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Todayâs reading time is 5 minutes. - Miko Santos (April 24 2026)
đď¸ Today, we have exclusive insights on:
Audio Primes: The Podcast Listeners Who Use YouTube With the Screen Off
Study: Audio Advertising ROI Outperforms Paid Social, Online Video Across Short and Long-Term Measures
Podcast Insight: Signal Hill Study: Branded Podcast Drives 58-Point Unaided Awareness Gap Over YouTube Control Group
PodBusiness: Beehiiv Adds MCP Support to Podcast Hosting, Letting Creators Query Analytics Through AI
SOUNDS PROFITABLE
Audio Primes: The Podcast Listeners Who Use YouTube With the Screen Off
Podwires Rundown: Tom Websterâs latest piece for Sounds Profitable â drawn from the Audio Primes 2026 report, sponsored by RSS.com and derived from The Podcast Landscape 2025 in partnership with Signal Hill Insights â introduces a segment that dismantles almost every assumption the industry has made about audio-first listeners. The research covers podcast consumers who listen to 75% or more of their podcasts as audio. They represent 22% of all podcast consumers. And nearly everything we thought we knew about them is wrong.
Source note: This research comes from Sounds Profitable, a podcast industry trade organisation with commercial relationships across the advertising and platform ecosystem. RSS.com directly sponsored the Audio Primes report. Consider that when interpreting the enthusiasm, but the data is rigors and the findings are hard to dismiss.
The Key Points
Audio Primes skew younger, not older â the 55+ cohort under-indexes by nine points; the 35-to-54 cohort over-indexes by six
90% of Audio Primes use YouTube â eleven points above the total podcast audience â yet theyâre using it to listen, not watch
41% of Audio Primes cite YouTube as their primary podcast platform, nearly identical to the total audience figure â same platform, fundamentally different behavior
77% listen at least weekly (18 points above average); 71% are likely to recommend a podcast to someone else (11 points above average)
Audio Primes earn more and are more educated: 9% make over $200,000 annually (three points above average); 39% hold a bachelorâs degree or higher
Why It Matters
The industry has been measuring platform use and assuming it understood listener behaviour. It doesnât. A significant slice of what platforms are counting as âvideo podcast consumptionâ on YouTube is, in practice, audio consumption running on video infrastructure â screen off, phone face-down, earbuds in. This is not a minor issue. Thatâs a structural measurement gap. Advertisers buying video podcast inventory on the assumption of visual attention are, often, buying audio reach at video CPMs. That conversation needs to happen openly, and it hasnât.
The Big Picture
For podcasters: Audio Primes are your most loyal, most evangelical, and most commercially valuable listeners â and theyâre actively auditioning new shows. 32% started a new podcast in the last month, eight points above average. They keep short rotations, which means earning a slot matters enormously. The actionable play: prioritise audio quality and substance over visual production for this segment. They found you through video clips and Reels, but theyâre staying for the listening experience. Give them something worth closing their eyes for.
For podcast producers: The ad load conversation needs reframing. Audio Primes are more sensitive to irrelevant ads, not ad volume. Theyâll sit through spots â they just wonât sit through the wrong ones. Thatâs a targeting brief, not a frequency cap argument. Productions serving this audience should be pushing advertisers towards contextual and category relevance over raw impression volume.
For the industry: The platform-equals-behaviour assumption is broken, and itâs distorting how advertisers value audio. YouTube reporting a podcast âviewâ tells you nothing about whether that listener watched a frame. Until measurement catches up to actual behaviorânot declared platform useâevery video podcast metric on the market should carry an asterisk. The industry needs to push for behavioural measurement, not just platform attribution. Webster has handed the trade a legitimate grievance to take to the measurement table. Use it.
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BEEHIIV
Beehiiv Adds MCP Support to Podcast Hosting, Letting Creators Query Analytics Through AI
Podwires Rundown: Newsletter platform Beehiiv has announced a series of product updates that push the company further into podcast hosting territory, including native AI support through Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrationâa move that positions the platform as the first podcast host to offer conversational AI analytics directly within its ecosystem.
The announcements, published April 23 by CEO Tyler Denk, also include a webinar hosting product and new paid subscription conversion tools. Taken together, they reflect beehiivâs broader strategy of consolidating creator revenue streams into a single platform.
Source note: This announcement comes directly from beehiivâs own product blog, authored by its CEO. The framing is promotional. The technical claims around IAB-certified analytics and MCP integration are worth independent verification before citing as fact.
