Wondery Shuts Down in Mexico and Brazil Amid New Developments in Podcasting
Wondery announced the closure of its podcast operations in Mexico and Brazil, impacting the team including Sarah Barrett. Amazon reaffirmed its focus on audience needs. New ventures like The Listening Party Agency and Panjaya debuted, enhancing industry dynamics. The comedy podcast awards, Golden Lobes, are now open for entries, while insights on podcast titles aim to guide creators.
Amazon’s Wondery has ceased operations in Mexico and Brazil, impacting staff members including Sarah Barrett, the Head of Mexico Podcast Content. This announcement came shortly after nominations for some of Wondery Mexico’s shows for the Ondas Globales awards. Wondery’s LATAM operations also boasted a successfully subscribed YouTube channel with over 500,000 followers.
According to Amazon, this challenging decision followed a comprehensive evaluation of priorities and audience needs. The company emphasized their continued commitment to producing immersive storytelling for listeners, despite the cancellations in these key markets.
In related news, Christy Mirabal, a veteran of the podcast industry, has formed The Listening Party Agency with Imelda Vergara-Skinder, aiming to enhance the visibility of podcast creators. Meanwhile, Transistor has integrated podcast commenting via the Bluesky social platform, allowing for syncing between Bluesky accounts and Transistor websites.
Launched recently, Panjaya is an AI-based dubbing service designed for podcast publishers, optimizing voice and lip synchronization for enhanced authenticity. It supports 29 languages and offers free trials for short clips, responding to the need for multilingual content as a significant portion of Spotify users are non-English speakers.
The Golden Lobes, a new awards event celebrating comedic podcasts, invites global submissions across 13 categories with a straightforward entry fee. The event promises more than trophies, including various promotional opportunities, subscriptions, and discounts.
Finally, podcasting insights suggest avoiding the term “podcast” in titles unless necessary, to diminish competition from the 700,000 existing shows. Significant trends in current podcast rankings reveal that “The Mel Robbins Podcast” remains a top contender on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Overall, Wondery’s closure in Mexico and Brazil reflects broader strategic shifts in the podcast industry, coinciding with new initiatives like The Listening Party Agency and Panjaya. The emergence of awards like the Golden Lobes highlights the growing creative landscape in podcasting. Meanwhile, marketing strategies and podcast rankings underscore the competitive nature of this expanding medium.
Original Source: podnews.net
