In the past decade, the way the world consumes media has radically transformed. We listen to smart speakers during our morning routine, we stream radio on our laptop, and most of all, we binge. Today binge listening or watching is a normal part of the American media diet, a fun and distinctly modern way to enjoy the content we crave. At Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, we love a bingeable podcast more than anyone.

Many podcasts are structured as weekly chat shows, with hosts and guest interviews to pique your interest. But content creators like Pineapple Street Studios and Cadence13 have embraced cinematic storytelling through podcasts. These compelling shows are developed as limited-run mini-series, with many episodes ending on an exciting cliffhanger.

A few things make podcast series particularly bingeable. For one, they are usually mysteries at their center, which allows for a better binge than talk podcasts or weekly news updates. We also produce them with a serialized structure in mind. Ever since the podcast ‘Serial’ blew open the world of serialized podcasting seven years ago, this has proven to be a compelling format to deliver documentary-style narratives. But most of all, bingeability lies in a good story. Not every longform article or mysterious tale has enough depth and diversity to fill out a podcast series. When we find a story that does, we invest everything we can into making it as comprehensive and compelling as possible so that our listeners keep coming back for more.

At a time when America is bingeing more podcasts than ever, we’ve introduced a new way to share our most unpausable content – ‘Exclusively Bingeable at Audacy.’ The content and the strategy behind it capture the way we listen now. We produce podcasts that hook their audience and bring them back for more, and we release them so listeners can only get the full, bingeable experience from one trusted source. For those who want to get the best of everything all at once, they’ll be able to do so on the Audacy app.

We’re launching Exclusively Bingeable on Audacy with two new prestige podcasts that are perfectly primed for non-stop listening. My Fugitive is the epic story of an FBI hunt for a man on the run; what begins as a simple man hunt quickly becomes a vast conspiracy that encompasses COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) and the assassination of Martin Luther King. Hosted by Emmy-winning documentarian Nina Gilden Seavey, it’s rife with the twists, turns, and shocking revelations that make listeners hit “next.” 

Smaller in scale but no less addictive is Stay Away from Matthew Magill, the story of a mysterious hermit who lived and died alone in the woods on the Florida/Georgia border, away from modern life. A series of coincidences led host Eric Mennel to a box of Magill’s belongings, which in turn revealed an incredible life of crime, luxury, and scandal. As Mennel investigates Magill, he in turn discovers secrets about his own family. Ultimately it’s a story about inheritance, and how searching for the truth can lead us to places we may be scared to go.

“You can listen to the show week by week everywhere. But you can only binge it in one place. In effect, it’s a launch event. It’s this kind of special window that is extremely effective in delivering on audiences’ craving to hear the next episode, and driving lots of listeners to the platform that has this exclusive window, a critical benefit for ad partners”.
– Jenna Weiss-Berman, Co-Founder of Pineapple Street Studios

Bingeable podcasts offer a bigger opportunity to advertisers than ever. Whether it’s a presenting sponsorship or a live read, this kind of content boasts high listener engagement. You can be confident that your audience will hear your ads and continue to listen through to the next one. Indeed, bingeable podcasts can provide unique, creative advertising opportunities to brands that want to tell a longer story that runs parallel to the podcast itself. Because the bingeing audience will definitely be listening to episodes in order for these drama-filled podcasts, brands can evolve their messaging over the course of a single series.

More generally, podcast popularity continues to grow quickly. Monthly podcast listening is up 4% year over year. Most amazing of all: the average weekly podcast listener is listening to eight podcasts a week¹ (two more than last year).

“There has also been notable growth in the ever-important youth demographic, ages 12-34. Their listenership is up 7%¹. This demographic is a particularly important part of the bingeability audience. Younger generations have grown accustomed to having content on demand, and they’re the most likely to go the extra lengths to access everything right away.” – Jay Green, SVP, Podcast Strategy & Analytics, Audacy

Bingeable podcasts foster strong connections with their listeners; they’re engaging, enduring, and, simply put, great stories. Whether you’re an advertiser, a listener, or a content provider, good stories enrich the world. That’s why bingeability is a good thing for all media and every audience, and why Audacy is proud to provide an exclusive bingeable experience rooted in premium content for our listeners.