The Key Points
beehiiv becomes the first podcast host with native MCP support, enabling creators to query episode downloads, listener geography, app breakdowns, and transcripts via conversational AI â including Claude
Podcast analytics are built to IAB standards, with real-time data, bot filtering, and breakdowns by country, listening app, device, and OS
The platform takes zero revenue cut from podcast subscriptions, webinar ticket sales, or digital product sales â creators pay only Stripeâs processing fee
Webinar hosting now supports up to 10,000 attendees, with native video streaming, automated reminders, and replay sales built in
Metered paywalls and paid trials are now available, allowing newsletter publishers to gate content after a set number of free reads and charge upfront for trial subscriptions
Why It Matters
For independent podcast producers and creator-led shows, platform fragmentation is a real cost â both in dollars and time. beehiiv is betting that consolidating hosting, distribution, analytics, website, newsletter, and monetization into one system is a strong enough value proposition to pull creators away from dedicated podcast hosts. The MCP integration is the most technically notable element here: if it works as described, it removes the CSV-export-and-spreadsheet workflow that most independent podcasters currently use to understand their audience. Asking a plain-language question and getting an answer is meaningfully faster than the current alternative.
The Big Picture
For podcasters: The zero-cut revenue model is the headline number. Luma takes 2% plus $0.99 per ticket. Patreon takes up to 12%. If beehiivâs infrastructure is reliable, the economics of keeping revenue on-platform are straightforward. The actionable move is straightforward: if youâre already on beehiiv for your newsletter, the migration cost to consolidate your podcast hosting here is low â and the analytics upgrade via MCP may be worth it on its own.
For podcast producers: The IAB-certified analytics with real-time reporting and bot filtering address a legitimate gap in the independent hosting market. Most small-to-mid-tier hosting platforms lag 24 hours on data and donât disclose their bot filtering methodology. Producers managing shows for clients should verify beehiivâs IAB certification status directly before presenting its numbers to advertisers.
For the industry: The MCP integration is the more structurally interesting development. It signals that AI-native analytics interfaces are moving from enterprise platforms down to creator tools â and faster than most expected. If natural language querying of podcast data becomes table stakes at the indie tier, it will raise audience expectations of what analytics access looks like across the board. Thatâs pressure on every hosting platform to modernize how data is surfaced.
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RADIOCENTRE
Audio Advertising ROI Outperforms Paid Social and Online Video Across Short- and Long-Term Measures
Podwires Rundown: A new study commissioned by Radiocentre and conducted by WPP Media argues that multiplatform audio advertising â combining broadcast radio with digital audio, including podcasts â delivers return on investment that substantially outperforms the all-media average. The findings, published under the name High Gain Audio, draw on the Profit Ability 2 dataset developed by Ebiquity, EssenceMediacom, Gain Theory, Mindshare, and Wavemaker UK, covering ÂŁ1.8 billion in media spend across 141 brands from 2021 to 2023.
Source note: This report was commissioned by Radiocentre, the industry body for UK commercial radio. Its membership represents commercial broadcasters whose revenue depends on advertiser spend on audio. The research was conducted by WPP Media using a third-party dataset (Profit Ability 2), which provides some methodological credibility â but the framing, conclusions, and recommendations all serve Radiocentreâs commercial interests. Read the ROI figures with that context in mind.
The Key Points
Multiplatform audio delivers a ÂŁ2.50 short-term profit ROI â 32% above the all-media average of ÂŁ1.87 â and a ÂŁ5.00 full-term ROI, 21% above the all-media average of ÂŁ4.11
Digital audio specifically delivers ÂŁ2.70 short-term and ÂŁ5.20 full-term ROI, ranking first across all measured media channels in both timeframes
Campaigns allocating 25% of total media budget to audio show a 9% lift in overall campaign short-term ROI versus the same spend without audio
Digital audio outperforms every pureplay digital channel â including paid social, online video, and online display â in both short-term and full-term ROI comparisons
The deeper multiplatform analysis is derived from only seven brands with sufficient spending on broadcast radio and digital audioâa sample size that warrants caution before broad generalisation.
Why It Matters
Podcast advertising has a persistent measurement problem. Advertisers moving budget into audio â including podcasts â regularly face pushback from media planners who default to digital channels with more familiar attribution models. This study is attempting to answer that objection using econometric data from a recognised third-party dataset rather than self-reported podcast metrics. If the ROI comparisons hold under scrutiny, it gives audio sales teams a credible counterargument to the âwe can measure digital betterâ objection that has historically suppressed audioâs share of media budgets. The uncomfortable caveat: the deepest findings come from seven brands, and the report is explicit that this sample self-selected based on audio spend commitment. Thatâs not a fatal flaw, but it is a limitation the industry should acknowledge rather than paper over.
