13% now consume podcasts most on the TV

• 13% of US weekly podcast consumers say they consume podcasts most often… on the television. Edison Podcast Metrics report that it’s the highest figure yet - and reflects the growing number of podcasts making it to YouTube, Netflix, Tubi and other video platforms.

  • It does beg the question: what is Apple Podcasts doing about Roku and Android TV, which dominate the connected TV world? Apple Podcasts on an Apple TV will get access to video podcasting in the next few months - but isn’t available at all from a Google TV streamer or a Roku device.

• Spotify has expanded its EQUAL program with its first EQUAL Podcast Ambassador, hoping that the company can help elevate women podcasters and help promote women creators behind the podcast microphone. It’s Morgan Absher, the host of Spotify show Two Hot Takes, who told Podnews: “When I started podcasting, the first place you look is the charts, and there weren’t really many women at the top. A program like this really helps get us on an even playing field and makes the success stories a lot easier to come by. And I hope to hear more of them.”

  • We have a full interview in tomorrow’s Podnews Weekly Review podcast.

• The founder of Crooked Media, Tommy Vietor, isn’t happy with Spotify - he starts an X post saying “Very cool of Spotify to try and destroy the podcast industry”. He’s quoting our story unveiling Spotify’s controversial new Skip Ahead feature; and Mediaite has taken up the story.

• “Automated editorial decisions and suggestions about someone else’s content shouldn’t be made by a party that had no role in creating it”, says Glenn Rubenstein of Adopter Media in a blog post. He suggests that host-read ads should feel part of the show; that excessive stuffing of ads into shows “isn’t doing the industry any favors”, and that podcast platforms should “offer the episode as published”. (Not a big "Skip Ahead" button when it thinks it’s not worth listening to?)

• Back in Dec 2021, the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Activists sued SiriusXM for not providing podcast transcripts in its app. In 2022, SiriusXM kicked back, calling it un-necessary and unreasonable. Since then, we’ve seen Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Spotify and even SiriusXM add transcripts to podcast apps - to the point where it’s an expected feature. It now appears that the two sides have reached agreement in principle on all key terms after more than a year of negotiations suspended the court action. Judge Jeanette Vargas has allowed a final deadline extension of Oct 30.

  • In our opinion, this court action helped make podcast transcripts mainstream. The National Association of the Deaf should be congratulated; but also, continued negotiation helps nobody but the lawyers. We love lawyers, especially ones with beards, but enough already.

• New figures from the BBC claim the Corporation’s podcasts on YouTube are up 17.4% quarter-on-quarter, but only reaching 4.7 million views. BBC podcasts generated 215 million global downloads (up 4% year-on-year). In the UK, there were 831 million plays of content on BBC Sounds (up 19% year-on-year). A “play” isn’t defined.

• But - is the BBC about to try to put advertising back into its podcasts in the UK? It sounds like they’re trying again, according to a letter from a coalition of companies to the UK government, urging the DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy to rule out the plans.

• The NZ Podcast Awards is now officially open for entries. You’ve until October 9th to enter. Pricing is as low as NZD $50 (US $30) for independent podcasters.

• Fresh Air has a new website at freshair.agency, highlighting the full range of services that the company provides.

• A new, free, podcast loudness checker from Saltwaves Studio has been launched. The tool is based on “twenty years of broadcast audio judgement”, and gives detail and what a broadcast engineer would say about your audio. Everything happens in your browser.

• Descript released a bunch of new features, including smoother jump cuts, recording room scheduling, and a YouTube thumbnail generator.

• In London, The Dean Street Podcast Studio hosted seven international broadcasters, all interviewing a man with a bin on his head who is standing for the UK Parliament. The system is also available for people without bins on their heads.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement NYC

• As mentioned above, we love lawyers, especially ones with beards. The suitably-bearded Gordon Firemark gave us a Podcast Legal Toolkit at Podcast Movement last year.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Culture Kids Podcast is hosted by Kristen and Asher, and explores cultures, languages, and traditions around the world. Recently they’ve wondered if mermaids were real, where unicorns come from, and why Korean mung bean sprouts are named after a scholar.

Winning! Charlie Sheen is to launch a podcast with Red Seat Ventures. Mostly Sheenius will feature candid conversations with some of the biggest names in entertainment, sports, music and popular culture.

Launching today, Home Truths is a new housing podcast for Australia, from the country’s largest house builder. The show pairs a property economist, Cameron Kusher, with Metricon’s CEO Brad Duggan, to help Aussies navigate interest rates, tax reforms, affordability and the housing market.