Taylor Swift's recent appearance on the "New Heights" podcast led to a staggering six-fold increase in the show's monthly downloads in August, propelling it to become the fifth most popular podcast that month. While "The Diary of a CEO" still holds the top spot for average episode downloads, "New Heights" saw a significant surge in listenership.
Podcast Industry News and Trends
August saw a general uptick in podcast audiences for most publishers, with the exception of Wondery. In other news, YouTube's view counts have reportedly decreased for some creators, with speculation pointing to issues related to content moderation or platform changes.
The "Clue Awards" at CrimeCon in Denver recognized excellence in true crime podcasts, with "Who Killed Jennifer Judd" (season 2) and "True Crime News: The Podcast" taking home awards.
Technological Advancements in Podcasting
Zeno Media has introduced Zeno Plus, an AI-powered toolkit designed for radio and podcasting, featuring services like automatic radio-to-podcast conversion and AI-generated voices. Additionally, Daniel J Lewis launched PodChapters, a browser-based tool that uses AI to create chapter markers for podcasts, enhancing listener navigation.
Platform Updates and Growth
Spotify has identified sports as its fastest-growing video podcast category, with a 53% quarter-on-quarter increase in consumption. The platform sees the highest consumption of sports video content in the US, UK, Brazil and Australia.
Pocket Casts is expected to introduce ads for its free users. Meanwhile, Apple Podcasts is reportedly preparing to support the Podcasting 2.0 JSON chapters feature, which allows for time-synced images and links without altering the audio file, though initial testing indicates it's not fully implemented yet.
Notable Podcast Launches and Milestones
"Middle Class Matters" from the Rogue Media Network offers an honest and humorous look at the challenges and blessings of middle-class life. Paul Burrell, former butler to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, has launched "Paul Burrell's Royal Tea," sharing insights into royal life.
"If Objects Could Talk" brings ancient artifacts from the Getty Museum to life to tell their stories, aimed at curious children and parents. "Guns Unpacked" from Arizona State University returns for its second season, delving into the complexities of the gun debate in the US.
