Last week the IAB shared some good news for the podcast industry: Revenues are up 86% from last year. BUT, podcasts are still tiny, representing less than 2% of radio ad spend in the U.S.

 

We’re hopeful Google’s investment into the ecosystem, introducing a pre-installed podcast player for Android folks, will expand the pie and ultimately help podcast creators find an audience.

 

The new Google Podcast app will be available worldwide in a few hours, with:

🙏 Personalized recommendations for new podcasts

🎙️ Progress and listen history synced through Google Assistant

🕓 Playback speed adjustments

 

Your next favorite podcast is waiting to be discovered:

🚀 Y Combinator's Official Podcast on starting up a startup

😮 Reply All covers the oddities on the internet

📝 Venture Stories take you inside the world of venture capital
📰 Techmeme's Ride Home Podcast aggregates the best news

 

If you're looking to upgrade your podcasting experience, Breaker,  Chorus, and Overcast are fan-favorites. All have built-in social networks to surface your network's favorite podcasts.