IRL Events Are the New Influencer Trips by Kaya Yurieff & Jasmine Enberg
Scalable’s Yurieff and Enberg give a breakdown of what to expect at SXSW this year. With the Austin Convention Center under construction, SXSW will take over to the venues of Austin over a seven-day program. Which includes a live recording of the Scalable podcast at Podcast Movement Evolutions this Friday at 7:15 p.m. Reminder: Podcast Movement Evolutions this year is a free event, no SXSW badge or extra ticket required. SXSW badge holders will get priority access. Pre-registration for PME is live and highly encouraged. Things kick off Friday morning at SKYBOX on 6th, with a 400-person capacity venue plus an overflow area with capacity for 350+ attendees. Three days of networking, curated panels, celebrity-guest live performances, and more.
Libsyn Hits Record Creator Payouts
New Libsyn data shows 2025 to be a record year, reaching an all-time high for creator payouts. Ad impressions grew 46% year over year, reaching 4.5 billion for 2025. The amount of creators monetizing on the platform increased more than 2.5 times and downloads grew 17% year over year. The release notes a key driver of 2025’s growth was the expansion of Automatic Podcast Ads by removing prior download minimums. A move that allowed more creators to monetize their podcasts.
Netflix Just Got an Extra $2.8 Billion. Here’s What It Should Spend On by Max Cutler
Paramount recently paid Netflix a $2.8 billion breakup fee during the bidding process to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. PAVE Studios founder Max Cutler has published a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter pitching what Netflix could do with that new windfall. He spotlights a lack of daytime TV coverage as a challenge Netflix faces.. Cutler pitches investing in content audiences return to out of habit, rather than in short spikes due to hype. Netflix made a name for itself in documentaries and standup comedy specials by targeting top talent and signing them. The same strategy could be applied to expanding their video podcasting presence and licensing content creators.
Introducing Press Publish LA: The Hollywood Creator Summit
Last September, Publish Press gathered 400+ content creators, operators, and media entrepreneurs for its inaugural summit. This year they’re hosting The Hollywood Creator Summit in Los Angeles on Thursday, May 28. The event will feature on-stage conversations with creators and industry leaders, networking events, and a live episode of The Colin and Samir Show. Tickets for creators, teams, and creative operators are now available.
As for the rest of the news…
- AudioStack VP of global commercial partnerships Silke Zetzsche has a new op-ed on why DSPs are leaving audio revenue on the table.
- SoundCast has a new integration partnership with NumberEight, integrating their predictive audience tech into SoundCast’s infrastructure.
- the fwd. network has expanded their true crime portfolio with the addition of National Park After Dark.
- Lemonada Media has announced a new upcoming ten episode podcast series So U Think U Can Sports? from comedian Eliot Glazer, produced in collaboration with Charles Barkley and Marc Perman’s Round Mound Media and Justin Hartley’s ChangeUp Productions.
- Steve Raizes writes on podcasting’s historical focus on reach metrics and what the future might hold if engagement was prioritized.
