by Gavin Gaddis

Ted Hosmann from Apple Podcasts talked HLS

Apple Podcasts product manager Ted Hosmann walks through how the platform uses HLS to deliver video podcasts at the IETF's HLS Interest Day. He says top shows have seen their audience grow by more than 20% on average since adding video. Net new followers are up more than 130%, and plays are up more than 10%. On ads, interstitials are the way to dynamically sell and insert video ads. Apple does not allow skip restrictions on them. Ad bumpers can sit inside the interstitial, so the player skips straight past them when no ad fills the break. Apple has also published documentation on how to produce HLS for Apple Podcasts, which Podnews highlights. It lists stereo AAC-LC at 192 kbps and 48 kHz as preferred, and 5.1 surround is also supported. The playback guide says auto-downloads stay audio-only by default, and followers can opt in to video downloads. Elsewhere in the world of Apple: The Mac Observer reports that Apple acqui-hired members of the team behind Huxe, an AI audio startup founded by former Google NotebookLM developers. An EU Digital Markets Act filing shows the deal closed in June. It gives Apple the right to make offers to specific employees and a non-exclusive license to the technology.

The Future of Listening: Audible unveils findings from NielsenIQ's comprehensive global study of spoken-word audio entertainment

Audible unveils findings from a commissioned NielsenIQ study that surveyed 18,000 spoken-word audio listeners across 11 countries. The survey, debuted at the Frankfurt Book Fair, covers audiobooks, podcasts, and scripted and non-scripted audio series. 34% of respondents say they listened to more audio in the past 12 months than the year before. Brazil leads at 46% and Mexico follows at 44%, with the UK at 38% and the US at 35%. 51% say audio has helped them replace screen entertainment, and 47% credit it with reducing their social media use. Genre is the top factor in choosing a title, and topic is second in every country. 65% seek out more books by a narrator they like. 50% are open to AI-narrated content, from 42% in Germany to 66% in Japan.

Future of Marketing Briefing: Why top creators are taking fewer brand deals by Seb Joseph and Krystal Scanlon

Digiday reports that the biggest creators are cutting their brand rosters and asking more of the partners they keep. Alix Earle says she would rather work with five or six brands than 100 each year. She is also weighing equity deals with the ones she keeps. Jordan Howlett became chief content officer at Blenders Eyewear, where he directed a commercial with Method Man. The authors tie the shift to fandom. One partnership that looks bought can be enough to get a creator branded a sellout, so loyal audiences are the asset creators are protecting.

Powered By Podcasts, Audio Leads Product Placement Growth

Inside Audio Marketing reports on PQ Media's new Global Product Placement Forecast 2026-2030. Global product placement spending grew 12.7% in 2025 to $37.16 billion. It is on pace to grow 12.8% in 2026 to $41.92 billion. Music was the fastest-growing placement category at 13.8%, fueled by placements in popular podcasts where the host references brands and products. Inside Audio Marketing puts the music and audio category at about $502 million worldwide, against $26.16 billion for television and $4.44 billion for film. PQ Media also flags a slowdown in new podcast titles as one factor limiting future placement opportunities.

RSS.com has added a free transcription tool

RSS.com adds a free AI browser-based transcription tool freely open to everyone. The tool uses OpenAI’s open source Whisper model, which downloads and runs on the user’s device rather than uploading the audio. The output can be exported as plain text, VTT, or SRT.