As followers of this week’s live blog will know, I spent the last couple of days at The Podcast Show London. It’s an increasingly important event on the industry calendar. This year, it seemed there were even more big names in attendance – it was basically all dominated by Global (in partnership with iHeart Podcasts), YouTube and Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Podcasts – and fewer smaller exhibitors. To my mind, that’s a bit of a shame.
The big theme was, once again, video, with a bit of AI thrown in for good measure. There was plenty of talk about building businesses around shows, with delegates like yours truly desperately trying to pick up tips from those at the top of the podcasting game. It all left me thinking about how podcasts have grown to be so much more than the intimate pieces of audio magically appearing via RSS that we used to know, and whether or not this is a good thing.
A media space that lets more and more people come to the fore is obviously fantastic. Creativity is to be encouraged. But surely we do not want podcasting to become dominated by existing celebrities and creators who see it as a necessary add-on? It is a hard balance for listeners, sponsors and studios to strike.
The Indie Podcast Still Matters
When you see the likes of Mel Giedroyc, Sir Bradley Wiggins or Anthony Scaramucci in full flow (all appeared at The Podcast Show London this year), you can see why all of the aforementioned groups want to support them. They are, quite simply, very good at what they do.
There is also a growing connection between TV and podcast production. “We’re seeing audio actually is becoming a natural part of a TV show development period,” CAA agent Glen Miller explained. He added that while talent is “working, especially in the non-scripted or investigative space, that they’re sitting there going, oh, we need a little bit more work that needs to be done to get this right for TV.” Podcasts can be the first phase for a bigger idea.
And that’s great. I love many of those types of shows, such as Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow. They are a brilliant part of both the podcast and wider media ecosystem. If anyone wants to give me a call to make one, you know where to find me! However, the beating heart of podcasting is the indie shows that build up a loyal fanbase and that did so before it was cool. I hope we never lose that.
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