EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ and Hulu will stream Pave Studios true-crime video podcasts Clues and Mother Knows Murder in exclusive windows before they go into wide release.
The two titles, which are part of Pave’s Crime House sub-brand, are the company’s first to be picked up by a major streaming platform. Seeing the growth of YouTube in the living room, Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock and lately Disney+ have been looking to add podcast programming, which is seen as a budget-friendly way to boost view time and engagement.
Pave Studios was founded by Max Cutler, who previously founded Parcast and went on to become an executive at Spotify after the streaming giant acquired his company.
Clues, hosted by Kaelyn Moore, will premiere next Tuesday. Mother Knows Murder, hosted by The Rookie: Feds and Claws star Niecy Nash and her daughter, actress Dia Nash, will debut on November 9.
New episodes of both series will premiere on Disney+ and Hulu one day before they become available on other podcast platforms.
Clues, which won a Webby earlier this year, promises to take viewers and listeners “deep into the world of notorious crimes and forensic breakthroughs.” New podcast Mother Knows Murder sees the Nashes breaking down an actual case as they recline in bed.
Moore, known as the host of Heart Starts Pounding and the newly premiered Last Trace with Kaelyn Moore said Clues “was developed with a streaming audience in mind from day one. Our goal was to create a show with the production quality and storytelling that would stand naturally alongside other premium content on a streamer like Disney+ and Hulu.”
Cutler said the Disney streaming deal is “proof” of the audience-friendly, creator-led approach of Crime House. Disney is “the first of many places we expect these stories to go,” he added. “As streaming platforms increasingly look to add premium content from talented creators, Pave is well-positioned to be a content collaborator to these companies, and we are excited to be working with Disney to bring our shows to their streaming viewers.”