She was with Pushkin Industries.

• Forever Dog Productions have announced three hires. Kristin Myers joins from SiriusXM and UTA as Head of Business Development; Oscar Guido, formerly with Treefort Media, joins as Strategic Operations Advisor; and Harry Nelson as a Producer, joining from HyperObject Industries.

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• In a case study into a branded podcast, David Moulton explains why he doesn’t only measure the success of the show in terms of episode delivery - instead, he measures attention (and has a suggestion of how to calculate it).

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Well Beyond 40 with JJ Virgin is the podcast for women who want to age powerfully and enjoy the best chapter of their lives. She says it’s your turn now to focus on nutrition, wellness, fitness, mindfulness, and beauty.

In South Africa, Samsung has partnered with the celebrity interview L-Tido Podcast. The show will talk about the new Samsung A Series phone.

Aliens? Yes! But Maybe No is a podcast for the believers, the maybe’ers, and the skeptics on all things alien. Learn alongside hosts Travis Wright and Josh Snodgrass as they traverse and debate the facts, history, and lore, tackling a new alien-related topic each episode.

Book publisher Flame Tree Publishing has launched a new podcast, the Flame Tree Myth & Fiction Podcast. The show will feature short stories, author interviews and occasional special features.

Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore is back for a new season with Airwave; it’s an Ambie Nominated, Award-Winning, 7-part narrative series exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus.