A Congressman just proposed a “Creator Bill of Rights”
Californian representative Ro Khanna has published a resolution dubbed the “Creator Bill of Rights.” Written in collaboration with Creators 4 Mental Health, the resolution urges the House of Representatives to acknowledge content creators, provide “robust small business resources” to said creators, provide health care options, and transparency standards re: the use of generative AI in media that impacts content creators’ ability to make a living. While not a formal bill, Khanna’s resolution is the latest in a line of congressional attempts to recognize the content creator industry, such as Yvette Clarke’s Content Creator Caucus launched last year.
Goalhanger Crosses 250,000 Paid Subscribers
As the headline says: UK-based podcast company Goalhanger is celebrating having crossed the 250,000k paid subscriber milestone. To give some further context on what that means for the industry, Podnews has done some math (and you know how much I love sharing figures). Presuming subscribers are paying an average of £6, that’s around £20 million in annual subscription income. Presuming half of that is Apple Podcasts premium subscriptions, somewhere between 1.5 million and 3 million GBP are going to Apple annually through Goalhanger. And the premium experience is worth the effort. With Podnews presuming around $20 CPM for four hypothetical ad slots that premium subs would have heard if they didn’t consume ad-free premium feeds, Podnews estimates the “loss” of potential advertising dollars amounts to just $2 million USD. Under a tenth of overall estimated subscription revenue.
Understanding Podcasting’s Liquid Content Era by Steven Goldstein
Amplifi Media founder Steven Goldstein continues reflecting on what he’s dubbed podcasting’s “liquid phase.” In the same way squeezing an orange for juice doesn’t innately change the orange, podcasting has become ‘liquid’ in that way. The existence of one piece of content is not the end, it’s a springboard. Goldstein points to The New York Times’ liquid content flow as an example of this in practice. An article is no longer the stopping point. Their journalism is now flowing across social media, podcasts, videos, newsletters, apps, push notifications, everywhere NYT can touch. And each version of that reporting is fine-tuned for the context it appears in. The core story remains the same, but the presentation is shifted to fit whatever container it next appears in.
What’s ahead for streaming in 2026? Here’s what experts are saying by Jasmine Sheena
Marketing Brew interviewed executives from VML, Gartner, BCG Worldwide and Burrell Communications Group to get their opinions on how streaming will develop this year. Especially in the wake of the battle for who gets to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. We’ve reached the end of every individual company chasing becoming The Next Netflix, and now the streaming world is in a period of consolidation to self-correct. Long-running issues with connected TV and over-the-top streaming, such as frequency issues and lack of accountability, will require more collaboration and data-sharing between advertisers, streamers, and possibly retailers. With the growth of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels comes content creators, as platforms either open the doors to YouTube-esque direct-upload creators, or specifically forming brand deals with content creators to give them their own channels. After all, we live in a world where your average Roku user can go from the Supermarket Sweep channel to a Minecraft let’s play series without leaving their TV guide menu.
The CBC 2026 Call for Pitches is Approaching
Good news to my Canadian readers: I’ve been handed some important details. The CBC will launch their 2026 call for pitches on Monday February 2nd, running through to April 1st. When live, interested parties can go to CBC.ca/pitch. Four core “umbrella” feeds run by the CBC are seeking pitches for “ambitious and exciting” new series/miniseries ideas, specifically Uncover, The Con, Split Screen, and Personally. Both established names and aspiring podcast creators are encouraged to submit, whether they’re in-house teams, independent producers, or co-productions with other media.
As for the rest of the news…
- Podscribe has grown their verification stack with the addition of radio airchecks and team signup links. The former automatically detects and logs radio ad placements, while the latter allows for smooth onboarding of large teams quickly.
- John Wordock has a new missive about his trip to Podfest 2026 last week, including a succinct recap of Tom Webster’s presentation (you didn’t hear it from me, but reading that would be a good primer for Tom’s newsletter tomorrow 😉 ).
- Several big names from Acast have gathered together to share their predictions for podcasting in 2026.
- Speaking of Acast, they have just announced a partnership with Perfect Day Media to exclusively distribute and do ad sales for PDM podcasts.
- Here’s something that’ll bring warmth to millennial nerd hearts: Realm has just announced the first official Sonic the Hedgehog audio drama with Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles, a narrative podcast that drops next Tuesday. Realm is managing distribution and is representing the series for ad sales.
- Audioboom has published their 2025 trading update.
- The CBC and Toronto Star have announced a partnership between two hit investigative crime podcast series: the CBC’s Uncover and the Toronto Star’s Suspicion.
