Something's brewing at PodcastOne.

The company says it's had "multiple" people interested in buying it. A special committee has formed. A financial advisor's been hired to sort through the offers. That's corporate speak for: someone wants in, and the board is taking it seriously.

Here's what kicked this off. A shareholder sent PodcastOne a letter saying the company's shares were undervalued and telling them to go hire an investment bank or strategic advisor. Shareholders don't usually write letters like that unless they think there's real money being left on the table.

The market seems to agree. PodcastOne's stock jumped about 50% on the news, sitting around $2.59. Worth noting, though — back in May those same shares were trading above $5. So even with this bump, we're nowhere near where they were a few months ago.

I find this kind of thing fascinating. A company's value doesn't just come from its earnings report. It comes from what people believe it's worth, and sometimes a single letter from a frustrated shareholder is enough to shake that loose. Makes you wonder what else is sitting undervalued out there, just waiting for someone to ask the right question.

Speaking of growth, SiriusXM dropped its Q3 fiscal 2026 numbers, and podcast ad revenue grew 20% year-over-year. They didn't say what dollar figure that 20% represents, which is a little frustrating if you like specifics as much as I do. But video and what they're calling "social podcast advertising" more than doubled. SiriusXM also mentioned "supply constraints" in podcasting — basically, not enough ad inventory to meet demand. That's a good problem to have if you're selling ads.

On Air Fest is turning ten. The festival announced its first round of speakers for the anniversary edition, happening in Brooklyn, February 23-25. Ten years is a long run for any industry event, and it says something about how far podcasting's come that a festival built around it is still growing.

Over at iHeart, their trade outlet Inside Audio Marketing reported that Triton Digital completed its first fully automated ad buy. No humans negotiating terms, no one manually booking the campaign — AI agents handled the whole thing, from finding available inventory to closing the deal. I've spent years figuring out how to do more with less while traveling full-time, so I get the appeal of automation. But I also know that convenience often comes with a trade-off nobody mentions until later. Worth watching how this one plays out.

On the privacy front: Apple's latest Safari browser now blocks what's called "resolution infrastructure" — the behind-the-scenes tech that stitches together your data from different websites to track you. The IAB, the advertising industry's trade group, isn't thrilled, arguing the protections go further than the law requires. Maybe so. But if you're a website or app with your own first-party relationship with your audience, this probably works in your favor. Less reliance on sketchy third-party tracking, more value in direct trust.

If you've ever wondered what's inside the offices of Goalhanger, the UK podcast company behind some huge shows, there's a peek available now at the tech running their meeting rooms. Small detail, but it's always interesting to see how the people making the content you listen to actually work day to day.

Sadly, Sir Patrick Stewart has died at 86. If you want to remember him beyond the Star Trek and X-Men roles, go find his 2023 conversation on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, his appearance that same year on the Rich Roll Podcast, or his 2015 spot on NPR's Ask Me Another. All worth your time.

One correction from earlier coverage: the US midterms are November 3rd, not the 4th. Goalhanger's election coverage kicks off at midnight heading into the 4th. Plenty of states let you vote early, and in some places, you can even vote this weekend if you're ready now.

A lot happening in a short window. That's podcasting right now — always moving, always worth paying attention to.

Source: Podnews

See also our earlier piece: SiriusXM Skipped The Streaming Wars. Turns Out That Was The Smart Move.