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Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Blubrry Podcasting has announced an exclusive partnership with Podpage - replacing its own landing pages with a website from Podpage, giving creators access to a significantly more powerful and customisable online presence. Here’s an example for Podcast Insider.
Triton Digital released its Q1 2026 US Podcast Ranker, which reveals that comedy is the #1 podcast category, seeing a significant increase in the quarter. Pod Save America is #1 by average weekly downloads.
Digital audio in the US is already worth Brazil’s entire digital ad market, writes Rodrigo Tigre for Podnews today. In spite of 92% of Brazilians consuming some form of audio every month, audio spend in the country is so small, it doesn’t even appear in the latest IAB figures. But, says the co-founder of Ozen.fm, it could take very little to move the needle in audio’s favour.
Podcast hosting company Captivate has enabled HLS support in the alternate enclosure. This will allow video to be visible in podcast apps that support it, like Podcast Addict, Fountain, Truefans, and others. There’s a little tag to turn on under your video podcast settings.
Magellan AI released its Podcast advertising benchmarks for Q1/26. Podcast ad spend increased 28% year-on-year, and it also reports that ad load decreased from 8.79% in Q4 to 8.24% in Q1. It’s a free download.
✅There's More: HERE
The world of podcasting is travelling to London for The Podcast Show, which has revealed its full programme of speakers. Delegates from more than 50 countries will attend, and the show has added two new spaces for international visitors. There are more than 450 speakers and 170 sessions.
In the UK, Sky News is to launch Sky News Insider, a £2.99/month subscription for ad-free access, bonus episodes and early releases. It’s the first time Sky News has launched an additive, paid-for news product. The company is using our sponsor Supporting Cast to sell podcast subscriptions.
Flightcast has announced support for video on Apple Podcasts, and HLS video through the alternate enclosure, at no extra cost for all customers. The enterprise video podcast host is not charging for additional bandwidth or hosting to enable this feature, and all existing episodes have been pre-processed for customers on the platform, meaning they can enable Apple Podcasts video with no delay.
The winners were announced for the 2026 Women Podcasters Awards. The awards recognize outstanding women-led podcasts and podcast professionals across a wide range of categories.
Monday, May 18, 2026
The world of podcasting is travelling to London for The Podcast Show, which has revealed its full programme of speakers. Delegates from more than 50 countries will attend, and the show has added two new spaces for international visitors. There are more than 450 speakers and 170 sessions.
- The results of the Podnews Report Card will be revealed in the first session at 9.15am on Wednesday. Our Editor, James Cridland, says that the report reveals that apps and platforms that continue investing in new features and good discoverability are prized by podcast creators.
In the UK, Sky News is to launch Sky News Insider, a £2.99/month subscription for ad-free access, bonus episodes and early releases. It’s the first time Sky News has launched an additive, paid-for news product. The company is using our sponsor Supporting Cast to sell podcast subscriptions.
Flightcast has announced support for video on Apple Podcasts, and HLS video through the alternate enclosure, at no extra cost for all customers. The enterprise video podcast host is not charging for additional bandwidth or hosting to enable this feature, and all existing episodes have been pre-processed for customers on the platform, meaning they can enable Apple Podcasts video with no delay.
The winners were announced for the 2026 Women Podcasters Awards. The awards recognize outstanding women-led podcasts and podcast professionals across a wide range of categories.
✅There's More: HERE
Spotify’s Megaphone, and Spotify for Creators, are to support video for podcasts published on Apple Podcasts. The two companies were the only large podcast hosts not to announce support for HLS video when Apple announced it earlier in the year. No pricing has been given. It doesn’t change how video works on Spotify, however: the company still requires videos to be uploaded directly for playback on the Spotify app.
At a big YouTube event called Brandcast, a number of YouTube-exclusive shows were announced, including four new shows from Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network. YouTube announced a number of new features for advertisers.
The NZ Podcast Summit last weekend was the last, the organiser, Lewis Tennant, announced. It was the fifth annual event. It leaves both Australia and New Zealand without a focused podcast conference.
