Recently, This American Life announced a paid subscription for their legendary podcast, citing falling ad rates as the primary reason. Sure, I knew the radio show had some ad support, but here in Switzerland, I never really noticed any ads on the podcast itself.
Ads and Me: A Love-Hate Relationship
I’m not the biggest fan of ads, and I’ve got my reasons. To me, many feel dishonest, and honestly, I’d rather do my own research than listen to a sales pitch. That said, podcast ads are about the only kind I can tolerate. They’re not hyper-targeted like most online ads, and I think that’s a good thing. I’d much rather have ads based on the content I’m enjoying (or the site I’m visiting) than ones aimed at who I am or what I’ve been searching for.
I block ads wherever I can. If a site tells me to turn off my ad blocker, I’ll either work around it or just leave. But, funnily enough, I’m willing to pay for an ad-free experience when it’s an option—like with my newspaper subscription. I’d rather fork over some money than trade my privacy for access.
The Rise of Paid Podcasts
Paid podcasts are becoming more and more common. Many offer free, ad-supported versions with the option to pay for an ad-free experience, and sometimes, exclusive content. For a long time, podcasts either ran on ads or were completely free with no backing. But some shows started exploring new ways to fund themselves. For me, the first one that really stood out was Darknet Diaries, which found support through Patreon.
It was a sweet deal: no ads, I supported the show, and occasionally, I got bonus episodes (though, to be honest, I didn’t care much for most of them). The main content was already great. As more tools for this kind of support were developed, like Supporting Cast and Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, many shows followed suit.
Recently, after leaving Reply All (at different times), both PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman launched podcasts that also offer paid subscriptions. While Search Engine already has a proven track record, HyperFixed still needs to show if it can live up to the hype.
This American Life Offerings
With This American Life’s new paid subscription, you get ad-free episodes and access to a curated archive of 250 episodes handpicked by Ira Glass. Every now and then, they also release bonus episodes for subscribers. While it’s a good deal for some, there are a few features I’d still love to see.
For instance, I’d prefer full access to the entire archive, not just a selected portion. Additionally, as a podcast enthusiast, I think it would be great if the episodes were more podcast-friendly. Features like proper episode numbers integrated into the podcast app (not just in the title) would make navigation so much easier. Chapters within episodes would also be a game-changer—formatted in a way that podcast apps can display them seamlessly. These features would take the listening experience to the next level.
As you can probably tell, I’m all for this trend. I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I’m happy to spend a few bucks to keep them going—and ad-free listening is just the cherry on top.
Should You Pay for It?
Well, that’s up to you. I’ve been listening to This American Life for ages. Right now, I’m working my way through the entire back catalogue, dating all the way back to 1995 (I’m 565 episodes deep out of 844 as of today). The storytelling is consistently great, and some episodes are among the best audio I’ve ever heard. So, for me, paying a bit to support the show was a no-brainer.
If you’re a fan and can spare a little cash, you should subscribe too!
