Podcast News Round Up | Spotify and Netflix Introduce The Netflix Hub & More!
Welcome back to the HeadStuff Podcast News Round-Up were we take a look at what’s happening in the world of podcasting and give you a recommendation or two along the way. This week we look at Spotify and Netflix’s new Netflix Hub, Podimo’s recent funding achievement, the confusion of Apple Podcasts’ new ratings and The Webby Awards 2022.
Podcast of the Week
The Making of a Detective is a brand new true crime podcast from the Irish Sun which follows a series of murders solved by Irish Detective Pat Marry across 3 decades. The series is hosted by Ian Doyle.
The podcast tells the story of five of Ireland’s most notorious murder cases told through the lens of the man who once solved them, and how these cases shaped him into the detective he is today. Pat reminisces over his time as a detective for An Garda Síochána, interspersed with retellings of the murder cases.
All five episodes are out now, exploring the murders of Rachel Callaly, Mary Gough, Jaqueline Quinn McDonagh, Niall Dorr and Aaron Brady.
The Making of a Detective features interviews with Pat Marry as he remembers these cases, his former colleagues as well as members of the victims’ families. This series goes into detail of each case and may not be suitable for all listeners, but is a must for fans of true crime.
Spotify and Netflix team up to bring: The Netflix Hub
Netflix has created a wide variety of trending shows and movies, from Stranger Things to Tiger King. Fans flock to the internet to express their adoration of these shows, and to share related content with one another. One place fandoms have flocked to is Spotify. According to the streaming app, within two weeks of Squid Game’s Netflix release, Spotify listeners had created more than 22,500 unique themed playlists.
Because of this, Spotify and Netflix have come together to launch the Netflix Hub, allowing fans to get the “full audio-streaming experience from the entertainment they love” on Spotify.
Through the Hub, listeners across Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India have access to official soundtracks, playlists, podcasts and exclusive Spotify content.
Simply search “Netflix” on Spotify to find the hub. The hub will update regularly with new audio content.
Podimo secures $78 million to invest in original content and expansion
The fast-growing Copenhagen-founded subscription service for audio entertainment and podcasts, Podimo, announced this week that it has secured $78 million in a Series B round of funding, led by 83North and Highland Europe, with participation from existing investors Chr. Augustinus, Heartcore, Saban Ventures, Headline and Possible Ventures.
Podimo, the “Netflix for podcasts” is a producer of original content and partner to some of Europe’s biggest content producers and authors.
- With a user-centric revenue sharing model, Podimo actively supports artists and helps nurture direct-to-fan relationships.
- Podimo doubled its output of exclusive shows week on week, now hosting more than 950+ original, exclusive shows.
- An independent channel with specific content for children between 2 and 10 years old, has launched in Denmark, Germany and Spain.
- Apple Reveals Most Popular Podcast Subscriptions and Free Channels
“The podcast and audio market is expected to grow beyond 50 billion USD over the next 5-6 years, with more and more audiences discovering compelling, short-form, spoken word audio every day. It’s a tremendous opportunity, and with our strategic focus on content in local markets’ native languages, we feel well positioned to grab a substantial part of this market,” says CEO and founder Morten Strunge. “With a solid foundation, we can accelerate our investments into premium original and exclusive content from today’s most exciting and important voices, bringing in more users and bigger payouts to creators, while applying our learnings to new market expansion.”
Confusing Review Prompts Leads to a Big Change in Apple Podcasts Ratings
Apple began allowing people to review apps within the App Store a few months ago. This saw many of Apple’s own apps scoring poorly, including the Apple Podcasts app with an incredibly low 1.8-star score. However, in a little over a month and no change to the app itself, that score has jumped to 4.6 stars, as pointed out by Kosta Eleftheriou (AppStore critic).
So what’s changed? Well, nothing – aside from a confusing prompt which appears to have led to a series of misplaced reviews, as most of the highly rated reviews refer to specific podcasts shows, rather than the app itself.
After speaking with The Verge, Apple has confirmed that it is using a new prompt which encourages listeners to leave a rating and review while users are in the middle of listening to their favourite podcasts. So, it looks as if people are accidentally reviewing the Apple Podcasts app, when they think they are rating the podcast they are listening to in that moment.
While it is likely not all of these reviews are misplaced, it makes it impossible to differentiate between ratings left for the app and specific shows.
Final Entry for The Webby Awards 2022
Final entries for The 26th Annual Webby Awards 2022 is Friday December 17th.
The Webby Awards is the leading international award honouring excellence on the internet, first established in 1996. The awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS).
There are a wide range of categories, including podcasts, with a wide number of awards to be given out, from best host to best podcast ad. Nominees and winners are selected by members of the IADAS with a range of criteria to be met. If you’re looking to enter your podcast in the running to win a Webby, judges will look at the show’s content, quality of production and the overall listening experience.
2021 winners within the podcast category include F*cking Sober: the first 90 days for best writing, and Borrasca for best scripted (fiction) podcast.
Winners of the Webby Awards will be announced in May 2022. You can enter your podcast here.
Find more podcast related content on the HeadStuff Podcast Section – News, Reviews, Interviews and How-To Guides for all you podcasters out there.
