Netflix's newest hire will lead its podcast efforts

Netflix brings onboard a former Apple executive to lead its Podcasting Operations. N'Jeri Eaton left Apple last week and will join Netflix later this month. She will be in charge of the company's podcast initiatives and report to Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John, another former Apple executive.

Just like what Apple has been doing with Apple TV+, Netflix will be creating podcasts for its original programming. Some of its content that already have companion podcasts include The Witcher, The Crown, and The Irishman.

Source: 9to5Mac

Spotify acquires Podz to boost podcast discovery

Spotify has been throwing many of its resources into growing its podcast business. Its latest move is the acquisition of Podz, a startup with tech that can generate preview clips of podcasts. Podcasters don't need to create clips themselves, as Podz can automate the process. It finds the important moments from episodes using machine learning trained on over 100,000 hours of audio. 

Spotify wants this acquisition to help improve podcast discovery, allowing you to browse through short podcast snippets to find what you want to listen to instead of listening to longer podcast episodes. According to Spotify, it will make it "easier for listeners to find the content they want to listen to, and for creators to be discovered and build a fan base." 

Source: The Verge 

Facebook set to introduce its podcast platform next week

Facebook

Facebook hasn't been shy about sharing what it plans in the audio space. We learn that the company is almost ready to launch its podcast platform, which is coming to Facebook next Tuesday. Facebook has been sending out emails to podcast creators informing them that a new podcast page will go live on June 22. This page will allow Facebook users to listen directly from there. A new Podcasts tab will also be introduced into the social media site.

Like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more, anyone can set up an RSS feed to add a podcast to Facebook. Once the show is approved, any new episode will automatically be uploaded there. You can unpublish or remove your podcast at any time.

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Apple pushes back Podcasts subscriptions to June

Apple

Apple was supposed to roll out its Podcasts subscriptions this month. But after some creators ran into problems with the feature, the company has decided to push back its release to June to ensure they are "delivering the best experience for creators and listeners." Apple made this announcement to the creators via an email sent on Friday. Some of the issues included creators' inability to log into Apple's Podcast Connect portal or seeing delays in new episode availability. Apple said it fixed these "disruptions" already.

Apple's Podcasts subscriptions will offer subscribers to participating podcasts additional perks like early access to episodes and ad-free listening. The service will launch in 170 countries.

Source: The Verge