Bumper Release Free Dashboard Tier, YouTube Overtakes Netflix Daily Attention in AU, & More

Today in the business of podcasting:

• Bumper has opened its podcast analytics dashboard to creators of every size, introducing a free tier alongside new Pro and Enterprise plans and making its independent Bumper Score available across the board, while Enterprise subscribers also gain access to a new Bumper MCP server connecting podcast data directly to AI tools.
• Two notable proposals are stirring debate in the open podcasting community on GitHub, one calling for a standardized way to disclose AI generated content in RSS feeds and another suggesting a method for verifying which apps are actually downloading episodes, an idea that could reshape how podcast apps get paid.
• The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Google to let publishers opt out of having their content used to power AI search features, giving the company nine months to roll out the changes and requiring it to publish regular compliance reports.
• New data from streaming measurement firm Digital i shows YouTube overtaking Netflix in daily audience attention, with Australia ranking among the top viewing markets worldwide and Netflix's own YouTube channel pulling in significant reach.
• A new analysis argues that short form video isn't killing long form content but reshaping its role instead, with short clips driving discovery and habit formation while podcasts and longer series build deeper audience attachment over time.

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.