Audiomatic
Audiomatic is India’s first podcast network that launched in April, 2015.[1][2] As of June 2015, the website hosts four programmes, each of which has episodes ranging from 15–20 minutes. The podcasts are either weekly or fortnightly, and offer content in genres such as food, science, culture, current affairs, entertainment and humour.[3] The podcasts on the network have been noted for their high-quality of production and The Intersection, their science podcast, especially has been praised for being well-researched.[4]
Current work
As of June 2015, Audiomatic has four podcasts – The Real Food Podcast, The Intersection, Ask Aakar Anything and Our Last Week. All the programmes are in English, and release a new episode fortnightly, except Ask Aakar Anything, which is a weekly podcast. The Real Food Podcast is hosted by food writer Vikram Doctor,[5] who explores ingredients and Indian food habits and obsessions.[4][6] According to the show’s page on Audiomatic’s website, the podcast offers information about the origins of and legends associated with various Indian ingredients and recipes.
The Intersection is a science and culture-based podcast, which is hosted by journalists Samanth Subramanium and Padmaparna Ghosh.[7] The podcast offers a mix of science, culture and history.[6] Some of the topics covered on the podcast include the hh blood group, also known as the Bombay Blood Group,[8] and the mysteries of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Ask Aakar Anything is hosted by journalist and columnist Aakar Patel.[9] The programme is an opinion-based podcast and features Aakar Patel answering questions posed by the show’s listeners.[2]
Our Last Week is a comedy podcast that is hosted by stand-up comic Anuvab Pal and actor and director Kunaal Roy Kapur. The show features observational comedy and follows a conversational format.[10]
Reception
According to an interview of one of the founders in the Mumbai-based daily Mid Day, Audiomatic garnered 80,000 listeners in the first three weeks of its launch.[11] Audiomatic has been praised for the high quality of production that its podcasts feature.[12] Dustin Silgardo, in Mint Lounge, business newspaper Mint’s weekend edition, said that the music is used cleverly in the background and also noted that the “nuanced observations” on Our Last Week are “refreshing”.[4] The Intersection has been particularly praised for its quality of research and for its ability to create a narrative.[4][6] The New Indian Express appreciated the “heavy dose of wit and charm” that the podcast features.[13]
References
- "A look at audio podcasting in India". Mint Lounge.
- "Tune in". Daily News and Analysis.
- "Audiomatic launches narrative podcasts across genres starting with 4 shows". MediaNama.
- "Sounds of Substance". Mint Lounge.
- "Vikram Doctor". The Economic Times.
- "This Indian Life: Podcasts from the Motherland". Brown Paper Bag.
- "Samanth Subramanium". The Caravan.
- "Do you know Bombay Blood Group ?".
- "Aakar Patel in Mint".
- "Audiomatic: The podcast that cuts to the chase". Daily News and Analysis.
- "This Indian Life". Mid Day.
- "Podcasting in India - Finding Our Very Own 'Serial'". NDTV Gadgets.
- "The Art of Listening". The New Indian Express.