Podcasters win at the 29th Webby Awards

• The Webby Awards ceremony took place last night in New York. Webby Award for Podcast of the Year went to hosts of The MeidasTouch Podcast (above), for “groundbreaking contributions to digital political commentary and cultural advocacy.” We link to all the winners.

• iHeartMedia released its Q1/25 earnings. Podcast revenue was $116mn, up 28% year-on-year - representing 14.3% of the company’s total revenue (this time last year, that was 11.3%). The company still has debt of $4.6bn. It plans $150mn of cost savings this year: 10% of those savings will come from the digital audio group (but 65% from the legacy broadcast division). In analysis, Chris Peterson says podcasting is driving the company.

• Buzzsprout has integrated its paid subscription tool with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, making it easier to produce premium or ad-free episodes.

• Podscribe released its May 2025 rankings for podcasts (Crime Junkie now reaches more people in audio than Joe Rogan), publishers (QCODE saw a 30% growth in monthly downloads and views), and - for the first time - podcast advertisers (BetterHelp is #1, but Uber Eats is new in the top 10 with a 700%+ growth).

• The IAB and MRC are working on Attention Measurement Guidelines, and the document is open for public comment.

• Meanwhile, a pending patent from Disctopia’s Patrick Hill was published in January, we’ve learnt. The patent describes a “system for distribution of content and analysis of content engagement”. It claims to measure how engaged a user is with the content they’re consuming.

• Flightpath has been selected by Impressions.fm for predictive analytics across its podcast portfolio.

• Podcast app Metacast has a new look, as well as some new features.

• Michael Tobin, the non-exec Chairman of Audioboom, has bought another £1,958,000 (US $2.6mn) in Audioboom shares. He now owns about 5.4% of the company.

• Bumper’s Jonas Woost says: Spotify plays are one more nail in the download’s coffin

• Justin Jackson asks “Will YouTube kill the podcasting industry”?

Moves and hires

• Libsyn hired a new VP of Technology. He’s Andy Wright, joining from digital innovation firm Robots & Pencils.

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• We Edit Podcasts: We Listened to 50 Corporate Podcasts. Here’s Why Most of Them Suck

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: What Should I Read Next? is the show for every reader who has ever finished a book and faced the problem of not knowing what to read next. Each week, Anne Bogel, of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy, interviews a reader about the books they love, the books they hate, and the books they’re reading now. Then, she makes recommendations about what to read next.

In One Minute Podcast Tips this week, host Danny Brown shares why you shouldn’t panic about the new public plays for on Spotify, what data you should be looking at, and why you should educate sponsors about these numbers.

In Calm History - true bedtime stories & trivia for relaxing or sleeping. this week, you’ll learn that the earliest female aviators were not airplane pilots, they were balloon pilots! Hear all about the high-flying adventures, dangers, and wild journeys of Gertrude Bacon in the latest episode of Calm History.

While Ben Shapiro’s height is hotly debated online, his length isn’t - The Ben Shapiro Show is normally about 50 minutes long. Until now: The Daily Wire announced that it’s now 30 minutes longer as of this week.

Adventures on Ahway Island invites curious kids to join a single, ongoing mystery filled with hidden secrets, curious clues, and a hint of magic. When Marie stumbles upon a strange paper in the library, she and her friends begin to unravel a mystery that could change everything they thought they knew about Ahway Island. Produced by the same team behind Be Calm on Ahway Island.

Money News Network launches Social Currency today, hosted by brand strategist and culture critic Sammi Cohen. Cohen will unpack the stories at the intersection of business and culture, with guests every Tuesday - like Brian Kelly (The Points Guy), Rea Ann Silva (Beautyblender) and Amy Liu (Tower 28 Beauty); and on Fridays, deep-dives into the brands that are breaking the internet and what listeners can learn from their virality.

In Gent’s Talk this week, host Samir Mourani sits down with ex-spy JJ Brun, who reveals How to Control Any Conversation.

Scribehound Gardening is new today, with James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift. Whether you want the lowdown on what’s really going on at the Chelsea flower show to where on earth gnomes come from, James and Joe can help. They are also on hand to answer your gardening questions and conundrums.