SmartLess to jump to SiriusXM for $100mn

• SiriusXM has signed a multi-year agreement with SmartLess. The deal is reportedly worth $100mn over the next three years. New episodes of SmartLess will not be exclusive, but will publish one week early on the platform, as in the previous deal with Amazon’s Wondery, who spent around $80mn in June 2021. The deal was, again, brokered by CAA.

• AI-powered audio service Wondercraft has raised $3m in funding. “The technology enables anyone to create studio-quality audio productions in any language, by simply typing.” Included in the investors is Steven Bartlett, the host of Diary of a CEO. The former COO of Acast, Oskar Serrander, is a co-founder. Hacker News Recap is an example AI-generated podcast from the company.

  • We’ll have an interview with co-founder Oskar Serrander in the Podnews Weekly Review this Friday.

• MIDiA is looking for creators or executives in the podcast (or music) industries to take part in the research company’s 2024 DSP Survey. You’ll get a free copy of a research report, and also get the chance to win $1,000. It takes five minutes.

• Acast has entered into a strategic partnership with European digital advertising platform Azerion to help Acast’s presence in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Greece. It will “fuel Acast’s growth in regions where it doesn’t have a physical presence or is in its early stages”.

• In Canada, CBC has launched seven new local podcasts from CBC News.

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• Linkfire is now giving access to Engaged Listeners data from Apple Podcasts. It remains the only third-party promotional tool with analytics data direct from Apple.

• The Future of Media Exhibition, FOMEX, is to take place in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia next month. The International Radio Festival will be part of the exhibition and conference.

• Yesterday, we mentioned that Apple Podcasts had mistakenly included Libsyn as a company supporting Podcasting 2.0’s transcripts feature. Libsyn had criticised the standard and clarified it didn’t support the feature. Today, we note they’ve disappeared from the list - along with Acast, Firstory, Pinecast, Podigee, Simplecast, Ximalaya and ZenCast. (We think Fireside and Pinecast support transcripts, incidentally).

Moves and hires

• Morgan Swift has been promoted to Senior Manager of Marketing and Audience Development at The Podglomerate. She’s been with the company for two years.

• Jen Simons has been hired as Chief Content Officer at Silver Tribe Media. She joins from 100 Thieves and Barstool Sports. Lagen Nash has been confirmed as Chief Revenue Officer, joining from Misfits Gaming Group.

Tips and tricks - with Patreon + Spotify

• Want an embedded podcast player for your website? Our examples page now includes the Elfsight Podcast Player, which is now IAB compliant by default.

• Thinking of Starting a Podcast? Here Are 7 Things to Know (RSS.com)

Podcast News - with Airwave

From Airwave: A Mindful Moment offers a way to stay present to life and to increase our ability to remain calm, think clearly and maintain our well-being. Many studies indicate mindfulness improves our mental, emotional and physical health. The podcast host has a master’s degree in psychology, is a certified mindfulness meditation facilitator, a transformation coach and the CEO of Work2Live Well.

Airwave podcast History That Doesn’t Suck is doing a live adaptation this weekend at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore CA, USA: you’ll get a factual account of the nation’s history from 1754 to 1865 (but it’ll be entertaining, too).

Unscripted television is growing like never before - and Reality Life with Kate Casey is a daily podcast about unscripted television with almost a million downloads per month and over 880 episodes. Kate interviews the talent, producers, and directors of reality shows, documentaries and series - with six episodes each week.

Leadership Discoveries is new from MaxPodcasting - looking at executive leaders who stay inspired and keep moving the business forward. Dr. Shirley Kavanagh talks with top global leaders and experts on leading with integrity, overcoming adversity, and developing other leaders; the first guest is AstraZeneca & Inizio Biotech executive Dean McAlister.

NHL Wraparound Podcast is new today from Produce Your Podcast, featuring Neil Smith, President-General Manager of the 1994 Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers and longtime ESPN/NHL veteran Vic Morren sharing no-nonsense opinions on news and issues around the National Hockey League. The show is a comprehensive view of the NHL, covering historical perspectives, current gameplay, and future trends.

Looking for positive ideas to help fix things? So, now what? is new today from Gates Cambridge - and is for anyone looking for ideas, vision and optimism about how we can practically tackle some of the world’s most complex and challenging problems. We’ll hear from people who share the actions they are taking to change the world for the better.

YEA Networks has launched Hold My Crown with Nia Sanchez - hosted by Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez, and her husband Daniel Booko. Sanchez will also be on The Valley, a new reality show on Bravo, this Spring; and the show promises engaging discussions on pageants, pop culture, parenting, relationships, and beyond. “Life’s lessons just got a whole lot more fascinating,” we’re told.