Amazon’s Wondery has closed its operations in Mexico and Brazil, affecting staff amidst recent acknowledgments for its content. The company has committed to immersive storytelling despite these closures. Meanwhile, the podcasting industry sees new agency launches and engaged platforms, with The Golden Lobes awards now open for entries.
Amazon’s Wondery has officially ceased its operations in both Mexico and Brazil. The decision was conveyed during a brief staff meeting earlier this week, which has affected several employees, including Sarah Barrett, the Head of Mexico Podcast Content. This announcement coincides with the recent nominations of Wondery Mexico shows for the Ondas Globales awards, despite the LATAM unit boasting a YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers.
In a statement to Podnews, Amazon expressed, “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 statement emphasized the challenging nature of this decision and reiterated the company’s commitment to fostering immersive storytelling and audio content for audiences.
In other industry news, podcast veteran Christy Mirabal has launched The Listening Party Agency in collaboration with Imelda Vergara-Skinder. This agency aims to elevate the voices of podcast creators, operating from New York and Los Angeles. Additionally, Transistor has introduced podcast comments leveraging the Bluesky social platform, facilitating interaction between Bluesky users and their Transistor podcast websites.
Panjaya has recently debuted a multilingual AI-powered dubbing platform tailored for podcast publishers, enabling realistic dubbing that synchronizes voice, lip movements, and gestures across 29 languages. Its founders, former executives from Apple TV and Meta, note that a large portion of Spotify’s audience consists of non-English speakers, making this a significant advancement. Podcast enthusiasts can access a free trial for clips up to one minute long.
Moreover, Headliner is hosting a template design contest to showcase innovative designs for its tool, providing participants with promotional opportunities and a chance to win a free Headliner Pro account. Additionally, The Golden Lobes, an upcoming awards event celebrating comedy podcasts, is currently accepting entries until March 15, with the awards ceremony scheduled for May 7 in London.
Finally, insights from Coleman Insights suggest that including the word “podcast” in titles may not be advisable due to the competition among approximately 700,000 shows. The Bitch Sesh podcast, a notable show managed by Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider, continues to influence the podcast landscape.
Data from February 13 indicates that ‘The Mel Robbins Podcast’ has secured the top position on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, highlighting its popularity in the current market.
This week, Wondery has terminated its podcast operations in Mexico and Brazil, affecting key staff amidst recent nominations for their shows. The company has emphasized its commitment to audio storytelling while industry developments include the launch of new agencies and platforms aimed at enhancing podcast engagement. The Golden Lobes awards have begun accepting entries, further highlighting the vibrancy and innovation within the podcasting community.
Original Source: podnews.net
