Podcast News Bites: Netflix, Spotify, Genuina Media. CBC, Triton Digital.

Access to podcast video on Netflix will come at a steeper price. The streamer is hiking premium subscription rates by $2 per month, to $19,99 for the standard plan and $26,99 for the premium plan. The cost of the ad-supported tier is going up by $1 per month to $8.99. Streaming services have been raising their rates on an annual basis in recent years, finding customers willing to pay. Netflix has said it sees adding video podcasts as a way to offer more value to its subscribers and boost engagement by giving them content they can’t watch elsewhere. Netflix has announced video podcast deals with Spotify, iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports to date.

... The hunt is on for new hosts for Spotify’s popular “The Receipts Podcast” as hosts Audrey Indome and Tolly Shoneye say they will step away from the show after a 10-year run. Since it debuted in 2016 as a place for conversation by and about Black women, the twice-a-week series has released nearly 300 episodes. An Idol-style competition will be to help find the new hosts, with their help in bringing podcast newcomers up to speed. Shoneye told the BBC the aim is to bring new voices, new perspectives and new ideas to the medium. “There are so many talented people who don’t have the means or won’t get scouted, and we want to help them,” she said. Indome and Shoneye will become executive producers of the recast show.

... Genuina Media has launched a new weekly podcast about the global podcast industry. “The Global Podcast” will bring together the voices shaping podcasting across markets, from the U.S. to Latin America, Europe, and beyond to focus on what’s driving growth, monetization, and influence in audio worldwide. “The goal is simple — shine a light on the global podcast ecosystem and help brands better understand how to reach international audiences,” Genuina’s David González in the announcement. The first episode features Rita Cabrita from Portugal’s Bruá Podcasts

... Triton Digital says CBC/Radio-Canada held onto the top spot among the top sales networks in Canada last month. It had an average of 2,20 million weekly downloads during February, up from 2,10 million a month earlier. Audioboom ranked second with 1,50 million average weekly downloads, followed by the BBC with 613,000. The top Canadian homegrown podcast remained “Front Burner” from public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada. The top French-language podcast remained Cogeco Media’s “La revue de presse de Paul Arcand.” See the full February rankings HERE.