A podcast produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been declared the best and most popular in the nation for the fourth year in a row.
The national broadcaster’s shows feature strongly in Apple’s end-of-year lists of the best and most popular 2018 releases and once again, ABC’s Conversations was Apple’s most downloaded show in Australia.
The ABC said that among the year’s best podcasts selected by Apple was The Alice Fraser Trilogy, the comedy series recorded live at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, as well as science show, Science Friction.
Manager of ABC Audio Studios, Kellie Riordan said the strong performance of ABC podcasts indicated the enthusiasm of Australian audiences for Australian content, even on a platform offering global choice.
“In just one example from the ABC, I’m particularly proud that The Alice Fraser Trilogy, an ABC scripted comedy solely hosted by a young woman, is listed among the best podcasts of the year,” Ms Riordan said.
“Once again Australia’s favourite podcast, Conversations is the most downloaded show, while the Unravel true crime is the second most downloaded new release.”
She said the enthusiasm of audiences for the quality and distinctiveness of ABC podcasting in 2018 was reflected in an average 14.5 million unique monthly podcast downloads to date, with nearly 18 million downloads in October alone.
