Serial Productions
Serial Productions is a narrative podcast studio producing long-form investigative audio series for general listeners, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company since 2020 and known for the 'Serial' franchise and award-winning investigative series.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNyack, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Serial Productions does
Serial Productions is a narrative podcast production studio that creates long-form, investigative audio series for general consumers of audio journalism. The company was founded in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show This American Life, with its flagship podcast 'Serial' pioneering the serialized investigative format that reshaped the medium. Its catalog includes 'Serial' (multiple seasons), 'S-Town', 'The Retrievals', 'The Trojan Horse Affair', 'Nice White Parents', 'The Kids of Rutherford County', 'The Good Whale', 'The Preventionist', 'The Idiot', and 'The Last 12 Weeks', spanning true crime, criminal justice, medical justice, education, and environmental storytelling.
The studio is built on a lean production model with 11-50 employees, leveraging editorial talent (including Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyder) and recurring partnerships with organizations such as The Marshall Project. Distribution is global and free to listeners via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other directories, and since 2020 the company has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company, anchoring its reach and monetization within NYT's subscription and journalism platform.
Revenue derives from embedded podcast advertising and, indirectly, from supporting The New York Times Company's subscription acquisition and retention through high-profile audio content. The company has won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast, and remains active as of 2026 with a steady cadence of new series and franchise extensions.
Serial Productions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Serial Productions
- Legal name
- Serial Productions
- Website
- https://serialpodcast.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Serial Productions is a narrative podcast studio producing long-form investigative audio series for general listeners, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of The New York Times Company since 2020 and known for the 'Serial' franchise and award-winning investigative series.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Serial Productions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Podcast Production
- NAICS
- All Other Publishers (513199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Investigative & Journalism Documentaries (MPADADAD), Docuseries & Episodic Nonfiction (TV/Streaming) (MPADADAB)
Keywords
Where Serial Productions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nyack
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Serial Productions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue (via NYTimes): Serial Productions operates as a subsidiary of The New York Times Company, generating revenue through the broader subscription-based business model of the parent company. Their podcast content supports subscriber acquisition and retention for NYTimes.
- Podcast Advertising: Podcasts generate advertising revenue through embedded ads within podcast episodes, common in the podcasting industry.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Serial Productions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Serial Productions produces long-form, narrative investigative podcasts delivered as audio series to general consumers. The portfolio includes the flagship "Serial" franchise alongside series such as "S-Town," "The Retrievals," "The Last 12 Weeks," "The Idiot," "The Preventionist," "The Good Whale," "The Kids of Rutherford County," "We Were Three," "The Trojan Horse Affair," "The Improvement Association," and "Nice White Parents," covering true crime, social justice, medical ethics, criminal justice, and human-interest storytelling. Content is distributed free to listeners through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and The New York Times platform.
Product overview
Serial Productions is a narrative podcast production company that creates investigative and storytelling audio series. The company, acquired by The New York Times in 2020, produces multiple podcast series including the flagship 'Serial' franchise and numerous other investigative series such as 'The Idiot', 'The Retrievals', 'The Last 12 Weeks', 'The Good Whale', 'The Kids of Rutherford County', 'We Were Three', 'The Trojan Horse Affair', 'The Improvement Association', 'Nice White Parents', and 'S-Town'. The portfolio includes true crime investigations, medical justice stories, social justice exposes, and family narratives. Shows have won nearly every major journalism award for audio, including the first-ever Peabody Award given to a podcast.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Serial The flagship narrative podcast that tells one true story over the course of each season, hosted by Sarah Koenig; originated the modern serialized investigative podcast format. Audience is general consumers of narrative journalism.
- S-Town Standalone narrative podcast about a man in Alabama who despises his town; distributed via Serial Productions and major podcast directories for general listeners.
- Nice White Parents Five-part podcast series from Serial Productions and The New York Times about building a better school system; for general listeners interested in education and social issues.
- The Improvement Association True-story podcast about election fraud, produced by Serial Productions; targets general listeners of investigative journalism.
- The Trojan Horse Affair Podcast series investigating the origins of a mysterious letter that caused a national scandal; aimed at general listeners of investigative journalism.
- We Were Three Podcast series telling a story of lies, family, America, and the impact of Covid; for general listeners of human-interest investigative storytelling.
- The Retrievals, Season 1 Five-part narrative podcast series exploring events at a Yale fertility clinic; for general listeners of medical justice investigative storytelling.
- The Kids of Rutherford County Four-part podcast series investigating how a Tennessee county was arresting and illegally jailing hundreds of children; for general listeners of criminal justice investigative storytelling.
- Serial Season 4: Guantánamo Season 4 of 'Serial' providing a history of Guantánamo told by people who lived through key moments; for general listeners of investigative journalism.
