Inside the success of ITV’s What You Need To Know podcast
The campaign won in the Best Pivot Initiative category at The Drum Awards for Online Media.
ITV Podcast / ITV
ITV evolved its Coronavirus-era podcast to tackle a wider range of diverse subjects, including the war in Ukraine.
The Brief
In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, ITV News faced a pivotal decision – to rebrand and reshape its successful podcast, Coronavirus: What You Need To Know, into a news briefing series. Recognizing the changing listener demands and seeking to stand out in the saturated audio space, the broadcaster embarked on a journey to create something entirely new.
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The Idea
With a rapidly evolving audience seeking expert analysis on a broader range of topics, ITV News seized the opportunity to reorient its audio output. It swiftly rebranded the podcast to What You Need To Know, catering to the listener’s thirst for concise, authoritative information. The winning strategy relied on shorter, question-framed episodes that offered insights on diverse subjects, enabling listeners to engage with more stories in less time.
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The Results
The podcast became the most popular podcast in ITV News history, garnering over 13m downloads within the first year. Its instant success was evident as close to 200,000 people downloaded the 15-minute briefings within hours of its launch. The ability to deliver swift, in-depth analysis on pressing issues, such as the war in Ukraine, cemented its position as an authoritative source of information.
Furthermore, the rebranding opened new avenues for sharing the podcast, reaching a significantly wider audience. With an embedded player in digital articles across the national news site and ITV News regions, the podcast became accessible to all. As the audience’s interests continued to evolve, the podcast adapted, delving into exclusive investigative journalism, breaking news and historical moments.
Some episodes amassed up to 326,000 downloads and culminated with an annual total of 11,705,003 by February of this year. The podcast’s monthly downloads experienced a phenomenal 13,000% year-on-year audience gain, leaving behind the humble beginnings of a Coronavirus briefing and emerging as a trusted and widely embraced news source.
This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.