In the landscape of audio content, a phenomenon has emerged that has redefined how sports enthusiasts engage with their passion – sports podcasts. What once began as a niche interest has swiftly transformed into a mainstay of entertainment, education, and connection for fans across the globe. Offering a platform for in-depth analysis, storytelling, and unfiltered discussions, sports podcasts have woven themselves into the fabric of sports culture, elevating the fan experience to new heights.
There are few who have been constantly reshaping the industry and we had the honour of speaking to them today. To have a multifaceted approach to the role of Sports Podcast we spoke to Pod.One‘s Head, Aakanksha Saxena, about her experience building sports podcasts for India, and three popular Sports Podcasters Nishad Pai Vaidya, Sumedh Bilgi, and Shriya Roy on how they bring this field to life with audio podcasts. This evolution has not only broadened the scope of sports coverage but has also empowered enthusiasts to immerse themselves in their favourite games and teams like never before.
Assessing The Upcoming Trends In Podcasts With Pod.One Lead, Aakanksha Saxena
Pod.One, is a pioneer in the podcast industry with over 40 Podcasts distributed across all leading podcasting platforms like Spotify, Amazon, Audibles, and Apple Podcasts. From the Sex Podcast by Pleasure Positive content creator and Author Leeza Mangaldas to Enroute Indian History Podcast, Pod.One offers a diversified array of genres and niches from motivation to history, sex-ed to Influencer lifestyle, and Mental health to Indian textiles. As the programming lead of Pod.One, Aakanksha and her team handhold the creators to launch and consistently distribute the podcast. The Pod.One podcast program offers a sustainable structure to podcasters and creators at no upfront cost to make their voices and ideas heard.
SN: What are some tips you would give someone who is looking to monetize their podcast?
Aakanksha: Before answering that let me explain the concept of business podcasts & podcasts as business. The first category is not targeted towards making revenue rather it is used as a medium to engage the audience. A recent survey said, “Every second listener of a podcast becomes it’s customer”. The latter is meant for direct content creators or maybe a passive income source. At the moment it is nascent stage in terms of monetization. However, it is a crucial stage in building your audience statistics.
SN: Can you share some trends that you think will be big in 2024 concerning podcasting?
Aakanksha: I can offer some general trends that were prominent in the podcasting landscape leading up to 2023.
Diverse Content Formats: Podcasts continue to diversify, with a range of formats such as interviews, narrative storytelling, roundtable discussions, and educational content.
Interactive and Immersive Experiences: Some podcasts have started to experiment with interactive elements, engaging their audience through live shows, Q&A sessions, and virtual events.Niche and Specialized Content: Podcasters are focusing on niche topics to cater to specific audiences.
Social Media Integration: Podcasts are leveraging social media platforms to connect with their audience, share content snippets, and promote episodes.
SN: Are regional language podcasts going to make it bigger in 2024, if yes, then do you think the journey of a regional podcaster is different?
Aakanksha: In 2023, we witnessed some popular names from regional media coming into Podcasts. Especially in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Bangla etc. These podcasts enjoyed great listenership. And contrary to popular belief podcasts made in regional or Hindi language receive better traction.
Understanding Cricket And Its Craze In India With Nishad Pai Vaidya
Nishad Pai Vaidya is a versatile figure in the Indian sports industry, with extensive experience spanning from various roles. Be it a sports commentator or an author, Nishad has done it all. He’s deeply entrenched in cricket, having contributed significantly to the BCCI-IPL, freelancing, and commentary work. Nishad’s co-authorship of books like Twice Upon a Time and Limitless adds to his diverse portfolio, capturing key moments in India’s cricket history. Alongside, he runs the popular sports podcast, Stumps & Stories which is produced by Pod.One, deals with iconic moments in the cricket history across globe.
SN: In a country which is obsessed with Cricket, almost treating it as a religion, how do you keep your personal biases aside and provide an objective insightful analysis of the game?
