by Gavin Gaddis

I have resolved a full-blown PR crisis with nature. We took our bird feeders inside to protect them from a storm overnight. The birds were not happy with this decision the next morning. Through careful compromise and clear communication (putting out more seed), we’ve reached an amicable position for both parties involved. Thankfully, the business of podcasting has been more action-focused and far less sunflower seed-focused this week.

With several hot takes and narratives forming around the rumored SiriusXM deal to acquire iHeartMedia (as well as several alternate shapes such a merger could take), Webster drills down to the notion SiriusXM would strip iHeart’s radio stations of local content. He audited iHeart stations in three markets as of late April 2026.

“I selected three U.S. markets for this audit using two criteria. First, mid-size: large enough that you would expect significant local programming if any was going to exist, and small enough to avoid the markets that are themselves origination points for nationally syndicated iHeart content (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix). Second, geographic and cultural diversity: Midwest (Indianapolis), Northeast Rust Belt (Pittsburgh), and Mountain West (Salt Lake City).”

Despite FCC requirements that broadcast licenses serve the public interest with programming responsive to the local community, Webster found little locally produced content. In Pittsburgh — the strongest local content market — less than 4% of weekday airtime features someone in the city discussing the city. Indianapolis clocked in at “effectively zero.”

He points to the actual legitimate local content found on the average commercial radio station: local ads. Such a merger carries real risks, but the idea that it would kill local radio doesn't hold. The majority of the “local radio” pitched in that argument no longer exists. In fact, with localism lying in local advertising, there’s a world where a SiriusXM merger would serve local markets better than they were under existing networks.

S&P Global Market Intelligence data shows U.S. podcast listening rose 10 points from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, with 60% of online adults reporting listens in the past year. A quote from Winslow’s coverage:

“S&P Global Market Intelligence attributed the surge in usage to the evolving landscape of podcast content and the rising popularity of video podcast platforms.”

This figure is close to Sounds Profitable's The Podcast Landscape 2025 findings, which show that 68% of respondents have consumed a podcast (audio or video) in the past year. While S&P’s data specifies “listeners,” the percentage of Podcast Landscape respondents who say they are “video only” hovers around 8-9%. When compared to the S&P figure, this percentage brings the total in line with Podcast Landscape audience findings on podcast audience growth.

The integration adds Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics Demos+ data to Nielsen’s Media Impact (NMI) platform. The integration is expected to give ad buyers more data-driven insights and provide a more holistic view of the audio market. A quote from Nielsen Audio Managing Director Rich Tunkel in the official release:

“Our collaboration with Triton Digital makes it easier for advertisers to evaluate and plan podcasts alongside, and with the same level of precision, comparability and confidence as other media channels, delivering a critical need.” 

Nielsen also kicked off POSSIBLE in Miami this week, announcing Predictive Sales Lift, a new outcomes-based measurement capability. The feature helps media buyers predict sales lift for incremental video ad campaigns in the Nielsen One Ads platform.

The Nigerian Podcast Index 2025 Report looks at 329 shows across 20+ hosting platforms and six languages to provide a bird’s-eye view of the country’s podcast industry. In Africa’s most populous country, podcasting is largely defined by language and platform. 

88% of Nigerian Podcast Index podcasts are recorded in English, making them accessible to outside markets while maintaining local roots. Nigeria’s podcasting scene remains dependent on international platforms, with no significant example of domestic hosting infrastructure. Afripods hosts just 4% of indexed Nigerian podcasts, while Spotify for Creators hosts 58%. 

The elephant in the room for Nigerian podcasting is data. A quote from Onwuchekwa:

“Without reliable measurement infrastructure, Nigerian podcasting remains largely invisible to global advertisers and investors. This creates a vicious cycle: no data means no investment, which means no resources to build the measurement systems that would attract investment. For context, Nigeria’s population of 223 million people and rapidly growing internet penetration suggest the market could be massive. But “could be” doesn’t secure advertising deals or venture funding.” 

With credible metrics, improved monetization, and viable domestic hosting infrastructure, he sees more runway for Nigerian podcasting to fulfill its potential. 

Podscribe just got back from #POSSIBLE2026—and if there’s one word to describe it, it’s “hot”! We’re talking about the conversations and the weather 😉. 

As an official partner, the team spent the past three days in sunny Miami immersed in meaningful conversations with top industry leaders, diving into everything from measurement challenges to what’s next for audio. POSSIBLE brings together some of the most influential voices in marketing, and that level of insight shows up everywhere.

One standout moment? Matt Drengler’s presentation on the Innovation Stage, where he unpacked The State of Audio Measurement & How to Buy Like a Pro—giving marketers practical ways to think smarter about performance and strategy in audio. 

But beyond the sessions, the Podscribe team also had time to bond in person and meet new faces to exchange ideas with peers across the industry.

While they may not be top story material, the articles below from this week are definitely worth your time: