This post has been updated.
Serial, the mega-hit podcast from the creators of This American Life, is gearing up for season 2 with a new partnership involving Pandora.
Pandora says it will be the “exclusive” streaming partner for the true-crime show hosted by Sarah Koenig, with season 1 available on the streaming service again beginning Nov. 24 and new episodes of season 2 available every Thursday at 6am eastern time, starting whenever the show’s second season actually begins (it has not yet announced a date).
Pandora will be streaming episodes in their entirety for those who want to listen that way, but it says it also will “chapterize” the program in five-minute chunks. This option is good news for Pandora listeners — it’ll be easier to figure out where you left off in the series and navigate through episodes. Pandora says it will not be inserting extra ads into Serial either; the only ad you’ll be hearing are the sponsorships from Serial.
Podcasts like Serial are becoming more mainstream, yet it’s been difficult to monetize them. It’s not for lack of trying though, as this patent application from Apple indicates.
Serial makes money by selling advertisements to companies like MailChimp, which got some serious marketing mileage out of the arrangement last year. With its new partnership with Pandora, Serial has potentially opened up another possible revenue model—distribution.
“Serial is the biggest podcast in the world, but only 17% of Americans listen to podcasts at all,” said Ira Glass, the host of This American Life and the editorial advisor to Serial, said in a news release that announced the tie-up but did not disclose financial terms.
Pandora has 78 million monthly listeners, including “millions of people who never listen to public radio or download podcasts,” Glass noted. “This’ll get our shows to them.”
However, it won’t be the only place where the show’s rabid fans can get their fix.
This post has been updated to clarify that Pandora will not be inserting advertisements into Serial.