Apple Podcasts Rolls Out a Couple of New Updates
Apple Podcasts and Apple Maps are teaming up with a new feature called Hidden Histories that plots podcast episodes onto real-world locations in specific U.S. cities in Apple Maps. The feature employs the podcast:location RSS tag, letting both curated and independently tagged shows surface right where listeners are standing. Separately, Apple confirmed that video is coming to Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, letting creators offer subscriber-exclusive video episodes, ad-free video, early access, and bonus content across more than 170 countries and regions without maintaining separate audio and video workflows. Apple says it’s working with podcast hosting providers on the rollout, with more details expected from participating partners in the coming months.
Why Mid-Sized Podcasts Are an Untapped Advertising Opportunity
Audacy’s new State of Audio report, previewed via Digiday, argues that podcast advertising has outgrown its experimental phase, noting that weekly time spent with podcasts has grown 386% over the last decade and that monthly spend per new advertiser more than doubled in a single year, from $20K to $42K. The report’s central argument is that mid-sized podcasts remain an underused opportunity for advertisers who default to the biggest names. It cites Podscribe benchmarks showing a 22% lower cost per acquisition on mid-sized shows than celebrity shows, alongside Audacy’s own Power of Influencers study, a survey of 1,000 adults fielded in January and February 2026, which found listeners are 27% more likely to be influenced by topic experts than by well-known celebrities.
I Left Podcast Movement Less Convinced Audio Is the Best Way to Grow Audio by Karo Chakhlasyan
In a LinkedIn post published after Podcast Movement, Karo Chakhlasyan writes that the conference left them less convinced that audio is the best way to grow audio, not because video is replacing it, but because so much of the industry’s growth conversation has shifted toward video-driven discovery. With RSS growth stalling and premium audio inventory tight, Chakhlasyan argues the more consequential opportunity may be moment-level distribution of clips and video, while audio still wins in the moments video can’t reach, like the drive, the walk, or the gym. The post also raises a measurement question the industry hasn’t solved: attribution can show where a listener came from, but not whether they were truly incremental.
…as for the rest of the news:
- Sounds Profitable’s inaugural NYC Business Summit brought together podcast hosts, researchers, and ad buyers for a day of rapid-fire talks on where the industry stands.
- Acast’s new Podcast Pulse 2026 report finds most fans now consume podcasts across both audio and video.
- A new Podcast Study 2026 survey finds a show’s host is often the biggest reason listeners tune in.
- LiveOne has been buying back shares of spinoff PodcastOne, and the two companies may be exploring a merger.
- Food creator Nick DiGiovanni is reportedly reconsidering his Netflix deal.
- Global is launching a six-part investigative series on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Britain, hosted by Emily Maitlis.
