Apple Podcasts and Apple Maps are teaming up with a new feature called Hidden Histories that plots podcast episodes onto real-world locations in specific U.S. cities in Apple Maps. The feature employs the podcast:location RSS tag, letting both curated and independently tagged shows surface right where listeners are standing. Separately, Apple confirmed that video is coming to Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, letting creators offer subscriber-exclusive video episodes, ad-free video, early access, and bonus content across more than 170 countries and regions without maintaining separate audio and video workflows. Apple says it's working with podcast hosting providers on the rollout, with more details expected from participating partners in the coming months.

Audacy's new State of Audio report, previewed via Digiday, argues that podcast advertising has outgrown its experimental phase, noting that weekly time spent with podcasts has grown 386% over the last decade and that monthly spend per new advertiser more than doubled in a single year, from $20K to $42K. The report's central argument is that mid-sized podcasts remain an underused opportunity for advertisers who default to the biggest names. It cites Podscribe benchmarks showing a 22% lower cost per acquisition on mid-sized shows than celebrity shows, alongside Audacy's own Power of Influencers study, a survey of 1,000 adults fielded in January and February 2026, which found listeners are 27% more likely to be influenced by topic experts than by well-known celebrities.

Red Seat Ventures’ Senior Director, Marketing Karo Chakhlasyan writes that Podcast Movement NYC made the argument audio isn’t the best way to grow audio. Not because video is replacing it, but because so much of the industry's growth conversation has shifted toward video-driven discovery. With RSS growth stalling and premium audio inventory tight, Chakhlasyan argues the more consequential opportunity may be moment-level distribution of clips and video, while audio still wins in the moments video can't reach, like the drive, the walk, or the gym.

…as for the rest of the news:

Note: This slide doesn’t indicate rank by consumption OR most-used - just most often-named.

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