Audio Has the Winning Hand. The Industry Refuses to Play It by Ben Robins
One of Ben Robins’ biggest takeaways from Advertising Week Europe is the notion that podcasting is data-rich but insight poor. Across 12 sessions, compelling data abounded, but emotional narratives explaining podcasting’s success were scarce. He attributes this largely to companies closely guarding proprietary data on podcasts’ impact, citing competitive advantage, legal concerns, non-disclosure agreements, and more. In a fragmented media landscape, connection is valuable. Podcasts excel at connection, but articulating it requires a cohesive narrative linking data points. There is a story coming, though. This May, Robins and Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster will debut the findings of the 2026 UK Advertising Landscape Study at The Podcast Show London. This new report represents the largest study of advertising effectiveness conducted across U.K. media, surveying 5,000 adults over more than 20 platforms. Stay tuned for more details.
EXCLUSIVE: Spotify Debuts Carousel Ads and Branded Playlist Takeovers by Kendra Barnett
This Tuesday, Spotify announced interactive carousel ads with swipeable tiles that let brands spotlight up to six products per ad. The ads will appear in the Now Playing view of the Spotify app while users are actively consuming content. Spotify is also introducing branded takeovers of select playlists, including flagships like Rap Caviar, Today’s Top Hits, and New Music Friday. During a takeover, the brand’s name will appear prominently on the main page for the playlist and only its ads will run on that playlist for the duration. Listeners will also hear fewer ad breaks in sponsored playlists. Behind the scenes, the company has also added A/B testing and automated bidding into the Ads Manager platform.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss has issued an injunction blocking the executive order that stripped NPR and PBS of federal funding. Moss’ ruling argues the executive order is unlawful and unenforceable. Kunzelman notes the operational impact of this decision remains to be seen, as the Trump administration will likely appeal and it remains unclear how much damage has already been done by the order (including the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting).
It’s April Fools’ Day, Podcasting Celebrates
For a lighthearted turn: here are some jokes, gags, and tomfoolery in podcasting today. Noiser and Airship have partnered with Magellan AI this year to make History Daily’s April Fool’s episode a special one. The episode focuses on a real story of an accidental military victory in 1572. It comes with a twist: the advertisers are also from 1572. Catch the press release to read how Magellan AI developed a “parchment-based dashboard” to handle time-travel attribution. Headliner keeps things in the modern day with their prank, issuing a press release for a new feature called Full Circle. Taking the next step beyond turning audio podcasts into video, Full Circle allows users to upload video and then receive it back as video. “Just like audiograms… but for video.” Unfortunately, The Download is skipping April Fools’ entirely. No jokes here.
Sponsored Segment: Smooth Meowve
New from Right Side Up: Smooth Meowve. Founded out of a very real need (and an increasingly uncomfortable amount of eye contact with a cat sitting next to an empty litter box), Smooth Meowve was created to bring a more thoughtful, effective approach to feline digestive health. Listen to today’s episode of The Download podcast for the full Smooth Meowve experience 🐱
Jokes aside, Podnews opens its inbox for the fifth annual report card on major podcast platforms. All are welcome to submit, with the questionnaire taking around ten minutes to complete. The results will be shared on stage at The Podcast Show London in May, as well as published in the Podnews newsletter. Comments provided will not be attributed without Podnews first requesting permission. Submissions close end-of-day April 30, 2026.
As for the rest of the news…
- Jay Rose, formerly of DAX U.S., has announced he has joined Daylight Media as SVP, Sales and Brand Partnerships.
- Acast has debuted its “Women in Podcasting” 2026 research in Milan, including the finding that 33% of European podcast listeners say they are not exposed to enough female-hosted podcasts on the platforms they use.
- InsideRadio covers the launch of SGcreative, a new audio advertising service created from a partnership between StreamGuys and Nueva Network. SGcreative will be demoed publicly at the NAB Show April 19-22 in Las Vegas.
- American Public Media has announced David Brancaccio is ending his tenure as host of Marketplace Morning Report in early April, transitioning to a new special correspondent role.
- True Native Media’s Sabrina Nielsen writes about the widely believed narrative that advertising on bigger podcasts automatically equals better outcomes.
- The Signal Awards has launched The Signal Room, a new podcast hosted by Jemma Brown and produced in partnership with Wistia. It’s currently available on the usual podcast platforms, Spotify, and YouTube.
- PRX and More Perfect have launched In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan. Series host Shogan, the country’s first woman to lead the National Archives and Records Administration, will lead discussions of prominent public leaders, historians, and journalists from American history.
