The Guardian is launching its podcast rival to The Daily and Up First.
The growing US outpost of the left-leaning British publication is launching a daily video podcast later this year, Semafor has learned, to compete with the likes of The New York Times and NPR. The show will be co-hosted by WNYC host Kai Wright and The Guardian’s Carter Sherman, and will have a staff of ten employees.
“This is a major step in bringing our audio and video journalism to American audiences, showcasing the breadth of our global content and reporting muscle,” Guardian US editor Betsy Reed told Semafor. “It’s also the latest chapter of our ongoing US expansion and a chance to show more Americans the Guardian’s unique brand of journalism: global, independent, and free.”
A spokesperson for The Guardian emphasized that unlike other daily podcasts, it would be launching in a video format, with a YouTube-native feel that could be easily clipped for Instagram and other platforms.
The publication has doubled its presence the last year in the US, covering national politics, media, sports, and other beats. It now has more than 200 staffers, largely based out of New York, representing the largest number of US-based employees in its history. A spokesperson for the company told Semafor that the new podcast represents the first step in its deeper investment in video and its first major investment in podcasting, outside short-run narrative and documentary-style podcasts like The Birth Keepers.