“Another 374,000 flights” - the cost of adding video

• The yearly environmental effect of Spotify integrating video into its music platform could mean an increase in carbon emissions equivalent to an extra 374,000 flights between Paris and New York, according to a new study. Video is significantly more energy-intensive, says carbon management company Greenly, because screens need to be on and lit, and video uses increased data and processor power.

  • The study notes that adding video to an audio-only platform means over 50x more carbon emissions every hour. The study only measures Spotify’s music platform, and not podcasting: but video podcasting on Spotify, and on YouTube, will mean additional energy use.

• Pocket Casts has added transcripts to its web player. “Some podcasts include their own transcripts which are available to all users. And if they don’t, as a Plus or Patron subscriber, you have access to auto-generated transcripts!” Here is an example from our daily update, showing named voices.

• The third biggest news podcast in the UK, Politics Joe has put its video podcast behind a Patreon paywall. The audio version will remain free for all. The company said that its dependence on YouTube was a business risk; and that its audio version was earning twice as much revenue, despite attracting half the audience. The company claims to have attracted 350 paying subscribers in just five days, each paying £8 (US$10.50) per month for access.

• A new podcast search engine has launched. Posuma promises to enable “a more diverse and fairer audio landscape”. Instead of relying on algorithms and rankings, Posuma focuses on content filters: users can specifically search by topic, format, or length – a discovery experience oriented towards content, not charts. The project is in German.

• The 13th Step is an award-winning investigative podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio, which found multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against recovery centre CEO Eric Spofford. Spofford tried to sue; but when that failed, prosecutors claim he was responsible for vandalism of the podcast reporter’s home, and that of her parents and news editor. Now, Spofford has been arrested, and appeared in court earlier this month. A special episode has been released, where the reporter, Lauren Chooljian, explains what this remarkable moment means for her and her sources.

• There’s a new female-led podcast network in Australia, called Kind Regards: founded by Megan Pustetto and Alex Jae. It’s an expansion of So Dramatic!, Pustetto’s entertainment podcast.

• The specification for “podroll”, creator-led recommendations, has had a little tweak to give more examples. There’s also an improved guide to the feature on the Podcasting 2.0 website.

• Further reading: Why UBS helps its financial advisors to launch podcasts.

Moves and hires

• Kind Regards Network has made its first hirings: Nicole Corfe, General Manager and Head of Commercial Operations, and Annika Rose, Head of Brand Partnerships.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• A reader writes: “Are you able to tell me whether there can be text instead of voice on podcasts, as I am a deaf user?” Yes - and thank you for asking; we’ve written an overview of your options to enjoy all the content that podcasting has to offer.

Podcast News - with Podcast Movement

सोपान is a career podcast in Hindi - and this week, Debashish sits down with former Amazon Technical Program Manager Dharni Dhar Dwivedi, who shares his remarkable journey across multiple technical roles. From SDM to TPM to PMT at Amazon, Dharni breaks down the differences between these roles and offers a clear-eyed view of how leadership in tech really works.

In the Podnews Weekly Review this week - YouTube’s Neal Mohan on podcasting on the platform; plus, the download is dead, and Australia is better than you.

Totally Cooked: The Climate & Weather Podcast launches today, trying to flip the script by putting the mic in the hands of the climate scientists and enabling them to speak directly to the public without the media getting in the middle. It’s hosted by Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and her research group at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Money nerd and financial coach Tiffany Grant strives to be debt free by 35. She hosts Money Talk With Tiff - and this week, she speaks with LaDarris Hunt on the differences between “whole life” versus “term life” insurance; and, what life insurance really is.

Open Pike Night is a podcast dedicated to Star Trek Strange New Worlds - a fan-first, call-in show that features interviews with the cast, crew, and creators of SNW. The show is kicking off its Season 3 coverage this weekend on YouTube with a live fan Q&A on Sunday at 5pm PDT, featuring Melissa Navia (Erica Ortegas). As the season unfolds, each episode will be paired with a special Writer’s Room Spotlight, featuring interviews with the episode’s writers.

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