Apple Services Revenue Up 12%, How Creators Use FAST Channels, & More

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Apple's fiscal Q3 2026 results show Services revenue, the segment housing Apple Podcasts, up 12% year over year to $30.7 billion, while SiriusXM Media CEO Jennifer Witz reported podcast revenue up 30% year over year.
• Bloomberg's Ashley Carman reports podcasters are building businesses on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, opening a video distribution and revenue path beyond YouTube.
• Livewire's July 2026 podcast hosting data shows Spotify for Creators rebounding to a 24% share of episodes released and Spreaker hitting a 2026 record of 13.6%, with most other platforms slipping.
• Bauer Media Advertising MD Simon Kilby argues advertisers should shift budget to regulated digital audio, citing AA/WARC data showing digital audio grew 22% year over year in Q1 2026, the fastest-growing medium in the period.

To find links to these, and every article covered in today's episode, click here. You can also subscribe to The Download's newsletter to receive the full issue straight to your email inbox every day.