Podcast predictions for 2020

• Some of podcasting’s top industry leaders have made podcasting predictions today in a wide-ranging and mostly positive article from Pacific Content’s Steve Pratt.

  • Here is a look back at similar predictions from 2019, just so you can check how right our Editor was (I managed to predict Google’s story-by-story audio news service, Apple’s slow market share decline, and shorter podcasts).
  • Here’s another set of 2020 predictions, this time from We Edit Podcasts.

• My Podcast Reviews, from Daniel J Lewis, reports there are now over 800,000 podcasts in the Apple Podcasts directory; and have launched a new podcast industry statistics page, showing detailed activity. It reveals that 40% of podcasts have been updated in the past 90 days.

  • And another big number: 14 billion podcast episodes were downloaded in the US in 2019, according to an estimate from Courtney Carthy.

• Is this the Netflix of Podcasting? Headliner has launched HeadlinerFlix, a prototype website in the style of Netflix - which shows visual clips from podcasts. “In all cases, the audio was selected by our clip detection software”, they add. It’s a surprisingly good experiment.

• UK podcast listeners are willing to pay £4 (US $5.25) average for monthly subscriptions, according to a study from global strategic podcast consultancy 4DC. The company also says that 80% of listeners are either positive or neutral to receiving adverts.

• Sparks is a new podcast app that “helps you learn, retain and apply knowledge from your listening”, which has launched today. You can hit a button while listening to capture your thoughts and bookmark that moment for later.

  
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• RadioPublic is launching RadioPublic PRO today. It’s a new embeddable podcast player with subscribe buttons and email capture built-in. It works with any podcast host. (The page we’re linking to contains a money off code, too). The company has also added new features to its Podsites website platform.

• AdAge focuses on what’s next for podcast advertising.

• Westwood One will represent three new premium sports podcasts from the Associated Press, the company has announced. Meanwhile, Cabana has signed Critical Frequency Network to exclusive podcast ad sales representation.

• You can now win a Pulitzer Prize for your podcast. Well, a prize for for “non-fiction storytelling in audio journalism”, called “Audio Reporting”.

• Trebble FM has launched a voice app for Samsung Bixby. The app aims to “get people informed quickly with shortcasts”, and is also available on other voice assistants. (We’re on Trebble).

• Thank you to We Edit Podcasts for becoming a gold supporter. They’re a female-founded podcasting company focused on helping people bring their content to life.

Tips and tricks - with Acast Open

• If you’re not using email to help market your podcast, you might be missing out. Here’s why email is a podcaster’s best friend.

• Everyone has Facebook Messenger, right? So why not use it for your next podcast interview?

Podcasts

Gravity is a brand new podcast from real estate developer, speaker, writer and advisor Brett Kaufman, featuring thoughtful conversations with people worldwide. (Crate Media / Captivate)

Drinks Adventures has a new season - a podcast for adventurous drinkers of beer, wine, spirits, cider… and everything in between. The new season includes an interview with wine critic Jancis Robinson. (Whooshkaa)

Limitless with Josh Patterson is back for its second season, after being #1 on the Apple Podcasts trending chart earlier this year. It features “incredible people who have shown that resilience and determination provide endless opportunities”. (Simplecast)
• FeedPress is blocking Podnews from seeing the RSS feeds of its customers, so we can’t currently link to podcasts who use FeedPress. We’re sorry. We (and some affected customers) have made efforts to get in touch with the company over the past 48 hours. We also note that portions of their website are down.