Best Observable Stream Podcasts (2025)

1
Executive Interview: Hydrolix's CEO Details the Changing Economics of Big Data and Real-Time Observability for Streaming 30:24

5d ago30:24

30:24

Marty Kagan, co-founder and CEO of Hydrolix, joined me for a detailed conversation on the importance of delivering better end-user QoE with real-time telemetry and the challenges that come with CDN observability. Marty highlights why more hot data is crucial for AIOps and challenges that M&E customers face today, including the need to discard data …

1
Episode #196 - Tom Brady, Red Sox, Streaming & Three Gripes 58:37

17d ago58:37

58:37

Episode 196 - A slight delay, but only one of you actually cares! This week I'm yelling, ranting, raving and whatever else about greed, Tom Brady, the Red Sox, voicemails and now every thing is a thing and it's exhausting! Then it's Three Gripes: when your old teachers die, AI and gold ballrooms. Nah, it's not worth the wait, but that's on you, bub…

1
Can science crack the mystery of ME? 19:07

5d ago19:07

19:07

Scientists have found the first robust evidence that people’s genes affect their chances of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a mysterious and debilitating illness that has been neglected and dismissed for decades by many in the medical community. To find out more, Madeleine Finlay speaks to science editor I…

1
Episode #197 - Sports & Three Gripes 44:10

5d ago44:10

44:10

A shorter episode, but filled with the host yelling into the mic! This week it's a bit of sports including the Red Sox being garbage again, Dollar Bill and West Ham starting the season and reminding me that I'm a moron for investing my time in energy in them! We also have a voicemail from Mike about a new band he likes and he reads song lyrics. The…

1
Why can’t the world get its act together on plastics? 15:57

7d ago15:57

15:57

After three years of negotiating, talks over a global plastics treaty came to an end in Geneva last week with no agreement in place. So why has it been so difficult to get countries to agree to cut plastic production? Madeleine Finlay hears from Karen McVeigh, a senior reporter for Guardian Seascapes, about a particularly damaging form of plastic p…

1
Episode 141: Paramount's UFC Deal; Disney and FOX Bundle; Starz Declining Subs; New Features Coming to Sky Sports Premier League Coverage 58:06

8d ago58:06

58:06

This week, we detail Paramount Global's seven-year deal with TKO for the rights to stream UFC fights, the impact on ESPN+ and UFC's approach to move away from PPV to expand its audience. We also discussed the new Disney and Fox bundle launching on October 2nd, which combines ESPN+ and Fox One for a discounted rate. Additionally, we list out why not…

1
Staying cool in Europe’s record-breaking heat 16:40

12d ago16:40

16:40

Europe is suffering from another heatwave as deadly temperatures of up to 44C hit the continent and wildfires blazed across the Mediterranean. To find out why Europe is heating faster than anywhere else, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, and to Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster U…

1
Episode 140: Disney Earnings and NFL/ESPN News; Latest Numbers from WBD, Fubo, Altice and FOX One Launch 45:37

13d ago45:37

45:37

This week, we detail all the news from Disney's earnings, its proposed deal between ESPN and the NFL and the launch of ESPN's new DTC service this month. We also discuss the impact of Disney's decision to no longer report paid subscribers or ARPU numbers for Disney+ and Hulu, and will cease reporting ESPN+ numbers as of next month. We also discuss …

1
Is sunscreen really toxic? 16:12

14d ago16:12

16:12

For many of us, slathering on sunscreen to protect our skin in the summer months is a no-brainer. But recently social media has been awash with influencers airing their concerns about the potential dangers of this seemingly innocuous product. So is there anything to the claims that sunscreen is toxic? To find out, Madeleine Finlay is joined by the …

1
Summer picks: Where do our early childhood memories go? 18:42

19d ago18:42

18:42

It’s a mystery that has long puzzled researchers. Freud called the phenomenon infantile amnesia, and for many years scientists have wondered whether it’s a result of failure to create memories or just a failure to retrieve them. In this episode from March 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Nick Turk-Browne, a professor of psychology at Yale University, who…

1
Summer picks: what is ‘mirror life’ and why are scientists sounding the alarm? 17:33

21d ago17:33

17:33

Recently, a group of world-leading scientists called for a halt on research to create ‘mirror life’ microbes amid concerns that the synthetic organisms would present an ‘unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about why this work initially seemed exciting for scientists and what the risks of it continuing could be. K…

