News Summary

• Another well-known podcaster and executive said for some shows, the decline in downloads was as high as 40%.“Nearly every podcast that regularly publishes got an enormous haircut,” one podcast industry insider said.In this article:Podcasters are keeping quiet on the falling audience metrics..
• Even better under the old rules: For people who listened to a show, dropped off for a while, but started listening again later, Apple would automatically download every show in between..
• The arrangement drove big download numbers, a crucial metric for ad sales and a sign of the vast reach of podcasts as a medium.For instance, The Daily and Dateline both publicly touted reaching over a billion total downloads..
• A small tweak with little warning from Apple sent even the biggest podcasts into a frenzy, wondering what will happen to audiences, how it could impact revenue and talent deals.At least one of the big players is trying to avoid this..
• Though Apple is a partner for the Times, the publication also launched its own standalone audio app last year to create a direct connection with fans and in part to better insulate themselves from changes made by the platforms..
• A user who listened to a show like The New York Times’ The Daily a few times, subscribed, but stopped listening would continue to count as a download indefinitely..