Where are Inception Point AI hosting their entirely-AI-produced shows these days? After leaving Spreaker last week, Spotify’s Megaphone is now the company’s podcast host. Podnews understands that Inception Point AI is not monetising its podcasts through SPAN, Spotify’s audience network, and that there are no plans to enable SPAN for their shows.
Friday, May 15, 2026
Spotify’s Megaphone, and Spotify for Creators, are to support video for podcasts published on Apple Podcasts. The two companies were the only large podcast hosts not to announce support for HLS video when Apple announced it earlier in the year. No pricing has been given. It doesn’t change how video works on Spotify, however: the company still requires videos to be uploaded directly for playback on the Spotify app.
- The company also announced live partners for Spotify Video Distribution (which allows your podcast host to directly upload video for you into Spotify). Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans, and Podspace are all live with the feature today. Spotify Video Distribution was announced in January; Acast and Omny Studio were both highlighted as launch partners then, but aren’t yet live. Spotify is now explicit in the FAQ that if you change your mind, you can transition your show back to an audio-only RSS feed - but the company warns you, you’ll lose all video uploads.
At a big YouTube event called Brandcast, a number of YouTube-exclusive shows were announced, including four new shows from Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network. YouTube announced a number of new features for advertisers.
The NZ Podcast Summit last weekend was the last, the organiser, Lewis Tennant, announced. It was the fifth annual event. It leaves both Australia and New Zealand without a focused podcast conference.
Where are Inception Point AI hosting their entirely-AI-produced shows these days? After leaving Spreaker last week, Spotify’s Megaphone is now the company’s podcast host. Podnews understands that Inception Point AI is not monetising its podcasts through SPAN, Spotify’s audience network, and that there are no plans to enable SPAN for their shows.
- For migrated shows that Podnews sampled, all disclosures that the content is produced by AI have been removed from episode and show notes. Some shows have no disclosure in the audio, either. Spotify is currently evaluating how AI shows up across the platform, including questions around transparency and disclosure; but Apple Podcasts guidelines have a clear requirement (11.1) to prominently disclose the use of AI. We asked Apple Podcasts why Inception Point AI shows were still appearing in its directory - which feeds other apps - when they are in contravention of Apple’s content guidelines. Apple Podcasts acknowledged our question, but did not get back to us.
✅There's More: HERE
Sir Paul McCartney is the guest on two Goalhanger shows this week - The Rest is Entertainment (asking questions from listeners) and The Rest is History (going into more detail on Sir Paul’s life). For noting - the shows were released to paid members early; and it’s smart to get double the exposure by using two shows on the network. (He has a new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, out May 29).
Exclusive: DAX US and Captivate have announced a new unified monetisation suite for US creators. Captivate creators will gain streamlined access to integrated monetization tools through Captivate’s Ad Marketplace, powered by DAX’s programmatic advertising capabilities. Rob Walch, VP of Podcast Relations, said it was “a meaningful step forward in simplifying podcast monetization for creators”.
First look: Short-form audio documentary series Short Cuts is to return, as a collaboration between the BBC, CBC and ABC Australia. The show’s producers, Falling Tree Productions, has announced a call for pitches. A multi award-winner, each episode features a selection of short documentaries exploring a wide range of subjects through inventive and highly crafted audio.
As the podcast industry plans to descend on London next week, a reminder that just buying “international spots” is probably not a great plan, suggests Oxford Road, which has a number of insights on how to buy into international podcast markets - and the 15 top performing international podcasts. It’s part of the data from ORBIT, the company’s advertising performance data.
Exclusive: Amazon Music begins rolling out video podcasts from today. Video podcasts will initially be available for customers in the US on iOS and Android, across all subscription tiers. A spokesperson told us: “In today’s rapidly evolving podcast landscape, video has emerged as an increasingly essential format for creators and their audiences. With more consumers engaging with video podcasts of their favorite shows, Amazon Music is introducing an integrated video podcast experience for customers, making it simpler for customers to watch a selection of their favorite podcasts without leaving the app. This early experience will help us gather valuable customer feedback to shape and enhance the experience.”
