Webcasts, podcasts, blogs & the like usually start by targeting a "niche" audience. But sometimes it so happens that a certain webcast or podcast gets transformed one fine morning, from a local broadcast to a mass broadcast to an audience of a few millions. And since they stand on the foundation of web-based technology, these programs face no restrictions as far as global accessibility is concerned. In fact, the Web actually facilitates content sharing by 'word-of-mouth' emails along with URL links. Truly, the Internet has a way of creating overnight media sensations !

Here are 2 recent cases of web-based programs which have peaked in popularity, making their producers world famous.

The Young Turks
"The Young Turks" is a free-thinking, radical webcast based on a "commentary" format. This webcast has adopted the format of a "Television" show hosted by extra-liberal commentators. Perceived initially as a "niche" program with a limited audience, today "The Young Turks" webcast draws an estimated audience of 100,000 viewers per week!

Not surprisingly, ads have crept into each episode. And exposure has resulted in more exposure - via Sirius Satellite Radio and a number of local radio stations. And soon, podcasts of this show may be available for a download fee.

World's Largest Podcast  
Light & irreverent, "The Ricky Gervais Show" is hosted by Ricky Gervais along with co-host Stephen Merchant & team member Karl Pilkington. The basic format has the hosts carrying on a banter with Karl Pilkington (who plays the role of the 'village idiot'). The hit format is simple: Gervais and Merchant verbally beat up Pilkington - this ensures a minimum "entertainment quotient" for the lowest common denominator of audience, with the content is designed for "shock value" on a humorous note.

The episodes are available as free podcasts on the Internet which can be downloaded onto iPods & MP3 players.

Recently, Karl Pilkington became (in)famous for his statement during a discussion about a reality TV show, where contestants were asked to eat an animal's penis. Pilkington made Internet history by saying that he could not eat a penis in the morning but could "eat a knob at night" !

Today, a Google search for "I could eat a knob at night" yields around half a million listings, including links to T-shirts featuring the slogan! Now, who could have estimated that such a pedestrian soundbite would become so popular ?

While on the subject of popularity, it may be worthwhile mentioning that subsequently, Gervais just mentioned on the show that the soundbite could be used in a dance remix. And within a few days, the Internet was swamped with songs based on "I could eat a knob at night" !

It should come as no surprise that "The Ricky Gervais Show" gets more than 2,60,000 downloads per episode. And is expected to cross 1 million in the near future.

Deer In The Headlights?
Starting early (2004), the BBC was a pioneer in adopting podcasting technology. Other major media owners like CBS have been successfully podcasting their news magazine "60 Minutes" for some time now. More recently, print magazines have been adopting podcasts. Despite this, there are no major examples of podcasting success with major media owners comparable to "The Young Turks" and "The Ricky Gervais Show". (It is important to note that no podcast generates significant revenue.)

Like many Internet phenomena, overnight media sensations happen outside the purview of monitored media. This gives the effect of "suddenness", making the mainstream media appear like deer caught staring at headlights!

To be fair, Napsterization (which was a threat to media companies) is currently being adopted by the industry as a delivery model. And blogs are being created as well as acquired by major media owners. So also, we may expect that podcasts will soon be adopted / acquired by mainstream media companies.

The Final Challenge
The final challenge is how to make money from new technology like podcasting. As Ricky Gervais himself lamented about his free podcasts, "I have been a fool."

Now that could be another soundbite for a song!