Music-streaming services sure do love podcasts. First, Deezer bought Stitcher. Then, Spotify opened a beta program for podcasts. Even Google, podcasting’s biggest stalwart, will be adding podcasts to Google Play. I guess it’s no surprise then that Pandora, one of the longest running and most successful music streamers, is getting into podcasting, too. But unlike these other services, Pandora is barely getting its feet wet in podcasting’s pool.
If you’re chomping at the bit to add your own podcast feed to Pandora’s catalog, slow down. Pandora isn’t taking open submissions. It’s not sending out private invitations or launching an exclusive beta. Pandora is entering the world of podcasting by adding one show to its platform. If you’ve paid any attention to recent podcasting news, you won’t be surprised to learn that this one podcast is Serial, the This American Life-fueled juggernaut that lit up the hearts and minds of so many pundits over the last year, causing them to gush many words about the so-called “podcast resurgence.”
Pandora will stream the first season of Serial starting on November 24th. And then some time after that (nobody knows when), Pandora will also stream Serial’s much-anticipated second season. The initial announcement of this plan led to some confusion, as many believed that Pandora would be Serial’s exclusive distributor for season 2. But that’s not accurate. Along with Pandora, Serial season 2 will also be available thru iTunes and most other podcast-y places upon its release.