Podcasting's stars are disappearing

• Are podcasts getting worse? Rephonic reports that average ratings were highest for podcasts in 2016, and those star ratings have slowly been decreasing ever since, according to data the company analysed from Apple Podcasts.

• Patreon has unveiled an update to the audio tab in the Patreon mobile app. It allows patrons to listen to all the creators they follow in one place. Here’s a short video showing it off; the company says podcasting on Patreon has doubled in the last three years, with podcaster earnings increasing fourfold.

• Acast says the company is focusing its efforts on Conversational Targeting, meaning “advertisers are targeting conversations — not individual users”. VP of Advertising Product Chris Wistow says it means an end to targeting by show title, and instead the opportunity to advertise alongside subjects covered within each episode.

• The Webby Awards saw a 40% increase in podcast submissions this year, we’re told. The awards ceremony takes place next Monday in New York City, back in person after two years of virtual shows.

• We covered a bunch of Dolby Atmos news yesterday; here’s more information from Dolby and QCODE, who have been mastering in Dolby Atmos since 2019. Wondery+ are making shows available in their app only; there aren’t any standard podcast apps that play back the format, yet.

• An article in the UK’s Observer newspaper says that Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed has “more than 100m listeners”. Adam Bowie points out that that’s unlikely.

• In Africa, expect new data to be released tomorrow from the 2022 Africa Podcasting Report.

• The Australian Podcast Ranker was published for April. Orginal podcasts by both ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network and SCA both lost 18% of downloads month-on-month. An incomplete ranker, it measures participating publishers only, and not the country’s #1 podcast publisher, the ABC.

• Apple is discontinuing the iPod Touch, the last iPod available. Thankfully, the word “podcast” is not being discontinued.

• CBC Podcasts has revealed its Q2/Q3 podcast slate, with true crime stories and a new season from Someone Knows Something.

• Spotify is testing a new homepage layout that allows a toggle between music and podcasts.

• Gemini XIII has invested in podcast and book publisher Diversion to launch a new premium podcast network, Diversion Audio. Diversion Audio’s podcasts will drive new audience communities and tell expert-driven stories that spring from Diversion’s book titles. (Scott Waxman, Diversion’s Founder, spoke to Podland earlier this year.)

• Crowd Network and Free Turn Entertainment have signed a partnership deal to explore existing IP development across both companies. (Steve Jones, Crowd Network’s Content Director, spoke to Podland last week).

• The BEA Festival of Arts has announced its 2022 Faculty & Student Festival of Media Arts winners. Kim Fox was the first ever winner of two Best of Festival awards in the same year - for two episodes of Ehky Ya Masr إحكي يا مصر.

Moves and hires

• Shreya Sharma is now working as a Content Writer for FRQNCY Media. She also curates a podcast newsletter from Inside.

Tips and tricks - with SoundStack

• We can all improve; George “Ace” Acevedo writes 7 Ways To Help You Improve As A Podcast Host - including the need to listen to your own show.
• Will Morris gives us four key tips of How to Design Great Podcast Cover Art, including designing something that will appeal to your target audience.

Podcast News - with Lemonada Media

From Lemonada Media: Tune into New Day, now available three times a week! On Mondays and Wednesdays, therapist and grief expert Claire Bidwell Smith shares actions you can implement to make meaningful changes in your life and also answers your questions. And on Fridays, she’ll interview a thought-provoking guest.

Dead and Gone is heading to the small screen, in a deal with Wheelhouse Entertainment. The television series will be a scripted adaptation of the chart-topping first season.

The Life and Death Podcast from Ashgate Hospice in the UK’s North Midlands releases their third season this week. The host Stephen Rumford has interviewed a number of different people about grief and loss, including Mary-Frances O’Connor from the University of Arizona.

Targetspot has worked with Warner Music France to launch a podcast series, Avec ma gueule de Renaud, to promote the French singer’s new album. It’s hosted with Ausha.

Father Wants Us Dead is the first true crime investigative podcast from NJ·com and The Star-Ledger, uncovering new details about the twisted 1971 John List murders. It’s hosted by Rebecca Everett and Jessica Remo, investigative journalists with twenty-five years experience.

Who Cares Wins with Lily Cole returns this week from Mags Creative. This season will run until the end of the summer, and will talk to people like Chelsea Clinton and Joe Lycett.

The award-winning The Modern West returns for its sixth season today. Expect a deep dive into a wide range of topics, including the lore of the American cowboy, the evolution of the ranching lifestyle (despite the popularity of Yellowstone!), the potentials for regenerative ranching and the race for environmentally sustainable solutions.