Spotify opens its wallet again: but now, for video

• Thought Spotify had stopped spending the big bucks on content? Think again: the company is making offers, reaching seven figures, to “encourage video-oriented creators to distribute their shows to the platform in addition to YouTube”, according to a new scoop from Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman. She points out that when you upload videos to the service, it pulls audio from the video file, rather than the RSS feed (thus cutting out dynamically inserted ads).

• The BBC is doubling-down on its podcast windowing strategy. It’s to make more of its podcast episodes available exclusively first behind a registration wall on the BBC Sounds app - usually for a week (seven days) or a month (28 days) - and only then publish on open RSS. The BBC claims a successful 18-month trial, which it says attracted 218,000 listeners to use BBC Sounds (4.3% of the total audience); but it also admits that the majority of listeners still use open RSS to listen. The BBC was the first UK broadcaster to embrace podcasting, in November 2004, but has since retreated from the open internet.

  • The BBC is funded by a mandatory TV licence of £169.50 (US$220) a year, and by advertising and programme sales outside the UK. Recently unveiled plans to include advertising on podcasts within the UK have been heavily criticised.

• Google’s NotebookLM now “lets you listen to a conversation about your sources” - taking a full set of articles and turning it into a “lively conversation”, or as we might call it, a podcast. We asked it to take our popular article explaining podcast stats. And the 7-minute result is really quite impressive. Worth a listen.

  • It totally hallucinates the difference between a download and a listen - but we like its description of a download being “people who RSVP to a party saying they’ll be there”, but a listen being “people who actually turn up”.

• Podcast platform Podeo has put its podcasts into taxis across the UAE, reaching millions of monthly passengers in the country - just in time for Dubai PodFest on Sep 30.

• Tip: If you link to Deezer from your podcast website, its logo is a purple “beating heart” - here’s its branding website. If you’re still using a kind of coloured equaliser thing, stop it, we’re all laughing at you, boomer - they stopped using that in November last year.

Thank you to Andy Bowers who became a personal supporter this week. Co-founder of Spooler, and previous co-founder of Megaphone, founder of Slate Podcasts and Pinna, we’re proud of his support. Thank you! You can become like Andy here.

Tips and tricks - with Ausha 🚀

• Download 6 free podcast planner templates for your show from Ausha to keep your show consistent in publishing.

• Check out Ausha’s 10 tips for a successful podcast launch strategy

• When is the best day and time to release your podcast? Podcast Marketing Puzzle has an answer - and some research into what the big shows do.

  • For what it matters, our advice is: “let your listener build a habit”. So that means releasing it at a consistent day and time - and probably avoiding “every third Thursday” type random releases.

Podcast News

The Podnews Weekly Review this week talks to Steve Pratt, the author of the new book “Earn It: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers”, and discusses the importance of earning attention in the modern digital landscape. We also hear about Buzzsprout’s new websites, and someone rings Sam’s doorbell. (Full interviews in the Podnews Extra feed).

The Media Club with Matt Deegan is the new name for The Media Podcast, the weekly show about UK media. The show, one of the UK’s longest-running podcasts, has been given a new look, new website and a new episode today. It’s produced by Rethink Audio and the rebrand was managed by Podcast Discovery.

Al Jazeera has launched its first video podcast. Now You Know is hosted by Samantha Johnson, and amplifies women’s voices globally. The show covers topics such as women’s experiences in film, sports, health, and important social issues. The network plans to launch three video podcasts this year.

A new podcast launched yesterday aims to challenge stereotypes of Asian and Asian Americans. Aconic is hosted by Soon Yu, and will talk to guests who have seen success including the roadblocks, misfires, frustrations, and failures they faced and their seminal moments of vulnerability, hope, perseverance, and achievement.

The Stop & Talk podcast is celebrating its first anniversary. Hosted by Grant Oliphant of the Prebys Foundation, the show dives deep into the themes of purpose and opportunity, guided by the insights of leaders in the arts and culture, sports, philanthropy, finance, and innovation fields.