Wondery Shuts Down Operations in Mexico and Brazil, Industry Updates
Amazon’s Wondery has shut down operations in Mexico and Brazil following a staff announcement, impacting key personnel. The closure coincides with award nominations. Bumper introduces new listener analytics, while The Listening Party Agency aims to support podcast creators. Innovative features from Transistor and Panjaya enhance podcast engagement tools. The Golden Lobes awards recognize comedic podcasts, highlighting current trends in podcast metrics.
Amazon’s Wondery has officially ceased operations in both Mexico and Brazil, a decision announced in a brief staff meeting. This closure affects key personnel such as Sarah Barrett, who served as the Head of Mexico Podcast Content. Notably, this decision coincides with recent nominations for Wondery Mexico’s shows at the Ondas Globales awards, despite the LATAM unit’s success, highlighted by a YouTube channel boasting over 500,000 subscribers.
Amazon stated, “After a careful review of our priorities and customers’ needs, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Wondery’s Brazil and Mexico original content operations.” The company emphasized this choice was not made lightly, reiterating their commitment to immersive storytelling and audio content development for diverse audiences.
Bumper has developed a new method for measuring podcast listener engagement, distinguishing between new and returning listeners through data integration from Apple and Spotify dashboards. The upcoming feature will be available on the Bumper Dashboard, enhancing insights into audience retention.
Podcast industry figure Christy Mirabal has launched The Listening Party Agency alongside Imelda Vergara-Skinder to amplify podcast creators’ voices. Operating from New York and Los Angeles, the agency aims to provide innovative marketing consultancy for podcasts.
Transistor has introduced podcast comments integrated with the Bluesky social platform, allowing seamless interaction between Bluesky accounts and Transistor podcast websites. This feature fosters better audience engagement directly on podcasts.
The newly launched Panjaya platform offers multilingual AI-powered dubbing for podcast publishers, using advanced techniques to sync voice and lip movements. Founded by former Apple TV and Meta executives, this platform aims to cater to the 60% of Spotify listeners who speak languages other than English.
Headliner holds a template design contest to showcase innovative designs using their tools, promoting winners while providing a free Headliner Pro account.
The Golden Lobes, a new awards event recognizing comedic podcasts, has opened entries for its ceremony in London on May 7. With a simple £25 fee, podcasters worldwide can compete across 13 categories, with winners receiving various rewards, including subscriptions and promotional opportunities.
In a recent editorial, insights were shared regarding the titling of podcasts. It’s suggested not to include the word “podcast”, as it increases competition unnecessarily.
Lastly, the latest podcast data shows the Mel Robbins Podcast leading charts in both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with 198,013 podcasts publishing new episodes in the last week, reflecting a slight decline of 1.0%.
In summary, Amazon’s Wondery has closed its operations in Mexico and Brazil, affecting key personnel and coinciding with recent award nominations. Various industry developments include new listener metrics by Bumper, Mirabal’s agency launch, and innovative podcast features from Transistor and Panjaya. The Golden Lobes awards introduce recognition for comedic podcasts, and current viewing statistics show significant engagement in the podcast sector.
Original Source: podnews.net
