PingWest reported that Ximalaya FM posted a (now deleted) announcement to the content creators on their platform. The announcement said they must file their advertiser information before publishing content. This is a problem for many reasons, so podcasters need to be aware of this situation. Ximalaya FM is the same company as Himalaya, which means there is potential that the same demand could be made of content creators who have podcasters on that platform.

Here is some information from the PingWest website:

In a screenshot of the announcement seen by PingWest, Ximalaya FM now requires content creators, including podcasters, to submit to the company’s Advertisement Business Group the name of their advertisers, the nature of their deals, i.e. host-read or sponsored content, etc. The platform also asks the hosts to provide to go through the hassle and provide qualification documents to prove that what the are advertising in shows are true.

Ximalaya FM is reportedly requiring podcast hosts to give out the quoted prices of their advertising deals. This is unacceptable because if podcasters reveal that information to a third party (such as Ximalay FM) they would violate the rights of the advertisers, who may have an agreement that requires confidentiality.

It appears that failure to comply with that demand by Ximalaya FM could result in the company taking down some shows. Multiple offenses, according to PingWest, would mean a permanent ban from the platform.

The way I see it, what Ximalaya FM is demanding is unethical. Ximalaya FM is said to be China’s top user-generated audio content platform. This means that podcasters who don’t comply with the platform’s demand to hand over confidential information from their advertisers are being punished with a ban. I cannot help but wonder why Ximalaya FM suddenly decided to institute their advertisement policy, and what podcasts are being harmed by it.