Sounds Profitable

Today in the business of podcasting...Podcast Audience Growth & Non-Listener Research: Tom Webster's new Podcast Landscape data reveals that the 25% of U.S. adults who have never listened to a podcast are best reached via YouTube and Facebook, and respond better to topic-driven messaging than format or technology-focused promotion.Apple Podcasts HLS Video Distribution Update: Apple's iOS 26.4 update expands HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) video podcast support, adding hosting platforms Podspace, Riverside, Ausha, and Firstory to its growing list of approved Apple Podcasts distribution partners.Podcast Awards & Creator Recognition: As digital creators push for mainstream recognition alongside Hollywood talent, the podcast industry continues to build its own awards ecosystem — including The Ambies, the iHeartPodcast Awards, and the newly launched Indie Podcast and Creator Awards, debuted at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW 2026.Content Strategy & Discoverability in Podcasting: Steve Raizes argues in his new Media, Built newsletter that great podcast content must be "built to travel" — integrating marketing and communication strategy from creation to distribution in order to drive audience growth and reach.Marketing Podcast Awards & Industry Recognition: The Marketing Podcast Network has launched the MPN Awards, an annual awards show celebrating top marketing podcasts available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with nominations open through April 30 and a livestream ceremony planned for June.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Click here to read the report. A look at who makes up the 25% of U.S. adults who have never consumed a podcast. Tom Webster examines the 25% of U.S. adults who have never listened to a podcast, drawing on data from a 5,000-person Podcast Landscape study. The holdouts skew older, female, and lower-income, with key barriers including lack of awareness, format misperceptions, and limited word-of-mouth in homogeneous communities. Webster identifies actionable strategies for podcast discovery and audience growth, including YouTube outreach, Facebook marketing, radio advertising, and Spanish-language content development.Written by Tom WebsterEdited by Gavin GaddisText and audio edited by Gavin GaddisFind the full article here on Sounds Profitable.

Today in the business of podcasting...Spotify Layoffs Hit Podcast Division: Spotify cut 15 employees from its podcasting sector this week, with The Ringer and Spotify Studios bearing the brunt of the reductions — and New York, New York With John Jastremski being canceled. If the news has you thinking about your next move, the Sounds Profitable job board is free to use and updated daily with new podcast industry opportunities.Barometer and AdsWizz Bring Episode-Level Brand Suitability to Podcast Advertising: SiriusXM Media has expanded its partnership with Barometer and AdsWizz to deliver episode-level brand suitability targeting across the SiriusXM Podcast Network. Unlike keyword-blocking tools built for text, Barometer's technology analyzes tone, sentiment, and contextual intent in spoken-word audio — giving advertisers more precise, nuanced brand safety controls across AudioServe, AudioMatic, and AudioMax.YouTube Launches AI-Powered Creator Partnerships Suite Ahead of IAB NewFronts: YouTube has unveiled Creator Partnerships, a Gemini-powered toolkit designed to help brands discover creators and automate campaign management from matchmaking through execution. Influencer marketing experts say the platform will be a particular boon for mid-funnel creators looking to grow brand deal revenue and expand their audience reach.Veteran Podcasters Are Calling It Quits as the Industry Matures: A wave of established podcasters — including The Try Guys, Barstool's KFC Radio, and Celebrity Memoir Book Club — have shut down their shows in the past year, citing everything from video podcast production burnout to intensifying competition with celebrity-hosted shows. To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

New data shows podcast ads beat radio, live TV and streaming for brand reach and credibility. Goalhanger unveils a fund offering UK creators up to £10,000 plus mentorship and production support. A debate over attention versus reach spotlights branded microdramas and audio fiction as ad opportunities. Publishing stats explode past four million books, challenging the "too many podcasts" narrative.

Apple announced new HLS video hosts and a near-term iOS release that adds video support. A podcast conference integrated with SXSW delivered big keynotes, live recordings, and industry awards. A studio made full multi-platform attribution free for advertisers. Amazon and Spotify paired up to open programmatic audio and video buying in Australia.

