Business
The Download
The weekly intelligence briefing for podcast industry executives.
Episodes
The archive
24 episodes, newest first.
- Discovery, Netflix, and the Ad Market: What Executives Need to Watch This WeekReid Mercer cuts through the noise on podcast discovery's platform shift, Netflix's stumbling audio play, and what May's ad market data actually signals for network revenue.
- Netflix, iHeart, and the Metrics That Actually MatterReid Mercer breaks down Netflix's expanding video podcast bet with iHeartMedia, the star power behind it, what Spotify's redefined 'play' metric means for ad buyers, and why an AI gecko might be the most honest signal about where branded audio is heading.
- Measurement Wars, Video Moves, and the Obama Effect: What's Actually Moving the Industry This WeekReid Mercer breaks down the measurement overhaul threatening to redraw ad pricing, the Tubi video podcast land grab, blockbuster talent deals, and what the industry's maturation stats actually mean for your Q3 planning.
- Netflix and Spotify Team Up, YouTube Hits a Billion, and the Industry Can't Agree What a Podcast IsReid Mercer breaks down the Netflix-Spotify joint play for Jay Shetty, YouTube's billion-user milestone and new AI features, a global ad surge with new targeting tools, and the industry taskforce trying to define what a podcast actually is before the answer matters even more.
Show moreShow less
- $9 Billion and Counting: Murdoch's Podcast Bet, AI Goes Personal, and Celebrity's New MicReid Mercer breaks down the podcast industry's $9.2 billion revenue milestone, James Murdoch's calculated move on Vox, Spotify and Amazon's competing AI personalization plays, and what celebrity podcast launches actually signal about where the money is heading.
- Amazon's Podcast Takeover, Video's Big Bet, and the Measurement Fix the Industry Actually NeedsReid Mercer breaks down Amazon's AI podcast push, the video podcast arms race heating up across Spotify, Amazon, and iHeart, Paramount and HBO's streaming content play, and why the Triton-Nielsen partnership might be the most important deal nobody's talking about.
- James Murdoch, AI Slop, and the Ad Blind Spot Every Buyer Needs to Know AboutThis week: James Murdoch makes his play for Vox's podcast assets, AI-generated content floods Spotify at scale, iHeart posts real revenue growth while the broader ad market stays murky, and the video podcast revolution turns out to be more complicated than the deck slides suggested.
- SiriusXM's Surge, Amazon's AI Hustle, and the Measurement Shift That Changes the Ad GameReid Mercer breaks down SiriusXM's Q1 numbers and YouTube deal, Amazon's AI podcast experiment gone sideways, the video podcasting arms race, and why Nielsen's new media planning integration is quietly reshaping where ad budgets go.
- Netflix’s Podcast Land Grab, AI Studios, and Where the Ad Money Is Actually GoingReid Mercer breaks down Netflix’s push into prestige podcasts, the rise of AI-first production tools, new data on who is really spending in audio, and what this week’s celebrity moves signal about the future of star-driven shows.
- Patreon’s $629M Shockwave, Spotify’s Discovery Bet, RFK’s Mic Play, and the New Hit FactoriesReid Mercer breaks down Patreon’s $629 million podcast surge, Spotify’s latest discovery gambit, RFK Jr.’s power play with a government-backed show, and how true crime and celebrity deals are quietly rewriting network strategy for 2026.
Talent
Talents in this show
Each one has a profile of their own.
About
What the show is
From network strategy and M&A moves to ad tech innovations and monetization tactics, The Download delivers the insider analysis that shapes decisions at the highest levels of audio. Essential listening for leaders at major networks, ad platforms, and anyone building the future of podcasting.
More shows
Elsewhere in the directory
Every one of them is made with Mato.
