Plus Icon
Payton Turkeltaub
See All
What do “Love Story,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and “The Pitt” have in common? All offer companion podcasts providing exclusive cast interviews, behind-the-scenes looks and episode breakdowns to their devoted, detail-obsessed fans.
The medium, once audio only, is the latest video-forward television trend, with networks and streamers increasingly pledging their allegiance to complementary content. In the past seven months, Hulu and Disney+ have launched nine, covering everything from “The Beauty” to “Paradise” to “Only Murders in the Building.” In 2025, HBO added 10 podcasts to its already ample roster; this year it created offerings for “The Pitt” and the “Game of Thrones” prequel. In January, Netflix released an official “Bridgerton” podcast to coincide with Season 4’s release.
With fewer people tuning in to linear television, companies are betting big on the format to meet audiences where they are: online. As Amplifi Media CEO Steven Goldstein puts it, “You can book eight minutes with Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show’ — or get 45 minutes with your best customers.”
HBO’s first foray into the format was 2019’s “The Chernobyl Podcast.” “We started doing it in earnest,” says Michael Gluckstadt, HBO and HBO Max’s director of podcasts, and the chance to maximize fan engagement was quickly apparent. Becky Rho, senior director of HBO and HBO Max’s podcast and digital production division, compares them to the bonus content on DVDs. “We’re wanting to service the folks who have these burning questions,” she says. Goldstein calls them the “digital version of talking about last night’s episode.”
While the podcasts vary in format, style and length, all capitalize on one previously underexploited advantage: talent access. “Oftentimes, your best hook is the people that were in [the show],” says Paul Hardart, director of NYU Stern’s Entertainment, Media and Technology program. Take Disney+ and Hulu’s popular “Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast,” which has become the first media stop for eliminated contestants and has amassed 2 million views on YouTube alone. And since the interviews are company sanctioned, talent needn’t worry about left-field questions. “You can control the narrative a little bit,” says Hardart.
But not all podcasts are created equal — HBO’s average around 50 minutes, while some FX offerings are under 15. (Some fans question whether these even count as podcasts, or are just glorified interviews.) Hardart says length isn’t essential; what’s important is that they provide “genuine insight,” Goldstein adds.
As the shift to video picks up steam, podcasts have emerged as an attractive marketing tool (though fan favorites — like Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies” podcast — don’t operate solely as such). HBO distributes clips from them across social media, and podcast snippets from Disney+ and Hulu shows have garnered more than 273 million views, says Shannon Ryan, president of marketing for DTC and Disney Entertainment Television. In addition to listenership, social sentiment and conversation are used to measure podcasts’ success, she says. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re relatively cheap for networks to produce (at least compared to the cost of a season of television).
The boom is showing no signs of a slowdown: An “American Idol” podcast is coming from Disney+ and Hulu at the end of March, and companies like HBO and Netflix likely have more on the way. The incentive is clear: “It’s an opportunity for them to reengage with the audience in a very produced and yet intimate fashion,” says Goldstein.
“Studios now think of podcasts as continuation media. The story doesn’t end when the credits roll.”
-
The Pitt Podcast
Hosts: Dr. Alok Patel and Hunter Harris
Most popular episode: “7:00 A.M.,” S2, Ep1
Guests: Noah Wyle and Dr. Joe Sachs
Installing a real doctor as a host allows listeners to understand how true to life the show is, Rho says. Cast members Shawn Hatosy, Isa Briones and Katherine LaNasa have all appeared.