Nishad: When I started at 20, I of course idolised a few players like Sachin Tendulkar but as you move ahead you realise you love the game more than anything else and thereafter it becomes a lot easier to give that objective analysis. With time you get that practice of looking at each aspect which helps in giving analysis.
SN: You’ve had such a long career in the sports industry. You must have seen how the consumption of sports has changed over the years. Can you share that with us?
Nishad: It’s changed a lot because of technology. We get everything at the click of a button on our phone. Nowadays the digital rights for a game of cricket are sold for a huge sum because people like to watch the match on the go. Recently the ICC World Cup engaged with so many influencers bringing out a different side of the game. The modern time has opened up opportunities for everyone.
SN: One similarity that you have seen in life as well as in the game of cricket.
Nishad: There are so many similarities between cricket and life. One thing the game taught me is that there’s always a second Innings. If you fail in the first Innings look forward to the second Innings. There are so many teams and players who have managed to rise in the second innings and the same applies in life. Cricketers have taught me that you’ve got to try to be at least 1% better than what you were yesterday and this is my biggest motivation.
SN: What are your guiding principles in this industry?
Nishad: At the very beginning of my career, the legendary broadcaster Suresh Saraiya told me that always have the hunger to learn and know that you are never going to be a master. This has helped me try bigger things in terms of commentary and podcasts.
The second piece of advice was fairly recent in 2020 when Harsha Bhogle sir told me that when you celebrate even the smallest of victories, you’ll automatically feel better one by one.
The man himself, MS Dhoni told me a very simple thing. He said that you’ve always got time to think and it’s okay to just take that extra moment. Accidents happen when you’re not thinking and that one extra moment can help you make the right decision.
SN: What is the most inspiring story or the most inspiring moment you have seen in the Indian Cricket history?
Nishad: There are many but one of the stories that inspires me the most is MS Dhoni’s rise. Imagine not being selected for the under-19 World Cup team but he believed in his talent and with self-belief he moved ahead and represented the country. In the India-Australia series, after being all-out on 36 at Adelaide, India managed to win at Melbourne and draw the match at Sydney Against and win at Brisbane despite so many obstacles.
Sumedh Bilgi Delves Into The Nitty Gritty Of Sports Podcast
Hailing from a rich background in sports video and journalism and having an on-field relationship with cricket, Sumedh Bilgi’s journey has revolved around pivotal leagues like IPL, ISL, and renowned collaborations. The Indian Cricket Podcast by Sumedh Bilgi is one of the highest performing Podcast in the country along with his Sumedh Bilgi Podcast. His podcast aims to cultivate a global culture of vibrant conversation around sports.
SN: Do you think having a sports background is essential to running a successful sport Sports Podcast?
Sumedh: No I don’t think so. I think background definitely helps but I think passion and the ability to learn and translate that learning consistently does wonders.
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SN: From research to final execution how does it look like at Bilgi?
Sumedh: Over the years of working with various IPL teams and producing content for them, I think the number one thing for us is to try and understand how the franchise wants to portray itself on social media. In all honesty, it is teamwork. Working with the client, trying to understand their requirement and then creatively producing something that’s visually stimulating, comes full circle.
SN: Do you think podcasts find it more difficult to retain audience attention when compared to videos?
Sumedh: On the contrary, I think in terms of retention, podcasts hit it out of the park when compared to the videos. For Videos, the engagement is expanded to visual and auditory but podcasts go down the solo path of producing content only for the ear which makes you stop and peer in a little bit more. Podcasts also give the ability to multitask while listening to an audio piece.
SN: Any memorable interaction or feedback that your listener gave to you which has stayed with you?
Sumedh: At a house party of one of my friends in Bombay, I was pulled aside by a mutual friend who said there was something that you said at the 45th-minute mark that made me curious and it sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to find out more about it and that for me is a moment that stands out
SN: What trends do you see emerging in the sports podcasting industry?
