From our daily newsletter, the latest from podnews.net with Podscribe. The yearly environmental effect of Spotify integrating video into its music platform could mean an increase in carbon emissions equivalent to an extra 374,000 flights between Paris and New York. According to a new study, video is significantly more energy intensive, says carbon management company Greenly, because screens need to be on and lit, and video uses increased data and processor power.
The study notes that adding video to an audio-only platform means over 50 times more carbon emissions every hour. The study only measures Spotify's music platform and not podcasting, but video podcasting on Spotify and on YouTube also means additional energy use. Pocket Casts has added transcripts to its web player. Some podcasts include their own transcripts, which are available to all users, they say.
And if they don't, as a Plus or Patreon subscriber, you have access to auto-generated transcripts too. We link to an example from this show, including named voices from our own transcript. The third biggest news podcast in the UK, Politics Joe, has put its video podcast behind a Patreon paywall.
The audio version will remain free for all, the company said that its dependence on YouTube was a business risk, and that its audio version was earning twice as much revenue despite attracting half the audience. The company claims to have attracted 350 paying subscribers in just five days, each paying £8, that's $10.50 per month for access. A new podcast search engine has been launched. Posuma promises to enable a more diverse and fairer audio landscape.
Instead of relying on algorithms and rankings, Posuma focuses on content filters. Users can specifically search by topic, format or length. A discovery experience orientated towards content, not charts. The project is in German. The 13th Step is an award-winning investigative podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio, which found multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Recovery Centre CEO Eric Spofford.
Spofford tried to sue, but when that failed, prosecutors claim he was responsible for vandalism of the podcast reporter's home and that of her parents, a news editor. Now, Spofford has been arrested and appeared in court earlier this month. A special episode has been released where the reporter explains what this remarkable moment means for her and her sources. There's a new female-led podcast network in Australia. It's called Kind Regards, founded by Megan Pastetto and Alex Jay.
It's an expansion of So Dramatic, Pastetto's entertainment podcast. The specification for Podroll, creator-led recommendations, has had a little tweak to give more examples. And there's also an improved guide to the feature on the Podcasting 2.org website. In people news, Kind Regards Network has made its first hirings. Nicole Korf, who is General Manager and Head of Commercial Operations, and Annika Rose, who's Head of Brand Partnerships.
And in podcast news, in the Pod News Weekly Review this week, YouTube's Neil Mohan on podcasting on the platform. Plus, the download is dead, and Australia is better than you. And totally cooked. The climate and weather podcast launches today, trying to flip the scripts by putting the mic in the hands of the climate scientists and enabling them to speak directly to the public without the media getting in the middle.
It's hosted by Professor Sarah Perkins Fitzpatrick and her research group at the Australian National University in Canberra. And this podcast is sponsored by PodScribe. Newly launched is their June 2025 industry rankings. You can see the top podcasts, publishers, and advertisers in the industry's ultimate ranker. You can explore the full rankings to spot the leaders and biggest movers. You'll find a link in our show notes. And that's the latest from our newsletter.
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