1
Episode 139: Earnings Recaps from Comcast, Roku, Fubo, EchoStar, Spotify, Meta and Amazon 32:59

22d ago32:59

32:59

This week, I outline the key numbers you should know regarding subscriber gains and losses, as well as the profitability of D2C businesses for Peacock, Roku, Paramount, Sling TV, and Fubo. I also cover the revenue growth from cloud providers Amazon and Microsoft, and break out the capex spend of Meta and the hyper-scalers, totaling more than $250 b…

1
IMPACTful Conversations: Communicate with Clarity, Confidence, and Purpose 24:36

25d ago24:36

24:36

In this episode, host Jarrod A. Clabaugh, CAE, sits down with Patrick Donadio, CSP—renowned communication strategist, keynote speaker, author, and executive coach—to explore what it really takes to elevate both personal and organizational communication. Drawing from over two decades of experience, Patrick introduces his powerful six-step IMPACT pro…

1
Summer picks: The science of racism, and how to fight it 19:17

26d ago19:17

19:17

In this episode from January 2025, Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and discrimination. Help support our independent j…

1
Episode 195 - Hogan, Sports & Three Gripes 54:42

26d ago54:42

54:42

It's a literal flaming pile of trash this week. Aren't you excited!? This week I’m starting off with Hulk Hogan’s passing, followed by the Red Sox, the Patriots, West Ham and soccer as a whole. Then I’ve got two voicemails from our friend Mike including a WNBA update. Finally it’s Three Gripes: People who still wear masks, people who like this heat…

1
Highlights from CNCF’s First Open Observability Summit - OpenObservability Talks S6E02 1:07:03

27d ago1:07:03

1:07:03

We are overdue for a vendor neutral industry wide event dedicated to our favorite topic - open observability. Last month (June 2025) the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) ran the first-ever Open Observability Summit, bringing together the world’s best experts in the field in a day packed with talks from project maintainers, end users and pra…

1
Summer picks: Where did our attention spans go, and can we get them back? 17:10

28d ago17:10

17:10

In 2024, the Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year was ‘brain rot’. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many who feel they don’t have the mental capacity they once had. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California,…

1
Episode 138: MLS Discloses Sub Numbers; YouTube Earnings; Latest News from Disney, ESPN, NBC, MAX and Paramount 46:57

29d ago46:57

46:57

This week, we highlight the details surrounding the MLS commissioner's disclosure that MLS Season Pass is averaging 120,000 unique viewers per match on Apple TV, representing a nearly 50% increase from 2024. For earnings, we cover Q2 ad revenue on YouTube, up 13% YoY and Alphabet's plan to increase capex investment in 2025 to approximately $85 bill…

1
Why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it? 14:14

1M ago14:14

14:14

Scientists are beginning to understand that ageing is not a simply linear process. Instead, recent research appears to show that we age in three accelerated bursts; at about 40, 60 and 80 years old. To find out what might be going on, Ian Sample hears from Prof Michael Snyder, the director of the Center for Genomics and Personalised Medicine at Sta…

1
Episode #194 - Ozzy, Voicemails & Three Gripes 1:00:48

1M ago1:00:48

1:00:48

This week I’m starting off with my own tribute to the greatest of the greats, Ozzy Osbourne. I’m also talking about the Red Sox back to being garbage, training camp and pre-season actual football. I have to touch on politics because it’s still too absurd, but then I get to a couple of voicemails from old friend, Mike and another from new friend, Lo…

1
The babies born with DNA from three parents 17:10

1M ago17:10

17:10

Doctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people. Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay about the life-threatening genetic disorders that the technique appears to prevent, and Prof Sir Doug Turnbull describes the 25-year journey to achievin…

1
Episode 137: Detailing Netflix's Q2 Earnings; Deltatre Plans to Acquire Endeavor Streaming 57:35

1M ago57:35

57:35

This week, we highlight the key numbers and comments from Netflix's Q2 earnings, covering finances, ad growth, live event strategy, competition, AI, and content strategy. We detail the financial metrics tied to revenue, free cash flow, debt, and estimated full-year 2025 revenue guidance. We discuss all the comments from Netflix's management team re…

1
Two black holes collide, lab-grown organs, world’s first climate visa 21:44

1M ago21:44

21:44

Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science and environment stories. From a breakthrough in the quest to create organs in the lab to a world-first climate visa that will see citizens relocate from the island of Tuvalu to Australia, plus what happens when two massive black holes collide. Help support our independent …

1
Episode #193 - Epstein, Soccer, UMass & Three Gripes 1:02:23

1M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

It's another riveting episode of basically nothing! This week I again talk about Epstein and the positively insane reaction an episode post on Facebook. Then I get into the new character of professional soccer, Lamine Yamal, a bit of an All-Star Game review as well the Red Sox and UMass coaches & administrators. Four voicemails this week - two from…

