Let’s take a look back at the podcasting highlights of 2022.
2022 has been an exciting year for podcasting. With the industry booming and more content than ever being broadcast across the airwaves, 2022 was a big year for the podcasting space.
Looking back, so much happened over the course of the past 365 days! So much! We had a hard time narrowing down our top moments from the past year. But we did! And we’ve come up with our shortlist of the top podcasting highlights of 2022.
From new technologies to groundbreaking shows, let’s take a look at the podcasting highlights brought to us by 2022.
NOTE: These highlights are in no particular order. They’re simply a collection of some of the standout moments or events that occurred in the audio and podcasting space in 2022.
Podcasting Highlights of 2022
Podnews Report Card 2022
This year, Podnews introduced their podcasting report card as a way to gauge how the major podcasting platforms were doing.
It’s full of some really useful insights, and it also includes comments and feedback from participants, which are definitely worth a read. The reason this is a highlight is because we really value when others in the space are looking for innovative ways to help make the realm of podcasting better.
And the insight gathered from this report card does just that!
You can check out all the facts and figures, as well as the feedback here.
Podcasts on Screen
The role of “podcast host” is quickly growing as a screen credit. And we’re here for it! Over the years, there have been some cool shows where podcasting played a key role. Limetown was a big one.
But possibly the biggest use of podcasting as an actual character on the silver screen is Only Murders in the Building. This gem stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as true-crime enthusiasts who become true-crime podcast co-hosts when a murder happens in their building.
Personally, I loved this series and thought the nuances of podcasts and podcasting were hysterically portrayed. It was fun to see the podcasting trope establish itself as, well, a trope! For someone who listens to a ton of shows, and works and writes in the industry, I found the references very meta, and I loved it!
Here’s to Season 3 in 2023!
Podcasts Deliver Justice
Something pretty incredible happened this year because of podcasts…justice! 2022 was unprecedented in the amount of cases that received closure because they were the subject matter of a podcast.
Crazy, right?!
And this didn’t just happen once!
But let me backtrack a bit…
Adnan Syed
First up, we had the phenomenal outcome for Adnan Syed. His name is synonymous with podcasts as he was the subject of the breakthrough podcast, Serial. The story captured the hearts and ears of the world, but the tale did not receive the storybook ending we were all hoping for.
By the time the podcast ended, Adnan Syed was still in prison, and for the many years since, it looked like that was where he was going to stay. Until 2022 rolled around, that is! News broke in September of this year that Adnan Syed was going to be freed. A mindblowing end to the podcast that started it all.
Read more about the whole story here.
Kristin Smart
The family of Kristin Smart, whose disappearance was the focus of the podcast Your Own Backyard also received closure this year. The podcast reignited interest in the case, which eventually saw Paul Flores arrested and convicted for her murder.
Read more on the story here.
Lynette Dawson
The family of Lynette Dawson, subject of the The Teacher’s Pet podcast also received justice this year. Thanks in large part to the investigation of podcast host and journalist Hedley Thomas, Chris Dawson was eventually arrested and convicted of her murder.
The podcast itself is a very detailed listen, and expertly brings you along on the investigation.
You can read all about it here: How The Teacher’s Pet podcast helped catch and jail a killer.
Podcast Justice
In a slightly different fight for justice, 2022 also saw Elizabeth Holmes, the subject of the podcast The Dropout, convicted of fraud for her role in the Theranos scandal. Later this year, she was also sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.
The Dropout was also adapted into a mini-series this year. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, The Dropout starred Amanda Seyfried, who expertly portrayed Elizabeth Holmes, and brought the whole saga to life.
Return of International Podcast Day
Another fantastic highlight of 2022 was the return of the International Podcast Day event.
The 30th of September, 2022, saw the official International Podcast Day event in full swing.
There were so many cool events taking place throughout the course of the day. And, once again, the day brought together podcast enthusiasts from all across the globe.
If you missed out on this year’s event, you can catch replays of all the sessions here. And be sure to mark the 30th of September, 2023, on your calendar so you can join in the celebrations next year.
Some of our Favorite Podcasts
2022 also brought us some of our favorite podcasts ever!
Yes! I say it every year. (Which is pretty amazing for the podcasting space if you think about it!) But 2022 definitely delivered in terms of stellar podcasts!
Podcast creators are certainly amping up their editing and taking their story-telling skills to new levels. And this is amazing for the audio space as a whole!
But we really love the shows we got to discover this year! They were from all sorts of niches, and all types of genres (again, this is amazing for the space) and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it all!
You can check out our top podcast picks for 2022 in this post: A Collection of the Best Podcasts of 2022.
Video Podcasting
2022 also saw video becoming increasingly important to the podcasting space. Video podcasts have been around for a few years, but this year saw them become more popular.
There are many reasons for this. 2022 was a year for video across platforms. And including video in their podcasting offering was a way for podcast hosts to reach their listeners more effectively.
But it was also a clear strategy to connect with new listeners and so grow their audience.
The fact that YouTube came out tops in numerous polls as the world’s most popular podcast streaming platform also added to the push to video.
We do expect to see more podcasters offering video content on one platform or another in 2023.
The Return of In-Person Events
And lastly, 2022 also saw the return of many in-person podcast events! We know this was a 2022 “podcasting highlight” for many in our industry.
For an industry that is pretty solitary, in-person events allow podcast hosts to connect with others who are as passionate about the podcasting space as they are. So much work and effort goes into planning these types of events, and they’re always a ton of fun. But what is really cool is the vast variety of the types of events on offer.
Check out all the events 2022 brought us here and here. And keep an eye on our blog for the lowdown on all the podcasting events 2023 will bring us.
In Conclusion
2022 was another big year for podcasting. We’ve seen huge strides in terms of international recognition, as well as justice being served for those involved in criminal cases. We’ve also seen new ways to get creative with video and audio podcasting, as well as the return of traditional in-person events.
Not to mention podcasts and podcasting becoming a common part of our pop culture!
It’s truly been a year full of new beginnings for podcasting!
And we can’t wait to see all that the future has in store!
So, here’s to 2023! And here’s to podcasting!
What podcasting moments stood out for your this year? Share with us in the comments!
