WHAT THE GLOBAL PODCAST INDUSTRY SHOULD KNOW AFTER RECEIVING THE MOST IMPORTANT SPANISH PODCAST AWARD

On June 19th, the Spanish podcast industry celebrated one of the most exciting days of the year: the Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast gala. At Studio Ochenta we received the Best International Foreign Language Podcast Award for their 50-episode spanglish fiction podcast, La Cabina Telefónica. The show, produced as a Spotify Original, features Colombian tropipop queen Fanny Lu and Colombian-American actress Isabella Gómez (One Day At A Time).

But after the celebrations, questions arise. What do the Premios Ondas reveal about the podcast industry today? What insights can it offer for the future of Spanish, English and other-language podcasts? Here go three thoughts that stayed with us after we came back from Madrid:

1. The Spanish-language industry is still the best space for growth

In 2023, the global podcast industry faced significant challenges, including staff layoffs by prestigious production companies and budget cuts for original content on various platforms. The first half of 2024 became a semester for restructuring, stabilization, and even closures for many independent companies.

Despite these difficulties, the Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast saw an increase in nominations worldwide. Between 2023 and 2024, nominations rose from 1,178 to 1,252, representing 19 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This growth suggests that Spanish-language podcasts are gaining recognition globally.

Celebrating achievements during adversity is crucial. By acknowledging and rewarding the efforts of different producers, we strengthen an entire industry. And the Premios Ondas sends a powerful message to clients, producers, and audiences alike: Spanish-language podcasting is thriving and captivating listeners worldwide.

2. The value of an industry is in its diversity

The Premios Ondas awarded shows produced by Podimo and Podium Podcast, two names that currently dominate the Spanish podcast scene. They’ve both launched significant productions in Latin American countries, particularly Mexico and Chile, in the past couple of years. And they’re both also a crucial part of the Premios Ondas Globales del Podcast structure - Podimo as a sponsor, and Podium Podcast as part of the media group organizing the awards (Grupo PRISA).

Both Podium and Podimo received awards in fiction and non-fiction categories. Lory Martínez, CEO of Studio Ochenta, emphasized the importance of genre variety among the award winners: “Spanish-language podcasting is thriving across multiple genres. It’s not just about talk shows; we were impressed by the number of Spanish fiction podcasts honored at the Ondas.”?

La Cabina Telefónica stood out as a fiction podcast in the Best International Podcast in a Foreign Language category. And other indie podcasts were awards right next to big names like Podimo and Podium - Independent productions like Recursos humanos, a fiction podcast by Jesús Matsuki, also was awarded for Víctor Clavijo’s outstanding performance. In non-fiction formats, El Extraordinario received the Best Sound Design award for La Faquin Condición Humana. Additionally, Amazondas was recognized in the Best Experimental category. Furthermore, the Best Narrative Podcast went to La cárcel no da risa, which defies traditional narrative journalism standards.

Diverse high-caliber awards create more opportunities for collaboration and growth. Recent partnerships between Latin American production companies and U.S. distributors, the increasing focus on podcast translation across languages (an ongoing effort at Ochenta), as well as the acknowledgment of Spanish-language podcasts in international awards all contribute to the industry’s vibrancy and global impact.

3. The rest of the podcast industry needs an Oscars for Podcasting

At Ochenta, we believe that the way the Premios Ondas communicates and celebrates its candidates should be replicated in other parts of the world and in many, many other languages. "More events like these are needed in the podcast industry to legitimize productions," says Lory. "The Podcast Academy just added a Spanish category to the Ambies Awards, but it's not as big as this one, which covers 19 countries. I'd like to see the Podcast Oscars in English; definitely the Podcast Oscars are in the Spanish Hispanic world."

As the number of showcases and awards increases, independent productions will find more opportunities to showcase their ground-breaking work and step up into an industry that’s still growing and changing.

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