Max, the family-friendly rebrand of HBO Max, released a trailer for upcoming six-part series SmartLess: On the Road. The docuseries will go behind the scenes of the popular (if toothless) podcast hosted by Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. And it’s shot in black and white, so you know they mean business.
Pandora is involved in a messy suit with comedians like Lewis Black and George Lopez in which the company is accused of streaming comedy albums without paying publishing royalties. The streamer struck back, claiming the comedians (and the rights management organizations that represent them) were attempting to form a “cartel.” This week, a federal judge dismissed Pandora’s countersuit, potentially paving the way for the comedians to get millions in back-royalties.
We’re still waiting for podcasts to drop on YouTube Music, but the streamer continues to take baby steps to support podcasts on the main platform. Now that you can designate playlists as podcasts on YouTube, creators can also file them under an official Podcasts tab on their channels, reports 9to5Google.
NPR is in the midst of deep layoffs amid a $30 million budget shortfall, and a number of its podcasts are getting the axe. Invisibilia, Rough Translation, Louder Than a Riot, and Everyone and Their Mom are stopping production, though network spokesperson Isabel Lara said that “we are exploring ways this work can continue in other forms.”