1
Episode 136: Disney's Latest Content Deals; Apple and F1 Rumors; Ultra Low Latency Deployments 50:54

1M ago50:54

50:54

This week, we highlight Disney's new content bundling deals with Charter and ITV, as well as Paramount's new agreement with DIRECTV. We discuss Amazon's investment in AI to help remaster SD content into HD, and what we think the impact of AI can be in the video streaming workflow. We also discuss why the media is getting it wrong when they suggest …

1
Why are parents using melatonin to help their kids sleep? 17:32

1M ago17:32

17:32

Guardian feature writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett recently wrote about the growing cohort of parents whose children are on the waiting list for an autism or ADHD diagnosis, and are turning to the internet to buy melatonin to help them sleep. She tells Madeleine Finlay about their experiences and what is driving them to the hidden market. Paul Gringras…

1
Episode #193 - Metal, Epstein & Three Gripes 1:00:05

2M ago1:00:05

1:00:05

Back with another edition of whatever the hell this is! This week I'm talking about the floods in Texas and ghouls, the Greatest Day in Metal, Epstein, MLB All-Stars & the Red Sox and a brief bit on sports & math. Then I have 2 voicemails from friends Mike and Marc talking about the WNBA, weddings, Logan Express, F1 and being an overweight salesman…

1
Texas floods and forecasting cuts: a sign of things to come? 16:49

2M ago16:49

16:49

In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this narrative stacks up and what the consequences could be for extreme we…

1
What are microplastics doing to our health? 15:58

2M ago15:58

15:58

The actor Orlando Bloom recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Stephanie Wright, associate professor of envi…

1
Why British women are freezing their eggs abroad 18:26

2M ago18:26

18:26

The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian journalist Lucy Hough, who recently travelled to Brussels to freeze he…

1
Episode #192 - Ronaldo, the NHL, Marriage & Three Gripes 1:03:19

2M ago1:03:19

1:03:19

Ever wonder what it's like to listen to someone struggle to record a garbage podcast way too early in the morning? Well wonder no more!! This week I'm talking about politics because why the hell not before getting into the NHL labor agreement, Cristiano Ronaldo's new ludicrous contract, the cherished institution of marriage, I'm almost all set with…

1
What does it take to make a nuclear weapon? 15:54

2M ago15:54

15:54

In an interview last weekend, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’ because it is permitted for ‘peaceful energy’ purposes. It is the latest development in an escalation of tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, which erupted when Israel targeted the country’s nuclear facilities in June. To understand …

1
Special CDN Podcast: The Latest on Delivery Pricing, Capacity Planning, DIY, Latency and Bitrate Trends 35:52

2M ago35:52

35:52

This special CDN focused podcast details the latest on delivery pricing and industry trends. I discuss delivery commits, QoE measurement, DIY deployments, HD HDR bitrates, and the impact of vendors exiting the market. I also cover how content owners perform capacity planning at the ASN level, leaching, latency, and why multicasting and P2P won't po…

1
Episode 135: Disney Layoffs; Sports Streaming News; BBC Low Latency Trial; Wowza Makes AI Tech Acquisition 43:34

2M ago43:34

43:34

This week, we highlight all the sports news from Peacock, Pac-12, ESPN, Optus Sport, Amazon, IMG, and NASCAR, detailing viewership stats and new licensing deals. We also cover the recent layoffs at Disney, the BBC's low latency live streaming trial, and the current ad loads of Max, Prime Video and Peacock. Finally, we cover some vendor news, includ…

1
The Power of Story: Building Community Through Conversation 23:21

2M ago23:21

23:21

In this episode, host Jarrod A. Clabaugh, CAE, chats with motivational speaker and improv comedian James Robilotta about the power of authentic conversations. Together, they explore how curiosity deepens human connection, why storytelling builds community, and the importance of prioritizing mental health and work-life balance. With humor and honest…

1
‘Huge advances in cancer and rare diseases’: 25 years of the human genome 18:33

2M ago18:33

18:33

It has been 25 years since Bill Clinton announced one of humanity’s most important scientific achievements: the first draft of the human genome. At the time, there was a great deal of excitement about the benefits that this new knowledge would bring, with predictions about curing genetic diseases and even cancer. To find out which of them came to p…

1
Episode #191 - Diddy, Bezos & Sports 1:01:52

2M ago1:01:52

1:01:52

Back at it again with another lackluster episode for you to ignore! This week I'm talking about 250 years of history, Karen Read, Diddy, the Celtics moves before the draft, the Red Sox blow again and Jeff Bezos' ridiculous wedding. Then it's on to Three Gripes: weddings, people with cool names and getting old. It's all here and it's all just awful …

