Podcast Charts Weekly — 2026-03-22
This week's podcast news centers on two major platform developments: Spotify's launch of **EQUAL: The Podcast** to mark the five-year anniversary of its women-in-music equity program, and Apple Podcasts expanding its upcoming HLS video feature to a raft of new hosting partners announced at SXSW. Meanwhile, BBC Culture spotlighted the best podcasts of 2026 so far, with several Goalhanger productions among the standouts.
Podcast Charts Weekly — 2026-03-22
Key Highlights
Spotify Launches EQUAL: The Podcast for 5-Year Anniversary
On March 19, 2026, Spotify announced the launch of EQUAL: The Podcast to celebrate five years of its EQUAL program, an initiative designed to amplify women artists, songwriters, and producers in the music industry. Originally launched in 2021 to address the persistent reality that women in music face fewer opportunities and less visibility, the EQUAL program has expanded into a dedicated podcast format alongside global events marking the milestone.
Apple Podcasts Announces New Video Hosting Partners at SXSW
At Podcast Movement Evolutions, held at SXSW this week, Apple Podcasts representatives Stacey Goers and Jake Shapiro unveiled a new set of hosting partners for the forthcoming Apple Podcasts HLS video feature. The newly announced partners include Transistor, Audiomeans, PodBean, Captivate, RSS.com, and Podigee, all of which will soon support the integrated video podcast experience Apple previewed earlier this year.
BBC Culture: Best Podcasts of 2026 So Far
BBC Culture published its roundup of the best podcasts of 2026 so far on March 18, 2026. Among the highlights is The Book Club, a new show from Goalhanger — the production company behind juggernauts The Rest is Politics and The Rest is History — hosted by Tabby Syrett and Dominic Sandbrook, which focuses on classic literature. Birding with Sean Bean also earned a mention in the feature.
Analysis
Why Apple's Video Push Is Dominating Industry Conversation
The expansion of Apple Podcasts' video hosting partner program is the week's most structurally significant story. By bringing in independent hosting platforms — Transistor, Captivate, PodBean, Audiomeans, RSS.com, and Podigee — Apple is signaling that its HLS video podcast feature is close to a broad rollout, not just a proprietary experiment. This move positions Apple more directly against both YouTube (already a dominant force in video podcasting) and Spotify, which has been aggressively growing its own video podcast catalogue.
The timing of the SXSW announcement is also strategic: Podcast Movement Evolutions is one of the most-watched industry events of the year, giving Apple maximum visibility with creators and hosting companies simultaneously.
What to Watch
- Apple Podcasts HLS video feature — With multiple hosting partners now confirmed, a broader rollout of Apple's integrated video podcast experience is expected in the coming weeks. Creators on Transistor, Captivate, PodBean, Audiomeans, RSS.com, and Podigee should watch for platform-level updates.
- EQUAL: The Podcast — Spotify's new podcast accompanying its EQUAL program global events is just launched; additional episodes and artist features are likely in the weeks ahead.
- Goalhanger's The Book Club — Named one of the best podcasts of 2026 so far by BBC Culture, this new literature-focused show from the team behind The Rest is History is one to follow.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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