Previously, we had made our readers aware of the massive yet untapped potential the audio streaming space holds across the globe. And the same holds true for the Swedish audio streaming giant Spotify, which seems to be betting big on the fiction podcast genre. After acquiring podcast studio Gimlet in the year 2019, Spotify has now reportedly promoted the scripting content head at Gimlet, Mimi O’Donnell, to the head of scripted fiction at Spotify.
The strategic move aptly indicates how serious Spotify is about channeling its creative energies on narrative fiction podcasts, which found immense streaming success earlier this year with the psychological thriller podcast titled ‘Batman Unburied’, a Spotify-Warner Bros-DC venture.
You may already be aware that a Podcast is an episodic series of spoken words focused on a particular subject ranging from spiritual discussions, travel, sports, business, etc., and also includes fiction storytelling, which the ‘Batman Unburied’ belongs to. The success of the ‘Batman Unburied’ podcast was such that the audio series started streaming globally on Spotify from May 2022 in nine languages including English and Hindi. For the Indian version, ‘Kai Po Che’ actor Amit Sadh has lent his voice as Bruce Wayne aka The Batman.
Prior to ‘Batman Unburied’, in September 2021, Spotify India had released the Indian adaptation of the riveting Spanish science-fiction psychological-thriller podcast ‘Caso 63’ namely ‘Virus 2062’ voiced by Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha. In the same month, acclaimed actor Ronit Roy (Udaan, Ugly) had made an impressive fiction podcast debut with an investigative thriller podcast series titled ‘ACP Gautam’ where he plays the eccentric yet brilliant titular cop.
Moreover, an English language adaptation of the ‘Caso 63’ series, supervised by Mimi O’Donnell, is also in the works with Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac voicing the lead roles. Besides, O’Donnell will also oversee the development of an upcoming project by acclaimed filmmaker Jordan Peele (Director – Get Out, Nope).
So, the point is, podcasts, particularly fiction ones, are a largely untapped market globally and in India as well. And like their audio-visual OTT counterparts like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, podcast platforms in India have witnessed a rapid surge after the pandemic. For context, as per PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020 report, India was the third-largest consumer of podcasts after the US and China, with more than 57 million monthly listeners.
Let’s see whether Mimi O’Donnell’s promotion as Spotify’s head of scripted fiction will get the audio streaming service the first mover advantage for the massive fiction podcasts market but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Because, fiction podcasts are here to stay, period.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
