New, AI-native podcast hosting and production

• “Podcasting isn’t broken - the system behind it is”. A new podcast hosting and production website, Rebel Audio, has been launched with $3.8 million in funding. Jared Gutstadt, the CEO and Founder, calls the system “the first native AI tool built for the podcast community”. It offers hosting and distribution (including video), and AI voice cloning for host-read ads.

• In Singapore, podcasts are more influential than influencers. Acast has shared new data focusing on the Singapore podcast market, saying that 69% of listeners have considered a brand for the first time because of a podcast, and podcasts are more credible than YouTubers and journalists.

• Today: the webinar of The Infinite Dial 2026 is at 2pm ET - you can register to watch for free here. The data includes a new monthly number for the number of Americans aged 12+ who consume podcasts. Hosted by Megan Lazovick of Edison Research at SSRS and our Editor, James Cridland, be the first to update your sales deck by watching at 2pm.

• Bryan Barletta writes a piece about Apple Podcasts’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) for Sounds Profitable. It goes into the technical specifics of delivering advertising for episodes using video in Apple Podcasts (which always plays even if the listener has chosen audio-only).

• After Louis Theroux described his video podcast in a slightly less than positive way, GoodTape has interviewed a set of film and TV experts on what video podcasts look like. “Amateur”, “looks like the corner of a mall”, “a fun set”, “just a purple void”, and "I would love to see those large microphones go away” are some of the phrases used.

• PodLP, the podcast app for the next billion listeners - using feature phones across India, Africa and Southeast Asia (and even the US) - has launched a sponsor portal for promotion of shows. The self-service tool guides you through the process, with screen grabs and more information.

• Airwave has signed The Human Upgrade, a podcast described as a masterclass in biohacking, longevity and performance optimisation. The podcast gains access to a full-service suite of premium monetization, growth, and strategic support services

• Behind a paywall, the Financial Times seems to have an exclusive that the BBC World Service, the global radio station from the BBC, will get a funding freeze from the UK government.

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Tips and tricks - with Riverside

• AI can’t replace you as a podcaster - probably - but it can cut your workload in half. Riverside shares 45 AI and ChatGPT prompts for podcasters to help you save over two hours per episode.
• Want to know the secret to new podcast launches? Why This Podcast Works is a new series from the Podcast Marketing Academy - looking at how a new show launched to become one of the biggest podcasts in its genre: and what you can learn to succeed too.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Newly signed just this week, The History Chicks : A Women’s History Podcast focuses on Dovey Johnson Roundtree, one of the first Black women in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II, who then earned her law degree at Howard and built dual careers as a civil‑rights attorney and as a minister in the AME church.

Unorganized Territory has been launched by an audio producer and former public radio journalist, Jay Field - an election year podcast focused on Maine voters, in what he calls one of the most polarizing times in the nation’s history since the Civil War.

When a birthday party in suburban San Jose turns deadly, 18-year-old identical twins are arrested for suspected murder. One brother spends nearly two years in jail before the truth comes out: authorities locked up the wrong twin. How could one brother let his twin take the fall? And why would the other sacrifice his freedom for a crime he didn’t commit? Blood Will Tell follows the Vietnamese-American brothers whose unbreakable bond is tested by silence, sacrifice, and an unthinkable choice.

Exploring the pivotal moments when a life suddenly shifts direction, Quand le destin s’en mêle est un podcast d’entretiens qui explore ces moments charnières où une vie bascule. À travers des récits intimes et inspirants, des invités racontent la rencontre, l’intuition ou la coïncidence qui a changé leur trajectoire. Un podcast porté par Céline, passionnée d’histoires vraies, qui révèle comment l’inattendu peut parfois ouvrir les plus belles voies.

In the UK, Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is back for a new season today. Listeners will hear from officers and staff in different roles across Counter Terrorism Policing - from those working in explosives, and in hostile locations overseas, to the legal teams, intelligence officers, and people managing terrorists in the community. The show is a must listen for anyone interested in true crime or wanting to start a career in policing.

In New Zealand, RNZ’s Guyon Espiner and Corin Dann are back for a new season of their popular audio and video podcast Context. They use their decades of journalistic experience to explore the history behind what’s happening today, diving into NZ’s political past and asking, “How did we get here?” This season, as New Zealand heads into election year, they revisit New Zealand’s most dramatic political moments.