The Big Picture
For podcasters: The study reinforces digital audioâs price premium relative to broadcast radio â and does so using third-party econometric data rather than platform-supplied numbers. Thatâs a more defensible position in an advertiser conversation. The specific finding that digital audio delivers slightly higher ROI than broadcast radio is attributed partly to targeting efficiency. For podcast publishers negotiating CPMs, this is usable evidence. The actionable move: reference the Profit Ability 2 methodology specifically, not just the Radiocentre headline numbers, when presenting to media buyers.
For podcast producers: The 70/30 broadcast-to-digital audio split recommendation â applied when audio reaches 10% or more of total media spend â matters for campaign architecture conversations. Producers working on branded content or host-read campaigns should understand where podcast inventory sits within a broader audio budget framework. Campaigns where digital audio is used to substitute rather than supplement broadcast radio appear to underperform. That has implications for how integrated audio packages should be structured.
For the industry: The most significant finding isnât the ROI numbers â itâs that pure-play digital channels (paid social, online video, online display, PPC) are consistently outperformed by audio across both timeframes. At a moment when advertiser budgets continue to flow towards programmatic digital channels on the basis of measurability rather than proven ROI, this study is a direct challenge to that allocation logic. The industryâs job now is to pressure-test these findings publicly and push for expanded datasets that go beyond seven brands before making the results the centrepiece of audioâs value proposition.
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EDISON RESEARCH
Wow in the World Tops First-Ever Top Ten Kids Podcasts List for 2025
Podwires Rundown: Edison Research has expanded its annual kids podcast ranking for the first time, releasing a Top Ten list for children 12 and under â up from the Top Five published in 2024. The data comes from Edison Podcast Metrics, which measures consumption rather than downloads across networks, shows, and platforms.
Source note: This preferences., whose Edison Podcast Metrics service is a paid subscription product. The methodology asks weekly adult podcast consumers whether their children also listen to or watch podcasts and which titles they engaged with in the past week â a proxy measure reported through parents, not direct child audience measurement.
The Key Points
Edison Podcast Metrics now tracks childrenâs podcast consumption via parental self-report among weekly podcast consumers, asking about titles engaged with in the past week
Wow in the World (NPR/Tinkercast) ranks first, followed by Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids at second and Story Pirates at third
The full top ten spans educational science shows, storytelling formats, and bedtime audio â reflecting the same genre preferences Edison observes among adult listeners
This is the first time Edison has released a top ten for the kids demographic, with the previous benchmark being a top five published in 2024
Edison frames the audience explicitly as âthe next generation of spoken-word audio consumersâ â signaling the categoryâs long-term strategic importance to the industry
The 2025 Top Ten Kids Podcasts (Ages 12 and Under)
Wow in the World
Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids
Story Pirates
Circle Round
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
Smash Boom Best
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
What If World â Stories for Kids
Little Stories for Tiny People
Why It Matters
The âThe kids podcast category has historically been undercounted and underfunded relative to its audience potential. Edisonâs expansion from a top five to a top ten signals growing sample depth â meaning more children are being reported as active podcast consumers by their parents, generating enough data to extend the ranking. For publishers and advertisers, the list confirms that educational and storytelling formats dominate childrenâs consumption, mirroring the genre preferences Edison consistently observes among adult listeners. The habit-formation argument is straightforward: children who develop podcast listening routines are likely to carry those habits into adulthood.
The Big Picture
For podcasters: The top ten are dominated by public media and independent educational productionsâNPR, American Public Media, and small-format storytelling showsâ with no major commercial network claiming the top positions. Thatâs an opportunity gap. Podcasters with existing educational or family-oriented content should be actively tracking this ranking as a benchmark, and those without a kids offering may want to reconsider the category given its audience development implications.
For podcast producers: The methodology matters here. Edison is measuring consumption through parental proxy â meaning it shows that parents and children listening together may be overindexed relative to child-only listening. Productions targeting a kidsâ audience specifically should seek to understand whether their listeners are children independently or family co-listeners, as that distinction affects both content strategy and advertiser conversations.
For the industry: Edisonâs expansion of the ranking to ten titles is a quiet signal that the kidsâ category has reached sufficient measurement maturity to report with more granularity. The long-term strategy is to build an audience pipeline. An industry that fails to develop the podcast habit in children is entirely dependent on adult conversion â a narrower and more competitive funnel. The titles on this list are doing foundational work for the medium that the broader industry benefits from but rarely invests in directly.
