The biggest shows become bigger still

• The biggest shows are getting even bigger, according to new research from Edison Podcast Metrics UK, presented at The Podcast Show London. In 2023, to reach 50% of all podcast listeners, you would need to advertise on the top 43 shows. But two years later, you only need the top 27 shows to reach half of all podcast listeners. The data was part of a preview of the upcoming UK Podcast Consumer 2026, to be released later this summer; the US version will be unveiled next week in a free webinar.

• SpotsNow has launched an Advertiser Campaign Planner, to help advertisers build a high-quality host-read campaign on the right shows for their brands. The tool is free, and is available from today.

• 51% of RSS.com’s podcasters are recording video in some form, according to a new insights survey published by the podcast host. A majority of them say that video has helped grow their audience. The full results are published on their website.

• Australia is to get a new awards for podcasts, radio, audiobooks and voice-overs. Sonarr, backed by training organisation AFTRS, is to have 35 categories, a practitioner-led judging panel, and a formal gala dinner in October.

• An Australian independent podcast is going on a national tour. The show, Lamestream, is celebrating its twelve month anniversary; we covered its launch last year.

• Adam Bowie looks at the UK podcast landscape from a data point of view - durations, ages of the hosts, loudness, video availability, sentiment analysis, and plenty more. He notes that 72% of the hosts of the top 25 shows were male. (49% of the British population is male).

• Congratulations to Sport Social, which won the Sales Team of the year award at the Campaign Audio Advertising Awards in the UK. The company also won the Best Host Read Ad for a campaign with Topps Trading Cards. Sadly, the Campaign Audio Advertising Awards is behind Campaign’s paywall, so any other winners are a secret.

• Further reading:

  • Many successful podcasts are hosted by recovering addicts and alcoholics. In Podcast Review, host and producer Michael Osbourne examines the impact of the 12 Steps on the medium.
  • Sometimes, some of the biggest shows can sound poor. In his newsletter, John McDermott fingers Strike Force Five - reunited for the end of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show - for sounding “like garbage”. (Without a script, a producer, any discipline from the talent or any real plan, it was recorded on lapel microphones for video in one of Colbert’s echoey offices).

The Tech Stuff - with RSS.com

• The Podcast Standard Project had a successful meeting in London during The Podcast Show. The blog post covers the four proposals that came out of the meeting, especially a way to securely sign video requests (to avoid downloads of video files by unidentified apps and bots).

• It’s always difficult to link to podcasts - you can link to a website, but that won’t help you subscribe in your podcast app unless there’s a clear button for that specific app; or, you can link to an RSS feed, but that can look like technical junk if you load one in your web browser. Step forward Yeldar Kudaibergen, who has had a brainwave to make it easier to follow podcasts directly. He’s built DirectFlow - which uses the auto-discover RSS feed already on your podcast’s website. It works great with QR codes, too - which can take you to the podcast’s website if scanned in the normal way, but if scanned in a DirectFlow-enabled podcast app, would just subscribe. All Podnews podcast pages already support DirectFlow, as do most podcast websites.

Our Editor is an advisor to RSS.com, which appears in a story today. Disclosures

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• If the transcripts in Apple Podcasts don’t spell your name very well, you might want to produce your own. Here’s how Apple Podcasts transcripts work.
• Found a random new podcast app, and want to see its user-agent? Here’s how to do that.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: The Box of Oddities delves into the strange and mysterious aspects of our world, exploring topics ranging from bizarre medical conditions to unsolved mysteries, and from paranormal phenomena to strange cultural practices from around the world. Today - the woman locked in darkness for 24 years.

On the New Media Show last week - Rob Greenlee was joined by Inception Point AI’s Jeanine Wright, and Robert Scoble.

The Media Club with Matt Deegan was recorded at The Podcast Show London last week. The show focuses on “the pivot to video”.

An all new ALFsplaining for every single day of this week? It seems a ridiculous idea but its true! After a short break, Ben Baker and John Matthews are back to 'splain the final five episodes of this run with booming babies, a tribute to the golden silents, thieving mothers, a ghostly tale and earthquakes to contend with. Plus an interview with a regular ALF cast member too, from the hit 80s TV show.

Alex Sanfilippo from PodMatch joins Buzzcast to give his top tips for landing guest spots on other podcasts, including how to build the perfect guest profile, craft a pitch that stands out, and make it easy for other podcast hosts to say yes!

Podcasts in the wild

• Podnews reader James enjoyed a free coffee thanks to Acast from a coffee shop outside The Podcast Show’s venue in London.

See any marketing for podcasts in the real world? Snap’em and send’em to us.