AI tools

Acast

Swedish podcasting company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acast

Acast is a Swedish-founded company that provides hosting, monetization and growth support for podcasts, and podcast advertising solutions for brands and media agencies. Launching in 2014,[2] it developed a dynamic insertion technology which can target advertising within podcasts based on location, time, and personal data.[3] The company champions an independent and open ecosystem for podcasting, where podcasts hosted with Acast are available on all podcast listening apps.[4] Acast was founded by Karl Rosander [sv] and Måns Ulvestam in 2013;[5][6] together with Johan Billgren as co-founder.[7] Acast hosts over 88,000 podcasts, with over 430 million listens every month. The company operates worldwide with a physical presence in 15 countries, and has its headquarters in Stockholm.[8]

Quick Facts Company type, Traded as ...
Acast
Company typePublic
Nasdaq First North: ACAST
Industry
Founded2013; 12 years ago (2013)
Founder
  • Karl Rosander
  • Måns Ulvestam
Headquarters
Stockholm
,
Sweden
Area served
Worldwide
Services
  • media
  • data and insights
  • production
Number of employees
386[1]
SubsidiariesPodchaser,
  • RadioPublic
Websiteacast.com
Close

In addition to the founders, Bonnier has also invested in the company.[9] In 2018, additional investors stepped in with more than $67 million. In 2019, the European Investment Bank invested 25 million euros in Acast,[10] and on 17 June 2021, Acast was listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Market at a valuation of approximately SEK 7 billion.[11]

Acast enables digital publishers to insert ads targeting niche audiences.[12][13] The platform distributes, monetizes and markets podcasts including My Dad Wrote A Porno, The Adam Buxton Podcast and Shagged Married Annoyed, as well as publishers including The Guardian, The Economist, Vice, Vogue and the Financial Times.[14][15]

History

Summarize
Perspective

In 2014, four months after launch, Acast was named Start-up of the Year by IDG magazine, Internetworld,[16] and ‘Most innovative media service’ at the mobile industry awards Mobilgalan [sv].[17]

In May 2015, Acast closed a $5m Series A funding round, led by Bonnier Growth Media. This was supplemented by an undisclosed follow-on investment from early-stage venture capital firm MOOR, owned by Kaj Hed, majority owner of Rovio Entertainment.[12][18]

In 2016, Acast launched a paid subscription service called Acast+.[19]

In December 2018 the company raised $35 million from AP1 and Swedbank Robur (sv) funds Ny Teknik and Microcap in Series C funding. This has brought total funding to more than $67 million.[20] In 2019, Acast acquired Pippa, another podcast hosting platform.[21]

Since 2019, Acast has offered a free hosting tier for podcasts.[22] The European Investment Bank invested €25 million in Acast in 2019.[23]

In early 2021, Acast announced the acquisition of RadioPublic, a Boston-based startup founded by the public radio organization PRX.[24][25]

In April 2021, rumours about an IPO on Nasdaq Stockholm surfaced.[26] Founders Rosander and Ulvestam sold their last shares earlier in 2021, to fund their new startup Sesamy [sv].[27] Queerstories joined the Acast Creator Network in May 2021.[28][29][30]

In March 2022, Acast announced that they would discontinue their podcast client app. The company cited its decreased importance as a source of user data and their preference for platform-independence in the decision.[31][32]

In July 2022, Acast signed an agreement to acquire Podchaser, a platform-agnostic podcast database with user reviews, for $27 million by August 2022.[33][34][35]

In August 2022, Acast was ranked #2 in Podtrac's ranking of ad sales networks for podcasts in the US.[36]

In November 2022, Acast entered into a partnership with Amazon. Through the agreement Amazon Music bought all advertising space for thousands of Acast's podcasts, allowing Amazon customers to listen to those shows ad-free.[37]

In February 2024, RadioPublic announced their app would close permanently at the end of March.[38] After that date, RadioPublic show links began redirecting to the same shows on Podchaser.

Notable podcasts hosted by Acast

Present

Past

References

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.