Podcasters are most trusted people in media

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• Podcasters are the most trusted media personalities in the US, according to a new study. The second most-trusted are YouTubers (many of whom are, of course, podcasters). The data was released by Acast.

• Podcast platform Audioboom gave a Q3 trading update. In Q1-Q3, the company made a total loss of $1.7mn though it says it will return to profit in Q4. It saw a record average monthly download figure in the quarter of 126.6mn, up 18% on last year. It points out that it has honoured all creator minimum guarantees.

• Spotify’s enterprise podcast hosting company Megaphone is testing “streaming-powered tools for Spotify”, enabling users to upload proprietary video podcasts to Spotify, gain enhanced reporting, and cross-promote podcasts in “clickable promos”. Selected users tell us they’re seeing announcements and an invitation.

• Descript has rebuilt its Overdub feature, allowing podcasters to generate AI voice clone to fix issues in production. The company says it’s part of a set of new AI features to be added over the next few months.

• Ever had a podcast guest bail on you at the last minute? Spotting a growing issue, PodMatch is adding a 'reliability score’ to its guest booking service.

• Membership platform Patreon has acquired Moment, a digital events platform used by companies such as Pod Save America and the Good For You podcast with Whitney Cummings.

• The Latin Podcast Awards winners were announced. The winner of Podcast of the Year was Cuentos infantiles con La Tía Botas; we have all the winners, with links, host information and trailer audio, and you can watch the ceremony in full.

• In Australia, the owner of iHeartPodcast Network Australia ARN Media has made a hostile bid to take over its competitor, SCA (which owns LiSTNR). The radio market is worth AUD $1.7bn (US $1.1bn): ARN and SCA are the two largest companies. If successful, the broadcast radio business would be split into two companies for regulatory reasons; however, the podcast businesses aren’t subject to the same ownership regulation.

  • The Australian Podcast Ranker for September was released. Shows repped by SCA achieved 28mn downloads vs ARN’s 25.9mn downloads: a company representing ARN+SCA would represent 69% of all podcast downloads in the ranker. The ABC, which has announced twice that it is joining the ranker, is still absent: but is not funded by commercials.

• In Germany, Digital Publishing Report published a free 80-page magazine about podcasting, audiobooks and audio AI. (Our Editor is, fleetingly, in Munich next week for Medientage München).

• Further reading: Pod The North looks at the Canadian government now regulating podcasts and what it means, saying it all seems to be a bit of a mystery … Tony Doe looks back at the Spotify for Podcasters Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria.

Tips and tricks - with Spotify for Podcasters

Only Spotify lets you create Q&A and polls on every episode to engage fans where they’re already listening, helping you continue making content they’ll love. You can also use these tools to drive even more engagement: share questions and responses across social, ask for feedback on your content, and get suggestions for new topics or guests. And all that engagement really adds up. On average, listeners who interact with a show through a Q&A consume twice as many hours per month. Discover more tools to help you turn your listeners into fans — no matter where your show is hosted.

• What podcast format works best for brands? Pacific Content tells us (on their own website, rather than on Medium, we note)
• How do you pick a topic for your podcast? RedCircle stresses the need for passion.

Podcast News

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day has signed with Sony Music Entertainment. The show has had more than 45mn downloads since 2018, and joins Sony Music Entertainment from January next year.

Voices in the River was announced this week, featuring longform interviews with women who are changing the narrative about powerful women, witches, and magick. It’s hosted by a witch named Rebecca Auman. It’s being produced by Theo Balcomb, the creator of The Daily, and launches on Oct 31.

Virtual Fools is a podcast entirely generated by AI, first created by Oxford Road Creative Services in February this year to explore how much of a podcast can be generated with AI with as little human intervention as possible. VP of Creative Services Stew Redwine likes the true crime episode the most.

The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. In MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries, MrBallen shares medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold. It’s a collaboration between MrBallen, Ballen Studios and Wondery.

Have You Seen? is new this month from Acast and Expectation - a TV reviews podcast from two people who know a thing about the industry: the broadcaster and critic Mariella Frostrup and Peter Fincham, who’s been senior television management at the BBC and ITV. It’s out every Thursday.

Black History Unveiled is a new launch from Acast across seven key markets - a hit from Sweden, now available for a worldwide audience. The show will use a globally-targeted cross promotional campaign in multiple countries with strong connections to the Black diaspora.