Spotify - podcast listening up 367%; also increases on Deezer

Spotify say that podcast listening on the platform is growing. “In Germany, podcast listening on Spotify has increased 150% year-on-year. Growth rates globally are 367%” The company also discusses video advertising within the app - it’s unclear whether this occurs around podcasting content.

Deezer reveals, too, that podcast listening is on the increase on their music platform. “Deezer users … can today access 23,000 podcasts. Podcast usage is growing rapidly, with a 199% increase in Deezer’s monthly streams in the UK and 146% worldwide since 2017.”

US research company Nielsen have released smart speaker research. 68% claim to use them to listen to the news; podcasting is not mentioned in the report’s press release.

Amanda McLoughlin writes about becoming a full-time podcaster, and why the recent announcements from Buzzfeed shouldn’t “doom us”. Eric Nuzum writes that The Rumors of Podcasting’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, saying “The bubble hasn’t burst because there wasn’t a bubble in the first place.”

Can Radio and Podcasting Come Together? asks Radio World, from the Radio Show. “Podcasting is popular with my generation, but they are also involved with radio. Cross-promotion is key, we need to develop more ways to get both sides to listen to the other.”

UK magazine The Spectator has launched an aggregation podcast, Spectator Radio. It contains all the company’s podcasts in one feed. You can also continue to subscribe to individual titles separately.

A new podcast app, Synth, which offers bite-sized podcasts, is looking for content creators; and will pay.

Midroll notes that Effective Podcast Ads Help Drive More Brand Business. “50% of listeners exposed to an ad within a podcast clip could recall the brand advertised, unaided.”

A new audio marketplace has launched in Ireland. i-Believe has inked a deal with AdsWizz.

Breaker now supports chapter marks.

PRX and PRI’s merger is resulting in some changes for employees, and some executives are stepping down.

In The Word From Mouth, Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg, the hosts of Girls Gotta Eat. After just 32 episodes already the podcast has achieved millions of downloads, multiple sold-out live audience shows.

A tweet from Rob Manuel.

Event: RAIN Summit Canada, Toronto ON, Canada, October 10.