Acast

Acast
Company typePublic
Nasdaq First North: ACAST
Industry
Founded2013; 11 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

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]

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]

  1. ^ "Acast Interim report January – March 2022" (PDF). Acast. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Acast öppnar för reklam i podden - Dagens Media". 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ Dale, Brady (12 June 2015). "Stockholm Startup Acast Solves Podcasters' Advertising Problem". Observer.
  4. ^ Sinclair, Sophia (23 September 2020). "Acasts kamp för att fortsätta dominera poddvärlden". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Podcast platform Acast raises $19.5 mln to fund expansion, boost staff". Reuters. 20 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Podcasts were guys talking about tech, then along came Serial". the Guardian. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Få spinn på din försäljning på Amazon – experten ger dig supertipsen". Breakit (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Acast lanserar Keyword Targeting och öppnar upp nya möjligheter för podcastannonsering". investors.acast.com. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ Redaktionen (15 February 2022). "Bonnier Ventures köper aktier i Acast för 150 miljoner" (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ Ha, Anthony (5 December 2018). "Acast raises $35M to help podcasters make money". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  11. ^ WendelText, Analys:Johan (11 June 2021). "Ledningen de största vinnarna när Acast noteras". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  12. ^ Lawson, Alex (18 May 2015). "After Serial, funding pours into podcasting". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021.
  13. ^ Cellan-Jones, Rory (19 August 2016). "Can podcasts turn a profit?". BBC News.
  14. ^ "Acast Sets Its Sights On Smaller Podcasters". Insideradio.com. 21 November 2019.
  15. ^ Thiessen, Connie (25 November 2019). "Acast to sell CBC/Radio-Canada podcast slate globally". Broadcast Dialogue.