- The Good Whale Limited podcast series from Serial Productions and The New York Times about the science experiment to return Keiko the orca to the ocean; for general listeners of documentary storytelling.
- The Retrievals, Season 2 Season 2 of The Retrievals, exploring why patients feel severe pain during C-sections; for general listeners of medical justice investigative storytelling.
- The Preventionist Podcast series investigating why families in the Lehigh Valley are losing custody of their children; for general listeners of social-justice investigative storytelling.
- The Idiot Five-part true crime podcast hosted, written, and reported by M. Gessen, based on her cousin Allen's story of being arrested for attempting to hire a hitman; for general listeners of true crime narrative podcasts.
- The Last 12 Weeks Five-part podcast series produced with The Marshall Project about a death row case and the final weeks before an execution; for general listeners of criminal justice investigative storytelling.
Companies that use Serial Productions
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Serial Productions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Serial Productions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- This American LifecoreSerial Productions originated in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show This American Life. The 'Serial' podcast, which launched the narrative podcast phenomenon, was created by the team behind This American Life.
- The Marshall ProjectminorSerial Productions collaborated with The Marshall Project on 'The Last 12 Weeks', a five-part series on the death penalty and criminal justice system.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Serial Productions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- iHeartPodcasts: Largest US podcast publisher by download volume, including true crime and investigative shows; comparable as a distribution-and-production incumbent, though broader and less premium-narrative focused than Serial Productions.
- Audacy (Cadence13 / Pineapple Street): Major radio and podcast operator that acquired Pineapple Street Studios and Cadence13; comparable as a large-scale home for premium narrative podcast IP and distribution.
- The New York Times (Audio / The Daily): Parent of Serial Productions and operator of 'The Daily' and other NYT-branded podcasts; comparable as a premium journalism-driven audio organization, though broader in scope and cadence.
Emerging players
- Crooked Media: Independent podcast network (Pod Save America) producing narrative and political audio; comparable in scale and editorial-led positioning, but skews toward political commentary rather than investigative true crime.
- PRX (Radiotopia): Public radio exchange that runs the Radiotopia narrative podcast network (e.g., 'Reply All', 'Ear Hustle'); comparable in mission-driven, story-first podcast production and public-radio lineage.
Direct peers
- Gimlet Media: Narrative and documentary-style podcast studio (acquired by Spotify in 2019) known for serialized storytelling; same premium-investigative positioning and similar post-acquisition operating model under a large media parent.
- Wondery: Premium narrative podcast studio (acquired by Amazon in 2020) producing serialized true crime and investigative audio; directly comparable to Serial Productions in format, audience, and parent-company distribution leverage.
- Pushkin Industries: Founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, Pushkin produces premium narrative and documentary podcasts (Revisionist History, Cautionary Tales); directly comparable in editorial ambition and high-production-value format.
- Pineapple Street Studios: Independent narrative podcast studio behind 'The Clearing', 'Missing Richard Simmons', and 'Wind of Change'; comparable in long-form investigative storytelling and limited-series format.
Others
- This American Life / WBEZ: Cradle of Serial Productions (2014 spinoff) and ongoing creative partner; the most direct editorial and talent ancestor, with overlapping producer and reporter DNA across shows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Serial Productions social profiles
Digital presenceSerial Productions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Serial Productions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Serial Productions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Serial Productions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Serial Productions
What does Serial Productions do?
Serial Productions produces long-form, narrative investigative podcasts delivered as audio series to general consumers. The portfolio includes the flagship "Serial" franchise alongside series such as "S-Town," "The Retrievals," "The Last 12 Weeks," "The Idiot," "The Preventionist," "The Good Whale," "The Kids of Rutherford County," "We Were Three," "The Trojan Horse Affair," "The Improvement Association," and "Nice White Parents," covering true crime, social justice, medical ethics, criminal justice, and human-interest storytelling. Content is distributed free to listeners through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and The New York Times platform.
Is Serial Productions a public or private company?
Serial Productions is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Serial Productions founded?
Serial Productions was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Serial Productions based?
Serial Productions is headquartered in Nyack, United States, in the North America region.
How does Serial Productions make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue (via NYTimes) is the primary driver. The others are podcast Advertising.
Who are Serial Productions's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are iHeartPodcasts, Audacy (Cadence13 / Pineapple Street) and The New York Times (Audio / The Daily). Emerging players are Crooked Media and PRX (Radiotopia). Direct peers are Gimlet Media, Wondery, Pushkin Industries and Pineapple Street Studios. This American Life / WBEZ is listed as an others.
Does Serial Productions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Serial Productions.
What industry is Serial Productions in?
Serial Productions's product category is Podcast Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAE, Audio Production & Podcasting, with a secondary code of MPADADAD, Investigative & Journalism Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 513199.