Sumedh: I think cricketers and athletes across the board have taken a liking to the medium. It also coincides with the demand for podcasting in the world, so I see more and more athletes putting themselves out there. A new wave of sports commentators has also emerged that do away with all of this jargon and present content with enthusiasm that connects with the Youth of today. This is also something to watch out for as a listener.
Emphasising The Role of Gender In Sports With Shriya Roy
A seasoned Multimedia Editor, Shriya Roy has a proven track record in video and audio production. Proficient in News and Feature Writing, Scripting, Conceptualisation, Video Production, Podcast hosting and production, and Video Editing, Shriya is truly the master of all trades. She particularly focuses on sports through the lens of Gender and Human Rights, explaining how these cannot be separated. Recently, she became the talk of the town for her Podcast Sports Beyond Borders that she co-hosts with Fatima from Pakistan. She Possesses a robust academic background with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, complementing strong media and communication skills.
SN: What inspired you to take the offbeat route of exploring the existing biases in cricket & sports?
Shriya: To honestly talk about what inspired me, I would have to go back to the time I was a kid. Growing up in a small town close to Darjeeling (Siliguri), the bias that existed in sports, especially with respect to gender, and who gets to play what sport, was extremely visible, more like a reminder on a daily basis. Having grown up watching, following and loving Cricket and Football, I soon realised that for me to get the training or resources to be able to pursue these sports as a woman was not available. Even in daily conversations with peers, especially men, there was always this undertone of being talked down upon.
That is what actually put what you can call “anger” in me to sort of try and prove to a whole society that the ownership of sports knowledge and understanding does not rest with one gender.
SN: Your podcast with Fatima from Pakistan called Sports Beyond Borders claims to be different from the “gheesa-pita” way of covering sports in India, can you give a little understanding of this?
Shriya: So I think when we (Me and Fatima) say “Gheesa Pita” we essentially mean the existing coverage of Indo-Pak sports primarily cricket. We would talk about cricket a lot in our conversations, and she would often tell me how so many people in Pakistan love Virat Kohli and I would tell her how Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi too have a huge following in India. Then right before the 2023 Cricket World Cup, as the coverage started by mainstream media, both of us were honestly tired and appalled by the war analogies, battle-like languages that were being used to describe “a match” between two teams.
That’s when we both decided that someone needed to change this narrative. So we thought, we must take these into our own hands and try doing what little we can, sitting on different sides of the border and not being able to meet physically. So we chose to do this via the medium of podcast.
SN: With your Podcasts, how do you wish to see a change in the current state of affairs?
Shriya: Honestly, it’s very aspirational if I say I want to see “so and so change”. I think change requires constant work, constant learning and unlearning. What I wish for is to start the conversation. I hope that even if my work is being engaged with by 1%, that 1% learns something new and takes this conversation forward. I am trying to do my part in this butterfly effect and manifesting a world where having these conversations becomes more mainstream and we move to a slightly equal world, and the acceptance of the problems and working towards finding a solution.
SN: Why did you pick Podcast as a medium to reach out and be heard?
Shriya: It happened very naturally to be very honest. I started working on podcasts and fell in love with it. Given the amount of screen time we have as a social media generation, podcasts are a great alternative, and often preferred. It’s also much more reasonable to produce a podcast in terms of finances.
SN: Many sports podcasts exist in India, how do you plan to make your Podcast stand out from the rest?
Shriya: Be it with podcasts, or my writing, video work and reporting on sports, my aim has always been to look at sports from a human rights angle, that is being ignored by the mainstream.
As the realm of digital audio continues to flourish, the rise of sports podcasts stands as a testament to the fervour and dedication of sports aficionados. With each episode, these podcasts bridge the gap between fans and the sports they love, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie. Through insightful commentary, compelling narratives, and expert analysis, these podcasts have become more than just a source of information; they’ve become an integral part of the sports landscape, shaping conversations, influencing perspectives, and fueling the undying passion that unites fans around the world.
