As we move toward weekly roundups of new industry developments and releases, here's the big drop catching up over the last two months.
April 2025
Signal Hill Insights Launches Video Podcast Brand Lift Study
Recognizing the rise of YouTube as a podcasting platform, Signal Hill Insights rolled out a new study tool to measure brand lift in video podcasts. It evaluates how video podcast campaigns perform in driving awareness, favorability, and purchase intent, providing essential metrics for advertisers experimenting with visual-first content.
Podgagement Completes Migration of Six Years of Podcast Charts
Podgagement now offers a comprehensive repository of six years’ worth of hourly podcast rankings across Apple and Spotify. This dataset allows publishers, agencies, and researchers to dive deep into historical trends, making it an invaluable tool for understanding long-term performance and competitive positioning.
Spotify Enhances Ad Measurement Capabilities
Spotify has expanded its ad tech stack with improved measurement tools, allowing advertisers to access more granular data on campaign performance, including impressions and third-party attribution. This update supports Spotify’s ongoing strategy to attract more brand dollars and compete directly with traditional digital advertising platforms.
DeepCast Expands Podsites Features
DeepCast added advanced customization features to its Podsites product, which gives podcasters auto-updating, SEO-friendly websites. The update includes better analytics, dynamic social embeds, and a CMS-lite interface, giving creators more control without needing technical skills.
Sounds Profitable Releases 'The Advertising Landscape 2025: Reach' Study
This new study from Sounds Profitable, in partnership with Signal Hill Insights and Sounds Profitable’s sponsors, delivers the most detailed look yet at how podcast advertising stacks up in terms of reach compared to TV, radio, and streaming platforms. The research emphasizes that podcasting remains one of the most underutilized channels relative to its audience size.
Podnews Report Card 2025 Results Released
The 2025 edition of Podnews’ annual Report Card collected industry-wide feedback on platforms, tools, and publishers. This year’s findings revealed rising dissatisfaction with discoverability features on major platforms, while independent hosting platforms scored high for innovation and support.
Magellan AI Updates Spend Analysis Tool
Magellan AI updated its platform to provide more precise categorization of podcast ad spend. Advertisers can now analyze spend by format — including host-read, programmatic, and run-of-network — offering a clearer picture of how budgets are being deployed across inventory types.
Charts by mowPod Introduces Major Updates
mowPod rolled out a sleek redesign and several quality-of-life improvements to its podcast charting platform, including light/dark mode toggling, mobile responsiveness, and personalized email alerts when your show enters or exits a top chart. These updates aim to make podcast analytics more accessible to indie creators and networks alike.
Signal Hill Insights Publishes Branded Podcast Benchmarks Report
This in-depth report outlines how branded podcasts perform against standard engagement metrics. It found that listeners of branded shows are more likely to recall brand messages, feel emotionally connected, and take purchase actions compared to traditional ad slots, validating branded podcasts as a potent marketing channel.
And, of course, no April release roundup is complete without the obligatory April 1 nugget (which we totally bought into for a second there...)
Magellan AI Rebrands to Podgellan AI
Magellan AI unveiled its rebrand to "Podgellan AI," a move signaling its shift from a podcast media intelligence platform to a broader, AI-powered solution for podcast advertisers and publishers. The name change reflects a focus on “navigating” the podcast ad space with enhanced AI tools and a streamlined, modern brand identity. Edit: NOPE...... Nicely played, Magellan and Podnews!
March 2025: Looking Back
A few releases from earlier in 2025:
Magellan AI Enables Measurement Against Custom Audience Data
With this update, brands can now upload their own first-party CRM or audience data—or even third-party lists—and match it against podcast impressions. This granular targeting capability lets marketers see not just who heard an ad, but how well those listeners align with campaign objectives, such as reaching high-value customers.
Magellan AI Adds Individual Aircheck Views
To enhance transparency and accountability, Magellan AI introduced a feature allowing users to view airchecks at the individual ad level. This helps advertisers confirm ad placement, verify delivery, and monitor compliance with campaign creative requirements.
AntennaPod Updates Auto-Download Feature
The open-source podcast app AntennaPod now allows users to set auto-download preferences per individual show, rather than applying one rule to all subscriptions. This update helps listeners manage storage more efficiently and ensures they prioritize the podcasts they care about most.
Descript Demonstrates New AI Features
During a product demo, Descript showcased early versions of its upcoming AI tools, including voice overlap removal and multi-speaker voice cloning. These features aim to simplify post-production editing for multi-host and remote podcast recordings by reducing crosstalk and automating voice cleanup.
Sounds Profitable Launches 'The Power of Branded Podcasts' Study
Conducted in collaboration with JAR Audio, this study explores how branded podcasts influence perceptions of trust, authenticity, and value. The results showed that listeners are more likely to engage with a brand and recommend it to others when they have listened to its branded podcast.
The Women's Podcast Industry Network Podcast Launches
Avant Haus Media launched a new podcast as part of its mission to spotlight and support women in podcasting. The show features interviews with female leaders in audio, industry analysis, and community-building discussions designed to elevate underrepresented voices.
Headliner and Sounds Profitable Release Paid Podcast Promotion Landscape
This collaborative resource maps out dozens of platforms where podcasters can pay to promote their shows—from dynamic insertion marketplaces to app placement tools. It serves as a much-needed guide for creators looking to grow their audiences through paid means.
Signal Hill Insights Discusses Brand Lift Study Insights
Signal Hill offered a detailed look at common misconceptions around brand lift studies, including the importance of timing and creative execution. They emphasized that many studies fail to capture the full impact of podcast ads unless they account for longer listener conversion paths.
Spotify's Video Podcast Program Faces Criticism
Reports emerged that several publishers participating in Spotify's video podcast program saw decreased revenues due to low CPMs and reduced sponsorship flexibility. The backlash prompted renewed debate around platform exclusivity and monetization transparency in video podcasting.
YouTube Highlights Podcasts on TV Interface
YouTube rolled out a major interface update for its TV app, prominently featuring a new “Podcasts” tab. This marks a significant shift in how podcasts are being positioned to home viewers, potentially bringing more attention to long-form shows in the living room environment.
