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Inside HBO Max's podcast strategy to extend buzz around hits like 'Succession' and add new shows from DC franchises like Batman
Natalie Jarvey
HBO Max offers more than 30 podcasts tied to Warner Bros. IP.
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HBO Max offers a library of more than 30 podcasts via its app.
Companion shows like "And Just Like That...The Writers Room" extend the buzz after an episode airs.
Podcasts are available on HBO Max's app to "reach the consumer where they are," said CSO Josh Walker.
Viewers who watched the season finale of "Succession" via the HBO Max app on Sunday night were invited to stay immersed in the show after the credits aired.
With one click, they could fire up Kara Swisher's "Succession" podcast and listen to the journalist's interview with series creator Jesse Armstrong and executive producer Frank Rich about the latest Roy family betrayal.
The podcast, produced by HBO and Pineapple Street Studios, is one of more than 30 tied to WarnerMedia IP that are available via HBO Max.
The streamer also offers "And Just Like That… The Writers Room," which takes listeners inside Michael Patrick King's "Sex and the City" revival. In December, HBO Max debuted "Station Eleven: The Podcast," with series creator Patrick Somerville and Vulture staff writer Angelica Jade Bastién. And in September, the service became the exclusive home to scripted podcast series "Batman: The Audio Adventures."
Entertainment properties have inspired podcasts for years. In the early days of the medium, comedians Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, and June Diane Raphael started "How Did This Get Made?" to skewer bad movies. "The West Wing Weekly" ran from 2016 to 2020. Search Apple's podcast app for "The Bachelor," and you'll find more than a dozen recap shows.
As the audience grew — about 57% of the U.S. population has listened to a podcast, according to the Infinite Dial 2021 report — WarnerMedia saw value in producing and distributing its own audio shows.
Michael Gluckstadt, director of content strategy, podcast & interactive media, HBO and HBO max
"It's meeting our viewers where they're at and providing them with that kind of extra content that they're interested in," said Michael Gluckstadt, director of content strategy for HBO and HBO Max podcasts and interactive media.
One of the company's first audio hits was 2019's "The Chernobyl Podcast," which served as a companion to HBO's limited series about the nuclear catastrophe. Its success opened the door for more, like a podcast about "Watchmen" with series co-creator Damon Lindelof.
"I remember pitching podcasts before 'Chernobyl' and people didn't really know what they were, what the point was," Gluckstadt said. "But afterwards it just became not just much easier to sell through, but we were getting inbound."
Living on the HBO Max app — generally they are also distributed via platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify — these podcasts serve as DVD extras for a streaming age, offering showrunner commentary or a look inside how an episode was made.
Becky Rho, director of production, podcast & interactive media for HBO and HBO Max
"A lot of the podcasts we produce, we try to think of it from a fan perspective," said Becky Rho, director of production for podcasts and interactive media for HBO and HBO Max. "I always love to come back to the 'Succession' example, where after the episode ends, I need to go watch the previews, the recaps, I need to listen to the podcast." It's "that extra mile" of content provided to the consumer, she said.
Though the HBO and HBO Max podcasts market titles by helping to bolster the conversation around them, the audio projects also stand on their own. On "Allen v. Farrow Podcast," for instance, filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick included interviews that didn't make it into their HBO docuseries.
'Batman: The Audio Adventures' and more podcasts beyond companion shows
HBO Max has experimented with podcasts that aren't strictly companion shows, too.
Last year, it released scripted true crime podcast "Looking for LaToya," to take fans deeper into the case of a (fictional) missing woman featured on a show-within-the-show during the fourth season of "Insecure."
Gluckstadt said "Insecure" creator Issa Rae pitched them on the concept and produced alongside Tenderfoot TV via her audio company Raedio. A follow-up, "We Stay Looking," dropped Dec. 1 on HBO Max.
The first HBO Max audio project not directly tied to a current series was "Batman: The Audio Adventures," a comedy with voice performances by Jeffrey Wright and Rosario Dawson that became the first podcast to debut exclusively on HBO Max. Bringing DC comic book IP to new audiences has been core to the strategy for HBO Max, which is mining popular franchises to stay ahead in the streaming wars.
Josh Walker, chief strategy officer of WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer business
"'Batman' — which we launched on Batman Day — was a perfect test case for us to have an exclusive piece of programming in an audio format on the service because it is DC content that's part of the core offering of HBO Max," said Josh Walker, chief strategy officer for WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer business, who added that HBO Max would consider releasing similar projects in the future.
Netflix also produces podcasts where people talk about its shows, including "Strong Black Lead" and "The Crown: The Official Podcast." But WarnerMedia is doing something Netflix isn't by making its podcasts available directly through the HBO Max app, which can be accessed via connected TV as well as mobile devices.
"It allows us to reach the consumer and tell them more about the stories that they're loving," Walker said, "and do it in a different format, not in the living room. It can be on their commute. It can be while they're on the treadmill."
People who stream HBO Max podcasts on their TVs will see visuals created specifically for each show, sometimes featuring Easter eggs for super fans.
Podcasting is booming, with U.S. advertising revenue expected to exceed $1 billion in 2021, per IAB. But WarnerMedia isn't yet focused on audio as a money-making venture, beyond helping to bolster HBO Max.
"We've done a small amount of experimentation with advertising on select podcasts but overall we generally do not have any ads," said Walker. "We really want the consumer just to be able to go in and continue that storytelling experience."
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