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Spreaker more than doubles podcast numbers

iHeart’s consumer podcast host Spreaker published 13.5% of all new podcast episodes in December, according to Livewire - a record for the company, and an increase in share of 2.7x year-on-year. Its share was just 5% in December 2023, and it’s grown consistently since September. Spotify for Creators also saw an uplift to 24.4%; the #3 podcast host, Buzzsprout, saw a drop to 6.5%. Megaphone has also dropped year-on-year.
How many podcasts are being listened-to through web-based players? OP3’s John Spurlock looked at the top 300 shows for December as measured by the service: 5.17% of all episodes are listened through web-based players, but some shows are almost 100% consumed through the web.
Remote recording and editing tool Riverside chose Dec 30 to inform corporate customers that Riverside prices for each additional licence will double on Feb 1 to $100. The company raised $30mn three weeks ago.

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Getting less than 1,000 downloads per episode? — Download your FREE Podcast Growth Scorecard! This tool helps you focus your podcast marketing so that you can spend your time on the marketing activities that have the most impact on podcast growth.

💰 Join the High Rollers Club with Supporting Cast — The Rest is History, Radiolab, Dunc'd On, The Tennis Podcast, Dateline, Savage Lovecast, and other shows will earn up to seven figures this year using the Supporting Cast membership platform.

Global, the media and entertainment group based in the UK, published its full company accounts for year-ending Mar 31, 2024. The company is held privately, so this is dry reading really only meant for the tax authorities; but one thing we do learn is that (p43) the company’s North American operations, which mainly consists of audio ad sales company DAX, saw £44mn (US $55mn) in revenue (a figure that’s static year-on-year). The company also owns podcast hosting company Captivate, as well as many UK radio stations and UK outdoor advertising businesses.
The legal action by the National Association of the Deaf against Sirius XM for not having transcripts in its app, which started in 2021, has now been going so long, it’s had to change judge. The Hon. Jeannette A. Vargas, who assumed office in November, has now been assigned the case.
This probably belongs in our tips and tricks section - but don’t play with your loaded handgun while recording a podcast.
Further reading: “Required reading for anyone who wants to get better at the craft of telling stories” says Joshua Dudley, reviewing Valerie Geller’s Beyond Powerful Radio

The Tech Stuff

Amazon’s Cloudfront CDN saw another record share of podcast episodes in December, serving 58.55% of all new episodes, according to Livewire.
Chartable still tracked 2.29% of all new podcast episodes in December, in spite of being officially switched off on Dec 12, says Livewire.

Tips and tricks

“I spent a lot of time in 2024 talking to podcasters about video. Some are angry, some are excited, lots are perplexed.” All this week, Matt Deegan, a podcast and radio expert, is focusing on video podcasts in his Substack. In the first piece, published today, he discovers the first ever Joe Rogan Experience on YouTube.

Podcast News

New on Airwave: MinuteEarth dives deep into a science question you might not even know you had - but once you hear the answer, you’ll want to share it with everyone you know. The show's team of scientists digs into the research and breaks it down into a short, entertaining explanation jam-packed with science facts and terrible puns.
The Chaos Protocol, within the Transplanar RPG feed, has won the Audio Fiction World Cup, a scoring system based on wins at audio festivals around the world.
What are treasury inflation protected securities? Ask Ralph - Christian Finance, explains them in a recent episode. The show became a silver supporter of Podnews last week.
If you're running the London Marathon this year, why not grab some tips from someone who might know a thing or two about running a marathon? Paula Radcliffe joins Chris Thompson in Paula’s Marathon Run Club - a brand new podcast launching today. You can expect weekly training plan guidance, expert guest segments from physio-therapists, celebrity runners and more, plus important stories from CWC UK and discussion from Paula’s Marathon Run Club community.
She Rises with Ashy & Tijana is a new female empowerment podcast, launching today. It's hosted by Ashy Bines, an Australian entrepreneur, fitness expert, and social media personality, and Tijana Bundalo, a qualified Life Coach Specialising in self worth for women globally. It's from Podshape.
The 80s and 90s Uncensored kicks off season 9 today with a special guest - "a 1980s movie icon", we're told. "The show is about sharing our passion for those decades that defined a generation," according to the show's hosts, Milo Denison and Jamie Fenderson.

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