The popular comedy podcast How was this made? stays with Earwolf. Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas, who host the show about terrible movies, have signed a multi-year deal to stay with the SiriusXM podcast studio. SiriusXM spokesperson Ron Gaskill said the deal will keep most of the show’s archive behind the Stitcher Premium paywall.
The critically loved show, which delves into the world of horrible/great movies like Cats and Moon attack, has been under the Earwolf umbrella since its launch in 2010. “Twelve years ago, Earwolf believed in us before anyone even knew what a podcast was, which is why we are excited to continue our relationship with them,” the hosts said in a joint statement. The deal also includes exclusive distribution and ad sales for movie podcasts Unrinsedwhich is co-hosted by Scheer and film critic Amy Nicholson.
How was this made? collects about 40 million downloads per year, according to SiriusXM. That’s enough to regularly rank among the top 50 comedy podcasts on Apple Podcasts, even if it’s not as huge a hit as Earwolf juggernaut Office ladies. The show has a loyal following and an extensive catalog, which is probably why most episodes older than six months are exclusive to Stitcher Premium (which costs subscribers $4.99 per month). Stitcher also releases an archived episode every Monday, which Gaskill says will continue under the new deal.
The deal comes at a time when audio companies are vying for exclusive rights to top-performing podcasts. Spotify recently added Emma Chamberlain to its roster of bubbly, broadly appealing hosts, while Amazon’s Wondery hits like SmartLess and My favorite murder.
SiriusXM, meanwhile, has signed deals with Crooked Media and Crime junkie using a broader distribution model than Spotify (which is completely exclusive) or Wondery (which often locks its shows into a week-long exclusive window for new episodes). But SiriusXM’s bread and butter is the comedy inventory it bought with the acquisition of Stitcher (which oversees Earwolf) in 2020. How was this made? is a mainstay of Earwolf’s programming, and it’s better to keep the hosts on board than lose them to a competitor.
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