The Download

The Ad Stack Land Grab: Murdoch's Vox Play, Sirius's Numbers, and the 44% Ad Load Nobody's Talking About

Three unrelated headlines turn out to be one story. This episode connects James Murdoch's Lupa Systems acquisition of New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network,

Netflix Wants Your Podcast, SXSW Wants Your Badge Money

This week on The Download, Reid Mercer follows the money behind four stories that look like culture headlines but read like balance-sheet decisions. The episode breaks do

Ad Load Hits a Ceiling, Disney Buys the Pitch, and the NFL's AI Denial

This week on The Download, Reid Mercer follows the money behind podcasting's fast-moving headlines. He breaks down Magellan AI's Q2 numbers showing a record ad load and a

Spotify Hands Listeners the Skip Button

This week on The Download, Reid Mercer breaks down Spotify's new Premium ad-skip test, iHeartMedia's licensing deal with Disney+ and Hulu, and a wave of high-profile podc

The Highest-Paid List, the Subscription Land Grab, and a $3B Video Ad Market

Reid Mercer breaks down the 2026 Forbes highest-paid podcasters list and argues the real story isn't the paycheck but who owns the audience. From Kelce's training-camp ti

The Billion Dollar Measurement Bet, Podium's Debut, and Bartlett's Run at Rogan

On this episode of The Download, Reid Mercer follows four stories that all trace back to where money is moving in podcasting. He opens with Comscore's new transcript-inte

The Numbers Netflix Won't Show You

This week on The Download, Reid Mercer examines what the audio and podcasting industry is revealing through its actions rather than its talking points. The episode covers

The Royal Booking, the Ad Money, and Who's Actually Listening

Reid Mercer flies solo this week to follow the money across podcasting's biggest stories. He breaks down Prince William's surprise New Heights appearance timed to Travis

Power Moves, Platform Bets, and a TV Host Who Learned Podcasting Has Consequences

This episode of The Download covers the business and strategic implications behind the week's biggest podcast industry moves—from distribution deals and ad tech data to A

Discovery, Netflix, and the Ad Market: What Executives Need to Watch This Week

This episode of The Download works through four major stories shaping the podcast industry right now: audience discovery data, Netflix's expanding content partnerships, t

Netflix, iHeart, and the Metrics That Actually Matter

This episode breaks down four intersecting stories shaping the business of podcasting: the Netflix and iHeartMedia celebrity deal expansion, competing models in talent de

Measurement Wars, Video Moves, and the Obama Effect: What's Actually Moving the Industry This Week

This episode of The Download examines four developments reshaping podcast business models, all converging on a single question: what is a podcast audience actually worth

James Murdoch, AI Slop, and the Ad Blind Spot Every Buyer Needs to Know About

This episode of The Download covers four of the most consequential stories shaping the podcast industry right now: James Murdoch's reported $300 million move on Vox Media

Netflix and Spotify Team Up, YouTube Hits a Billion, and the Industry Can't Agree What a Podcast Is

This week on The Download, host Reid Mercer breaks down four stories that, taken together, reveal a podcast industry under real structural pressure. The episode covers th

$9 Billion and Counting: Murdoch's Podcast Bet, AI Goes Personal, and Celebrity's New Mic

This episode covers the biggest business stories shaping the podcast industry right now: a $9.2 billion global revenue milestone, James Murdoch's reported $300 million ac

Amazon's Podcast Takeover, Video's Big Bet, and the Measurement Fix the Industry Actually Needs

This episode covers the wave of platform and infrastructure moves reshaping the podcast industry, from Amazon turning Alexa+ into an on-demand AI podcast generator to Par

SiriusXM's Surge, Amazon's AI Hustle, and the Measurement Shift That Changes the Ad Game

This week on The Download, host Reid Mercer breaks down a packed news cycle that signals the audio industry is growing in scale and maturing as a prestige medium — all at

Netflix’s Podcast Land Grab, AI Studios, and Where the Ad Money Is Actually Going

This episode of The Download examines how Netflix, RØDE, Hulu, CNN, and major publishers are reshaping podcasting into a cross-format, IP-first business rather than a pur

Patreon’s $629M Shockwave, Spotify’s Discovery Bet, RFK’s Mic Play, and the New Hit Factories

This episode of The Download examines how podcast revenue, discovery, and IP strategy are shifting across fan funding, platform products, and network playbooks. Reid unpa

Vox on the Block, Apple Goes Full Video, and the Quiet Ad Money No One Tracks

This episode of The Download examines the rumored sale of Vox Media’s podcast unit to Versant and what it means for how mid-tier podcast networks are valued. Reid connect