Simplify goes indie

• The Simplify podcast, which is nearing episode 100, is now independent - it has been bought by its co-hosts from its previous owner, Blinkist. The show, which interviews non-fiction authors, will record in a Berlin-based bookshop.

• Goalhanger has made three senior leadership hires. Chloe Straw joins as Director of Operations; she was formerly at industry trade body AudioUK. Emily Kent Smith joins from The Sunday Times as Editorial Director; and Andy Hodgson is the new Chief Financial Officer. The company is now delivering over 70 million full-episode streams monthly.

• Podstock is to work across the PodX Group to provide analytics and management tools. The integration will allow PodX to streamline operations across studios and to easily measure performance for its entire portfolio.

• The History Daily podcast has joined Audioboom. It’s hosted by award-winning storyteller and longtime Podnews supporter Lindsay Graham (not that one); Audioboom will distribute, monetise and grow the show. History Daily launched in November 2021 and has released more than 1,000 episodes, amassing over 70 million downloads.

• YouTube rolled out A/B tests for thumbnails and episode titles (Descript has a blog post about it). “We really have no way to prove these are related, but since trying A/B test, our podcast has +47% more views,” says Headliner in its newsletter. (Podnews readers get "buy one get one free")

• In France, ACPM released its podcast ranker for December.There were 30 million global downloads, seen by the 795 podcasts in the ranker - a 4% rise on a like-for-like basis when compared to December 2024. Radio Nova was the top publisher with 2.7mn downloads; Bababam was #2. The #1 podcast was HugoDécrypte, a news podcast for young people published multiple times a day by YouTuber Hugo Travers.

• In Spanish, AudioGen has published "the most relevant trends in the market in 2025 and the challenges for the year that has just begun". It’s a useful glimpse into six Spanish-speaking countries, and also impressive that Arielle Nissenblatt, who is also quoted, appears to speak fluent Spanish. Mañana en el Podfest nos aseguraremos de que de verdad habla el idioma, ya que será ponente y además ingresará en el Salón de la Fama.

• Where do most people listen to podcasts? At home. And is that number increasing? Yes - indeed, it’s at a new high, according to Edison Podcast Metrics.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Take a deep breath, settle in, and return to the present moment with A Zen Mind Guided Meditations. Each meditation is a gentle space to turn inward, release what no longer serves you, and reconnect with your truest self. Slow down, breathe deeply, and realign with clarity, wisdom, and peace.

From building investor-ready financial plans and creating winning pitch decks to understanding how data drives better decisions, Startup CFO Insights is your go-to guide to startup finance. The latest episode looks at fundraising expectations for 2026; in other episodes they break down complex financial topics into simple, practical insights you can actually use, based on real startup experience.

Super Sorry is the podcast about superhero apologies. Each episode this season hosts Amber and Todd review a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie and ask who messed up, who changed, and who maybe should have just said I’m sorry - all with a healthy dose of humor. And you get to learn about how you can use the power of apology in your everyday life. It kicks off with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

The Code Story podcast is releasing a new Season starting today, chock full of amazing episodes and interviews with the founders and builders themselves - telling us about their tech, their products… and their stories. Tune in for episode one today, with Dylan Ratcliffe of Overmind.