Hey, all people! Good to be again, although I do miss the sunshine and sick waves (that I didn’t trip) of Hawaii. I additionally, fairly actually, ate an excessive amount of tuna. It was price it. Due to Jake for protecting on a very busy week.
Anyway, on to the information: Google alters its podcast search, Crooked Media types a union, and Disney Channel stars are again en masse for rewatch pods.
Google is sunsetting its podcast carousel
“Podcast carousel” might sound like some technodystopian theme park trip, however it’s truly that featured bar of podcast episodes you get if you seek for a present. If you click on on episodes, they direct robotically to the Google Podcast participant. It’s a fairly intuitive performance, so it’s curious that Google has introduced it’ll eliminate the function.
Podnews grabbed a screenshot of a Google notification that reads, “Google Search will cease displaying podcast carousels by February 13. Consequently, clicks and impressions in How folks discover your present will drop to zero after that date. Take into account downloading any historic information that you just need to maintain.”
I do marvel if it is a sign that podcast operations at Google will start to additional focus on YouTube. Google Podcasts truly does okay — it’s the fifth-most-used podcast platform, in accordance with a examine by Cumulus and Sign Hill. However it’s far behind YouTube, which, in survey after survey, takes the highest spot.
Freakonomics involves YouTube
Can’t escape it! Freakonomics Radio Community has struck a cope with YouTube to convey its reveals to the platform. It’s the newest conventional audio outfit to determine a presence on the platform. Like NPR, which arrange store on YouTube final summer time, Freaknomics’ reveals are nonetheless audio-only, that includes title playing cards slightly than movies.
Even when YouTube remains to be a sort of awkward format for podcasts, it continues to lure publishers with its search capabilities and viewers attain. “One of many challenges for podcasting has been discoverability, and Google and YouTube have been leaders in seek for years now,” mentioned Freakonomics basic supervisor Neal Carruth in a press release. “We are able to’t wait to see this energy in search assist get our reveals in entrance of latest audiences.”
Crooked Media has unionized
I’m truly just a little stunned they weren’t already unionized? Although higher late than by no means. Following organizing efforts at studios like Gimlet, iHeartMedia, and Pineapple Avenue, the liberal political community has unionized with Writers Guild of America, East. (Disclosure: WGAE additionally represents the Vox Media Union, of which I’m a member).
Citing Crooked’s current enlargement, together with an advert and distribution cope with SiriusXM and a hefty funding from Soros Fund Administration, staff wish to cut price for pay fairness and extra time rules. “As the corporate continues to develop, retain extra stakeholders, and implement giant structural adjustments, we need to have a seat on the desk of those discussions,” the union mentioned in a press release.
Administration at Crooked Media voluntarily acknowledged the union the identical day. Voluntary recognition is regular within the podcasting area, however there was maybe a higher expectation positioned on Crooked primarily based on its political pedigree. The community was based by former Obama staffers Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau, and Tommy Vietor, who host prime liberal podcast Pod Save America. “At Crooked Media, we now have constantly supported and amplified the facility of organized labor and welcome our staff’ efforts to unionize,” the firm tweeted yesterday.
Podcast listening up 7 p.c in January amongst prime publishers
The vacation stoop handed, and podcast listening is again on the rise, in accordance with information from Podtrac. They reported that among the many prime 20 podcast publishers, which incorporates the likes of NPR, Wondery, and The New York Instances, the variety of month-to-month listeners elevated by 7 p.c between December and January. That follows a 9 p.c decline in month-to-month listeners Podtrac beforehand reported between November and December.
Former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano will get in on the rewatch podcast craze
That is actually solely going to be of curiosity to readers born after 1990, however that features me, and I write this text. You’re probably accustomed to the increase in nostalgic rewatch podcasts, reminiscent of Workplace Women, Pod Meets World, and Faux Docs, Actual Associates with Zach and Donald, that give former TV stars a brand new probability at relevance (and a chance to earn some advert income). It’s a confirmed components that, if uninspired, has managed to ring a bell with listeners. Christy Carlson Romano of Even Stevens and Kim Potential fame has taken observe and is launching a slew of latest rewatch reveals by way of her podcast community.
Romano just lately reentered the highlight together with her chaotic viral YouTube movies the place she hikes round LA and spills tea in episodes like “Why I Don’t Discuss To Shia LaBeouf” and “How I Misplaced Princess Diaries To Anne Hathaway.” She then made the now-inevitable YouTube-to-podcast pivot, greatest exemplified by Emma Chamberlain and MrBallen, final fall together with her present Susceptible. The present does positive for its class, if not superb. However the enlargement into rewatch podcasts is a shrewd one — with reveals recapping Even Stevens, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Ned’s Declassified Faculty Survival Information, Romano is upfront about taking part in to the nostalgia of a demo very lively in podcasting.
That’s all for now! I’ll be again subsequent week with some candy Scorching Pod Summit updates.
