We track the biggest forces shaping podcasting next year: Goalhanger’s network effect, a pivot to listener-based analytics, and the tension between open RSS and closed “podcast” branding from big platforms. We dig into video hosting defaults, live streaming, and why honest metrics will decide winners.• Apple’s Show of the Year milestone and Goalhanger’s model• Cross-promo and cadence as scalable growth levers• Flight Studio’s talent strategy versus brand synergy• Hall of Fame inductees and industry recognition• Creator retention, audio versus video habits, and practical focus• Fountain’s video hosting and sensible playback defaults• TrueFans roadmap for audio, video, and live with HLS• TikTok’s “podcasts” and why definitions drive ad budgets• Substack live streaming and platform convergence• Pod Analyst’s unified telemetry, retention curves, and sales clarity• Downloads versus unique listeners and consumption baselines• Bot and AI slop concerns and search downgrading• Libsyn price rises and market signals• Awards season, new events, and what’s ahead(This description is from Buzzsprout's CoHost AI, which is very good and are our sponsor).Send James & Sam a messageSupport the showConnect With Us: Email: weekly@podnews.net Fediverse: @james@bne.social and @samsethi@podcastindex.social Support us: www.buzzsprout.com/1538779/support Get Podnews: podnews.net