Sounds Profitable
Bryan Barletta
The pace of change the podcast industry is undergoing is staggering. The implications for podcasters, hosting providers, podcast listening app developers, and advertisers and agencies are enormous. And so is the growth potential. Presented as a companion to the weekly newsletter of the same name, our podcast provides you with direct access to our narrated articles, interviews with industry experts, bleeding-edge research, and can't miss industry news recaps. That Sounds Profitable, right? Assumptions and conventional wisdom will be challenged. Easy answers with no proof of efficacy will be exposed. Because the thinking that got podcast advertising close to a billion dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 18, 2026 • 7min
Audion Launches Cross-Platform AI, Podcasting’s Top Sports Networks, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: SiriusXM is hosting a webinar tomorrow with a stacked cast from the measurement and research side of podcasting, Adam Bowie talks about the financial nuances of video podcasting with Apple Podcasts getting into the fray, Little Dot Studios has a white paper looking at YouTube video performance over the last three years, Podcast Movement has a fun graphic tool to make a social media image announcing you're heading to SXSW, Audion launches Audion AI, and today's Partner Highlight is Gretchen Smith Dubois!Click here to find the links to every article mentioned on Sounds Profitable's website.
Feb 17, 2026 • 7min
Apple Amps Up Video Podcasts, News Brand Safety Report, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Apple is bringing HLS to Apple Podcasts, Netflix sports podcasts are being pirated on YouTube, Charlotte, NC brands are making B2B podcasts, and revisiting the Future of News report two years later. Click here to visit the web version of today's issue with links to every single thing covered.
Feb 13, 2026 • 10min
Industry Q4 Earnings, The Politics of Listeners, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: the political build of podcast audiences, public media's value in Minneapolis, Q4 earnings calls, and EU countries looking to ban kids from social media. Click here to visit the web version of today's issue with links to every single thing covered.
Feb 12, 2026 • 9min
The Politics of Listening, Channel 4's Spotify Plans, & More
Politics shape who listens to what podcasts, with clear splits across genres. The tension between spectacle and resonance in audio versus video gets explored. Video podcasts are compared to TV talk shows for reach and cost. Growth and platform trends emerge from a Nigerian podcast index. Channel 4’s move to Spotify illustrates shifting distribution strategies.
Feb 11, 2026 • 6min
Video Podcasts @ NY Emmys, Industry Earnings Reports, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the 69th New York Emmys accept video podcasts in certain categories, Q4 earnings calls from several big podcasting names, and a look at modernized contextual targeting that could help news publishers get ads again. Click here for all the links covered today! You can also find an archive of everything covered on this show by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com
Feb 11, 2026 • 7min
The Politics of What We Listen To
This week, Tom Webster looks at the political composition of podcast genre audiences and finds that the data may not match the narratives we’ve been telling ourselves. Written by Tom WebsterEdited by Gavin GaddisAudio narration and editing by Gavin GaddisRegister for Evolutions by Podcast Movement @ SXSWFind the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
Feb 10, 2026 • 7min
Red Seat Ventures Acquires Supercast, Upcoming EU Regulations, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: American scripted TV consolidates around safe bets, podcast advertising benchmarks for Q4 2024 at Magellan AI, and several EU countries look into banning minors from social media. Click here for all the links covered today! You can also find an archive of everything covered on this show by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com
Feb 9, 2026 • 7min
Bloomberg's Audio Success, New UK Audio Survey, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: a look at Minneapolis Public Radio's Q4 web traffic, AudioUK is championing a survey of the UK podcast industry, Bloomberg's podcast revenue is up 36% year over year, and a look at how Hollywood audiences are souring to AI as a plot device. Click here to find the links to every article mentioned on Sounds Profitable's website!
Feb 6, 2026 • 9min
IAB AI Scraping Legislation, Audio is Found Time, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: How to run a fulfilling conference panel, audio works on shared time, IAB releases draft of AI scraping legislation, and problems facing the middle class of podcasting. Click here for all the links covered today! You can also find an archive of everything covered on this show by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com
Feb 5, 2026 • 5min
Triton Digital Upgrades Metrics, BBC Funding Digital-First Content, & More
A roundup of major podcast business moves, from a rebrand and sales shift at a major network to expanded ad pricing comparisons between TV and online. There's news about BBC funding for digital-first creators targeting young audiences. Upgrades to industry metrics and benchmarking tools are also highlighted.
