Podnews Weekly Review

Podcast Predictions For 2026 - AI slop, video and more

We share five predictions each for 2026, from defining what a podcast is to why time spent listening will replace reach as the industry’s favorite metric. We weigh video’s upside against its risks for audio, call out AI slop, and back open RSS as the backbone of growth.We're back next week with our usual show.Please support us at weekly.podnews.net and click the support buttonStart podcasting, keep podcasting with Buzzsprout.comSend James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

Our review of 2025 - our predictions, highlights and lowlights

James and Sam look back on our predictions for what 2025 would be like - and whether we got them right. Plus, our lowlights and highlights of the year.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

2025's highlights, 2026 predictions from Spotify, Apple, Amazon and more

What happens when Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Acast, Adobe, Pocket Casts, Triton, Bumper, Transistor, creators, and analysts all compare notes on where podcasting just landed—and where it’s headed next? You get a clear picture of a medium that’s fully mainstream, proudly hybrid, and fiercely contested. We gathered 25+ voices to unpack 2025’s biggest shifts and lay down their boldest calls for 2026.Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

Better podcast analytics with PodAnalyst, plus TikTok doesn't launch a podcast

We track the biggest forces shaping podcasting next year: Goalhanger’s network effect, a pivot to listener-based analytics, and the tension between open RSS and closed “podcast” branding from big platforms. We dig into video hosting defaults, live streaming, and why honest metrics will decide winners.(It's a re-upload! With the intro.)• Apple’s Show of the Year milestone and Goalhanger’s model• Cross-promo and cadence as scalable growth levers• Flight Studio’s talent strategy versus brand synergy• Hall of Fame inductees and industry recognition• Creator retention, audio versus video habits, and practical focus• Fountain’s video hosting and sensible playback defaults• TrueFans roadmap for audio, video, and live with HLS• TikTok’s “podcasts” and why definitions drive ad budgets• Substack live streaming and platform convergence• Pod Analyst’s unified telemetry, retention curves, and sales clarity• Downloads versus unique listeners and consumption baselines• Bot and AI slop concerns and search downgrading• Libsyn price rises and market signals• Awards season, new events, and what’s ahead(This description is from Buzzsprout's CoHost AI, which is very good and are our sponsor).Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net

How A Daily News Podcast Hit 2,000 Episodes And What Recap Season Really Means For Podcasters

(This is made with AI from our sponsor, Buzzsprout)We break down the Recap Apocalypse across Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Amazon, then dig into craft with Brad Mielke on how Start Here reached 2,000 episodes by prioritising clarity, titles that pull, and audio-first production. Data meets discipline and the result is steady growth without burnout.• Spotify’s Creator Wrapped as a real growth tool• YouTube’s US-only charts and watch-time logic• Apple Replay and Amazon Delivered compared• Why hosts should build their own year-in-review• Start Here’s daily format and guest booking tactics• Titles that drive plays and timely packaging• News avoidance, constructive journalism, balance• Audio-only discipline vs video tradeoffs• UK podcast charts and creator ad spend signals• iOS auto-chapters and timed links for navigation• V4V, boosts, and payment standard progress• New tools, APIs, and analytics experimentsStart podcasting, keep podcasting with BuzzSprout.comSend James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net