Other than watching TV and movies, one entertainment media outlet that’s been on a shocking rise is the podcast. But lately, there’s been a certain type of podcast that’s become more lucrative than expected—the TV rewatch genre.
Conal Byrne, iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group CEO, had this to say on the matter: “I swear it still feels like podcasting is just getting started.”
Her opinion has much weight due to the fact that iHeartMedia is the world’s largest publisher of podcasts, with over 750 original shows and 431 million downloads.
The most popular podcasts, according to Byrne, have usually been geared around true crime, sports, and comedy. But she says that lately people have become obsessed with podcast hosts simply rewatching their favorite shows and reflecting on episodes.
For instance, Office Ladies is a podcast run by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, former stars of NBC comedy The Office. Each episode of the podcast involves them reflecting on a different episode on the show, and they often invite other castmates to interview. Another example is The Always Sunny Podcast, hosted by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day, the co-founders, writers, and stars of dark comedy sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
From a business perspective, Byrne seems very excited over the shift, believing that it’s “driving community in a whole new way through podcasting that we didn’t predict but has just exploded,” and that it’s also “just now dipping its toe in the water.”