The Economist launches “The Intelligence”, a new daily podcast

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — January 23rd 2019 — The Economist will launch “The Intelligence”, a new 20-minute daily current-affairs podcast providing a unique perspective on the events and trends that are shaping the world. The show, hosted by Jason Palmer and supported by a team of eight editors and producers, will publish each weekday morning at 6am ET/11am GMT starting on Tuesday, January 29th 2019.

Drawing on the expertise of The Economist’s global network of correspondents, each episode of “The Intelligence” will dig past the headlines to get to the stories beneath—and to the global stories that aren’t making headlines, but should be. The podcast will consist of three parts—analysis of a prominent news story of the day, a lively feature and a lighter item to close.

“‘The Intelligence’ will keep listeners up to speed with global affairs,” said Tom Standage, head of digital strategy and deputy editor at The Economist. “We’ve been involved in audio publishing for a long time, starting with our first podcasts in 2006 and our weekly audio edition in 2007. A daily podcast is the next logical step. We think it’s the ideal way to introduce listeners to the breadth and depth of our journalism, every weekday.”

The new show will sit alongside The Economist’s three main weekly podcasts, “Money talks”, “Babbage” and “The Economist asks”. All of these podcasts are available on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Acast, which is The Economist's podcast platform partner. More information on “The Intelligence” and other Economist Radio podcasts can be found at http://www.economist.com/the-intelligence-podcast

Anne McElvoy, head of Economist Radio, said: “‘The Intelligence’ aims to give listeners a clear-eyed look at what is happening in the world—and help them understand what lies ahead. ‘The Intelligence’ will build on our strong record in innovating in audio, and deepen our relationship with our audience.”

The Economist has been podcasting since 2006. It has won numerous awards including four Lovies and two British Podcast Awards, and has received accolades for a podcast collaboration with Slate in the US, entitled “The Secret History of the Future”. With an average of 7 million downloads and streams per month in 2018, Economist Radio is expanding its output as the appetite for podcasts grows worldwide, particularly in America. More than 124 million people in the US have listened to a podcast, and each week an estimated audience of 73 million in the US listen to podcasts.*

“The Intelligence” will be available to subscribers and newcomers alike, complementing The Economist’s existing output while also providing an accessible and enjoyable introduction to its journalism for those unfamiliar with the brand.

*Source: The Infinite Dial 2018 Edison Research and Triton Digital

Contact:
(UK) Holly Donahue hollydonahue@economist.com or +44 20 7575 8379
(US) Tom Amos tomamos@economist.com or +1 212 541 0583

About The Economist (Economist.com)
With a growing global audience and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications in the world. In addition to the weekly print and digital editions and website, The Economist publishes Espresso, a daily news app, Global Business Review, a bilingual English-Chinese product and Economist VR, a virtual-reality app. Economist Radio produces several podcasts a week and Economist Films produces short- and long-form video. The Economist maintains robust social communities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, LINE, Medium and other social networks. A recipient of many editorial and marketing awards, The Economist was named the most trusted news source by the 2017 Trusting News Project Report.