Thinking Outside the Feed

From residencies to Broadway to film festivals, The Ringer is redefining what live podcasting can be.

We experience the podcasts we love so personally, whether it’s on commutes, at the gym, or in the quiet of a late night at home. But if you’ve been following The Ringer over the past few years, you know their shows are just as powerful when they step out of the feed and onto a stage.

Long before live podcasting became an industry trend, The Ringer was already bringing its communities together in real life. The idea was simple: What happens if listening becomes a shared cultural moment? The answer has been packed theaters, sold-out tours, and formats that push podcasting into new creative spaces.

A soaring stage

Since its very first live show in New York City back in 2022, The Ringer has built something remarkable. In just a few years, the team has staged more than 50 shows across the US and beyond, with the vast majority selling out. Demand has only grown, with nearly every show in the past year selling out.

The momentum only accelerated beginning in 2024 . The Rewatchables Cold Weather Tour proved demand across multiple cities in January and February. That summer, The Ringer Residency turned L.A.’s El Rey Theatre into a home base, building consistency and community week after week. Then came two defining moments. The Rewatchables on Broadway in October was a one-night cultural crossover that took a podcast onto one of the most iconic locales in the world. The Rewatchables Film Festival in March 2025 expanded the format even further, transforming a podcast into a full-scale festival in the Boston area.

Why live matters

Ask anyone who’s been to a Ringer show and they’ll tell you it’s as much a gathering as it is a live event. Yes, it’s a celebration of the podcast itself and also of the community of its fans. These are listeners who want to belong to something bigger than themselves.

“Our goal has always been to meet fans where they are,” says Elizabeth Paige Fierman, Live Events Lead at The Ringer. “Increasingly, that means giving them chances to experience these shows live, together.”

And when they do, it feels less like a podcast and more like culture in motion. Film, sports, comedy, and fandom are colliding in a shared space.

Innovation at scale

Residencies. Broadway stages. Film festivals. The Ringer is not just doing live shows. It’s experimenting as it expands the traditional format. This spirit of experimentation is part of why fans keep showing up and why these shows keep selling out.

“The Ringer has been experimenting with live shows for years,” says Geoff Chow, Head of Podcast Studios & MD at The Ringer. “What you are seeing now is the culmination of that vision at scale. We are excited to continue evolving.”

Spotify’s role is to amplify that vision. As the home of The Ringer, Spotify helps these moments reverberate globally, connecting fans everywhere to the creativity and community happening onstage.

What’s ahead

From that first show in New York City to landmark events worldwide, The Ringer has proven that podcast fandom can rival live comedy or music in sheer draw.

Each event is proof that the intimacy of podcast listening can translate into a room full of people cheering for the same inside jokes, laughing at the same lines, and celebrating the same culture. Each one is a reminder that these shows are not just about what is said into a mic. They’re about the communities that form around them.

And now, with momentum building, The Ringer Live is no longer just an experiment. It is a movement, one that continues to redefine what live podcasting can be.