Welcome to This Week in Podcasting, where we recap some of the latest updates and news from the world of podcasting – from The Golden Globes dropping their first ever podcast nominees to the Libby Awards launching – let’s get into it!
1. Golden Globes Reveal First Podcast Nominees
For the first time ever, the Golden Globe Awards are recognising podcasts with a Best Podcast category at the 2026 ceremony — and the shortlist has dropped. Six top shows are in the running:
- Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- Call Her Daddy
- Good Hang with Amy Poehler
- The Mel Robbins Podcast
- SmartLess
- Up First
2. Vulture’s Top Podcast Moments of 2025
Vulture published its roundup of the defining podcast moments of 2025, capturing the year’s cultural shake-ups and genre shifts. Highlights include Good Hang with Amy Poehler breaking out in the celebcast space, the rise of unexpected deep-dive shows like Odd Lots, and political influence amplifying through podcasts. The piece paints 2025 as a year when the medium blurred lines with TV and video, cementing podcasting’s role in wider media life.
3. Libby Awards Launched
New York City now has its own podcast awards — the NYC Podcast Awards, also called the Libby Awards. Unlike other award shows that lean on raw listenership numbers, the Libby Awards spotlight craft and creativity: sound design, storytelling, voice acting, editing, and more. Entries are open now through January 10, with nominees to be announced in March and winners revealed in NYC on March 13, 2026.
4. Study Finds Mixed Signals for Creators in 2025
A new report from Sounds Profitable — Creators 2025 — has dropped, revealing where podcasting’s creator ecosystem stands. The research highlights format diversity growth, but also challenges like retention issues, with many creators quitting and gender imbalance persisting. It’s a useful snapshot of what’s working — and what still needs work — as the industry scales. Find the full report here!
And that’s it for this week in podcasting! While you’re here, don’t forget to download all our past issues of The Podcast Sessions Magazine – happy reading!
