Playback’s Podcast Report concludes with a look at how producers are using podcasting to tap into new audiences, and looks at whether podcasting could one day be eligible for similar funding streams as film and television. Click here to read parts one, two, three and four of the series.

While there is significant overlap between how podcasts and traditional television are produced and financed, the ways in which the two mediums are distributed differs greatly.

In most cases, TV shows are sold territory-by-territory, meaning that finding a global audience is dependent on securing international sales. Podcasts, meanwhile, are available globally from the moment you hit “publish,” and rights aren’t carved out in the same way.

Of course, there are both upsides and downsides to this. On the one hand, it means there’s no additional revenue to be made from selling a podcast into multiple territories. On the other, you can instantly get your podcast into the hands of a global audience.

The geoblock-free nature of the podcasting business is piquing the interest of Canadian producers, who are increasingly using the medium to reach audiences beyond Canada’s borders.

One such company is Vancouver-based podcast studio and production company Kelly&Kelly, which has attracted international attention for its work, including the original podcast This Sounds Serious. The property – a scripted, satirical version of a true-crime podcast – became a hit south of the border, with The New Yorker naming placing it on its best podcasts of 2020 list. Even before that, a screen-based adaptation was in development with an American production company.

And while a greenlight never materialized in the U.S., a TV version is currently in development with a Canadian broadcaster, according to Kelly&Kelly’s head of production Lauren Bercovitch. The adaptation is in a second round of development.

While Kelly&Kelly produces both podcasts and TV shows, its audio business has become internationally recognized over the past five years with greenlights from Al Jazeera (for a historical fiction podcast narrated by Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance), CBC Podcasts, Luminary, Panoply, Castbox and Audioboom.

Recently Kelly&Kelly produced Dark Air with Terry Carnation, a scripted podcast from The Office‘s Rainn Wilson, which has amassed over a million downloads since its release. Although Kelly&Kelly doesn’t own the IP, the project has further solidified the company’s standing as a go-to producer for scripted podcasting properties.

“Part of the reason our scripted fiction is so successful is because we have adapted our podcast production to be the same as our TV production in terms of workflows. The only thing that’s really different is the size of the crew. The breakdown of the pre-production and post-production systems are basically the same. We break down scripts in the same way, we do call sheets in the same way,” says Bercovitch.

Founded by Chris and Pat Kelly in 2016, Kelly&Kelly was one of the early adopters in the Canadian podcasting space. Now, as film and TV production companies begin to comprehend the scope of the podcasting opportunity, the company lends its advice and expertise to other prodcos looking to enter the audio space.

One of the next frontiers, says Bercovitch, is making podcasting eligible for funding streams that have, until now, been reserved exclusively for TV and film.

Currently there are very few public funding streams that support podcast production. Bercovitch is trying to change that and has reached out to the CMPA with the goal of collaborating to convince provincial funding bodies – and eventually federal ones – to provide funding for podcasts.

This represents a vast opportunity, argues Bercovitch, especially in the context of the discussion around Canadian IP ownership.

“So much of Canadian funding is about wanting to get more original IP out of Canada, and podcasting is an incredibly successful way to do that. It gives people the power. We saw it: we made a show and then suddenly we had original IP that people all over the world wanted to adapt. So if Canada is really trying to get more content made from here, and not just service productions, more money should be put into podcasting,” she said.

Another interesting aspect of the podcasting boom, especially in scripted fiction, is that screenwriters who might not get into writing rooms for TV can land gigs where they don’t require so much experience, says Bercovitch.

“We can get them writing on podcasts, and it can spark their careers. It’s another way to get people into the system, because it’s really hard to get a chance in TV right now.”

Low-risk IP incubation for a tough economic climate

Another reason film and TV producers have flocked to podcasting over the past 18 months is that it offers a relatively inexpensive way to incubate IP and build audiences at a time when COVID protocols have driven costs up.

Among them, Toronto and L.A.-based LaRue Entertainment has dipped its toe into the podcasting world with a companion podcast series for its digital series True Dating Stories, which was recently commissioned for a third season by CBC Gem and acquired by Fuse Media in the U.S.

Co-president Andrew Ferguson says COVID “accelerated the podcast conversation” for LaRue, which produced a six-episode companion podcast for True Dating Stories. The show goes behind the scenes of real-life dating stories, and asks fans to submit their funniest and most outrageous dating tales.

Co-president Matt King says the launch of the podcast plays into LaRue’s broader strategy to turn True Dating Stories into a must-have international format, as the company continues to hold pitch the property to global format buyers.

“We want this format to go far and wide,” added Ferguson, “and the reach of the podcast – especially within CBC’s network – will hopefully expand the overall reach of True Dating Stories format greatly.”

Blue Ant Media’s Cottage Life brand has also added podcasting to its content offerings, as it looks to bring younger viewers to its existing TV, magazine and live-event offerings, which cater to Canadian cottage owners and prospective buyers.

“Traditionally the brand catered to people who owned cottages, which is a bit of an older audience, as you need to be somewhat established to afford one – although that’s starting to change,” said Cottage Life’s VP, content, Michelle Kelly, who is also the editor of Cottage Life magazine and host of the The Cottage Life Podcast. “We thought about podcasting as a way to extend our brand recognition into a younger demographic and strengthen it in that younger demo.”

Season one of the podcast, released in 2019, garnered more than 60,000 downloads. The second season, released recently, added some high-profile guests into the mix including real estate and reno guru Scott McGillivray.

Blue Ant’s Kelly says the podcast has allowed Cottage Life to get closer to its audience, dig deeper into certain topics, and help bring new audiences to other parts of the multi-platform brand.

Rise of the companion podcast

On the topic of getting closer to the audience, Bercovitch says companion podcasts are becoming a key method of building a fanbase. Among the most successful was the podcast accompanying HBO’s Chernobyl, which racked up some 10 million downloads.

“So many good shows have good companion podcasts – it’s a huge field,” she said. Bercovitch adds that the appeal of companion podcasts is starting to change the deal-making too, with some Canadian broadcasters ordering both a traditional TV series and a companion audio series.