Hit SvD podcast takes listeners inside a complicated business dynasty

By Paula Felps

INMA

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

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As audio becomes an increasingly effective way to reach audiences, news media companies are changing the way they tell stories. For Sweden’s Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), that has led to a significant investment in audio journalism as part of a three-year plan to focus on podcast subscriptions as a significant source of revenue.

 Driving interest in audio, of course, depends on telling unique and engaging stories. As it looked for a way to stand out in this new-ish format, SvD committed to making a bold entrance, introducing a genre that hadn’t been produced in Sweden.

Infiltrating a dynasty

In February 2023, SvD launched Dynastin — a six-episode podcast centred around the life of Jan Stenbeck. The Swedish business leader, media pioneer, and financier made significant contributions to the media and telecommunications industries, including founding the country’s first free, advertising-funded TV channel, starting the free Metro newspaper, and creating the mobile phone company Millicom.

Jan Stenbeck left behind a legacy in business and a complex family drama that seemed ready-made for a podcast series.
Jan Stenbeck left behind a legacy in business and a complex family drama that seemed ready-made for a podcast series.

When he died suddenly of a heart attack in 2002 — at just 59 years of age — he was estimated to be worth around US$800 million. His sudden death was just the beginning of an unexpected series of events, and some 20 years later, it gave SvD exactly the kind of story that would resonate with audiences.

Mashing up a family drama with a business documentary, SvD’s podcast Dynastin went far beyond examining Stenbeck’s business legacy. Instead, it delved into the lives of Jan Stenbeck’s children:

  • Cristina, the oldest of his four children with American-born wife Merrill MacLeod, was just 24 at the time of his death, but stepped into her father’s shoes to become one of the most powerful businesswomen in Europe.
  • Hugo, the wayward son, was best known for headline-making barroom brawls and drunken driving incidents.
  • Sophie, known as “the family’s Mother Teresa,” found her path through charity work and was considered the most sensitive of the siblings.
  • Max, the youngest and favourite child of their father, was expected to one day take over the business, but instead died in 2015 at the age of 30.

These four children were known to the public during Stenbeck’s life, but upon his death, it was discovered that he had fathered a fifth child — their half-brother Felix Granander — outside of his marriage. 

Listeners were introduced to members of the Stenbeck clan through the podcast and online stories.
Listeners were introduced to members of the Stenbeck clan through the podcast and online stories.

Unraveling a complex story

While many other journalists had reported on the Stenbeck story from the outside, SvD took a different approach: It wanted to make a documentary series with help from the siblings. Eventually — and with much persistence — the team connected with Sophie and Felix, who helped tell the story in a way it had never been heard before.

Their participation added a human dimension to a public, sensational story.

In addition to presenting a series in a way that hadn’t been done before, SvD wanted to create a different model for distributing the content. So, rather than requiring a subscription to access the six-part series, SvD offered the first two episodes for free, but the four remaining episodes required a subscription.

The audio story was supported by online content to drive further engagement, such as an interview with Felix and a look at private family photos.

Captivating a nation

Dynastin was an immediate success, and the ambitious risk paid off. It became SvD’s most successful project not only in terms of attracting listeners but in generating new subscriptions. It was also written about and discussed on other platforms and morning television shows, further generating interest.

And, as new audiences discovered SvD, they also explored its other offerings, boosting the company’s business model and subscriptions overall.

About Paula Felps

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