Acast sign with Amazon for ad-free podcasts

• Amazon Music Prime users, and Amazon Music Unlimited, now has thousands of ad-free podcasts from Acast. Acast will share revenue from the agreement with creators. This news builds on Amazon’s announcement earlier in the week that they would offer ad-free podcasts for Prime users.

  • “Thousands of ad-free podcasts” doesn’t mean every single podcast available on Acast, and it doesn’t include shows that Acast don’t fully-host (like shows from the BBC, for example). Qualifying shows are marked in the app. The company wouldn’t share specifics of earnings with us, but a spokesperson told us that creators are going to be “thrilled” with the additional revenue.
  • The Podnews Daily podcast is on Amazon Music. Here’s how to add yours.

• Podcast hosting company Libsyn - the first in the world - turns 18 tomorrow. Founded by Dave Mansueto, Matt Hoopes, Marty Mulligan, and Dave Chekan on Nov 5, 2004, here’s the back story and, rescued from the web, Libsyn’s first video ad. Libsyn’s CEO Brad Tirpak told Podnews: “We’re proud of our growth and transformation. Our innovation and investments are paying off — with the scaling of our advertising business, international expansion, and enhancements to our industry-leading tools.” Under US law, now it’s 18, Libsyn will be legally able to get a tattoo, vote, use a meat slicer, and adopt a child.

• Wonder what podcasting pays? Ashley Carman has gathered NYC podcast salaries, after a new NYC law requires salary ranges to be put in job ads. (Podjobs can do that, and it’s free!)

• iHeartMedia reported financial results for Q3/22. Podcast revenue for the quarter was $91m, up 42% year-on-year - representing 9.2% of the company’s total revenue. The company made a loss of $310m; it had reported a profit this time last year, but the value of its broadcast licences fell by $302m as a result of increased interest rates.

• Facebook’s live audio rooms feature - launched in June 2021 - are to be closed by the company on Dec 1. They lasted slightly longer than podcasts on Facebook, which were pulled within ten months of launch.

• HubSpot has added a number of new shows to the HubSpot Podcast Network, including Creative Elements.

• Podcast Republic, a popular Android podcast app, is now testing in beta on iOS. /ht Tyler

• Padverb is a website that tracks appearances of people on podcasts. Here’s our Editor’s recent appearances, for example. The company’s working on apps, and offers an “interview graph connection” to help with reaching guests you’d like to have on.

• The finalists for the Australian Podcast Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced in Sydney NSW on Nov 21 (we’ll be there).

• Further reading: Podcast listening by US Latinos is on the rise. Are ad dollars following suit? (Marketing Brew)

Podcast News - with CBC Podcasts

From CBC Podcasts - #17 is: The Village: The Montreal Murders The third season of this award-winning series transports listeners to an HIV/AIDS ravaged 1990s Montreal, where a group of queer activists come together to fight for their rights — and their lives.

Adam Curry and Dave Jones are on the last ever Podland News this week, looking back at the last two years of the Podcast Index and Podcasting 2.0. It’s a long interview, but worth it; and you’ll also find out what’s next for this weekly review show.

Aussie music legends Peking Duk are to do a podcast, called Peking Duk Podcast, which launches today from LiSTNR. The podcast comes with original music overlays and immersive sound effects where the boys and their guests recount crazy career moments. The Duk will chat with some of their best mates in the music and media industry including The Inspired Unemployed, The Kooks, Brooke Boney, Tony Armstrong, Flex Mami, Alex Dyson, Jack River, Muselk, Alex Lahey and more.

In the new Apple Original podcast Little America: The Official Podcast which dropped the first three episodes today, you’ll follow real-life stories of the immigrant experience in America. Hosted by actor Kumail Nanjiani, each episode features a different unique story as told to a different journalist.

Helix Station is new from Striking Distance Studios - a six-part sci-fi horror podcast prequel to the highly anticipated video game “The Callisto Protocol”, which is out on Dec 2. The podcast stars Emmy-nominated actor Gwendoline Christie.

Talking owls? The Owlsteins is a new series from Wonkybot featuring the voices of Ollie (the dad), Olympia (the mom), Olivia (the daughter) and Owen (the son) as they live, love and learn valuable lessons in the beautiful countryside village of Hicklehuck Peak.

Marvel Entertainment’s original podcast series Women of Marvel returns for an all-new season! In the weekly series, hosts Ellie Pyle, Angélique Roché, and Judy Stephens spotlight women storytellers, fans, and industry experts in insightful conversations with people of all backgrounds to show how they make a powerful and positive impact on Marvel’s stories.

Enter The Webbys. Stand out on a global stage.

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Enter The Webbys. Stand out on a global stage.

Since 1996, The Webby Awards has been recognized as the preeminent international honor for Internet excellence. Last year’s Webby Awards received over 14,000 entries from around the world.

By participating in The Webbys, you place your work on the same stage as boundary-pushing talent, like past Webby Winners Stitcher, Audible, The Daily, Pivot, California Love and Lemonada Media, to name a few.

To ensure winners reflect the very best of the Internet, we added several new categories this year, including new Podcasts honors for Best Partnership or Collaboration, Experimental & Innovation and Best Video Series; Scripted (Fiction) and Technology Podcast added to Individual Episode. Plus, for the first time, The Webby Awards will recognize Podcast Company of the Year.

Learn more, and enter the 27th Annual Webby Awards by our Final Entry Deadline of December 16th, 2022.