Slate expects nearly half of its revenue will come from podcasts this year | Digiday

In other podcasting news, see What does Luminary’s very bad week tell us about podcasters’ collective power? | NiemanLab

"Slate was one of the first digital publishers to seize on podcasts as a source of audience and revenue — it began producing podcasts more than a dozen years ago. But in recent years, the format has grown from important to essential: This year, audio could represent “nearly half” of Slate’s revenues, up from 28% in late 2018, Slate president Charlie Kammerer said. Slate declined to comment on how much revenue it generated last year.

“We try to recast and reframe conversations that are already out there,” said Lowen Liu, Slate’s deputy editor. “We have a lot of faith in our ability to find a new way in.”

Slate’s 30 podcasts generated 180 million listens in 2018, a 78% increase year over year. “Slow Burn” piled up over 15 million downloads by itself, but it also got assists from shows such as “Decoder Ring,” a podcast about pop cultural curiosities, and “Hit Parade,” a pop music history series hosted by Billboard chart historian and Slate staff writer Chris Molanphy. A relaunched version of its daily news podcast, “What Next,” should continue to drive that growth."

Slate expects nearly half of its revenue will come from podcasts this year | Digiday