Read original story on: The Verge
With the surprise hit of Serial, a serialized journalistic inquiry into old real-life murder cases, podcasts are finally entering mainstream spotlight after spending nearly a decade in the overlooked corners of digital media landscape. With Apple introducing a standalone app in iOS 8, listening to podcasts is finally as easy as it should be, aiding its recent rise in popularity.
Given its unique format and distribution model, Podcast is opening up new ways for brands to connect with a highly focused audience through sponsorship and native ads. But a lot of uncertainty remains for those episodic Internet radio shows: is its audience size big enough to validate these branding opportunities? Would Apple want a cut from those profits for being the biggest distribution platform? Should podcasts remain free? We’ll continue to follow the story, so tune in next time…
Update 12/05: In a surprising development, Serial will be broadcast on British radio starting Dec. 7, therefore making it the first ever internationally syndicated podcast series.