Image Credit: Dan LeFebvre

Podcast giant Acast acquires startup RadioPublic, gaining access to their innovative technology for podcasters.

Podcast startup RadioPublic is now owned by Acast, the podcast host and ad network. As claimed to the Verge, the deal makes already-huge Acast the biggest podcasting company in the US.

Boston-founded RadioPublic started out in 2016 as a mobile app for listening to podcasts. They quickly branched out into products such as its Listener Relationship Management Platform, which includes an embeddable web player, and Podsites which are websites for marketing podcasts. It’s the Listener Relationship Management Platform that caught Acast’s eye, as it allows podcasters to form deeper relationships with fans.

Acast has 20,000 podcasts, reaching 300 million listeners a month. The company recently collaborated with Patreon, letting podcasters distribute private patron-only content to their listener’s podcast apps. They also launched in Mexico last year.

Leandro Saucedo, Acast’s Chief Business and Strategy Officer said: “The acquisition of RadioPublic is fundamentally a partnership of values. We both firmly believe in the open ecosystem of podcasting and have a shared commitment to aid listener discovery and support all creators.

We’re impressed by what RadioPublic has achieved and we believe that now — as podcasting is gaining more momentum than ever before — is the ideal time to bring RadioPublic’s talented team and company missions into the Acast fold.”

RadioPublic’s podcast app will remain live. After the sale, RadioPublic co-founders Chris Quamme Rhoden and Matt MacDonald have joined the Acast team, whilst fellow co-founder and CEO Jake Shapiro has joined Apple Podcasts as Head of Creator Partnerships.

MacDonald said: “I’m thrilled to scale up how we’ve helped podcasters grow their audience and make more money now that we’re working with the talented, global team at Acast. There’s such strong alignment between the Acast and RadioPublic philosophies in our mutual support for — and belief in — a financially healthy, robust, open podcast marketplace. It’s exciting to think about bringing our insights and growth marketing tools to a large community of global podcasters.”

With Spotify’s announcements at its recent massive Stream On event half centred around podcasting, an equal split with music news, the other big podcast companies are making moves to ready themselves for a fight for dominance in the quickly growing podcast world.