ZCast to Produce Podcasts On Demand
ZCast is a mobile app that will allow users to broadcast podcasts directly from their mobile phones.
Podcasting, once the reserve of those with niche interests who wished to connect with other people who 'got them', has increased in popularity of late.
In fact, according to Edison Research podcast listenership has grown progressively every year since it’s introduction in 2005. And figures from Apple reveal there have been over 1.6 billion subscriptions and 20 billion downloads since Apple added podcasts to iTunes.
Mainstream appreciation for podcasts came in form of Serial, The linear retelling of true-life stories by the makers of This American Life. Hosted by Sarah Koenig, its so far unparalleled success (season one became the first podcast to receive 5 million streams or downloads in iTunes history) marked a pivotal moment for the medium.
The iPhone arguably lifted the podcasting population out of obscurity, so it's fitting that an app could propel it to greater awareness. ZCast, a mobile app founded by Hillel Fuld, a start up advisor and tech blogger, will allow users to broadcast podcasts live from their mobile phones.
Although podcasts are relatively lo-tech in comparison to say, video streaming, not all of us will have access to a sound proofed studio, quality microphone and a producer to trim the fat from our content. ZCast could have the potential to mitigate these issues.
The app will also connect with the Twitter followers of its users to let them know when episodes go live, enabling them to comment on the content in real time. This will make the episodes completely interactive and potentially more enriching.
Entertainment is increasingly the property of the viewer, and now it could be argued, the listener too. Millenials crave content that is on demand all of the time, and ZCast will allow podcasts to exist in this realm.
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