BBC publishes new audio consumption data

• The BBC has published its latest consumption data. Plays of on-demand radio and podcast content within its BBC Sounds app were up 21% year-on-year to a record 226mn. However, podcast downloads on third-party platforms fell 22% y-on-y, to also reach 226mn. It’s the first time open podcast numbers for the Corporation have matched total on-demand consumption in its app.

• The Independent Podcast Awards took place on Monday evening. We have a full list of the winners, including links to trailers and hosting details. Pod Bible sent a reporter. The winner of the Independent Podcast of the Year was Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did.

• Airwave has announced a distribution, monetization, marketing, and promotion deal with Economics Explained. The three shows are owned and operated by Lunar X.

• The Marketplace Podcast Advertising Rates at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast fell to an average CPM of $22.39 in October. That’s a 2.2% drop on September, and a 6.5% drop year-on-year.

• SiriusXM released its Q3 financial numbers. Podcasting saw a revenue growth of 28% in the quarter. The number of users at Pandora continues to shrink, though.

• NPR and Edison Research will unveil The Spoken Word Audio Report on Nov 9 at 2pm ET.

• Octave writes about the company’s recent appearance at the IAB Podcast Upfronts in the UK.

• From Bumper, Dan Misener writes about an apparent decline in downloads from Apple Podcasts as a result of changes to auto-downloading in iOS 17. He shows how to check your stats.

• Our page on understanding podcast statistics has been rewritten to include YouTube and updated information about Spotify for Podcasters.

Podcast News - with Airwave

A featured science podcast on Airwave: Houston We Have a Podcast lets you explore the world of human spaceflight with NASA each week on the official podcast of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Listen to in-depth conversations with the astronauts, scientists and engineers who make it possible.

The team at Buzzcast, the official Buzzsprout podcast, shares their learnings from YouTube’s recent presentation to podcast hosts. The team talk stats, editing shows, and wonder aloud about how YouTube might run ads within shows.

Each year, more than 600,000 people go missing, yet most are isolated, one-off events. In some instances, however, the victims are linked by a key detail - the location of where they went missing. The Vanishing Point looks at Hoopa, California - uncovering how five people all went missing from the same location, and how to fix it for the future. It’s new from Tenderfoot TV.

What happens when a failed sitcom superstar is forced out of Hollywood and starts work stacking shelves? Supermarket is the result - a new podcast from 911 Podcasts featuring an ensemble cast. The comedy fiction podcast is 911 Podcasts’ third release, after Cascadia and ICE-CREAM.

’Tis The Grinch Holiday Talk Show is new from Wondery this week, in Wondery+ and next week wherever you get your podcasts. Cuddly as a cactus and charming as an eel, The Grinch rants against Christmas cheer and roasts celebrity guests like chestnuts on an open fire. It’s the second series to be made with Dr Seuss Enterprises.

Witnessed: Fade to Black is the podcast’s fifth season, focusing on the bizarre story of screenwriter Gary Devore, whose mysterious disappearance in 1997 has become the source of many conspiracy theories, including that the CIA may have played a role in whatever happened to him. It’s from Campside Media, Sony Music Entertainment and Stoaway Entertainment; and is available in full in The Binge.