Acast claims its the first to monetise Apple Podcasts’ HLS video, signing campaigns with State Farm and T-Mobile. The company says that 117 shows have already enabled Acast’s Apple HLS integration, with over 1,000 video episodes published to date (on Acast, access to video is currently invite-only). HLS video with Apple Podcasts, like with Amazon Music, remains hosted by podcast hosts like Acast.
At The Podcast Show in London next week Flightpath will unveil Revenue Optimizer, a tool that is built to ensure that publishers maximise the available revenue from advertising campaigns in their shows. (Brand Stage, Wed, 2pm)
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Exclusive: DAX US and Captivate have announced a new unified monetisation suite for US creators. Captivate creators will gain streamlined access to integrated monetization tools through Captivate’s Ad Marketplace, powered by DAX’s programmatic advertising capabilities. Rob Walch, VP of Podcast Relations, said it was “a meaningful step forward in simplifying podcast monetization for creators”.
First look: Short-form audio documentary series Short Cuts is to return, as a collaboration between the BBC, CBC and ABC Australia. The show’s producers, Falling Tree Productions, has announced a call for pitches. A multi award-winner, each episode features a selection of short documentaries exploring a wide range of subjects through inventive and highly crafted audio.
As the podcast industry plans to descend on London next week, a reminder that just buying “international spots” is probably not a great plan, suggests Oxford Road, which has a number of insights on how to buy into international podcast markets - and the 15 top performing international podcasts. It’s part of the data from ORBIT, the company’s advertising performance data.
✅There's More: HERE
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Exclusive: Amazon Music begins rolling out video podcasts from today. Video podcasts will initially be available for customers in the US on iOS and Android, across all subscription tiers. A spokesperson told us: “In today’s rapidly evolving podcast landscape, video has emerged as an increasingly essential format for creators and their audiences. With more consumers engaging with video podcasts of their favorite shows, Amazon Music is introducing an integrated video podcast experience for customers, making it simpler for customers to watch a selection of their favorite podcasts without leaving the app. This early experience will help us gather valuable customer feedback to shape and enhance the experience.”
- Amazon Music is initially launching video podcasts with Amazon’s ART19, and has plans to expand to additional partners later this summer. Initial shows with video include Higher Ground’s IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, and Dear Media’s Khloé in Wonder Land, Not Skinny But Not Fat and Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari. ART19 and Amazon Music will work directly with creators and publishers to provide instructions on how to make their videos available on Amazon Music.
- Podnews is told that the app will use HLS video, including support for HLS multivariate playlists via an alternate enclosure in RSS. Videos remain hosted by the creator’s podcast hosting company. A company spokesperson told us that the approach “maintains an open RSS ecosystem, meaning podcast creators retain full control over their hosting, ad inventory monetization, and audience targeting.” There is no private API to submit video, and Amazon Music is not charging podcast creators or networks for access to video distribution. A number of podcast hosting companies offering video have already said that they aim to support video delivery using the alternate enclosure.
Acast claims its the first to monetise Apple Podcasts’ HLS video, signing campaigns with State Farm and T-Mobile. The company says that 117 shows have already enabled Acast’s Apple HLS integration, with over 1,000 video episodes published to date (on Acast, access to video is currently invite-only). HLS video with Apple Podcasts, like with Amazon Music, remains hosted by podcast hosts like Acast.
At The Podcast Show in London next week Flightpath will unveil Revenue Optimizer, a tool that is built to ensure that publishers maximise the available revenue from advertising campaigns in their shows. (Brand Stage, Wed, 2pm)
- Muck Rack, a communications platform, will also be speaking at The Podcast Show. The company has joined Sounds Profitable’s Partner Network, and will be alongside Sounds Profitable’s Head of Communications, Molly DeMellier, on “The New Word of Mouth: Podcasts, Earned Media, and AI Search.”
✅There's More: HERE
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