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Library/Series/Serial (podcast)
Grade B23 sourcesHIS-01286

Serial (podcast)

Series · 2014 · Notable

42Editable slideCertificate

Serial became the fastest podcast to reach 5m iTunes downloads and streams.

Official Serial cover artwork from This American Life; no victim imagery.
This American Life / Serial
Adnan Syed's high-school photo, the art for 'The Alibi', Serial's first episode.
This American Life / WBEZ at launch; The New York Times since 2020
Serial's Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder with Ira Glass.
Mother Jones
Serial host Sarah Koenig.
TIME
Sarah Koenig at a studio microphone.
TIME
Sarah Koenig and the Serial production team accepting their Peabody Award; CC BY 2.0.
The Peabody Awards / Wikimedia Commons
A wall of handwritten case notes.
Engadget

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagionNo data yetBreadth60Velocity17Longevity4142

Numbers

Seed to observed peak
3 months
Oct 3 ’14 to Dec 18 ’14
Platforms
6
Started on Audio
Origin
Seeded
Media & publishing

Mechanics

  • Mystery & lorePrimary
  • Fandom mobilisation
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Serial launched through This American Life, then drew Reddit investigations, Twitter discussion and television parodies. Donations and sponsorship funded another season. A court vacated Syed’s conviction in 2022.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum.

Google searchesJun ’14OctDecFeb ’15JunDec ’16Jun ’18Dec ’19Mar ’21DecOct ’22Observed peakPressAudioRedditTVXOpen web
PressAudioRedditTVXOpen web

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. September 2014

    Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder precursor · Sep 19 ’14

    Koenig and Snyder previewed the podcast in a Mother Jones interview before its announced October launch.[1]

    Serial's Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder with Ira Glass.
    Open the first post ↗

  2. October 2014

    This American Life / Sarah Koenig seed · Oct 3 ’14

    This American Life aired The Alibi as Serial released its first two episodes.[2][3][4][5]

    Adnan Syed's high-school photo, the art for 'The Alibi', Serial's first episode.

  3. Slate / Ben Mathis-Lilley press · Oct 3 ’14

    Slate reviewed the podcast on its launch day.[5]

  1. platform jump · Nov 12 ’14

  2. commercial · Nov 18 ’14

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Why it worked

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  1. 1
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  3. 3

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Media & publishing
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

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New cases, every week

How the next thing spread, the week it does.