Hot summer Latino podcasting news
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Most important Latino-podcasting news of the week
Last week we told you about Sonora, well this week they went live with more than 50 original audio productions and announced they will get to 115 by year-end. Some say how Sonora does will determine the future of paid audio on-demand platforms in Spain.
The first Argentinian fiction podcast by Spotify Originals will be launched on July 27. Well-known actors will give life to the thriller Número Oculto.
At least two media portals in Mexico published stories on how some listeners are complaining that even though they pay Spotify Premium, there are ads on their favorite podcasts.
Even though they didn´t have to, Spotify clarifies what´s happening via Twitter
VidCon México announced yesterday that the hosts of the top Mexican podcast Leyendas Legendarias will be part of their lineup.
Spain is one of the countries (some say #2, others #3 globally) in which podcasts are most listened to. That's why it´s normal to open a newspaper and read a story about the most anticipated new shows this summer.
National Geographic launched its first podcast in Spanish this week. Crímenes que cambiaron la Historia will focus on murders that have impacted the world, unraveling the lives of those involved and the local and global context of the time. The first episode, on Jack the Ripper, is available in their app already, but other podcast platforms only have the trailer.
Mike Russell from UK is said to own the Guinness Record for the longest podcast with 36 hours. Also, Matt Hall and Dan Ramsden also claim to be the owners of the record with their 53-hour live audio-only recording two years ago. Whoever owns it, on July 29 Venezuelans will attempt to break it with Podcast Eterno.
They fought each other in the ring, but now two Mexican boxing world champions co-host the successful podcast Un Round Más. How did this happen?
The Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the third largest in the country, published a story on the boom of women in podcasting.
Renowned Mexican podcaster Roberto Martínez is being criticized on social media and all over the media for having Alex Marín, the Mexican "King Midas of Adult Movies" in this week´s episode. Alex started his adult production studio with his three wives and is constantly accused of being a pimp and promoting a macho culture, which is what Roberto is now being accused of. No such thing as bad publicity for the podcast industry?
EOnline Latino published a video with their list of top Latino influencer podcasts. You don´t have to watch it, here it is: Bilateral con Calle y Poché, No lo hagas fácil by Juanpa Zurita, Pinky Promise by Karla Díaz, Más allá del Rosa by Jessica Fernández, Emprender en femeinino by Erika de la Vega and Café con mezcal with Carlos Lang.
Award-winning podcast and Netflix show Song Exploder now has its Spanish version hosted by Adonde Media´s founder, Martina Castro. The first episode was just released. Great stuff continues to come from Adonde Media!
Podimo became the most downloaded streaming app in Spain on its second anniversary last week. During the last six months, Podimo has quadrupled its investment in Spanish podcasts. They have also been offering video trailers and several shows in Podimo are already available also in video.
Another proof that podcasts in Spain are mainstream, not that you needed one, is that a top newspaper analyzes the podcast of a famous married couple talking about all the issues of their relationship and life. More podcast stories on the media please!
Revealing, one more time, they are very interested in LatAm markets, RSS.com launched a podcast this week with renowned Mexican YouTuber Chumel Torres: Se dice y no pasa nada.
Love and Noraebang, a podcast by Mexican-American company Sonoro is number one in Apple Podcast in South Korea. The podcast tells the story of how a Mexican American entrepreneur and an heir to a Korean chaebol fall in love in modern-day LA just before he has to go for his 2-year military service.
13 million downloads later La Nación, one of the most important newspapers in Argentina, reflects on the 4 years since it launched its podcasts.
TV personalities with podcasts have been an important way for people in LatAm to get to know what a podcast is. Three of the most recognized sports anchors just revealed on their podcast how they drank until 8 am in New Orleans bars when covering the Superbowl. Do stories like this in MSN make podcasts sexy for Spanish speakers that are not currently listeners? We sure hope so.
Want to learn Spanish with podcasts? Travel Daily News International has 8 recommendations.
This might´ve not reached the news if it happened in another country, but in Mexico it has. The judicial branch of the State of Oaxaca released a podcast aiming to be closer to society and promote a culture of legality. Hope it does well!
Insurance company Axa launched a branded podcast in Spain, first episode has an interview with one of the first women in Congress after the first democratic elections in 1977. Episode was published last month but they are just announcing the podcast.
Brazil´s Deezer Director says they aren´t able to review all the content in its platform, so they rely on collaborative moderation.
Men´s Health España interviews a TV icon and asked him what his favorite podcasts were. His top-3 come from Spain and Mexico: Radio Fitness Revolucionario with Marcos Vázquez, Vivir es un asunto urgente with Mario Alonso Puig and Diego Dreyfus´ Te vas a Morir, which we just discovered has an English version as well.
Sounds Profitable #GoodData "looks at how non-US markets are driving spoken word audio consumption and why, for publishers playing the long game, having a plan to draw in global audiences will be necessary for sustaining growth." Happy for the section on Spanish-language podcasts :D
Events
You can register for free and attend Podcast Fest LatAm in person in Chile or online on August 17 and 18
Impact on Latino podcasting
Apple Music is struggling in LatAm but Spotify is booming. A hint, Mauricio Cabrera thinks, might be that Motorola and Samsung are the top two companies in the smartphone world. Even China´s Xiaomi sells more phones than Apple. With the podcast listener data we`ve seen these last years, we agree. Before 2020, Apple Podcast listeners were number one, but as podcasts have been reaching more and more people in LatAm (we think a huge reason is that many TV and radio celebrities, as well as influencers, started a podcast during the pandemic) Spotify has left Apple Podcast behind. We´ll wait and see what Apple plans for the region.
See ya next Friday!