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• Exclusive: Popular iOS podcast app Castro has a new owner: Bluck Apps is an independent app studio and consulting agency based in Brooklyn NY. The company owns an Android podcast app called Aurelian, which will be “moved under the Castro umbrella”. In a blog post to be published on the Castro website today, owner Dustin Bluck says that Castro serves people who really love podcasts - those who have over 100 podcast subscriptions. The company is also responding to all support emails sent over the past few months. “Bluck Apps is very committed to the open podcasting ecosystem and taking over such a well-designed independent app is very cool for us.”
• Exclusive: Acast is blocking YouTube from ingesting Acast podcasts via YouTube’s RSS tool. An email from Acast’s support team seen by Podnews points out that YouTube requires all submitted podcasts to be ad-free; that creators will be unable to make money from listens on YouTube; and cites concerns that YouTube will divert listeners away from podcast platforms. “Acast has exclusive monetization rights to podcasts hosted with them,” it adds.
  • Acast told us: “Podcasters working with Acast rely on advertising revenue, which is made possible through Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI). We’re actively talking with relevant parties to ensure podcasters are able to effectively maximize the benefit of the YouTube distribution channel.”
  • Listeners can get Acast-hosted podcasts on the YouTube Music app using RSS feeds: use our tool to help.
• Triton Digital has released its US Podcast Report 2023. The free 32 page report says there has been a 12% growth of monthly podcast users in the last two years, and that 55% of podcasts get fewer than 10,000 US downloads per month. Apple Podcasts gets 45% of all episode downloads; Spotify just 15%.

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• The podcast industry deserves increased investment, says Chris Peterson, founder & CEO at DWNLOAD Media, in a LinkedIn post today. The former iHeart exec argues that we’re only just beginning: citing international growth, video and new technology as reasons for growth and opportunity.
• Apple Podcasts are running a series of free live sessions in February to talk about “how transcripts will make your show more accessible, discuss all the best ways to grow your audience, and share strategies to build your podcast business.” There are also sessions in French, German and Spanish.
• Magellan AI has released its Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report for Q4/23. The free report looks at six advertising markets including the US, Germany, the UK and Canada, and says that podcast ad spending increased 29% year-on-year.
• Apple has updated its documentation about third-party transcripts. text/vtt is the correct mimetype for VTT files. If you want to use the SRT fallback, Apple supports both application/x-subrip and application/srt. (Here’s more on Apple Podcasts’s transcripts).
• YEA Networks has selected Frequency as its podcast workflow automation partner. The tools automate large parts of the podcast ad-sales process.
• FixDubs has launched - a tool to dub audio into 29 different languages. The service promises to retain the duration of the original, and can dub audio for a price of just $0.99/min.

• Adam Gilbert has been hired as Chief Revenue Officer of Ossa Collective. A podcast pioneer, he initiated the first podcast campaign for Stamps.com in 2011, and joins from iHeart, SiriusXM and Westwood One.
• Nathan Aminian has joined Oxford Road as EVP of Operations. He moves from Veritone. Oxford Road is the largest independent audio advertising agency.

• Use AI to Generate Podcast Episode Ideas and Topics (Podcast Generator)
• How do YouTube stats work for podcasters? This explainer also goes some way toward understanding today’s news that Acast isn’t allowing YouTube to ingest its podcasts.

• From Airwave: the SoFi Daily Podcast lets you stay up to date on the latest business news and stock market happenings — and how they affect your financial life. The podcast comes out every day.
• Distribution Advocates Presents launches today, aiming to shed light on the inner workings of independent film distribution. From Distribution Advocates, a collective advocating for filmmakers and maintaining plurality and originality, the podcast asks how to understand and improve the current ecosystem to create more equitable distribution systems.
• From iHeartPodcasts and one of the newest members of the Podcast Hall of Fame, Aaron Mahnke, comes Consumed - a new scripted audio thriller. Created by screenwriter Carlos Foglia and inspired by Mahnke’s novel, the new 12-part podcast will transport listeners into a dark and frightening, supernatural tale set in New England.
• Storytime with Legendary Jerry is relaunching today with iHeartPodcasts. Legendary music executive Jerry Clark takes us through the rich history of Southern rap music featuring exclusive, intimate interviews and compelling discussions with industry icons and executives.

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