SIGNAL HILL INSIGHTS
Branded Podcast Drives 58-Point Unaided Awareness Gap Over YouTube Control Group
Podwires Rundown: A Keep that context in mind when reading the observations, as they reflect genuine industry trends. A major branded content industry event held in New York City this month highlighted a growing consensus among brand marketers: audience quality and measurable business outcomes now matter more than raw reach figures â a finding with direct implications for podcast publishers pursuing branded content partnerships.
Source note: This piece is authored by Paul Riismandel, president of Signal Hill Insights, a podcast audience research firm with commercial interests in branded podcast measurement. Signal Hill presented a case study at the event and has a financial stake in promoting branded podcast lift studies. The observations reflect genuine industry trends but should be read with that context in mind.
The Key Points
âVanity metrics are deadâ â Sara Badler, Chief Advertising Officer North America at The Guardian, told attendees at Branded Content Days NYC 2026 that impressions and viewability benchmarks have lost relevance with serious brand marketers
A Signal Hill Insights brand lift study on Youâll Hear It â a branded podcast for jazz lessons platform Open Studio â it was found that 58% of engaged listeners cited Open Studio unprompted when asked about online music learning resources; the control group recorded zero unaided brand mentions
92% of Youâll Hear It listeners said they âloveâ the show â with the remaining 8% saying they âlikeâ it â despite episode lengths of 90 to 120 minutes and minimal brand mentions
The Native Advertising Institute reported 18% year-over-year global growth in branded content in 2025, with similar growth projected for 2026; podcasting and digital audio are identified as active contributors to that trend
IBM Director of Corporate Communications Caitlin OâNeill articulated the new advertiser priority directly: channel selection is ânot about the most eyeballs, but the right eyeballsâ
Why It Matters
The branded content industry and the podcast industry have been converging for years, but operating in largely separate conversations. What Branded Content Days surfaces is that major brand marketers â at institutions like IBM, Morgan Stanley, and The Guardian â are now using the same language podcast advertising advocates have been using for over a decade: trust, audience quality, contextual relevance, and outcome measurement over scale. The Open Studio case study is notable not because the results are surprising, but because they are documented. A 58-point unaided awareness gap between an engaged podcast audience and a matched YouTube control group is exactly the kind of evidence that shifts budget allocation decisions. The industry needs more of it.
The Big Picture
For podcasters: The light brand touch approach in the Open Studio case study â a single sponsorship mention per episode across 90-to-120-minute runs â produced a dramatic awareness lift because audience trust and content quality did the work. Editorial integrity, not ad frequency, drives the effectiveness of branded podcasts. Podcasters negotiating branded content deals should be pushing for audience measurement as a deliverable, not just download guarantees. Lift data is what converts a one-series trial into a long-term partnership.
For podcast producers: The risk navigation panel â featuring Morgan Stanley, Postmedia, and Burson Global â offers a directly applicable framework for branded podcast environments. Knowing your lane, developing rapid response protocols, and defaulting to accuracy over speed are production-level disciplines, not just editorial policies. In a volatile news environment, branded podcasts that stray from their defined topic territory risk both audience trust and client relationships simultaneously.
For the industry: The 18% global growth figure for branded content in 2025 represents a genuine revenue opportunity for podcast publishers â but only if the industry closes the knowledge gap that Riismandel identifies. Many brands commissioning branded content across print, digital, and events have limited exposure to podcast-specific best practices around measurement, host integration, and audience engagement. Publishers who can bring that expertise to cross-format conversationsârather than waiting for podcast-only briefsâ are better positioned to capture a growing share of branded content budgets.
LATEST PODCAST NEWS
iVoox launches its first television campaign to promote the Spanish-language podcast catalogue. iVoox, Spainâs largest independent podcast platform, is launching its first television advertising campaign in partnership with Mediaset EspaĂąa, a major move into broadcast media for the audio streaming company.
Video Dominates Top Podcasts as Podtrac Reveals March 2026 Rankings. Podtracâs latest Top 200 Multi-Channel Podcast ranking for March 2026 reveals a significant shift in how audiences consume podcast content, with video delivery now accounting for the majority of consumption among top-performing shows.
JamPot Productions launches NewlyParents with Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing. JamPot Productions has announced the launch of NewlyParents with Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing, marking the next evolution in one of the UKâs most beloved podcast series. The show debuts on April 27th, picking up where NearlyParents left off as the couple navigates their biggest life transition yet.
ARIAS 2026 Nominees Announced: Celebrating Excellence in UK Audio. The Audio Academy has announced the nominees for the 2026 ARIAS (Audio & Radio Industry Awards), revealing the contenders at a special event held at Spotifyâs headquarters. The ceremony will take place on May 21 at Camdenâs iconic Roundhouse venue.
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