Breaking news and deep dives: How podcasts are changing news consumption

In recent years, podcasting has become mainstream. Spotify is home to more than 3.2 million podcasts alone, and people’s favourite shows have become must-listens as part of their regular media consumption.

The format is now established as an important communications channel for many media outlets. I personally find them a valuable tool for staying up-to-date with the latest news and technology developments. Tortoise Media’s The Slow Newscast is one of my favourites. Tortoise Media is a news outlet founded by a former director of BBC News and editor of The Times, James Harding.

The Slow Newscast takes a deep dive into global news stories, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding that goes beyond the headlines. Each episode is short, roughly 30 minutes long, making it a perfect snack-sized way to stay informed on current events. The podcast’s unique approach to storytelling is engaging and thought-provoking, letting listeners connect with the news in a meaningful way. The podcast also hones in on specific newsworthy topics – for instance, exploring the world of cryptocurrencies in a mini-series called Real Money.

Such is the growing popularity of podcasts, pitching them as part of a media sell-in is now the norm here at Spark. Some examples of recent podcast interviews the team has secured include PacBio appearing on LaBiotech’s Beyond Biotech Podcast, Couchbase featuring on the IT Pro Podcast, and Cloudera spoke with Tech Talks Daily.

Podcasts are a great medium that often result in deeper dive coverage than print or web piece. Spark team member Kelly says that getting Couchbase on the IT Pro podcast, “raised awareness of Couchbase as an expert within the application modernisation space”. And according to Laura, PacBio’s feature on Beyond Biotech, “helped to put its DNA sequencing technologies in the spotlight and explain how the tools will revolutionise large-scale studies in human genetics.”

There are many interesting podcasts that have really inspired the team here at Spark, and we’re all big fans of the genre. If you’re stuck on what to listen to next, you can find some of our top podcast recommendations here.