Policy update: Audio only podcasts can now be listed on IMDb!

If I were to add a podcast from a long-running radio show, I assume the listing should start when the podcast started and not when the radio show started? And the contents should be based only on the podcast, not the radio broadcast?

Great question as always. 

As the radio show came first and we try to list a series by it's original release - we'll accept the earliest date for the radio broadcast too and you can add these as "episodes" too. 

What is IMDb's definition of podcast, please? It may seem obvious to you, but I bet if you ask around you'll get many differing interpretations of what should be included.  What, in IMDb's view, are the specific aspects that distinguish a podcast from the many other forms of audio productions?

Without a clear definition, you could be opening the floodgates here... but then again, maybe that's the intention: I could equally ask why allow only podcasts, why not also allow (some of) the many other forms of audio productions? An average radio play arguably has far more in common with IMDb's core interest in movies than many podcasts, should they be eligible for listing too?

It would probably be a good idea to develop a clear policy for radio productions at least, if not all audio-only productions. Noting your reply to Peter, I don't think "has a related podcast" is really a good criterion for eligibility. If a radio show with a podcast is eligible, then shouldn't a near-identical radio show without a podcast also be eligible? If not, why not?


For the record, I have no strong opinion on which, if any, forms of audio-only productions should be eligible. I do however, think it's important to get the policy absolutely clear right from the beginning to avoid problems and the need for clean-up work later.

podcasts won't be clearly labeled as “Podcast” (other than the keyword...

Some keywords already affect display, such as tv-mini-series, tv-special, etc. Couldn't that same approach be implemented here too?

Hey all,

Thanks for this feedback.

We appreciate the definition isn't super clear cut right now and it's something we're trying to iterate on to find the best fit.

There's ongoing discussions within the team about how to really define what we consider a 'Podcast' and our current thinking is that if the creators specifically made a piece of content to be streamed or downloaded outside of a live broadcast then these will be eligible.

There is also the position that a Podcast often features one or more recurring hosts or actors engaged in a discussion about some topic or narrative.

For example, a breakfast radio show broadcasting live on it's own is ineligible unless re-packaged and made available for streaming or downloading at a later time, this can then be added. 

Of course we're interested to hear your thoughts and will expand on the idea of other audio productions soon. 

In regards to the tv-special and tv-mini-series keywords having an affect on display, you're completely right and this avenue is something we're keeping in mind.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Cheers,
Joel 

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Just in case anyone is interested (maybe some British IMDb staff are fans?) there is this listing for the BBC radio show/podcast

Kermode and Mayo's Film Review
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5825482/...

It was listed with very little data and a 2010 start date, which doesn't really make sense since the show started long before. My guess is that the attached director/producer added the title to build his resume. I made a few edits to let the listing cover the show more fully.

Based on Joel's reply above I wanted to add the start date of the radio show, but this is hard to determine as the show grew out of another show. Instead I added a 2005 episode, which seems to be the first podcast episode. I guess this is an example of the data problems that can arise.

I love it!

This move was probably inevitable, given that many podcasts begin as audio-only, and then graduate to video.

Others are audio-only, but appear on YouTube as ersatz videos, with one static image used throughout.

By the way, many old-time radio shows from the 1930s-1960s have been resurrected as podcasts. Eventually you'll have to decide whether you want to start listing these as well. Note that many radio serials (The Lone Ranger, Dragnet, The Guiding Light, etc.) appeared simultaneously with their television versions. By the time old radio shows appear in the database, you'll need to have a clear way of distinguishing them from TV productions.

Hi Joel, if the podcast started as a regular "radio show" that was also released through omni-channel on SoundCloud/Youtube/iTunes podcasts/Goolge podcasts etc, should the start date of the podcast be the 1st radio broadcast?

Yippee!  Just submitted my favorite...

I am a longtime data contributor to the database and highly confused as to why, if you are opening submissions for audio-only podcasts, that you do not also add a title designation for them. This goes for web series as well. Podcasts and web series are decidedly their own entity and certainly not "made-for-TV," a "TV series," or "made for video." This is honestly quite ridiculous. There is no reason for them not to have a specific designation instead of adding the keyword. That doesn't make any sense at all. The database has been around for over twenty years now. It's 2020. Your tech team has more than enough programming knowledge to make these changes, as well as to fix the bug disallowing an update on a series to made at the series level after the title has gone live which has persisted since the inception of the site.