When podcast analytics go bad

EXCLUSIVE: Are iHeartMedia really the number one short-form podcaster, as we reported on Dec 26? No, it would appear that they probably aren’t. After a lengthy investigation, we can reveal that the Podtrac figures are wrong - possibly thousands of times too large. Read our full investigation to discover what’s happening and how you can check your own podcast for the same error.

VentureBeat considers that 2017 was the year of the podcast. Paul Sawers particularly highlights the rush to invest in podcast companies, and quotes a podcast advertising company as saying their client spend has trebled year-on-year.

Interesting hyper-local podcast formats from Nashville TN, USA:

• 12South, the podcast of Nashville’s 12 South Neighborhood, is a less-than-two-minute weekly hyper-local podcast, produced by David Hooper of RED Podcast.
• WeHome is for Nashville’s Wedgewood Houston and Chestnut Hill, and consists of stories from neighbors there.

A feature on Beverley Wang, who hosts the Australian ABC’s It’s Not A Race podcast, which finished its second season last month.

Germany: an article in BasicThinking about tips on starting a podcast. (We covered podcast consumption in Germany back on Nov 24.)

A recommended podcast: Eat Sleep Work Repeat, a podcast about happiness and work culture, hosted by Bruce Daisley (who is also the European boss for Twitter).

Two podcast hosts have looked back at their year’s releases and activity - BluBrry and LibSyn.