Fiction Network Fable & Folly Will Close At Year-End.

One of podcasting’s larger independent audio-fiction networks is shutting down. Fable & Folly Network says it will close Dec. 31 after six years, citing changes in the podcast advertising business and the investment that would be required to keep pace.

The network says that while it is shutting down, more than 200 shows that under its umbrella are not ending with the company. Instead, Fable & Folly will spend the remainder of the year helping producers move their shows to new hosting and advertising partners.

Co-founders Sean Howard and Eli Hamada McIlveen launched Fable & Folly in 2020 around the idea that independent audio-fiction creators should be able to turn their work into a livelihood. It began with about a dozen shows and eventually grew to a roster of more than 200. 

But Howard and McIlveen, along with COO Russ More, write in the announcement that the economics supporting that model have changed in the past six years. “The podcast industry has shifted a lot since then, especially on the advertising side that made a lot of this possible,” they write. “Keeping pace with those changes would take a level of investment we don't believe we can responsibly commit to right now.”

Rather than scale back gradually, the company says it decided to set an end date and focus on finding new homes for its creators.

The closure also means the end of Fable & Folly Plus, its listener-supported subscription offering. Shows remaining with the network will continue providing ad-free episodes through the end of the year. Fable & Folly says it has already disabled annual renewals to prevent subscribers from being charged for another year and is encouraging monthly subscribers to cancel and support individual creators directly.

For producers, the coming months will be focused on moving their shows and establishing relationships with new hosting and advertising companies. Fable & Folly is encouraging listeners to follow individual shows and creators so they can keep track of where the programs land.

The company says the decision doesn’t diminish what the network accomplished during its six-year run, including helping some creators turn audio-fiction projects into full-time careers.

“None of this was possible without listeners like you,” Howard, McIlveen and More say. “You gave these shows an audience, gave these creators a reason to keep going, and made audio fiction feel like a genuine community rather than just something to stream in the background.”