Today in the business of podcasting:• Podnews reports Apple Podcasts' HLS video update is expected to arrive with iOS 26.4, with a release candidate already posted. John Spurlock estimates a launch window of March 25 to March 30, greeting users with a splash screen highlighting the new video podcasting features.• A new Nielsen Audio Today report finds podcasts add 5.6% incremental reach on top of radio's 88.8% among 18- to 34-year-olds, yet Nielsen says marketers are still undervaluing podcast ROI despite performance comparable to TV and digital display.• Sounds Profitable Partner and Podcast Movement President Bryan Barletta reflects on Evolutions' debut as a fully integrated SXSW event, framing Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable as connective tissue providing the podcast industry with opportunity, research, and visibility within the wider media ecosystem.• IAB Australia has named the Future of Measurement a 2026 strategic focus area, launching an industry research initiative accepting participants across media owners, agencies, and brands ahead of the MeasureUp conference in Sydney on September 2.• California Attorney General Rob Bonta appeared on Scalable this week to discuss the ongoing social media addiction trial against Meta and YouTube, AI regulation, and the planned Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. A special episode filmed on location at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW. To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Bryan Barletta reflects on Podcast Movement Evolutions’ first year at SXSW and what it means for the industry going forward.Podcast Movement Evolutions made its debut at SXSW in Austin, bringing the podcast industry to the center of the global creator economy conversation with keynotes from YouTube and Apple, live recordings, and top creators like Steven Bartlett, Tim Ferriss, and Hala Taha. From indie podcast awards to industry research reveals, the event proved that podcasting is driving the future of the creator industry — and Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement are the connective tissue making it all happen."Written by Bryan BarlettaEdited by Molly DeMillier and Gavin GaddisText and audio edited by Gavin GaddisLearn more about partnership with Sounds Profitable.Read the full Business of Podcasting stage session schedule for Advertising Week Europe here.Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.

Today in the business of podcasting:Amazon Ads and Spotify have partnered to give Australian advertisers programmatic access to Spotify's audio and video inventory through Amazon DSP, combining Amazon's shopping and streaming data with Spotify's 751 million monthly listeners for full-funnel campaign planning in a single solution.Tom Fox argues rural podcasters are positioned to fill the civic void left by shrinking public media, with local institutions like community banks, colleges, and small businesses having a genuine stake in supporting trusted local audio platforms beyond just buying ad space.Podcasting had a strong showing at SXSW 2026 with over 20 official sessions featuring voices like Kara Swisher, Scott Galloway, and Brené Brown, while highlights included Tiger Sisters explaining how they built Spotify's No. 1 business podcast from a kitchen-table show, TikTok and iHeartMedia announcing a new podcast network, and Rhett and Link discussing why they quietly ended Ear Biscuits.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:Table Read, a fiction podcast featuring award-winning actors performing unproduced film and TV scripts, completed its first-ever live recording at Podcast Movement Evolutions last week. Jack Levy has a new essay reflecting on how consistency and execution can elevate something from a tool to a medium all of its own. AdsWizz's Dave Sosson makes the case that audio is the missing piece in CTV strategy, citing studies showing retail campaigns combining audio and CTV produced a 12-point lift in aided recall over CTV alone, and automotive dealership campaigns adding streaming audio to CTV saw a 21.8% average gain in local market share.Media consulting firm Madison and Wall has revised its 2026 U.S. ad spend forecast up to 8.1% growth year-over-year, with digital audio projected to grow 4%.To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.

Today in the business of podcasting:Apple Podcasts announced new HLS video hosting partners at Podcast Movement Evolutions, including Transistor, PodBean, Captivate, RSS.com and others, and marked its first ever official appearance at a North American podcast conference with a keynote from executives Stacey Goers and Jake Shapiro.Podcast Movement confirmed Evolutions will return to SXSW in 2027, following a debut weekend that included keynotes from Apple Podcasts and YouTube, live performances from Andy Grammer, a Penn Badgley conversation, and the inaugural Indie PaC Awards hosted by Killer Mike.YouTube is launching a Top Podcasts Lineup giving advertisers bundled premium ad access across five content verticals: Sports, News, Comedy, True Crime, and Society & Culture.YMH Studios is partnering with Magellan AI to make full multi-platform attribution free for all advertisers and agencies running campaigns across its network, covering RSS audio, Spotify streaming, and YouTube without minimum spend or category restrictions.The Q1 2026 Performance Benchmark Report from Podscribe finds 79% of episodic campaigns now include a simulcast video component, with YouTube accounting for nearly two-thirds of all video podcast impressions, and national advertisers combining podcasting and streaming audio reaching 85% of U.S. adults.Click here to find links to every story covered and subscribe to the newsletter version of The Download.