Russ: A trillion-dollar company just made its web player look... 'even better'. And that's the headline.
Nadia: [laughs] Only you, Russ. This is Nadia.
Russ: And I'm Russ. It's Saturday, September 5th, 2026.
Nadia: And we're digging into everything from big tech tweaks to big global deals in the podcast world.
Nadia: So, as Russ so subtly hinted, Apple Podcasts is sprucing up its embedded player.
Russ: And we'll reveal who really topped the podcast ad spend charts for July. The answer... might surprise you.
Nadia: Plus, a major new partnership announced in Venice could mean a wave of new scripted shows from the Arab world.
Nadia: Alright, let's start with Apple. Podnews is reporting that the embedded player for Apple Podcasts has a new look.
Russ: Hold on. The little 'play' button you can put on a website? That's the news? Did they... make it rounder?
Nadia: It's cleaner, the typography is nicer, and it just looks more modern. For publishers and creators, it's a small but welcome update.
Russ: This is Apple! They have more money than most countries. Shouldn't their stuff have looked good from the beginning? Why is a facelift a news story in 2026?
Nadia: Because for years, they haven't cared about this stuff! Their web and creator tools have always lagged way behind Spotify. This is a signal, however small, that they're still paying attention to the podcast ecosystem outside their app.
Russ: A very, very small signal. Like a distant smoke signal. And the article itself was sponsored by The Podglomerate, talking about YouTube.
Nadia: Right, but that's Podnews's business model. The newsletter has sponsors. It doesn't mean The Podglomerate paid Apple to update the player. It's just industry reporting.
Russ: Seems a little inside-baseball. So, what does this actually mean for me, a person who just listens to things?
Nadia: [sighs] It means if you're on a news site or a creator's blog and they've embedded an Apple Podcast, it will look... nicer.
Russ: Groundbreaking. My world is changed.
Nadia: The real takeaway is for creators. It shows Apple might be slowly, finally, investing in the tools they need to grow their audience on the open web, not just inside Apple's walls.
Russ: [sarcastic] Well, I'm thrilled for them. Truly.
Nadia: Alright, let's talk money. Magellan AI just dropped its monthly report on the top podcast ad spenders for July.
Russ: Let me guess, let me guess... BetterHelp. Final answer. It's always BetterHelp.
Nadia: [smug] And for the first time in a while, you are wrong. BetterHelp was number two.
Russ: No way. Who could possibly out-spend them? The US Government?
Nadia: Amazon. By a lot.
Russ: Amazon? Wow. I guess that makes sense with Prime Day in July. Just a firehose of ads for discounted smart plugs and air fryers.
Nadia: Exactly. Magellan AI's data showed a huge spike from them. It's a perfect example of a major brand using podcasting for a massive, date-specific retail push.
Russ: So instead of ads that make me question my life choices, I get ads for stuff I can get delivered in two hours. I guess that's an improvement?
Nadia: [laughs] From a listener perspective, maybe. But for the industry, it's huge. It shows the ad market is finally diversifying beyond the same direct-response companies we've seen dominate for years.
Russ: So what does it mean for the shows themselves?
Nadia: It means more stability. When big, mainstream brands like Amazon are spending this kind of money, it legitimizes the space and brings in more revenue for a wider variety of shows, not just the ones that are good at selling therapy or meal kits.
Russ: Fine. I'll take the Amazon ads. But I'm still not buying the air fryer.
Nadia: Let's head over to the Venice Film Festival, where a really interesting podcasting deal was just announced.
Russ: Okay, the names in this one are a mouthful. Mad Solutions and Haitham Dabbour's Irth platform. Break it down for me like I'm five.
Nadia: Easy. Mad Solutions is a major film distributor across the entire Pan-Arab region. Think of them like a regional powerhouse, an A24 for the Middle East and North Africa. Irth is a new platform founded by a famous Egyptian writer to find and develop the best storytellers.
Russ: Got it. So the distributor is teaming up with the talent scout.
Nadia: Exactly. And their goal is to create high-end, scripted Arabic-language podcasts... with an eye towards adapting them into film and TV.
Russ: Ah, the IP-to-screen pipeline. So this is about creating the next global hit, but starting it as a podcast in, say, Cairo?
Nadia: That's the play. The podcast market in the region is growing incredibly fast, but it's mostly unscripted talk shows. This is a deliberate, strategic push to build a high-quality narrative industry from the ground up.
Russ: Will these shows even be available here? Or are they purely for the Arab-speaking world?
Nadia: Initially, they're for a Pan-Arab audience. But Mad Solutions specializes in international festival runs and distribution. The fact they announced this at Venice tells you they have global ambitions.
Russ: So what does this mean for me? Am I going to be listening to Arabic podcasts next year?
Nadia: Maybe not, but it does mean that in a few years, your next favorite prestige TV drama on a streamer might have started life as a podcast from Egypt or the UAE. It's about massively expanding the global pool of stories.
Russ: Okay, that's actually pretty cool. More good stories from more places. I'm on board.
Nadia: Alright, quick recap.
Russ: Apple made their web player slightly less ugly.
Nadia: [laughs] Amazon unseated BetterHelp as July's top ad spender, and a new partnership is looking to build a scripted podcast powerhouse in the Arab world.
Nadia: Before we go, speaking of podcasts and Hollywood, did you see that fake movie poster for a podcast biopic that went viral this week?
Russ: The one for 'This American Lie: The Ballad of Ira Glass'? [laughs] Yes. I would one hundred percent watch that movie.
Nadia: Who plays Ira?
Russ: It has to be Mark Ruffalo. Or maybe Ira Glass just plays himself. That would be very meta.
Russ: That's our show for Saturday, September 5th. Be sure to go check your favorite blogs to see if the podcast player looks 'even better'.
Nadia: I'm Nadia. Russ, before we really go, what are you actually listening to?
Russ: I just finished 'The Evaporated' from The Podglomerate and LBI. It's about people in Japan who hire companies to help them vanish without a trace. It's wild.
Nadia: Adding it to my queue. We'll be back on Monday. Talk to you then.
This show is made with AI: the hosts’ voices are synthetic and the scripts are AI-assisted. Every story links to its original source.