Keeping the 'flu at bay, we start the new year with a quick summary of the key podcast trends and predictions drawn from some leading reports we've read over the last couple of weeks.

This includes PWC's Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2018 -2022,  the BBC Sounds' special report on podcast audio dramas, the Stitcher podcasting report, and Voxnest's 'Podcast Universe' release.

We also touch on other news, including IAB Certifications begin, two new podcast festivals in the UK, and more. In addition to these podcast industry stories from the last week, we have Top of the POP, our Social 6-Pack, the Social Audio Stat of the week, new tools or resources, and a quick glance at podcast-related conferences coming up around the world in the next few months.  Plus, we tell you what the most popular global English-language podcasts are at the moment as ranked by the Apple Podcasts directory

LINKS

• Voxnest 'State of the Podcast Universe" Report 
• BBC Sounds report on Audio Drama podcast genre
• PWC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2018-22

CALENDAR

• Podcon (Seattle, USA) JAN 19-20 
• POD UK (Birmingham)  Feb 2nd 2019.
• On Air Fest (Brooklyn, NY, USA) Feb 28th — March 3rd, 
• Podfest (Orlando) Mar 7 to 9 
• Social Media Marketing World 2019 (San Diego, USA) March 20- 22     
• Wave: Brighton Podcast Festival (Brighton, UK) all April
• Audiocraft (Sydney, Australia) June 1st — 2nd 
• RadioDays Podcast Conference (London, UK) 13 June
• Podcast Movement Aug 13-16, 2019 Orlando
• We Are Podcast (Australia) November 7-9, 2019. 

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This podcast was presented by Kyle Hannan, founder of EMC, the Easy Media Company. (No, they do not have a course to sell or a product to promote). He works as a corporate podcast specialist who just loves podcasting and wants to share it with more people. That is all.