Slate is launching a podcasting platform called Panoply, which will open up the online magazine’s “production, audience development/distribution and sales” framework to partner organizations, Jason Abbruzzese writes for Mashable.
The platform will have multiple launch partners, including “The New York Times Magazine, the Huffington Post, Inc., Popular Science and New York Magazine,” according to Mashable.
Andy Bowers, the executive producer of Slate’s podcasts, had sensed an opportunity for the outlet to further expand its offerings for a long time, Abbruzzese writes. Then “Serial” became a breakout hit over the summer, catalyzing further action:
Panoply’s model is based on a belief that not every podcast needs to be Serial to be viable. A growing audience and a maturing digital market have changed the economics of the business, said Matt Turck, who left his position as publisher of Slate to be chief revenue office at Panoply.
Slate is being selective with who gets to use Panoply, restricting it to “partners that the company thinks are viable,” according to Mashable.
Competitors in the podcasting marketplace, like PodcastOne, Gimlet Media and “This American Life” actually serve to increase the total value of the podcasting market by bringing in readers, Bowers told Ad Age’s Michael Sebastian.
I know the heads of these companies; it’s a small community,” he said. “When they bring in a new listener, it’s an opportunity for me and an opportunity for them.
Sixteen Slate podcasts will launch on Panoply, along with four podcasts from The Huffington Post, a podcast on sex from New York magazine, and “The Checkup” from WBUR, among others.
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