1
OpenSearch 3.0 Unveiled: Vector DB on Steroids and More - OpenObservability Talks S6E01 1:04:14

2M ago1:04:14

1:04:14

OpenSearch has become a cornerstone of open source search and observability, empowering developers and organizations to derive meaningful insights from unstructured data at scale. The past year marks a significant milestone in its journey, with OpenSearch officially joining The Linux Foundation, further cementing its position in the open source eco…

1
Can a revolutionary new telescope solve the mystery of planet nine? 15:10

2M ago15:10

15:10

Ever since Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, astronomers have been wondering whether Neptune really is the most distant planet from the sun. Now, a new telescope could uncover what lies in the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Vera C Rubin Observatory released its first images this week, and soon the world’s most powerf…

1
Episode 134: Recapping News From WBD, Disney, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, F1 and Streaming Vendors Qwilt, Phenix and Brightcove 48:01

2M ago48:01

48:01

This week, we cover a lot of news, stats and numbers across WBD, Disney, Netflix, YouTube, MGM, Amazon, F1, DAZN, NFL, Verizon, Starz, Roku, TikTok, Apple TV, Premier League, JioHotstar, Paramount and other sports and OTT services. We also discuss the changes taking place at Qwilt, including the appointment of a new CEO, the assets of Phenix Real T…

1
Do medicinal mushroom products actually work? 18:41

2M ago18:41

18:41

More of us are turning to products containing mushroom extracts, with the medicinal fungi market now worth billions of pounds. Promises of benefits to mental and physical health have seen its popularity spill over from wellness influencers to the shelves of Marks & Spencer – but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims? Ian Sample chats…

1
Episode #190 - Billionaires, Baseball & Three Gripes 1:08:21

2M ago1:08:21

1:08:21

Back after a break due to life, I'm yelling this week about a few things including getting old, dizzy bat, billionaires, the Red Sox & Raffy Devers. Seriously though I'm yelling sometimes so be warned of quick bursts in volume and lack of working tech. Happy to have a couple voicemails from our friend Mike as well. Then it's onto Three Gripes: Publ…

1
Does the UK need nuclear to reach net zero? 15:14

2M ago15:14

15:14

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has promised £14bn of investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, kicking off what the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, says will be a ‘golden age for clean energy abundance’. But for critics, the technology’s high costs and lengthy construction times have always eclipsed the benefits of abundant low-carbon …

1
How to Save the Amazon part 3: ask the people that know – podcast 25:00

2M ago25:00

25:00

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon podcast, global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In the final episode of a three-part series, Jon encounters a radical new view of the Amazon’s history being uncovered by archa…

1
How to save the Amazon part two: the magic and mystery 24:28

3M ago24:28

24:28

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon, Jon Watts, global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In episode two, Jon meets the people trying to make sure the rainforest is worth more standing than cut down – from a government mini…

1
How to save the Amazon part one: the stakes 28:03

3M ago28:03

28:03

As a companion to the Guardian’s Missing in the Amazon, the global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how can we save the Amazon? In episode one of a three-part series, Watts explores what’s at stake if we fail to act in time. He hears about the crucial role of…

1
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance – episode 1 26:50

3M ago26:50

26:50

The British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished three years ago while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened to them in a six-part podcast series. Find episode 2 and all future episodes by searching …

1
Into the photic zone: does a darkening ocean threaten marine life? 14:32

3M ago14:32

14:32

Vast areas of the ocean are getting darker, according to research based on satellite imaging. Marine ecosystems are governed by faint light changes – from mass nightly migrations to coral spawning cycles – so what happens when that light begins to fade? Ian Sample talks to Prof Tim Smyth from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory about why this darkening …

1
Episode #189 - Hasselhoff, Maron, Real American & Three Gripes 1:15:07

3M ago1:15:07

1:15:07

Just when you think I can't put out an episode worse than anything else, I go and top that for you! This week I go on about hobbies, men's fashion, Marc Maron and Rick Derringer before talking about David Hasselhoff and the Berlin Wall for some odd reason. I have a couple of voicemails from our friend Mike talking about immigration, the WNBA & fish…

1
The incredible world of animal medicine 16:24

3M ago16:24

16:24

Ian Sample meets Jaap de Roode, professor of biology at Emory University in Atlanta, and author of the book Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes and Other Animals Heal Themselves. De Roode explains how a chance discovery got him interested in animal medicine, the amazing ways that creatures use toxins to fight parasites and pathogens, and what humans …

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