Apple has announced transcripts are available for new episodes in Apple Podcasts with the iOS 17.4 update, including English, French, German, and Spanish. Back catalog episodes will be added over time. Every new episode published from the program’s launch will be automatically transcribed by Apple. The automated transcript can be replaced by a new VTT or SRT file. Apple’s automated version can also be directly downloaded by the podcaster once it’s generated. James Cridland of Podnews has constructed a sizable FAQ for a number of questions asked since the announcement. While no automated transcript can be 100% perfect, transcriptions by default gives the industry an excellent baseline for accessibility. Similar to how YouTube creators can choose to hand-transcribe their videos, but viewers who need captions can rely on YouTube's automatic subtitles if those bespoke captions never come to fruition. [Source]

A new seasonal content initiative at ESPN is taking the podcast-to-broadcast route. Starting today, ESPN 2 will televise a video podcast episode every weekday during the 2:00 p.m. Eastern time slot. Podcasts included in the initial lineup Monday through Friday are First Draft, The Hoop Collective, The Lowe Post, The Mina Kimes Show, and The Elle Duncan Show. The opening slate aims to combine coverage of in-season sports and high-profile ESPN personalities. [Source]

The estate of deceased standup comic George Carlin is suing the video podcast Dudesy over a video titled George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead (2024) - Full Special. The podcast’s premise is centered around an AI character named Dudesy, who runs the podcast and generates video clips based on running jokes from co-hosts Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen. The focus of the lawsuit is an hour long comedy special starring a self-aware AI-generated version of George Carlin. The video consists of synthesized AI voice seemingly trained off recordings of Carlin and AI-generated images representing the topic being discussed. A spokesperson for Sasso says the Dudesy AI is a fictional character and Kultgen wrote the special. Carlin’s estate is continuing with the lawsuit, aiming to determine how much copyrighted material Kultgen might have put into an AI to finish creating the special. As of Monday morning the video has been removed from YouTube. [Source]

…as for the rest of the news: Amazon dethroned BetterHelp as top podcast spender on Magellan AI’s December tracker, and Wondery debuts a new toy line inspired by Wow in the World.

Podfront 2024

Monday, March 26th, Sounds Profitable has partnered with Podcast Movement to present the inaugural Podfront, an upfront-style event bringing brands and publishers together. Hosted by Tom Webster and Bryan Barletta, the event runs 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with food and beverage provided.

Whether you represent a brand that’d like an invite, or a publisher who’d like to participate, check out the official Podfront page in the handy button below!

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