BEHIND THE APP
Have Curio read the news for you
Curio - Audio Journalism
Listen to news that matters
Keeping up with the news can feel like a part-time job. With Curio, the flourishing audio journalism platform, it’s easy to stay informed.
Curio was founded in 2016 by Govind Balakrishnan, an ex-BBC strategist, and former solicitor Srikant Chakravarti. The duo met in London while studying for their master’s degrees, and together they found a way to deliver in-depth journalism in audio form.
We turn journalism into opportunities for inspiration and self-reflection.
Govind Balakrishnan, Curio co-founder and CEO
“The audio landscape was very different four or five years ago. Everyone thought that the audio market was a subset of the podcast market. We feel quite fortunate to be in a space that has exploded right after podcasting,” says Balakrishnan, co-founder and CEO of Curio.
“I think we always started off with the idea that we wanted trusted, high quality content. We didn’t want breaking news, because you can get that from anywhere, we wanted Curio to have in-depth, thoughtful content that adds value to people’s lives.”
And Curio is just that. The app reads articles and essays aloud, narrated by professional voice actors, so that you can listen to all the news and analysis that interests you.
Curio covers content from more than 50 of the world’s leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, Fast Company, New York Magazine and the Financial Times. The hand-picked topics span Technology, People and Society, Health and Science and more.
As well as the big players, you’ll find trusted independent publications, such as The Business of Fashion and The Idler. The app also has a large catalogue of evergreen content, so that users can immerse themselves in a story or subject, for a form of smart escapism.
“We have a statement, which is, ‘We turn journalism into opportunities for inspiration and self-reflection,’” says Balakrishnan.
The biggest challenge was justifying audio in the early days because at that point, everybody was like, ‘It’s all about video.’
Srikant Chakravarti, Curio co-founder and COO
The app initially faced many challenges. “I think the only people who believed in our idea were the two of us,” jokes co-founder and COO Chakravarti. “But in some ways the scepticism was justified. It’s audio and the biggest challenge was justifying audio in the early days because at that point, everybody was like, ‘It’s all about video, right? Audio isn’t really the future.’”
In fact, the first version – a hybrid Android, iOS and web app – didn’t go to plan (Balakrishnan described the user experience as “foul”), so the pair decided to focus on Apple’s ecosystem and build a native app.
“One of the things I felt was that I would tell my mum about podcasts and she didn’t know how to [access] a podcast,” says Balakrishnan. “But she would go on Netflix and press play. We wanted Curio to be as simple as that. Would it be able to pass the mum test?”
With the new app, Balakrishnan and Chakravarti proved the doubters wrong. Curio is currently most popular among 24- to 35-year-olds in the US and UK, and is growing rapidly in anglophone non-western markets.
Key to the app’s success is having a diverse set of narrators for the content. Balakrishnan has travelled the UK to meet voice actors and spent time in the studio to get the sound just right.
“We didn’t want to go down the audiobook route – we wanted it to be more conversational,” says Chakravarti. “To narrate articles in that way is a hard skill. You want to move away from being academic and journalistic and instead feel the excitement of discovering something new.”
While Curio’s content is personalised to show you articles you’ll like, the app also offers different viewpoints. Discover short 10-minute listens and Trending stories, add a Widget to your Home screen for some fresh knowledge every day and subscribe to listen to unlimited hours of ad-free audio.
“Ultimately, if you want an app to help you understand the world and get smart, with trusted content and voices, and a daily dose of inspiration and wonder, that’s Curio,” says Chakravarti. “It’s audio for busy people.”
But, importantly, does the app pass the mum test after all? “I think it has, because my mum listens a lot,” laughs Balakrishnan. “But it has also gone the other way. I wake up to messages from my dad and mum saying, ‘We like this, but we didn’t like this.’ So now I need to rein them back in.”