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Podcast Movement Evolutions to become part of SXSW programming
Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable have officially announced that Podcast Movement Evolutions is formally embedded in SXSW 2026 programming. The three-day event kicks off March 13th with a takeover of the Sky Box venue in downtown Austin. A quote from Podcast Movement president Bryan Barletta:
“The business of podcasting has matured dramatically, but its role in the broader media ecosystem is still evolving. Embedding Evolutions within SXSW creates space for real conversations about growth, measurement, creativity, and where podcasting fits next.”
The three days of events include business-focused affairs like a morning YouTube keynote, sponsored panel discussions, and curated networking events. Beyond that is a bespoke podcast recording booth for creators in attendance, live podcast tapings (including Table Read) and celebrity musical performances later in the evenings.
How Audio Can Leverage PR in AI Discovery Era by Molly DeMellier
DeMellier kicks off her tenure as Head of Communications for Sounds Profitable with a piece on the new importance of public relations. As generative AI chatbots and search overviews become prominent locations for audiences to find recommendations, content publishers have to recognize the shift in discoverability. A quote from the article:
“AI systems are trained to trust third-party validation. If your company, network, or leadership team isn’t present in credible editorial coverage, there is nothing for the machine to cite and therefore nothing to recommend. This means that if someone asks an AI assistant like ChatGPT which podcast networks are innovating, which adtech platforms are trusted, or which executives are shaping the future of audio, it is PR that determines whether you appear at all.”
One authoritative trade feature or executive interview now has more value as they’re more likely to be scraped by chatbots than an entire paid campaigns when it comes to long-term visibility. For the audio industry this creates a blind spot for PR, as GenAI tech does not “listen” to podcast episodes or parse back catalogs. Having good content is great for the actual human audience, but the robots can’t see it. With a modern AI-conscious PR plan, executives are on the front line, as having big names from a company speaking publicly, authoritatively, and with commentary about the industry is a solid path to earned coverage that will catch AI attention.
Video in the iHeartRadio app will use the power of open RSS by James Cridland
Podnews reports the iHeartRadio “creator first” update allowing video podcast distribution into the iHeartRadio app is powered by open RSS. Specifically, using Podcasting 2.0’s alternateEnclosure feature. This means podcasters can push both the audio and video version of their show on the same RSS feed and iHeartRadio honors them both while respecting the different versions. The linked piece above features a Q&A with iHeartRadio in which iHeart re-affirms their support of open RSS for video distribution and will not require logging into any iHeart portal. MP4, a common video file format, is the only one currently accepted for the initial launch but iHeart is open to supporting other formats as popularity grows.
The Canadian Podcast Listener 2025, Signal Hill Insights’ comprehensive study of podcast consumption in Canada (now in its eighth year), has been posted. While the full report is only available to SHI subscribers, Matt Hird shares three key bits of data from the full report with actionable insights. First: video’s growth is not mutually exclusive from audio. A quote from the article:
“What gets less attention is that “most often” doesn’t mean “exclusively,” and those consuming video podcasts are listening to those shows on other platforms as well. Only 24% of monthly users in Canada say they only consume their podcasts in video form, with the remaining 76% spending at least some of their time with podcasts in an audio-only environment.”
51% of respondents partake of both audio and video podcasting. In-app discovery is growing (25% find a new show in the app they use for podcasts) while podcast-to-podcast discovery (e.g. a guest plugging their own show) has dipped to 13%. A shift that signals audiences are moving towards more recommendation-heavy platforms like YouTube and Spotify. Finally, of the eight mediums respondents were polled on, podcasting came in last place with only 18% of monthly consumers who skip ads “all the time.” A good group to come in last place with.
As for the rest of the news…
- Youth-focused digital media ecosystem SuperAwesome is doubling down on audio with the acquisition of Kids & Family podcast production company Starglow Media.
- Spotify has confirmed they’re raising Premium membership prices $1 for U.S. users starting in February.
- Quill and The Podglomerate are teaming up to host a webinar about The Dos and Don’ts and the Data Behind It for 2026. The presentation is slated for Tuesday, January 27th, at 1:00 p.m. EST.
- YouTube has updated their monetization guidelines to allow full monetization of videos featuring discussion or dramatization of a list of topics previously disallowed out of concern advertisers would not want to run on those videos.
- Good Hang with Amy Poehler becomes the first podcast to win Best Podcast at The Golden Globes.
