Label it AI… or YouTube Will!
YouTube is making its AI content labels more prominent and easier to spot, moving them directly below the video player for long-form content and as an on-screen overlay for Shorts, while also introducing automatic AI detection that will apply labels even when creators forget to disclose. Creators stay in control and can correct any misidentification in YouTube Studio, and YouTube is clear that a disclosure label has no impact on a video’s recommendations or monetization eligibility.
Image from YouTube
How Fast do Top Podcasters Actually Talk?
Adam Bowie is a data analyst who spoke at The Podcast Show London last month. He wrote up his findings on his blog.
One of the more interesting details from his analysis of the UK's top 25 podcasts was how fast hosts actually talk. Normal conversational English runs at 130 to 150 words per minute, and The Daily is the only show in the top 25 that falls within that range, coming in at 142 WPM.
Every other podcast on the list speaks faster than everyday conversation, with football show Stick to Football topping the chart at a chaotic 232 WPM across its five hosts. Bowie measured active speaking time only, stripping out music and silence to get clean numbers.
Spotify Updates
Spotify has announced several podcast updates worth noting. The splashiest new feature lets Premium listeners ask questions about an episode in real time and get answers without leaving the app, currently live in the U.S., Sweden, and Ireland.
Also coming soon is Personal Podcasts, which generates short private audio episodes from a text prompt, drawing on your Spotify taste profile. Think daily briefings, quick explainers, or weekly roundups, saved privately in your library. It rolls out to U.S. Premium users next month.
On the creator side, Spotify launched more flexible sponsorship management tools for Partner Program members and teased an upcoming Memberships feature for building recurring fan revenue.
Podcasting’s Nielsen Moment Is Coming
TV got standardized audience measurement in the 1950s. Digital got it in the early 2000s. Podcasting? Still waiting.
The AMP Accords are the podcast industry’s first attempt at a shared measurement framework. Convened by Oxford Road the Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting brings together Spotify, SiriusXM, Libsyn, Podscribe, and major advertisers like DraftKings and BetterHelp to tackle three things: what counts as an impression, how attribution should work across platforms, and what a “podcast” even is.
Why does it matter? About $1 billion in advertiser demand is reportedly sitting on the sidelines because no one can agree on the answers.
The Accords go public July 22.
Other Stuff
Quill announced its 2026 Podcast Award winners. Always some fantastic ideas if you’re looking for a new podcast. Emily Page from Stories and Strategies was one of the judges
If you're a podcast creator in the UK or Ireland, you have until June 8th to enter the Independent Podcast Awards 2026
YouTube is introducing Premium features for podcast fans
Acast CEO Greg Glenday makes a compelling case that podcasters are wielding substantial narrative influence in today’s society
A new podcast for podcasters… Too Long Didn't Listen cuts through podcasting's endless debates by asking one question per episode, giving five industry voices 60 seconds each to answer it. And you'll be done before you finish your coffee
When Stephen Colbert wrapped up “The Late Show” he sang Hello Goodbye with Sir Paul McCartney. Turns out the “Hello” was to his new venture… podcasting