YouTube puts “podcasts” on the front page

• YouTube is adding a dedicated “Podcast” tab on the main screen of its Android TV app, thus highlighting more podcast content to YouTube’s biggest number of users - TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US. As with its podcasts page on the web, though, it contains plenty of content which appears to have been automatically marked as being a podcast, including news reports.

  • YouTube is currently “the US’s preferred podcast service”, said Edison Research in October. It unveils its latest Infinite Dial study this Thursday in a free webinar, co-presented by Edison’s Megan Lasovick, and Podnews Editor, James Cridland. One of us doesn’t own a single pair of bluetooth headphones.

• Podscribe rankings for March show that The MeidasTouch Podcast has almost twice the downloads and views of Joe Rogan (121mn vs 64mn).

• Edison Research has launched a Download Metrics service, partnering with SoundStack. Edison says that the service works alongside its Edison Podcast Metrics survey to “provide deeper information to subscribers, especially for smaller and short-run shows”. The solution is IAB v2.2 compliant.

• Podcast Super Fans are Super Spenders, suggests a new report from Audacy.

• PRX’s Dovetail has added support for the upcoming podcast:follow tag. You can see it in the feed for Radiotopia Presents. Podnews will support the tag in a few weeks.

• Pocket Casts appears to be considering generating its own transcripts for its app. Part of the release notes for the forthcoming v7.85 of the app adds a “remote feature flag for generated transcripts”, allowing that feature to be turned on later. The app currently supports creator-made transcripts, using the podcast:transcript tag.

• Pushkin Industries has a ratified union contract, says the Writers Guild of America East. It includes a minimum salary of $73,000 and protections against AI.

• Michelle Obama’s new podcast is called IMO. EurWeb reports on a UK podcast called In My Opinion, the hosts of which are grumpy at the same name being used. They have trademarked the name - but only in the UK. The Podcast Index has 261 shows called “my opinion”, 75 shows called “in my opinion”, and 30 called “IMO”.

• Our odd podcast downloads are still occurring - seemingly automated audio files, all requested by Android devices, all requested in Malaysia or Indonesia, and all connected somehow to Google News’s audio briefing. We’ve found the right department in Google: they say they are looking into it, but haven’t asked for any further detail.

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella doesn’t listen to podcasts like you do. GeekWire quotes him on the Minus One podcast: “The best way for me to consume podcasts is not to actually go listen to it but to have a conversation with the transcript on my commute using Copilot.” Funny, because we’ve found that the best way to experience Microsoft products is not to use them, too.

Moves and hires

• Kelli Turner, who has been acting as Interim President and CEO for Audacy since January, is now permanently in that role, Audacy has announced. Chris Oliviero has been hired as Chief Business Officer, and Bob Philips as Chief Revenue Officer.

• The Audacy changes also mean some leave the company. Chief Digital Officer and President, Podcast & Streaming, JD Crowley, says it’s “time to move on to my next chapter” - also announced as leaving are Chief Operating Officer Susan Larkin, Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman, and Executive Vice President and General Counsel Andrew Sutor. Additionally, Digital Sales Manager in the West, Yvonne Lacey, says her position has been eliminated.

She Leads with CARE

Paid content

She Leads with CARE is a limited podcast series hosted by actress and producer Bellamy Young. Join Bellamy to learn about the difference we can make in our own lives – and the lives of those around us – when we care.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Daria Khrystenko had to leave her home, her father, and her grandmother behind to find safety for her young son and her mother. 

As a teacher, Daria knew the importance of stability and education, especially for children displaced by war. Fleeing to Poland, she found purpose again by working with CARE to help Ukrainian children integrate into Polish schools.

Through this work, Daria ensures that children forced to leave everything behind can find a sense of normalcy, hope, and belonging. In this episode, actress and CARE Ambassador Bellamy Young speaks with Daria about her experience as a refugee, the resilience of Ukrainian families, and the power of education in crisis.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tips and tricks - with Pod Predictor by Coleman Insights

• Above, a UK podcaster is grumpy at Michelle Obama using a similar name. They’ve trademarked it in the UK, but we figured out that a US trademark would be better - so we got that instead.

• Podcast Discovery writes How to Choose Between Dynamic Ads and Host-Read Ads for Your Podcasts.

• Podcast Strategy gets an extra 4,000 downloads by changing the publish date of an old episode to today’s date, thus putting it at the top of peoples’ listen lists. (Clever? Or tricking your audience?)

• Are you smiling in your podcast artwork? Ads for hotels and hospitality show a 21% increase in sales with pictures of smiling people, rather than serious ones. Would the same work for your show?

Podcast News - with Airwave History +

With Airwave: History Dispatches is new on Airwave History +. A daily history show hosted by father and son duo Matt and McKinley Breen, it covers people, places, events and even objects from throughout history.

Why shouldn’t a podcast app have a podcast? Fanzone is your bite-size guide to getting the most out of the TrueFans podcast app. In each episode Sam Sethi and Claire Waite Brown discuss an aspect of the app and answer any questions you may have about it. When you listen to Fanzone in TrueFans, you can earn as you listen: and use your earnings to support your favourite podcasters.

Verdict with Ted Cruz has a special guest of Elon Musk. It’s a discussion about D.O.G.E. and the first 50 days of the Trump Administration. They talked about issues related to waste and fraud being apparently addressed by D.O.G.E., the challenges Musk faces in this new role, the future with AI and robots, and more.

The US Manufacturing Today podcast is your go-to hub for manufacturing and distribution industry news. Brought to you by Veryable, this podcast looks at the latest shifts in US manufacturing - what is changing, what is happening, and how it impacts you today. It’s hosted by Matt Horine, who also interviews industry experts to get first hand accounts from those who live the industry, day in and day out.

In POSSIBLE Now, Global President & Co-Founder of POSSIBLE, Christian Muche, talks with the brightest visionaries who are redefining the worlds of marketing, culture, and technology. The first guest in this new show is Michael Kassan, who dives into bold predictions on AI, the future of marketing, and building 3C Ventures.

F1 is back, and Grand Pricks gets up to speed with the 2025 F1 season. Join Nav, Issy and Reem as they react to the first race of the year, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne - with a rundown of the qualifying session (in qualifying time!) and then deep dive into the chaotic race that took place in Albert Park. New episodes will be available after every race this season.